Karen Mark & James Redshaw

Finally, I have managed to update some of the site.
The version of  Wordpress being used is now the current 2.7 version. This will hopefully stop some of the spam problems I have had of late. I will wait a couple of days and see, but am keeping my fingers crossed.

I have also updated our photo album, or rather I have updated the software that runs the photo album. I have started to reload all of our pictures in to this, but it will take a few more days to be complete and before I can add a few more pictures.

It should all be possible this week, I still have the whole week of work and James starts back in school, so I should be able to find the time.

Welcome to 2009, I mean to keep you updated as the year moves on.

I found this You Tube video and wanted to see how to get this displayed in my site. This should now work, I hope!

You are probably reading this if you received our Christmas card and are now wondering where we took all the photos. The short answer is 10 different countries, I think one or other of us was in an additional 4 countries during the year! Read more below:

1. Panorama on St Martins in the Scilly islands. You can spot both Rod (Karen’s brother) and his house if you look closely. Well the house is easier to spot than Rod! I did not know that I had included Rod in this photo when I took it so it was a surprise when I got back home after our summer holidays and created this panorama from 5 single pictures and found Rod, I think he was on his way to do some gardening
2. This one is at Universal Studios in California. Karen is here visiting her (in my opinion) favourite TV series “Desperate Housewives” and this photos is thus Karen on Wisteria Lane.
3. James also found a friend at Universal Studios, this time Sponge Bob, thinking about it this was Christmas Eve 2006.
4. This is Max. He really was James best friend in California. Max loves to swim so here he is on Christmas Day in the pool!
5. Tried to trick you with this one, I forgot or most likely deleted the number 5, but it is this photo honest. Karen and James also enjoyed a sunny Christmas day in California, here sat outside on the terrace in there PJ’s early in the day.
6. It’s now 2007, early in the morning 05:30 we got up to go to the Rose Parade. Lots to see and it was really fun. George Lucas was the “Grand Marshall” some there was part of the parade with a Star Wars theme. It was quite fun to see a whole swarm of storm troopers marching down the street.
7. Different cities and states also enter floats in the parade, here the one from Oklahoma.
8. Here them letting s know that we are in the LA area. You can find more of our Rose Parade pictures here. My favourite is the fire breathing Dragon, unfortunately it did not look good in the collage so you will have to look here. Also my second favourite is below at number 11.
9. Here we are on Santa Monica Pier, one of the few times we actually managed a photo with all 3 of us.
10. Here with the Capalbo’s on the night before we left California.
11. Gaia, one of the floats at the Rose Parade. Have I mentioned that they are all made from living things, i.e. flowers trees etc… Just amazing when you realise the size, just look at the people in this photo.
12. This must be just about the most perfectly shaped Christmas tree that is possible, also photographed on our last night in California
13. Boys playing on the beach at Santa Monica.
14. Here you can see the pier in the background, its amazing that sand can keep James entertained for hours, what ever the weather. This was defiantly far to windy for shorts and a T-shirt.
15. Our final California picture, here we are at the LA Zoo, I don’t know why the small animals always want a ride from the big animals?
16. January was also the first visit to the UK, here he is all dressed up to help Uncle Clive on a days shooting, James was kept busy beating and slept well that night.
17. Here with cousins Thomas and Toby in January.
18. The fourth country we visited was Austria where we managed to get a few days skiing. Here we are after lunch at the top of the mountain in Serfaus.
19. Back in Frankfurt, at the Palm Gardens, on of our favourite places and right here in the city. James is here together with Annabel, the two of them just love to be together.
20. Now its Easter, and once more driving through Switzerland, on our way to Italy. This time we stopped for a few hours at the Vekhrshaus in Lucern (Motor or Transport museum). We had a great time, here Karen is trying out a Penny Farthing
21. James the ferry pilot, here we are crossing Lago Magarroia in Italy. James managed get to drive the ferry the whole way over. Probably best that all the other people on the ferry did not know it was a seven year old at the wheel.
22. Walking in the mountains above the lake. What started out as a 10 minute look around became a 4 hour hike, and did anyone mention it started to rain! James did great and only complained afterwards!
23. Climbing in the trees, once more in Switzerland, each day at Easter we criss-crossed the Italy / Switzerland boarder many times, and at the top of one mountain was this great rope park up in the trees which James found a blast. We have now found one near Frankfurt and all three of us have visited that as well.
24. One day we just stumbled across preparations for a Easter passion day parade, this is one of the murals hung across the street on the parade root.
25. One more of the murals just as it starts to get dark.
26. Once more at the top of a mountain in Switzerland, here at a modern church they have built in to the mountain. I don’t think you will find a church with a better view.
27. Our final Easter picture, James sat on a pontoon on the lake, after a wonderful lunch, in a small restaurant. Could it be that’s why so many people like Italy? …
28. Now I am in China on a business trip, I had a couple of those during the year. Here I am on the Trans-Rapid the very fast magnetic levitation train in Shanghai. If you look closely at the top of this photo you can just make out how fast I am travelling. Yes that is right a train not a plane.
29. You probably have seen a picture like this, but this is my version on my visit to the forbidden city in Beijing.
30. I also made it to Canada a couple of times in the year. In June I escaped to Prince Edward Island for a weekend to catch up with Ted and Karen, here is a picture at the harbour with lots of lobster pots waiting for the season to restart.
31. Here are Ted and Karen at the same harbour.
32. Back in Frankfurt, there are a number of festivals, one near our house has fun rides like this one. Here is James with James (or Big James as we know him) a colleague who we have always seen a lot of in Frankfurt, he is now moved back to the UK so “little” James misses his James friend!
33. Now in France with two of the 3 Szunder Children, Laura and Lorinc.
34. The Braley’s came to visit for a few days just before we headed on our summer trip to the UK, here the boys are more interested in gameboys than anything else, leaving a bemused mum!
35. Now back in the UK, James and Karen had a day with Gill (Karen’s Sister) in London, while I got to work for the day. Here they are on the London Eye.
36. Now visiting the dentist on HMS Belfast (An old battleship moored on the Thames). James thought it was great to have a dentist on the ship.
37. The houses of parliament pictured from the London Eye
38. We then headed to the Scilly Islands and Karen’s brother Rod on St Martins. The supply boat brings over everything that is needed. On this day there was even a cow on the boat.
39. The weather on the Scilly islands is changeable. Here on one of our walks, about to get wet.
40. Here t is misty as Karen and James celebrate completing a maze.
41. You can reach the Scilly islands by boat, helicopter or like we did small plane, here is a picture of St Martins as we flew over it.
42. The sun did shine, so James borrowed mum’s hat for a while.
43. That meant that mum borrowed my hat.
44. Back in Frankfurt, one of James’ highlights was a visit to the open day at the Frankfurt sewage works. We got to go down in to the sewers, and here James is helping to build new sewer. He liked it so much, he was even offered a job.
45. Spain was also visited by James and Karen. Here on a day out in Mallorca where they spent mums and kids week with friends, Julia, Sophia and Julius.
46. Here the great-grandchildren (James, Thomas, Toby Left to right) with their Great Grandma.
47. Just before school started I went with James and twins Robin and Julian down an old iron mine. We went 170 meters underground and then on a train and had a really fun day out.
48. A final picture fro the Scilly island holiday. James just does love his sand castles. Here is the sand castle of the year. He was so porud and had so much fun building this, then watching the tide come in.
49. Finally someone is now eight and had a fun birthday party, here just about to start on the “party food”. Naturally this year the cake had to be a water works… Mum (with help from friend Ninta) did wonders and made a great cake.

We have a load more photos on-line so have a look, use the link on the right.
So that’s a short description of all our photos, do let us know what you have been up to.
KM&J