Shane Watson hits world-record 15 sixes as Aussies win

Watson beat Marshall's record of 12 sixes against Canada
One-day international, Mirpur: Australia 232-1 (26 overs) beat Bangladesh 229-7 (50 overs) by nine wicketsShane Watson hit a record 15 sixes on his way to making thehighest one-day innings by an Australian as Bangladesh were crushed by nine wickets.The 29-year-old, who also hit 15 fours, scored 185 off 96 balls - beating Matthew Hayden's

Shane Watson hits world-record 15 sixes as Aussies win

Watson beat Marshall's record of 12 sixes against Canada
One-day international, Mirpur: Australia 232-1 (26 overs) beat Bangladesh 229-7 (50 overs) by nine wicketsShane Watson hit a record 15 sixes on his way to making thehighest one-day innings by an Australian as Bangladesh were crushed by nine wickets.The 29-year-old, who also hit 15 fours, scored 185 off 96 balls - beating Matthew Hayden's

Shane Watson hits record 15 sixes as Australia win against Bangladesh

Shane Watson smashed a record 15 sixes in a career-best 185 not out as Australia clinched a three-match series against Bangladesh with a nine-wicket win in the second one-dayer today.The explosive opener gave a superb display of power-hitting as he also cracked 15 fours in his 96-ball knock to help Australia achieve a 230-run target with 24 overs to spare for an unbeatable 2-0 lead.West Indies's

Shane Watson hits record 15 sixes as Australia win against Bangladesh

Shane Watson smashed a record 15 sixes in a career-best 185 not out as Australia clinched a three-match series against Bangladesh with a nine-wicket win in the second one-dayer today.The explosive opener gave a superb display of power-hitting as he also cracked 15 fours in his 96-ball knock to help Australia achieve a 230-run target with 24 overs to spare for an unbeatable 2-0 lead.West Indies's

A Warm Breeze Blowing Thru Sydney

How wonderful is this photo? 

Can you imagine yourself sitting there, with that gorgeous blue ocean 

whilst feeling a comfortable breeze blowing through your hair? 

I could not be appreciating this more on this chilly day in England. 

My friend Z. sent this photo to me. She lives in Sydney and attended 

the Sculpture by the Sea 2010 exhibit over the weekend.

Z. is not happy with the heat in Sydney at the moment. 

She says it is so humid that if you stand still

you will grow mould. I think I could even take that right now.

This photo brought back wonderful memories. 

Z and I were great walking buddies.  We would rise early, 

do the walk and then do the talk at the local cafe. 

This is where we hung our hat for a few years. It was our home.

Each morning, I grabbed a cup of coffee and wandered out to this spot.

Telescope in hand I would check out the horizon.

Sunrise, sunset and the fullness of the day. 

It was always spectacular.

and...

last but not least another photo that 

brought a smile to my heart.

Bondi Venus

Created by Dennis Kalous, image by Charles Brewer

Oh, Happy Days!

Now back to my side of the world....

Have you heard about the engagement of Prince William and Kate? 

Did you watch Prince Charles and Diana's wedding all those years ago?

Want a little trip down memory lane?

Visit here: 

http://jeanne-findingmyway.blogspot.com/2010/11/royal-wedding.html

First image taken by Z. 

Middle images taken by me.

Last image taken by Charles Brewer.

Apologies for not supplying the details for the first

exhibit. I looked everywhere and could not find it.

Something About New Zealand....

If I timed this right, I will be landing in Australia when this post appears. This explains why I have written 663 posts (see previous post).

People often ask me which country I prefer, New Zealand or Australia. The answer is easy- I love both and although they are relatively close they are so different..the land, the people and the culture are both fascinating and unique to their respective country. What is not to love?

The purpose of my trip is to spend time in New Zealand. To that end, I would like to give you a little taste of what New Zealand means to me. I thought the best way to do that was to share some of my photographs from one of my favourite New Zealand magazines,  NZ Life and Leisure. I spent many an afternoon with this magazine by my side and am so attached that I brought the whole lot with me to England. I am glad I did, as I can now show you these....

The people, the land, the culture....there is just something 

about New Zealand that is unforgettable!

PS...I collect postcards wherever I go, 

if you would like to receive one,

send me your address. I would be happy 

to drop you a line!

You can write to me at henrqs@yahoo.com

Images- New Zealand Life and Leisure Magazine

Be it ever so humble....

I have a lot of feelings mixed up in this post. I have been procrastinating all week. Each day I have thought, I must do it, I will write about it tomorrow and then the next day and the day after that and now it is Friday and we are leaving tomorrow.

I think anyone who has moved houses, towns or countries and later gone back to visit the place they left will understand this one. It has probably happened to most of us. In our case it has happened often and when kids are involved it gets a bit trickier. 

This is particularly relevant now as I started these blogs as a way of transitioning myself from one country to another. In this case, moving from New Zealand to England. If you go back to the beginning of Collage of Life,  you will read about my thoughts on moving. If you go back to the early days of In One Place, you will find even more...that was my secret hiding place. If you go back to Finding My Way, you will find photos and thoughts on our new home in England. If you go to the B-Well Report, you will find posts on how I keep my sanity thru all of the above :)  All of this started in October 2009.  

I have written 662 posts since my first post on 24 October . I was told that one of the best ways to deal with emotions is to write about them and I have been pounding away at the keys ever since and loving every minute of it. It all came from one simple line 'shape that thoughts that stir within'.  Hey..it is cheaper than therapy, right?


The best part is that we are hopping on a plane tomorrow and going back to visit two of my children, Miss Tine and Patrick who are attending University in New Zealand and Australia. An added bonus it that we are also going to the welcoming arms of dear friends too.


I had a dream last night and have not stopped smiling since. The doorbell rang in my dream and I opened the door and there were my two oldest yelling 'surprise'. To have all my family under one roof for any amount of time would be one of the most precious gifts I could receive. It makes the packing that much sweeter.


There is a life here that we all enjoy and are settling into nicely. There are points in time when you feel 'the shuffle'..the shuffle of emotions. The ones that make you feel like you are on a roller coaster and you are not sure if you want to get off or keep going. 


Three months, six months and a year are major turning points. Every book written about life changes and moving talks about them. We are at the six month point and traditionally when we go back we leave happy for the visit but also happy to return to our lives in our new home country. It is sort of a rite of passage. Sounds strange but it works. Well, it works but you do have to keep your fingers crossed that it will all go according to plan. We all know what life is like and it is those little mysteries that keeps us on our toes.


Hence, Collage of Life,  all of this is what life is made of. For me it centers around the home.......be it ever so humble, there is no place like home. In our case...make that times four...America, England, Australia and New Zealand. I really do hope it stops there!


I think Miss Claire's paintings say it all. 'Kia Ora' is hello in Maori.  Her first love is soccer and this is her running thru all the countries she has lived in. 

With that I say  E noho ra (good bye)

but not for long...in fact when you least expect it,

I will be back :)

Best wishes for a glorious weekend!!

Jeanne :)

Pledge to Serve

Remembering all those brave men and women who 

stepped forth so valiantly to protect country and home. 

Past, present and future, how fortunate are we 

that they take the pledge to serve their country.

More than 3000 Australian Defence Force 

members are deployed around the world today.

Our prayers are with them as well.

My son is a third year cadet at the 

Australian Defence Force Academy.

He was one of the many who 

marched in commemoration of Anzac Day.

He hopes to make the Army his career.

I am proud of him for making that choice.

To read the latest news on Anzac Day coverage

from the Australian Government

Department of Defence

go to www.defence.gov.au

Image

A woman and her craft: Aida Tomescu

Bright, vibrant and exciting is how I describe the work of artist Aida Tomescu. I started following her work several years ago and liked it so much that it inspired me to try to create a similar type of painting on my own. A task far more difficult than I anticipated. The texture and colours in her images speak to the spirit of Australia. The intensity of the colours represent the strength of the sun, the forcefulness of the sea and the rich and textured depth of the earth. Travel and experience Australia and you will appreciate each reference. It is unforgettable.

Aida exhibited in Melbourne at Niagara Galleries in 2008. The following are excerpts from comments about her work on the gallery website.

'Contrary to the fleeting glance they are not works about texture, nor indeed purely formal qualities of painting. They are more essentially related to the artist’s sense of poetic construction, where mood, movement, vibration, the linkages of brushstrokes across the surface and their special behaviour forms a particular experience. '

‘I like titles that wander between various language systems and could 

mean different things; titles that harmonise with the general visual character of the works, but remain open, elusive and multiple.’

'Each in some way echoes a textual reference evoked by the calligraphy contained within the general visual character of its image.'

'Tomescu sees herself following the work as is travels the distance towards a new identity; ‘unfixing’ forms as it were, that they might be allowed to expand.'   

                                              

Aidu Tomescu

Born in Bucharest, Romania, Tomescu has lived and worked in Australia since 1980. She was the inaugural winner of the prestigious LSFA Arts 21 Fellowship in 1996. Subsequent winners of the LSFA award have included Imants Tillers, Mike Parr, Akio Makigawa and Fiona Hall. Aida was the winner of the Wynne Prize in 2001, and in 2003 she won the Dobell Prize for Drawing at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Her work has been collected by many important public and private collections including the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Modern Art at Heide and the National Museum, Bucharest.
Images from Australian Art Collector Magazine and Niagara Galleries http://www.niagara-galleries.com.au/artists/artistpages/theartists/aida_tomescu/tomescuframe.html