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Dear Robert,
It was absolutely wonderful to receive your email.
I can see you are very busy with your work. I have a little appreciation of how much time and effort it takes to do all that you are doing.
I cannot remember the last time I listened to those old songs but do remember them with some nostalgia of times past - some happy and some not so happy.
One I do remember well is "West of the Wall" and your thoughts of the Norwegians particularly Christine and Kristoffer when you heard it.
Peter and I went to Norway at Christmas 1998 just prior to our wedding at Easter 1999. We saw Christine and her children, Tine and Haakon as well as Kristoffer, Mette and Fridtjof together with a big extended family for Christmas Eve dinner. Prior to the get-together we attended a service at the Oslo city Lutheran Church with Christine. Kristoffer, Mette, Fridtjof, his wife Theresa, their daughters Frida and Katherina and Theresa's parents are all coming out to Australia for a visit at the end of this year. See attached photos of Frida and Katherina. They plan to visit us here in Melbourne, the Berents side of the family in Sydney, David and Kerrie at Surfer's Paradise and Mum and Dad at Noosa.
David and Kerrie moved from Melbourne to Noosa about 1998 and subsequently to Surfer's Paradise about two years ago for better work opportunities. David has not been well for about two to three years with bouts of cancer. He appears to be well now and back at work part time. Kerrie continues to teach high school mathematics. Christopher has also moved to Surfers working in Brisbane. James is married to a Swiss girl, Anita, and is presently living in Switzerland studying his German and working full time. They expect to return to Australia this year for Christmas.
My Michelle is married to Phil and they live in Sydney. Michelle completed her nursing degrees and still works full time. I suspect they will be starting a family soon as she turned 30 last December. Iain lives and works in Canberra for an event management company. Martin and I split in 1994 just before his medical retirement from the navy. He remarried in 1997 and lives on a property outside Canberra. Of late he has been gravely ill and is presently in palliative care with throat cancer.
Mum and Dad moved to Noosa in 1999. Dad's 86th birthday is next weekend and is very fit and well. Mum, a year younger, is well, albeit a bit fragile and suffering back pain.
I am planning a trip to Brisbane to join Peter the week after next and will spend a day each with Mum and Dad and David and Kerrie. Peter will be at work during the day but happy for my company each evening. As I am now no longer working I am free to travel around and visited with David a couple of times last year.
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