Week 15 - Longhua Martyrs Memorial

I went on a tour with the Shanghai Expat Association (my last tour) in the pouring rain to the Longhua Martyrs Memorial, which is a lovely sculpture park, despite the sculptures being of heavy duty themes, and is also the cemetery of approximately 500 martyrs who died during the revolution against the Kuomintang.  

This was taken just in front of the eternal flame, and an oversized martyr falling to the ground.

Week 14 - Peace Hotel

After trying to convince her to visit for years, after advising that we were actually leaving Shanghai in June, my cousin from Sydney booked a flight to visit!!

I enjoyed a last ditch effort at running around like a tourist, visiting Yu Gardens, the markets and all our favourite restaurants, but a tour of the Peace Hotel, followed by High Tea, topped it off!!  We got to see into several of the suites of the hotel (which were about the same size as our actual home), and some regular rooms, the ballroom, the restaurants and a detailed tour of the lobby.  This quick snap, is of my cousin in one of the fancy bathrooms of a suite we toured.

Week 13 - Night on the Bund

To celebrate finishing work, Mike and I went out for dinner and had a night walking along the Bund.  It sure is beautiful all lit up.  The next day was the May Day holiday, so crowds were out in force, fantastic atmosphere, and great to be able to relax after three months of teaching.

Week 12 - Spring has sprung

This is to remember how beautiful our garden in Shimao Lakeside is in spring.

We are going to miss living here.

Week 11 - Bird Flu

Recently there was a meat scare after 11,000 pigs were found floating in the river near Shanghai.  Pork was suddenly not a recommended or desired dinner option.

Not long after that chicken was taken off the menu due to several human deaths due to the H4N9 strain of bird flu.

They are trying to assure us that it is now safe to eat chicken again, and it is back in the supermarkets.  I am choosing to be a bit vegetarian for a while longer as there are still no fresh birds for sale around Jinqiao.

When they start selling live birds again, I will consider reintroducing chicken into our diets!!  Even though I will only buy it prekilled and wrapped in cling film.

Week 10 - Daddy Daughter Ball

Time for the annual Daddy Daughter Ball...

Jie Jie is wearing her beautiful dress from her role as flowergirl at Aunty Marnie's wedding last year, which now fits her absolutely perfectly.  She chose to wear her silver shoes from the wedding too, but I think, they might have had their last outing as she limped all the next day!

Don't they make a lovely couple??

Week 9 - Where are we??

We visited the Shanghai Flowerport, out near the coast, just past the airport.

The tulips were gorgeous, but we were in China.

This time next year, we might be able to get to Holland, with a real windmill!

(Possibly in less time than it took us to get to the Flowerport by public bus in Shanghai!)

Week 8 - The Giant Leshan Buddha

Mike's parents were visiting us for the last time in China, and as this is their third trip, and had not been outside Shanghai, and we were on holidays from school, we decided that we needed a trip away.  Top of their list was the Great Wall, but we had just been to Beijing in January with my parents, so we asked the kids what they would like to see in China, and both of them suggested the pandas... Now technically Jie Jie had been to Sichuan before, but she was only 20 months old, so we revisited our first adventure in Shanghai and returned to Chengdu.  The pandas were gorgeous, and on our second full day we had a car take us out to see this enormous Buddha.  We went out on a speedboat to see the Buddha from the river, and then climbed to the top.  This Buddha is 74m tall, and his ear is 9m long.  You can get an idea of just how big he is, but looking at the people on his right hand side!

Week 7 - The last day of the Shanghai Biennale

For approximately six months, I have wanted to visit the Power Station of Art in the Huangpu District of Shanghai, kind of under the Nanpu Daqiao.  It has been hosting the biannual Shanghai Biennale... so of course we went on it's closing day.

It was fabulous.  The installations were creative and amazing.  There was an exhibit called 'Rebekah', where the artist had basically made herself into hundreds of life size models, which really looked like a jeans and singlet clad terracotta army.

There was a stack of chairs from a conference which had been stacked too high and subsequently snaked and arched all over it's display area, apparently telling the silent story of all those who had sat on the chairs at conferences!

This one was called 'Infinity Column' and I can't list all the bric-a-brac that was stacked up the pole, but there was furniture, decorations, toys, appliances, and so on.  But it was tall, full 4 storeys, plus it extended outside onto the roof terrace where there was a cafe.

I was truly impressed, only wish I'd gone earlier, so we could have gone again!!

Week 6 - Good bye Keke

This little guy is 5 years old and has been the foster son of some very dear friends of ours for as long as we have been in Shanghai.  Happily he has been adopted and found his forever home.

We held a party to say goodbye to Mr Personality, as he sets off to start a new life in California. This little boy has touched so many hearts and is well loved and will be missed by lot of people here.

Sadly, he leaves behind his foster family, who have cared for him since he needed surgery at 6 weeks old.  They were supposed to have him for 2 weeks, but they've had him for over 5 years!!

We love you Keke!

Week 5 - Fabulous at Forty

Not me!!! Not for a couple more years!!

Happy birthday to my darling husband Mike!!!

We had a lovely party at home for him, with delicious food, and this amazing chocolate cake (that I made).  Lots of our friends came along, and it was a fantastic night!!

Week 4 - Fly away with a book

It's Book Week at our school.

I'm working for 10 weeks doing a maternity cover in Year 1.

The Year 1 teachers decided that our theme was "Elmer the Elephant" - so we have our patchwork Elmer, and the rest of us are patterned elephants for the Book Week Parade.

Week 3 - Lantern Night

These fireworks were right outside our window, on Lantern Night, the last night of the Chinese New Year celebrations in this Year of the Snake and even hit the glass!!  It doesn't get closer than that.

In our first year in China, I was pregnant with Didi, and after enjoying the celebrations for the Chinese New Year of the Ox, he was finally born to the constant bang and explosions of fireworks celebrating Lantern Night.

As a result, I always celebrate his 'Chinese Birthday' on the fifteenth day of the new year.

Zhu ni shengri kuaile, Didi!!

Week 2 - Snow Day!

This was so unexpected.

We woke up this morning to a fresh dusting of snow.  It was thick enough to make snowballs, and it was cold enough that it stuck around for a while for the kids to enjoy and play in at school.

We arrived early to school and so Didi and Jie Jie were the first footprints across the playground.

Super exciting!!

Week 1 - Year of the Snake

Gong xi fa cai!!!  Zhu ni xinnian kuai le!!

At Yu Yuan, or the Old Town in Shanghai, every Lunar New Year there is a Festival of the Lanterns, and this year we braved the crowds to go and see what it was all about.  This scene was a collection of all the twelve animals of the Zodiac coming together before the Emperor, with this year, the Snake being victorious!!