KesOnline

Noel and Teddy

2010-06-20T04:09:00.000-07:00

Summer in Sweden

2010-06-20T04:06:00.000-07:00

Out for golf with the boys!

2010-04-07T04:25:00.000-07:00

More pics!

2010-03-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

Fun in the park

2010-03-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

Koala bears - can you see them?

2010-03-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

Swimming

2010-03-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

Noel on the move!

2010-03-21T15:21:00.001-07:00

More from Phillip Island

2010-03-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

Phillip Island

2010-03-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

Australia 2010 - Lots of plagrounds

2010-03-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

How much snow? Lots!

2010-02-21T00:52:00.000-08:00

Fun!

2010-02-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

Noel on the prowl ...

2010-02-07T11:04:00.001-08:00

Liam and Kes

2010-02-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

Martin, Liam and mince tarts

2009-12-27T01:07:00.001-08:00

Little monster?

2009-11-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

Noel fast asleep

2009-11-21T12:57:00.001-08:00

Liam in the park

2009-11-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

Fire fighter Liam!

2009-11-08T03:19:00.000-08:00

Our neighbour is a fire fighter, and he gave a personal tour of the Lund fire station, and even a ride in a fire truck!

Kes and Noel

2009-11-08T03:14:00.000-08:00

Hanging out together

2009-10-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

Brothers!

2009-09-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

It's a boy!

2009-08-07T12:35:00.001-07:00

Hello Mr Ed

2009-07-22T05:15:00.000-07:00

Soccer, go Liam!

2009-07-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

Happy!

2009-07-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

At the fun park ...

2009-07-21T03:40:00.001-07:00

Off on a boat trip ...

2009-07-21T03:35:00.000-07:00

Ice cream!

2009-07-20T05:23:00.001-07:00

Boat time!

2009-07-20T05:19:00.001-07:00

Socceroos qualify again!

2009-06-06T13:50:00.001-07:00

And the Socceroos are through to their second successive World Cup! Stuttgart was fun with that Harry Kewell equaliser against Croatia! Anyone up for Johnassesburg???

The Train

2009-06-06T05:28:00.000-07:00

The train is coming ...

The train arrives ...
The train leaves ...

Liam on the slide

2009-06-06T05:19:00.001-07:00

Liam at the zoo

2009-06-06T05:15:00.001-07:00

Alexes Abroad

2009-05-15T12:14:00.001-07:00

The Alexes dropped in for a visit on their 6 month world adventure. Liam was not quite on his best behaviour (a combination of being a little sick and the fact he is two years old). But the Alexes took it all their stride (see picture). We spent a couple days enjoying the sunny weather in Lomma on a bicycle tour, then off to Lund to check out the trains, and finally Malmö and the boats. Yes, Liam likes bicycles, trains and boats ... And if you want to keep up to date with the Alexes just click Alexes Abroad it's that easy.

Happy Happy

2009-04-26T12:28:00.001-07:00

Liam on the bus

2009-04-26T12:25:00.001-07:00

Liam in the park

2009-04-26T05:09:00.000-07:00

Sailing away in a boat

2009-03-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

Birthday for Liam

2009-02-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

The little fella is two years old ... time flies. The day started early and finished with a "Bob the Builder" cake.

Who likes presents?

2009-01-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

The many faces of Liam

2009-01-15T10:38:00.000-08:00

Family Photo

2009-01-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

Canary Islands

2009-01-11T07:22:00.001-08:00

Santa has come to town ...

2008-12-21T05:04:00.000-08:00

Peppercake = Gingerbread

2008-12-21T04:55:00.000-08:00

A day in Copenhagen

2008-12-21T04:52:00.000-08:00

We headed off to Copenhagen for a day of train trips, coffee stops, walking through the streets, and a visit to the Australia Embassy to sign Liam McCormick up for an Australian Citzenship - with a name like that they could hardly refuse.

Maggie and Liam

2008-12-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

Maggie and Martin back in Sweden

2008-12-11T10:34:00.001-08:00

Maggie and Martin are back in Sweden! Well, Maggie is at the moment. She has been out and about in Lomma with Liam. Martin is currently in Poland - read all about it here.

Snow!

2008-11-22T12:56:00.001-08:00

Liam and Pappa

2008-10-26T13:30:00.001-07:00

In Stratford ... again

2008-10-26T03:42:00.000-07:00

It's a funny thing returning to places I travelled as a backpacker. I was in Stratford (upon Avon in the UK) recently for a conference (on bioenergy, not Shakespeare). Last time I visited Stratford was over 10 years ago ... staying in a dormroom with 11 others no doubt ... well, this time, I had a rather different view out my hotel window.

Bbbbbrrrrrrrooooooommmmmmm!

2008-10-26T02:44:00.000-07:00

Liam playing footy!

2008-10-05T13:29:00.001-07:00

Liam cleans the house

2008-10-05T12:24:00.001-07:00

Liam got an unusual present recently ... yes, a toy vacuum cleaner. And he loves it!

A trip to Birmingham ...

2008-09-07T04:28:00.001-07:00

I have found myself in Birmingham for a week on a short research exchange at Aston University and then presenting at a conference on energy policy and technologies at Birmingham University. Here is my trip in pictures ...

It all started with a coffee and cake.

The gardens outside my hotel window.
Yes, that's right, Aston University campus.

My snappy office.

The grand old buildings of Birmingham.

A clock tower.

A visit to a toy store.

Yep, a rather famous toy store.

First day of a new life

2008-08-26T01:08:00.001-07:00

Liam has just started pre-school, and it's big changes for everybody! For 2 weeks we are doing in-schooling, which means Emma or me go to pre-school with Liam. That way he gets used to the idea ... of being there all day. We ride to the pre-school, which is just 5 minutes from our house. Liam has his helmet and school bag. He also has all his outdoor clothes so he can run around in the rain and play in the sandbox. Let's just say he like the action!

New bike!

2008-08-26T01:06:00.000-07:00

New Car

2008-08-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

We bought a new car today! Well, an almost new car - from 2007. It's black (Martin will be happy) and it's a ford focus flexi-fuel, which means it runs on petrol or ethanol (called E85, which is 85% ethanol and 15% petrol).

For those interested ...
- Of the 4000 service stations in Sweden, there are 1000 selling E85 (and this is quickly increasing). Petrol costs more than E85 and the margin is growing (almost daily).
- Most of the E85 in Sweden comes from Brazil where the ethanol is produced from sugarcane. Ethanol from Brazil is considered the most environmentally friendly in the world. Even so, sustainability criteria will be introduced in Sweden to ensure both environmental and social standards of imported ethanol.
- In the next 5-10 years Sweden will start commercially producing second generation ethanol based on woody feedstocks (yes, trees). As Sweden has vast amounts of plantation forest that can be harvested sustainably, the future is bright for E85 and flexi-fuel cars.

Summer in Sweden

2008-07-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

Sandbox

2008-07-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

Got some wheels!

2008-07-27T11:53:00.001-07:00

Milk time!

2008-07-27T10:11:00.001-07:00

Yes this little boy loves his milk.

Liam on a hot sunny day!

2008-07-27T06:23:00.001-07:00

It's warm, very warm here in Sweden.

Flying to Australia

2008-07-23T04:36:00.000-07:00

Enjoying Australia

2008-07-23T04:31:00.000-07:00

Liam in the bush.

Liam has his first babycinno ... yum!

Liam playing footy.

Liam visiting Aunty Ruth.

Liam talking to "mormor".

Brunch with the gang.

Liam enjoying his bath.

Liam having fun at playgrounds

2008-07-23T04:27:00.000-07:00

Melbourne Zoo and Aquarium

2008-07-23T04:07:00.000-07:00

Back in Oz Again!

2008-06-15T03:26:00.001-07:00

Yep, we are back again! Liam has been out enjoying the playgrounds.

A night at the Grand

2008-05-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

After 15 months since the little fella arrived, Liam spent the night with Emma's mum, and we headed to the Grand Hotel in Lund. Yes, an afternoon shopping with a few coffee stops, then a night out and dinner, a very very good sleep, and a buffet breakfast. Maybe a few phone calls to check Liam was going ok ... It was great!

The hotel

The view
The entrance

The sign

Rusks ... from Australia!

2008-05-02T04:40:00.000-07:00

Liam is a busy boy!

2008-04-27T03:39:00.001-07:00

Talking on skype with Maggie and Martin.

Cleaning the house.
Riding around town.

Liam and Pa

2008-04-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

Birthday Boy

2008-04-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a "21st century" birthday. A call from Maggie on my mobile, a text from Martin, a skype call from Alex, some skype chatting with Duan who broke his microphone, a postcard from Emma's father, birthday wishes from Emma's mother, a kiss from Emma, and a hug from Liam. On top of that, a few "happy birthdays" through skype and facebook, and everybody at my work, since skype and facebook give people little reminders about birthdays .... an electronic footprint I hear it called ...

Australia 2020 Summit

2008-04-08T04:39:00.000-07:00

As an Australian who lives and works overseas I couldn't miss the opportunity to make a submission to the Australia 2020 Summit - a really great initiative in my opinion. This is what I wrote ...

AUSTRALIA – A LEADER OR LOSER ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY SECURITY?

The Australian Government is faced with a number of decisions around climate change and energy security over the next few years (that will affect Australia for generations). The science of climate change is growing stronger, and the impacts are becoming impossible to ignore. The price of oil has the world searching for alternatives and the issue of energy security is high on the political agenda everywhere.

Australia is “blessed” with enormous coal reserves, unconventional oil in the form of oil shale, uranium as well as natural gas and conventional oil. It would be easy for the Australian Government to focus on a fossil fuel future by “betting” on carbon capture and storage technology. While this technology is promising and brings the coal industry to the table to discuss sustainability, it is also at least 20-30 years away from a commercial reality (if then). A basic knowledge of climate change tells us this is too long to wait.

So what can or should the Australian Government do? A good start would be to learn from (and benchmark against) the “very best”. A nation that leads the world in terms of its environmental commitments, robust economy and social well-being is Sweden. From the 1970s the Swedish Government (and its people) realised that being dependent on oil was not “smart”. With no economic or military power to ensure the supply of oil, the obvious choice for Sweden was to focus on indigenous supply options and energy efficiency.

Sweden has also become a world leader on climate change, and the Swedish Government has pledged to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But why? Aren’t we regularly told by our politicians and the media that it is a choice between the climate/environment and our economy? There are at least 3 reasons to explain the position of the Swedish Government. These include:

- They are leaders on climate change because it is morally the “right” decision for future generations, developing countries, and the planet.

- Building a global consensus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions is incredibly difficult. Some nations must lead, so that others can follow – the Swedish Government takes on this challenge with pride.

- It’s a matter of very good business. As a front-runner, Sweden has become a leader on environmental technology. It can sell both the technology and know-how to countries, such as China and India, and this is fast-becoming a booming market.

The Swedish Government has built its achievement on progressive national policy and local action (lead by municipalities). It has adopted an energy system perspective, and not only focused on supply. This means Sweden invests in energy efficiency as well as renewable energy. The Swedish Government is also committed to the phase-out of nuclear power, a dramatic increase in wind power, further expansion of bioenergy (currently 20% of primary energy), and re-designing buildings and cities. C’mon Australia! This is our time to lead!

Becky in Sweden

2008-04-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

March 2008 - Becky, Emma and Liam enjoying coffee and cakes

December 2006 - Becky and Duan hoarding Xmas presents!

May 2005 - Becky and Kes in Ystad, a little town on the coast.

Becky and Liam

2008-03-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

Liam in the snow!

2008-03-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

And then there was snow ...

2008-03-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

More work begins

2008-03-15T04:42:00.001-07:00

With the winter coming to an end, it's lighter and warmer here in Sweden, so it's time to continue the work on our house. Last summer we built a deck, "rolled" out grass in the back garden, planted a couple trees as well as a hedge, and laid 100s of small stones to make our driveway. Now the the work begins on the front garden with about 90 large stones (that weigh 27 kg each ... yes my arms are tired after just getting them to our house). With Duan and Becky coming to visit us soon in Sweden, I might have to put Duan to work!

The best room in the house

2008-03-11T03:52:00.000-07:00

Beers in Brussels

2008-03-10T10:52:00.001-07:00

On a recent trip to the capital of Europe ... yes, Brussels ... I was at a workshop held in one of the many EU buildings. It was probably the most impressive meeting room I have ever seen. Every seat had a monitor, headphones (for translations) and of course a microphone. When you asked a question a camera put your face up on the big screen and all the monitors ... there was not many questions. I finished off the day with some Belgium beers ....

Liams eats ... on film!

2008-02-23T04:41:00.000-08:00

Liam and Pappa, some eating and a big smile

2008-02-23T04:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Liam!

2008-02-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's been a year. Time flies. Liam is one year old and running about everywhere. There is no baby anymore, now there is a little explorer! We had a little party for him, which he enjoyed quite a lot, especially his first piece of cake ... see the last picture ...

Great time in Oz!

2008-01-17T12:32:00.001-08:00

Liam off to Australia

2007-10-11T02:14:00.000-07:00

Liam is getting ready for his very first trip to Oz! Commentary again from his father ...

Liam starts to crawl

2007-09-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

After a couple of months of kicking his legs and throwing his arms about, it seems Liam is now on the move ...

Commentary from a proud father!

Pretty cool

2007-08-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Liam getting into the summer spirit with some sunglasses and playing in the garden!

A week in Provence!

2007-07-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

And what a week it was ... 18 friends gathered in a castle in Provence to celebrate the 30th birthday of Suzy. When Suzy suggested the idea of gathering in France for her birthday almost a year ago I think she had little idea that so many would jump on board. They came from Australia, Sweden, Germany and Ireland. Not a bad turnout!

Visit www.mytripjournal.com/alexesabroad2006 for plenty more pictures from the castle.

Goodbye and Hello

2007-06-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a great few weeks with Maggie and Martin here in Sweden to meet Liam and check out the new house in Lomma. We headed out together for a "farewell" dinner (minus Liam, who is not quite up for restaurants yet ...) to enjoy the Swedish summer evening in Malmo and plan the next trip to Oz later this year. Yes, Emma, Liam and myself are on our way to Oz to enjoy the Australian summer! Looking forward to catching up with everyone!

In Prague ... again

2007-06-22T01:51:00.000-07:00

About 10 years ago I was in Prague with Micheal on our backpacking travels around Europe. Recently, I was back in Prague again for work as a presenter at a conference on sustainable mobility focusing on hydrogen and biofuels (http://www.mobidays.eu/). Times have changed ... but Prague was still a great place - the famous Charles Bridge, the old city centre, the many cafes and restaurants, and just the feel of this bustling city.

M&M in Sweden

2007-06-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

Maggie and Martin (M&M) arrived in Sweden to meet Liam in person and enjoy a sunny and hot summer. Here are a few snaps!

1) At the airport.
2) M&M and pram.
3) Martin presents Liam with his footy jumper.
4) Maggie entertains Liam.
5) Liam has a good chuckle in the sun.

Babyswim

2007-05-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

The little guy has started babyswim classes. Although he is more of a floater than a swimmer ...

Liam - Milk Monster, Happy Times and Not a Kodak Moment

2007-04-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah I am becoming one of those people that just sends pictures of his kid constantly, but there is just so much to share - 1) Liam loves his milk, 2) He also loves a good smile if you give some attention, 3) But it's not all Kodak moments ... yes, that is Liam throwing up and getting a kiss at the same time.

Emma and Liam

2007-03-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

Swedish Australian

2007-03-25T04:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been living over here in Sweden for some 5 years now, and I married a Swede, so it had to happen sometime ... yes, I am now officially a Swedish citizen. In fact, I became a Swedish citizen on the 1st Febreuary 2007. The same day Liam was born. I now have dual citizenship for Australia and Sweden, so I can travel all over the place with 2 passports!

Liam, Liam and more Liam

2007-03-16T01:16:00.000-07:00

It's all about little Liam now. He is only 6 weeks old, but he is growing up fast. So far he has discovered his overall pants, his special blanket and his teddy. Plenty more discoveries to come ...

A visitor from Oz

2007-02-18T01:24:00.000-08:00

Liam had his first visitor from Australia yesterday. Chris dropped by to say hi and give him a present to remind him of his Australian background.