Home again, home again, jiggety-jog

Home! It is so nice to be back. I am feeling a bit confused time-wise, and a bit sleep-walker-like, but am mostly intact. My brain is porridge, however, so I will make only a few observations today.

1) We went to Venice Beach and Santa Monica yesterday, which was lovely. I spilled a bit of cream on my silk trousers, though, which was less lovely. Anyone know how to get stains out of silk? Or do I have to bite the bullet and take the garment to the drycleaner's? (I do, don't I? Darn). LOML bought me a new skirt to replace the stained trousers, though, so I didn't have to wear them for the long plane journey. This brought the lovely back again.
2) There was a long queue for the toilets on the plane last night. One cubicle in particular was busy for a full half-hour. When the occupant eventually emerged, he revealed himself to be a young, sweaty man clasping two copies of Playboy. This was rather revolting. I am adding it to my mental list of 'disgusting things I saw on this trip' which includes a woman shaving her armpits into a bathroom sink (pub, Northern Ireland) and a man clipping his horrid yellow nails on a cafe table (Barnes & Noble, Fashion Island, US).
3) The very first thing we did this morning was pick up Mink from the cattery. He was thrilled to come home, and has spent the day wandering around the house and garden making sure that no one has dared to move anything. He comes back inside every half-hour or so to give us a cuddle and follow us around talking loudly in catspeak.

Normal service will resume tomorrow!

Laguna Beach!

Sorry for the absence, everyone! After the 11-hour flight from London (which felt like nothing after the 36-hour trip from New Zealand, and which I spent watching Benny and Joon twice), I've been relaxing in Laguna Beach for the past few days. Our hotel is right on the beach, and we've been having breakfast on the terrace every morning, overlooking the breaking waves.





I spent Thursday and Friday relaxing on the beach, reading and developing a mild addiction to iced tea and mocha frappuccinos while LOML was working. I also got sunburned. I fell asleep in the shade, and woke up to find that it was no longer the shade and that I had turned a delicate shade of puce. Sunburn is rather like a hangover: no one has much sympathy, because it is avoidable and self-inflicted. But it's sore!



Today we drove out to Huntington Beach and Newport Beach ...

... and this afternoon we visited Fashion Island. Oh my goodness. Betsey Johnson and Kate Spade. So many polka-dots, so much tulle; heavenly. I was hoping that a game show host with too many teeth would appear and offer me a giant wad of cash, but no luck. We also went to the pet store, where there was a disproportionate amount of tiny and expensive dogs. Very cute, though. The shop assistant asked us if we were looking for a dog. We said that we would love one, but that we live in New Zealand.

"They have planes for animals, you know," she said.

Oh well then, it's a completely practical idea.

We're relaxing in the hotel room for a bit, and then we'll head out in search of dinner. And tomorrow night we leave for New Zealand! I'm really looking forward to getting home again - seeing friends and family, getting stuck into work and a routine again and, most importantly, picking up Mink! I've missed him so much.

A bracing post (see what I did there?)

Since we're nearly at the end of our holiday, I thought I would post a few of the photos that LOML took on our journey.

Berlin:




Northern Ireland (there aren't any from London because that was a bit of a blur):



See you in L.A.!