xmasnewsletter2001

Each family has their own pages with photos from holidays or celebrations, and links to favourite sites. Richard's orchid page gets visitors from all over the world. We have three generations of the family on-line. Hope you will visit the site and drop us an email.

The Korber family is now on-line with the launch of www.korber.net. Michael spent hours at the computer organising the homepage (he also moonlights as a funds manager at Macquarie Bank by day).

We've been on the move this year. To mark Australia's Centenary of Federation we started the year in Canberra, the Federal Capital.�

And we haven't stopped since.� In January we spent a week boogie boarding on the beach at Tathra on the south coast.

Our next trip was to Cairns (North Queensland) in March. The boys enjoyed snorkelling on the Barrier Reef.� A seaplane almost landing on Mum was also entertaining. At Mosman Gorge (in the Daintree National Park) we had to resort to swimming in the rapids to keep the mozzies off us.

April was Sri-Lanka with lots of parties and great Sri-Lankan hospitality. My cousin Michelle got married. Mum and Dad celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. The boys met with my cousin's kids. This gang of nine were getting up to all sorts of mischief.

We did manage a few days away from socialising to relax at our favourite beach getaway.� Max and Mohan spent most of the time in the water emerging to eat in the beach cabana or just collapse into bed.

In June we finally bought a house two streets away.� Hundreds of boxes later we settled in. Manuwai� was kept occupied decorating boxes or playing cubby houses with them.�

I've planted dozens of plants trying to revegetate the garden that was cleared when the house was renovated. I wish I could speed up the growth process a bit more.

After all the hard work moving we needed another holiday to recover!!

We joined Mum and Dad on a trip to New Zealand in October.

We hadn't been back to New Zealand since 1988. It was great catching up with friends in Wellington. We caught the ferry to Picton, where we enjoyed the hospitality of the Pratts on their various farms.

We drove to Christchurch looking for a ski field that still had snow. A dip in the hot springs with snow covered mountains was a welcome break to the windy road trip. The boys were finally granted their wish with a day's skiing at Mt Hutt.�

Manuwai and I opted for a Dolphin cruise instead.

The ultimate chilly bin experience was at the Antarctic Centre, where you� "enjoy" minus 20 degrees indoors!

Manuwai turned two in October and has started occasional care once a week. He is very brave now and doesn'y cry but still needs a cuddle. His favourite phrase is "me too"� often adding a "p-l-e-a-s-e" that's hard to refuse.

Mohan started school this year and has made good progress with reading, writing and socialising. He also attends music classes and has been having fun discovering music. Swimming is now a breeze with his butterfly stroke almost perfect.

Whatever Max does, Mohan insists he can do it too. Making the advanced rollerblading class with Max has been the highlight of his year. The geared bike he got for his birthday now makes it easier for him to stay leader of the pack. A recent 20 km ride saw him cycle up all the hills past exhausted adults walking!

Oma and Opa are both still happy living in their bush retreat at St Georges Basin.

But as always, the onset of the winter causes a flurry of activity as they move home into the "Snowbird", hitch it to the car and head north for tropical Queensland.

Between our trips we have fitted in the usual work and school routine. Swimming, soccer, rollerblading and cycling keep them occupied.

Max has had a musical year finishing the Kodaly Music program. Identifying notes as do re mi far so etc. Having "mastered" the recorder he can now play a few recognisable tunes. Max had his first public performance singing a dozen songs in a massed choir at a music festival.�

Max has read three of the Harry Potter books and of course was first in line to see the movie.