December 2008 and Another Merry Christmas!

Erik and Brittany (his beautiful, brainy girlfriend).



Luther's billboard on Saskatchewan Drive (a familiar face is front and center).



Dieter and his best friend Nicole off to the Halloween Dance.



Erik and Mike (both play on the Luther football and hockey team and both are a little crazy)


We've settled in to our new home and life is well, as ordinary as it gets around here. There are always strange characters making appearances as we go about our daily activities.

Erik has adjusted to life at Luther complete with loads of homework, football and now hockey. Dieter transferred to the English program (with an amazing teacher). Competitive waterpolo keeps him busy a few times a week as well. He's had a busy year and thanks to his truly magnificent agent, Lisa Marie, Dieter performed two speaking roles on Corner Gas; had several roles as an Extra on Corner Gas and one on the movie "The Shortcut" and also did his first radio advertisement and a poster for another campaign.

We're grateful to have continued good health and are hopeful and optimistic that Georg's Mom will soon be better now that they've diagnosed the cancer in the bladder. My father is awaiting surgery for his prostate and again, we are optimistic about the anticipated success.

Beginning on January 5, 2009 I will move to a full time position with the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association as the Manager of Communications and Government Relations. Pretty exciting times ahead!

At Home in Saskatchewan

We've been back home for a month now and iit still feels good to be home!


As part of our year OFF and away from our regular routines we're shifting perspectives - changing our point of view. So here we are living in small town (actually, Pangman is a Village) Saskatchewan and loving every minute of it. Our little house is less than a thousand square feet but the yard is big and the view from our front window is nothing short of spectacular.

So the education continues. Grandpa has taught Erik how to change tires and the oil on the half ton. Grandma agreed to purchase ten baby chicks for Dieter to raise. We all agreed that chickens would work for this pet-deprived child because they're really cute and needy when they're young and they grow quickly and soon become so ugly you don't mind donating them to our farmer friends. Georg is allergic to animals so we can't ever own a pet.

So, first of all Dieter had to help Grandpa build a cage. At first he thought he could build one on his own with scraps of wood, but the boards didn't quite line up the way they were supposed to and he ended up making a lemon aid stand instead. Eventually Grandpa and Dieter succeeded in building a cage for the first stage of the chickens life. They'll need a much bigger cage as they grow. Our friend Darlene brought them home from Weyburn on May 15th. They hatched earlier that day and were immediately shipped off to their adopted home with their new caregiver Dieter.


Holding their soft little yellow bodies in the palm of your hand feels so good. Unfortunately Chicken Joe died when Grandpa dropped the heat lamp. The kids burried Chicken Joe next to Sparkles the cat.



Yesterday Erik went with our friend Darlene to move cattle from the winter pasture. It was a full day that included horseback riding, driving the quad, as well as working the half ton and trailer. He worked like a "farm hand" and had the time of his life. Today they left just past 7:30 a.m. to go branding. They'll brand the cattle and take them to the community pasture. What an amazing experience!

Georg has been busy doing some construction work which includes pouring Stampcrete, installing air conditioners and furnaces, installing radiant floor heating, installing windows and doors, and drywalling under his new company "Blind Chicken Construction." Note here: We're into chickens these days. He's also made a few dollars doing a "Work Safe Saskatchewan" commercial. He's the guy wearing the hard hat and carrying a clipboard in the advertisement.


It looks like our Regina house is behind schedule so we're planning on living in Pangman for a few months. This means we can plant a garden! Cousin Brett and Aicha have given us an unlimited supply of manure and Wayne rototilled a huge space so we're set for a garden! The apple trees and raspberry plants will be a nice addition. Another note here: The kids are impressed that people don't have to buy dirt in the country. In the city we buy dirt from Bruce's Landscaping and we also buy rocks. The folks out here tell us we can have as many rocks as we want but we have to pick them ourselves. We can also take as much manure as we need as long as we pitch it ourselves.

Home Again Home Again Piggly Wig

Well folks we're home!

We heard Saskatchewan was forcasting warm weather and sunny skies so we headed home.
Endless blue skies never looked so good and for the first time in our lives, we noticed how clean the air is here.

We had a remarkable journey to every continent except South America and Antarctica. We're already talking about a trip to South America with our friends the MacDonalds, but that won't be this year.

In the upcoming weeks, we'll be summarizing what we've learned and we're convinced we're now experts on what NOT to do. For anyone who is interested we're happy to share our experiences and tell you what we've learned and what we'd suggest for the next time. Thank you to all our new friends who've invited us back to visit in New Zealand, Sweden, Phillipines, South Africa, Thailand, Montreal, Germany, San Francisco,Denmark and France. We'll look forward to seeing you again when you come here and when we return there.

Erik and Dieter have adjusted to small town life. Erik's making money with his lawn care and yard cleanup and he's looking forward to being a Junior Lifeguard in Pangman at the pool this summer. Georg is busy installing furnaces and air conditioners with Dad (Glen Svedahl) and he's also going to be on a commercial for workplace safety that will air starting May 9 for 13 weeks. I'm working on a new line of handbags with sisters and nieces. I'm also looking forward to speaking at the Women's Dinner/Fundraiser on May 29th here in Pangman.

We're scheduled to return to work in September 2008. Erik is hoping he'll be accepted at Luther High School so he will no longer be in French Immersion this Fall. Dieter will return to French Immersion in Regina.

We're thrilled to be back and looking forward to a beautiful Saskatchewan Spring!

In Hawaii for a few days then on to SNOW in Banff

We left Australia and headed to Hawaii for four days before heading to Banff for a few days of skiing at Sunshine Village. I guess we just needed to feel the cool air and see some of that white stuff. Erik and Dieter have asked if we can go spring skiing instead of Hawaii next year. Whose kids are they we're wondering?



We were fortunate to have great ski conditions.

Farewell to Australia

Sydney Harbour



A special thank you to Marianne!




We have enjoyed our time in Australia and are sad to be leaving so soon. We'll miss our Aussie family and will hope to see them again one day.


The Pavlova recipe is travelling with us and we'll try to recreate this famous Australian dessert at home.



Easter in Australia was GREAT!


We LOVED the Opera "Carmen" and are still wondering just how they managed to have live horses, chickens, a donkey AND three campfires on stage. Dieter sat spellbound for the entire performance, so we realize the performing arts are really for all ages.

And we even have FISH stories from Australia! Celeste's father-in-law is a noteworthy outdoorsman.

Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains and Three Sisters (yes in Australia)

Thanks to Marianne we had a most unforgettable day. We left Wahroonga and headed toward the Blue Mountains. After a couple of hours of traveling we stopped at a picnic area in the rugged outdoors. It’s amazing how good a hot cup of tea and sandwiches taste when you’re traveling.


In the early morning from a distance the hills looks blue. This is because of the eucalyptus trees.


Upward winding roads eventually gave way to cultivated plains and before we knew it we had arrived at the Jenolan Caves.


The crystalline limestone formations were deposited by running water over many centuries. It was strange to learn that the current geography dates back to over 600 million years ago. That’s almost incomprehensible!





The Three Sisters are located in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. These strange rock formations are composed of stacks of horizontal Hawkesbury sandstone, laid down in the Triassic period. The Blue Mountains are not mountains at all, but an elevated plateau, pushed up from the surrounding level in the Tertiary period. The plateau has been chiseled and eroded by nature into a series of spectacular gorges and valleys. Already these valleys occupy much more space than the ridges; with every rock fall they get larger, and in time the ridges will disappear. As we stood at the edge of the plateau we couldn’t help but compare the magnificent expanse to the Grand Canyon and in fact, Marianne told us this IS Australia’s Grand Canyon.


Hunter Valley, New South Wales
The higher edge of the valley, rising perhaps one or two thousand feet from the floor, is often miscalled a mountain, because when seen from below, it looks like one. Actually it is the outer edge of a plateau.

Koala Park

It was a “cold” day here in Wahroonga so that means we only reached about 20 degrees C today. This was a perfect day to head over to Koala Park to meet some of Australia’s local wildlife. Up close and personal with koala bears, kangaroos, wallabies, dingos, fruit bats, kookaburras, cockatiels, emus, and the legendary cassowary bird. Legendary because it’s one of those creatures that demonstrates the evolution from dinosaur to present-day birds. The feet and bill are something worth noting.

Notice the dinosaur-type feet



Note: We were not disappointed that this small wildlife park was not host to any snakes.




The wallabies and kangaroos were fun to pet and Dieter made friends with a little one he named “Max.” We were amazed to see the little one tucked inside the mama’s pouch.




Later on the family took up another game of Mench Arge Dich Nich, Onkel Dieter continued our living history lesson and we went for a walk. Oh we also munched on fresh rhubarb cake and cheesecake (we will never want to leave this heavenly place!).

Billy Tea Safari in the Daintree Forest

After an early start we head north along the coast traveling towards Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Forest. Cape Tribulation was so-named after Captain Cook’s ship “The Endeavor” floundered on the reef circa 1770.

En route we saw lush farmland of sugar cane which is harvested annually July through October. Seven tons of sugar cane yield one ton of sugar. The cane can be cut (harvested) five years before a new crop needs to be planted. There were a few open fields where we counted over a hundred wallabies.

We stopped for a short morning tea break (Daintree tea) before our informative river cruise across the Daintree River. We were lucky to see two green tree snakes, a Mama salt water crocodile on her nest, and mangrove forests that bordered the river.

We then ascended the Alexandra Range pausing to take in the panoramic view of the tropical rainforest as it merged with the azure colours of the Coral Sea. We then stopped for a delicious BBQ lunch (I had the BEST homemade veggie burger!) where we had the chance to hand feed kangaroos and wallabies! They’re so cute!

Following lunch we drove up to Emmagene Creek where we went for a dip in the crystal clear water. This was a neat experience because our guide brought all the camping gear necessary to prepare Bushman Pie, Billy Tea, wine and seasonal fruits. All this we savoured in the tranquil surrounds (it enhances the taste you know).

The National Park Boardwalk was extremely educational with our experienced guide pausing to show us flora and fauna. We needed to know about the poisonous oak tree for sure as the leaves are deadly. We also know to avoid the “wait awhile” which is a vine that has sharp thorns that can easily tangle you up if you’re tripping through the forest. The aborigines used this vine when spear fishing. Good idea.

The entomologists were pleased to see so many Ulysses butterflies (but we weren’t allowed to catch any). These are the big fluorescent blue butterflies!

We ended our day at Cape Tribulation Beach where we had a chance to walk along the beach to experience where the rainforest meets the reef. As a bonus we got to see a meter-long monitor lizard.

The Great Barrier Reef!

The Great Barrier Reef - New South Wales Australia

For Georg this fulfills two lifelong dreams: To Scuba Dive the Great Barrier Reef and to see a shark in its environment and yes he tells me he knows that this is not a shark, but a barracuda. In his excitement he didn't manage to get a picture of it, but we all saw it so it is verifiable for all you nay-sayers!

The weather on the outer reef has been challenging with winds up to 35 knots on most days, resulting in 2 ½ meter swells. After a few rough boat rides and seasickness we decided to book our scuba and snorkeling tour on the boat noted for the greatest stability “The Silver Swift.” A good dose of gravol on the trip out to the reef and another dose on the return trip seemed to help the situation as well. (Georg did get sick but I'm not supposed to tell)

When the seas are rocking and rolling it’s not a problem for the scuba divers, but it can be a bit challenging for the snorkeling duo to get off and on the boat without being crushed into its side. This boat had a diveplatform that extended into the water making things much easier for us.

…when you enter the water, you enter a silent world where you become part of the underwater life. You can take respite from the loud chatter and just listen to the crunching of the parrotfish on the coral, feel your breathing and relax in an alert state. It’s a remarkable experience to “fly” over and through the reef.

We were thrilled to see three barracudas, a white tipped reef shark, clownfish (Nemo) and his entire family, turtles, huge clams, and many other brilliantly colored fish and coral. We’re thrilled to have had this opportunity and we understand why it is necessary to take precautions to preserve the living coral reefs. I’d say it was a great science lesson today!

Georg and Erik were able to get up close and personal with the white-tipped reef shark as it was deeper in the reef. It is awesome to see a predator in its habitat - much like the wolves reintroduced into Yellowstone – you know the ecosystem is healthy because they are there.


Today the rains stopped and the sun shone. This is rare during the rainy season, but we’ve been lucky throughout our trip. The day after we took the train to Kuranda, we heard the train had to be shut down because of the landslides washing trees onto the rails. Everywhere we traveled in Europe the public transportation strikes happened AFTER we were there (London, Paris, Rome).

Strike one more thing off of our “Bucket List”. Today was another 10!