A good friend recently commented to me 'why is everyone's life so grown up lately?' Undoubtedly, there have been many people we know dealing with some very grown up life situations in recent times. Personally, I'm often shocked and surprised to be witnessing many of the life events that are shaping our times. It doesn't seem possible that we are at the stage in our lives to be dealing with our parents encountering illness, or having responsibility for raising children, or battling mortgages and worrying about job security. But these are the life and times of myself or the people I care about. We have indeed grown up! But being a grown up shouldn't be all work and no play. Our weekend in Copenhagen with Luke, Maria and Liam served as a welcome reminder that life ... read more

Folk in England are truly fascinated by the possibility of just how dangerous life in Australia can be. From red-back spiders to box jelly fish, deadly snakes and man-eating crocodiles...they are equally delighted and terrified with the scope by which one could possibly meet their own end. I often find myself in conversations with work colleagues and clients about snakes and spiders and other creepy crawlies and people can hardly disguise their terror and delight. There's even a television program called 'Australia's deadliest creatures' which is dedicated to scaring Brits even more. I do confess that Adam and I both acknowledged we were leaving the deadliest continent on earth as we flew out of Sydney that first time (it was small bit of consolation from an otherwise teary me). The fact that Britain itself offers very ... read more

In Spain, a country where the vast majority of the population are reportedly Catholic, one would be right to expect the religious festival surrounding Easter to be a grand affair. When Adam and I first agreed to meet up with Claire to travel through Andalusia over the Easter weekend, we paid little attention to the significance of this time of year. We mistakenly left most of the essential trip planning to the very last minute, falsely assuming that accommodation shouldn't be a big issue and car hire would be a breeze with so many car companies servicing this region. It was with a mild sense of panic that we scrambled to pull the trip together as it drew ever closer. The first big hiccup was our belated realisation that Easter is one of the most popular ... read more

After the Odell siblings' jaunts in Europe, I felt very lucky to have Kyrie in Yorkshire for a few days of wandering. As this was Kyrie's only allotted time in Britain, we felt it fitting that we take a trip to London to see the sights and partake in one or two of the many cultural events on offer. The weekend didn't get off to an auspicious start. We were unlucky to have chosen to stay in Hampstead Heath, in the North of London, on a weekend when the Northern Line of the tube was shut down, so there was the added drama of trying to negotiate alternate train lines and buses-always fun! After checking in, negotiating the tube and bus combo to get into London centre, we spent a good hour lining up for vendors ... read more

The festive season is a time to celebrate with family. After a wonderful Christmas in Sweden in 2007, we were thrilled to be invited to spend another Christmas with Maria's parents, especially as it would be Liam's first visit from Santa. This year though, the Nylund family were almost outnumbered by Aussies as Adam's parents and Kyrie came from Australia to celebrate the festive season. For the first time in almost three years the three Odell children and their parents were together again for some family holiday fun! Long before Christmas though, the festive season got off to a flying start with nuptials as Luke and Maria surprised family and friends by tying the knot! Due to flight necessity, Adam and I were 'in the know' about the pending nuptials and it was very exciting to ... read more