My favourite, Sculptures by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016

There is always one sculpture that grabs your attention, stands out from the crowd. 

This year the one that stood out for me was

Kakashi by Zilvinas Kempinas 

who was born in Lithuania and now lives and works in New York. 

Made of steel snow poles and bird repellent tape, in the colours that represent our

Surf Lifesavers, the sculpture constantly changes with the wind and the sun, 

tape glistening and vibrant against the blue sky.

The shadows cast played on the soft white sand, children chased each other around the poles, interacting with the kinetic sculpture.

Kakashi was loved by many, as well as being my favourite, won both the People's Choice 

Award and the Kid's Choice for 2016.

A worthy winner that captured the hearts and minds of the visitors 

that connected with the sculpture.

A little time out at Sculptures by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016

Repatriation is hard work, settling the girls into school, job applications, so many balls in the air. 

Throw in the arrival of a huge truck with 300+ boxes of belongings that have 

travelled across the seas, it gets a little overwhelming. 

So with mountains of boxes filling our home, waiting for the tape to be removed 

and the contents revealed, memories released, homes found...

we locked the door, jumped in the car and headed off for our only opportunity to 

visit one of my favourite Perth events "Sculptures by the Sea" 2016.
A wonderful exhibit, this year there were 77 sculptors from 18 different countries,
their works delighting thousands of visitors, myself included.

 The grey clouds drifted off as we arrived, brightening our day with a 

glorious blue sky, turning into the perfect day to wander among the sculptures 

with sand between our toes.
So many school children ran around, enjoying the sculptures and a day by the sea.
We overheard international visitors saying "What a fabulous beach and amazing location for
the sculptures". I was so proud to be a 'local' again.
I relished a few short hours, taking some time out from unpacking and sorting to breathe the
salty sea air, feel the sun on my face, gaze over my Indian Ocean and
delight in the incredible sculptures by the sea.

Enjoy a few of my favourites! 

Beacon, by KWY with Lisa Kassow, Portugal/Germany

I absolutely loved this sculpture, the light, the lines, the geometry. 

It was exhibited at Sculptures by the Sea, Aarhus, Denmark, which I wanted to get to 

but didn't quite manage it!

Book Cave, by Juliet Lea, WA

It would have been wonderful to curl up in here and read a good book, 

 a heap of school kids were enjoying the cave when I was there.

Skin Cube, by Louise Sparre, Denmark

Dust by Norton Flavel, WA

Striking!

Xanthorrhoea and Tree Form, by the late, great West Australian artist, Robert Juniper.

City Dreams, by  Gao Xiaowu, China.
This sculpture exuded joy.

Manscape, by Tony Davis, WA

Memories of the Ocean, by Andrea Vinkovic, WA

Bubble no.7 by Qian Sihua, China

Oushi Zokei Gate to the Beach by Keizo Ushio, Japan

Sea Sponges by Karen Macher Nesta of Peru

Nobody has been here from the beginning, by Masyuki Sugiyama, Japan

Kakashi by Zilvinas Kempinas, Lithuania/USA

A Burden, by Suzie Bleach and Andrew Townsend, NSW

Pilgrim, by Russell Sheridan, WA

Big Intentions, by Mikaela Castledine, WA

Golden Section, by Ivan Black, England

This sculpture was mesmerising, twisting and turned as the wind blew.

The yellow so vibrant against the blue, blue sky.

Ahhh Perth, it is good to be home!

When you live the expat life, there are things that you miss from your home country, 

family and friends, comfort foods, local, seasonal produce, even the weather. 

Things that were part of your every day life become hard to get, Skype doesn't quite make up for missing birthday and weddings. You find food substitutes, though I always

had a jar of Vegemite in the cupboard. 

We arrived back in Perth eight weeks ago today. 

Our first weeks were spent eating things that we had missed. 

Glorious fresh Fish and Chips eaten by the water.

We have had a BBQ nearly every night, lamb, chicken and kangaroo!

We ate Red Rooster chips, Cherry Ripes, the pantry was filled with Wheat Bix.

We ate sweet, in season nectarines and plums, Cheezels and Chicken Twisties.

And then we realized...we live here now...slow down!

I am so happy to be rediscovering my home. 

The sky in Perth seems bigger, more blue and far higher than anywhere.

The air so fresh, scented with salt from the sea and eucalyptus, 

the river sparkling, full of dolphins and sea life. 

Noisy kookaburras, magpies and cockatoos acting as the morning alarm.

The sky at night, stars are bright, the southern cross shines from the velvety black sky.

The warm, outdoor lifestyle, picnics in the park...with concerts and sunsets thrown in.

 Walks around the river, swimming in the Indian Ocean, so much on our doorstep.

We will forever be "homesick" for parts of our temporary homes in 

China, England and Germany...but it is good to be home in Australia.

Cheers!

Expat greatest adventures...oh the places we went!

It has been nearly eight weeks since our expat adventure came to an end. 

A whirlwind of repatriation, the paperwork and bureaucracy of moving home! 

We are "camping" in our new home as we wait for our 

belongings to land on Aussie soil, sleeping on borrowed sheets, 

 buying the same items that we just sold off in Germany and

unpacking boxes that were in storage for seven years longer than expected ....

wow...have I found some treasures!

Photo albums full of memories of long ago adventures... 

My greatest adventure so far is marrying my long lost love, 

jumping on a plane to Shanghai with my girls and beginning our new lives.

Life in Shanghai was a new adventure, we discovered the joys of our new city, 

the culture, the food, the crazy traffic.

We got to hang out with some Pandas.

I spotted many a Shanghai napper, and snapping nappers became a bit of a hobby!

Watching fireworks from our apartment was always a treat.

Not a bad view from the kitchen sink!

Our adventures took us to the Chinese countryside, where we embraced the

magic, colour and culture of the Miao Minority Sister Festival.

We floated down the Li river, surrounded by astounding natural beauty.

We strolled the magnificent gardens of Suzhou, soaking up the history. 

Met wonderful characters who became part of our daily lives.

Saw some pretty ridiculous loads on the roads.

Fell in love with the Xiaolongbao dumpling.....

after we discovered the art of eating them without scalding our chins

Ticked the Great Wall of China off our lifetime bucket lists.

We took our adventures to Thailand....

...and Japan!

Our one year in Shanghai...stretched out to four...

then we found ourselves living in England, 

our adventures suddenly took on the incredible architecture

of Oxford and beyond.

We took day trips to spend time by the seaside.

The seasons unearthed the incredible beauty of the bluebells,

oh the divine aroma of these woods!

Just as we were getting settled in England....the opportunity of adventure in Germany 

was offered...we took it...and went on many a drive through the 

breathtaking forests in every season.You can't beat the colours of autumn though!

No place does Christmas like Germany...No. Place! 

Christmas Markets are enchanting!

Living in central Europe is heaven for an adventure loving Aussie, 

you find yourself visiting a historic bridge Mostar, Bosnia...

Swimming in the azure blue waters of Dubrovnik, Croatia...

Wandering the canals of Utrecht, The Netherlands

even tip toeing through the tulips near Amsterdam!

So we are now back at home in Australia, not sad to leave our

amazing adventures behind (well ...maybe a little) but happy they happened at all.

Many more adventures to come, rediscovering my beautiful state 

of Western Australia and thanks to Rachel and her wonderful adventure, 

plans are afoot to hit the road soon....as soon as our stuff arrives and I have 

unpacked 300 or so boxes full of memories...could take a while!