Sculpture by the Sea was one event that I really missed while we lived in London. It's always held at the end of October which is when the weather in London is just starting to get cold, the days are getting shorter and it's generally grey and miserable. I would read about Sculpture by the Sea on the SMH and see pictures of people wearing shorts and t-shirts, enjoying the sunshine. It always made me miss home, Australia and Summer. After missing it for four years, I knew that we were definitely going to make an effort to see it this year.

I'm so glad we did too. It was one of those days out that makes me glad that we moved home to Sydney. When I'm missing the European mini-breaks or London's free museums, it's good to be able to head to an event and think "well, you can't do that in London".

All round it was a fantastic day. We drove and parked at Bronte and then did the walk to Bondi. Bel came with us, so we could only go at "just about to pop pregnant lady" pace. This was about right since we all know that Andrew likes to take heaps of photos and it also meant frequent stops to enjoy the view and the sunshine. We admired the art, picked our favourite pieces and then checked out the prices (can I afford $30,000 for the Bondi Venus?). When we reached Bondi we hopped a taxi back to Bronte (only $12). We finished the day with a picnic of grilled fish and chips on the grass at Bronte. Awesome.

The only decidedly unawesome part of the day was the fact that Andrew and I both got sun burnt. For some strange reason we thought we would be done before the hottest part of the day and could get away without wearing any sunscreen (rookie mistake!). The next day we both looked like lobsters. Although, we were a good "look at what happens when you don't wear sunscreen" lesson for the Veitch girls the next day. I have some very interesting tan lines to start the summer.

More photos (slideshow) on Flickr.

Andrew and I took advantage of the fantastic weather this weekend and we went to look at the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. The exhibition, as the name suggests, is held by the sea along the Bondi to Coogee Coastal walk. Although, the display doesn't start until Tamarama Beach. Unfortunately, the crowds also start at Tamarama; I think a lot of people had the urge to get out in the sunshine and take advantage of the first weekend of daylight savings.

The exhibition included both arty pieces and crowd-pleasing pieces. Andrew and I looked at most of the arty pieces and thought "huh?". I've never really understood abstract art. The crowd-pleasing works, such as the big sunnies and the thong bottle, were always surrounded by large groups of people. Tourists having their photos taken, unruly children climbing on, poking, tugging, pulling at the sculpture (where were their parents?) It was impossible to get near some of the artworks, to view and appreciate them properly (*G* we're such artistes!)

My favourite artwork this year was Lola's Daisy chain. Nine-year-old, Lola, with the help of family and friends, created a chain of 35 000 daisies that stretches 1.6 km from Tamarama to Bondi. Her reason for the daisy chain, "I like daisy chains because you start with something little, and end up with something big." Just like her idea for Sculpture by the Sea. An idea that became a submission, that was accepted and turned into a great art work. Good on ya Lola! (photos)