Catch up Blog - pre Trip

Sorry about the delay in writing my blog, it has been a mad month of having little internet while I was away. I will catch up in 3 stages.

I woke up the other morning and realised that it’s been 3 months since I arrived here and its certainly been a roller coaster 3 months! Ive been waiting for life to settle, but maybe it’s good that’s it’s not.

Jake and I went to the Reagan Museum, as I know how much he likes politics. He loved it as I did, but it is worth keeping in mind that the Presidents build their own museums with the left-over campaign money, I’m told.

We went on the airplane Air Force One. While waiting for the plane to fill up in the very tight space, so that the lady could start her talk, I accidently leant back on one of the seats (it had plastic on it). The very officious woman told me off loudly, so I said very sarcastically in my best Mary Poppins accent ‘Oh I dooo beg your pardon’. She did a double take and then apologised to me, believing I meant it.

Choir was good fun as it was a celebration buffet after the competition, where we all brought food to eat. I had made sausage rolls and mini scones. Clearly sausage rolls are very much a Brit thing as they weren’t popular, I liked them though 😊. I’m sure it wasn’t my cooking….

The choir managed to get 3rd place out of 7, which I thought was good, but judges had criticized Monica and choir apparently, so felt bad for them. We all ended the session by singing a new song called ‘After Today’ (about new beginnings) which I had been practicing and I loved.

So, another shooting in a Colorado school! Really cannot understand the fascination with guns in this country and why after every event they do nothing! Surely there have been enough communities affected for laws to change….surely?????

The STEM school is just seven miles away from Columbine High School, where two shooters gunned down 13 people in 1999. Less than three weeks ago, the area marked the 20th anniversary of that shooting. This time there was 1 dead and several injured. What a nightmare. Whitehouse quote was - "Tragically, this community and those surrounding it know all too well these hateful and horrible acts of violence," Yet again - What are you going to do about it!!!!

I arrived early at Pottery this week as traffic was unusually light, and so I went to the coffee shop which is steps away from the studio. LA is amazing in that you never know what you’ll see. As I walked in to get my Decaf, no- fat, no sugar, iced coffee, I saw a Buddhist monk all in orange sipping a cappuccino. The coffee shop was filled with hippie types – loved it!

As I now go on Wednesday, I’m getting to know a whole new bunch of people at Pottery. They appear to have known each other for years. Stan produces amazing pots which he sells on Etsy. There are Michele 1 and Michelle 2 who talked about Medicare and the high cost of prescriptions. Michelle 1 who had lived in the UK, said she spends $230 a month on her HRT medication – scary stuff. I must organise choosing my doctor and Dentist. I am worried about whether the insurance will cover costs. They also discussed the cost of education. Michele said her kid cost her 1000s of dollars, through medication and education – what a country!

So as usual I debated with myself on the journey home about going to the Burbank pottery as the 101 was nose to tail on way back again. Where are the trains and tube?

That night Jake, Mark and I went to the Laughter factory again. Such a great venue! We had different seats this time and were a little further back, but it was still a great vibe and hilarious comics, which were faster paced this time. Interestingly one of the acts did exactly the same set as last month. Still, it was funny and I’d had a number of gins by then.

Ive had some excellent Meet Up suggestions since I joined here in LA. Far more inventive that in the UK.

Newhall Artists Atheist Club- The founder of the group describing himself as bored and lonely gamer. Criteria for the group is atheist and sushi lover.

Spray can artist Group- learning new graffiti skills

Creating your magical life- transforming your life and saying there was a global awakening happening. Well it can’t happen soon enough!!

Sunsets and soundbowls - where you meet on a beach and listen to Tibetan singing bowls (actually this one sounds good)

Westside hypnosis group- fulfilling potential and becoming a magnet to love and success

College girls that cry- this seems to be a long rant about how shit college girls lives are.

Next level mystics- wild women waking up to their powers- saying the best way to predict your future is to write it.

Laugh at my calibration- a non profit comedy organization that goes round giving new stand ups a platform raising no net for the homeless.

I must try one of them out next month.

Friday 10th

After a full and lovely 10 days with my lovely boy, we drove Jake to LAX. The 405 which is actually worse than the infamous 101 (which is saying something), was at a standstill, so we came off it early and drove through the Venice beach area, which looked really eclectic and at times just plain weird!

We saw a house next to loads of bungalows built as a castle with false block walls, metal gate and gargoyles. As usual there were establishments which made the mighty claim of being world famous…’Kumon’ the world most successful maths and English centre; ‘Tommys’ world famous burger and World famous ‘Premier exotic Venice cars’.

We saw a Bong symphony sign, one of many signs advertising cannabis. The murals on the walls were amazing, but sadly below all this were very many homeless people with their shacks on the sidewalk and their shopping trolleys filled with their belongings.

We finally got Jake to the airport and said our tearful goodbyes. Don't you think he looks like Taron Edgerton?

On way out the 405 was at a standstill. What should be a ½ hour journey took 2 hours on the way home and so we had to rush to get Lulu to WTR and didn’t get a proper hug goodbye from her.

We then had to go back to LAX and revisit the lovely 101 and 405 all over again at 8pm. The whole airport was nose to tail, shuffling forward. What a nightmare! Its apparently like this every Friday especially as it was Mother’s Day Sunday. Someone needs to organise an underground…. Wait I think Elon Musk is doing exactly that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qukh1Fwmlk

Next Blog – The Trip!