It Never Rains in California

Here I am in Los Angeles. My passport came through at the 11th hour and I was able to make the flight on Monday. Olivia is an absolute doll. She's gorgeous and beautiful and wonderful. Her parents are amazing. They are naturals. She is a lucky little girl. Pictures later.

It is extremely hot here. My menopausal self is really suffering. I had to go out and buy sandals and shorts. That means getting a pedicure which I will do on Saturday. Tomorrow is my birthday. We are having a small party here at Daniel's tomorrow evening.

The Ideal Job

Yesterday I started working for Charlie. Here I am, Queen of the Shed. People come to MMF (Medley Manor Farm) to pick strawberries and other soft fruit. My job is to weigh the produce after they have picked it and take the money. The really nice thing about this job is that I get to talk to lots of people and eat raspberries while I'm doing it. I got confused at one point and the lady I was serving suggested that maybe I shouldn't try to talk and make change at the same time! Since the customer is always right, I shut up and gave my full attention to the cash box. I don't know how often I'll be working. I think I have to start at the bottom and work my way up. There is probably an inner circle of sheddies who have first rights. I tried to go to live in the bothy (farm labourer's cottage on the farm) so I wouldn't have to commute on those days I was working but the rent was beyond my means. Oh well, maybe next year.

Coming to LA

I sent my passport in for renewal and did not expect to have it back in time to travel next week. I rang up the Home Office on Monday and told them about Olivia and how desperate I am to see her. I had a sympathetic beaurocrat on the end of the line and she agreed to push my application forward. The passport was supposed to arrive today but it didn't and it turns out they sent it to the soliciter's office in Wembley. It hadn't arrived there either but we are still hoping for tomorrow. In any case, I'll be coming next week as soon as I actually get the passport in my hand. I'm very excited to see my new grandchild, oh, and the rest of you as well.

BIOBANK

I went along last evening to the NHS Biobank. I and thousands more have been recruited to be measured and computerised. After a lengthy questionnaire (done with a touch screen - very efficient) I had my blood pressure taken. Of course it was up but I assured the sweet little nurse that it was 'white coat syndrome'. Then they tested my grip strength and my bone density. I was supposed to have a lung function test but they waived that, thank god. Finally finished up with blood and urine. I have bad veins so he had to use the one on the inside of my wrist. When I worked at County Hospital in LA we used to call it the 'intern's vein'! Chloe came with me and waited for 1.5 hrs. We cheered ourselves up with a trip to Pizza Express. Then it was home for a little telly and off to bed. She assured me that she didn't have any homework. I hope she wasn't pulling the wool over my eyes. Tonight we are going to the Dong Dong Noodle House. Tomorrow she goes home and I start working on the farm. I'm the backup when one of Charlie's regular workers can't make it. I'll report later on my strawberry weighing skills.

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO ON THE INTERNET - I'M BACK!!!

I have solved the posting problem. It was all to do with cookies; too many cluttering up my machine. Such a liberated feeling knowing that I can talk about myself whenever I feel the need. Don't be alarmed; I will keep the ego-blogging to a minimum. I have to go now. As you will see by my calendar, I am babysitting for the Gee's.

Goodbye for Now

Unfortunately, my blog master refuses even to upload my posts. It was one thing to do without the calendar but it makes no sense to try to have a blog without blogs. I’m getting Alison to put this up for me.

I had some friends round for dinner last week. Once again, the excuse was trying out the new square table. It's still wonderful. No picture this time. Rachel brought asparagus and strawberries from the farm. We started with one and ended with the other. In between I had made a lamb hotpot which wasn't very good - too little meat and too much synthetic sauce. The food, however, pales into insignificance compared with the company. I've been warned against putting people's names on the blog so I won't tell you who was here. They know who they are. The next morning I had to sit through two hours of a Wagner class. Actually, it was very appropriate. The one thing it is hard to do is sleep through Wagner. I went out yesterday and bought a couple of Wagner CD's. I'm impressed with myself and I'm listening as I type to highlights from The Ring. Okay, I know that no Wagner afficionado would ever listen to highlights but I have to start somewhere. I think the full ring takes about 17 hours to play. I rest my case.

I'm still having trouble with the format of this blog. There are some things I simply can't do, like access the Calendar. Alison and Sian will be up for a weekend at the end of the month and I'm sure they can sort it out. But I miss my calendar.