It was all going so well....

I woke up at 5.30am one morning after a dream of losing Lulu. I was so relieved it was only a dream and went to the loo. When in the bathroom I looked out onto the hillside garden and in early morning sunlight saw a bush shake. Initially I thought it was a bird or maybe a rabbit, after all it is an impenetrable fence! Suddenly out of the bush shot a young coyote, where it started brushing itself against the branches of another bush. I managed to get a photo. I think it’s the baby one I saw earlier in the year. I watched it run across the garden and saw it had jumped a 6 foot wall. I don’t think I’d better have a small dog here. I just hope lulu doesn’t come across it. I think she’d run a mile!

On Monday’s news after being in Ventura on Sunday the news was filled with the horrible news of the boat sinking overnight. There were 25 victims found and 9 people missing.

Also on the news was an item about the homeless here. Apparently, California is the worst in the US for numbers of homeless. It has risen to 60k here. The reporter followed a family of 5 for a week. They had been on the streets for 7 years! They did have a 4 bed house, but dad was stabbed in an attack and after medical bills and being in wheelchair he lost income. Kids are early 20s but still - how very tragic!

It is 100 degree temps regularly here- so incredibly hot. So much so that everyone goes out before 9am to hike or walk dogs, usually in their keep fit gear.

This week there was a dramatic rescue off of the hill that backs onto our garden. Two helicopters were hovering overhead to airlift them out. There was also another rescue off the Malibu Hills where hikers had run out of water and were dehydrated. Why would anyone want to hike in the midday sun is beyond me!🤯🤯

So, unfortunately my hot flushes have returned with a vengeance and only if you’ve experienced them will you understand. It’s like burning up from the inside and you lose about a gallon of water from your face and body. The worst thing is it seems to happen I’m doing something like at pottery or at choir when you are standing and nowhere near a fan. I called Gyno Gary- Dr Ott and he actually called me back on the sunday. I’ve had my blood samples taken now (which could be anywhere between $100 to $600 - their original cost)😡. After a bit of internet research I discovered that caffeine plays a part, so I have cut it out completely and crossed fingers, it seems to have worked a treat. Gyno Gary was pleased with new blood works and he explained to me that he didn’t just want to take my energy levels back to late 40s, but wants to take me back to my 30s!! I’ll believe that when I see it. He asked me lots of intimate questions about love making; well – you wouldn’t get that in Britain!! 🤣

On Tuesday at WW, people seemed fixated on whether you could eat too many fruit and vegetables. One lady asked if you could eat too many carrots…..

As Char rightly said “We are not here because of carrots!🤣”

Looks like chaos in UK. I wish they’d make a spoof of Theresa May laughing. Oh, they didn’t need to as she was grinning from ear to ear. Amazing that Boris expelled 21, which makes the Tories less moderate and more to the right. I know we all want it to be over, but we need to make sure it happens in the right way. If Boris is defeated again who will take the delay request to Brussels. “Let’s get Brexit through - it’s what the people voted for” - no they voted on lies!!! 😡

It is all over the news here that Boris has Trump’s backing, especially toe curlingly embarrassing was his meeting with Pence in Ireland (Pence of course stayed over an hours flight away in Trumps’ hotel complex). Maybe that was the nail in the coffin. Boris talked about anti American sentiment in his parliament speech; it’s not anti-American, It’s anti - Trump. Let’s get his brother Joe Johnson in, he looked like a good guy - hey isn’t he a singer? Oh no that is with Joe Jackson or Jack Johnson 😆

On all the news and comedy chat shows Trump is ridiculed for drawing on the weather map with a sharpie to prove he was right when he said Alabama was going to be hit. They are still reporting on that a week later!!!🤣🤣🤣

At pottery this week, I picked up the glazed jewellery and tags I'd made and had a lovely chat with Dahlia who had been in Cuba for 2 weeks and told us all about the fashion shop she had owned on Ventura Boulevard and Steve who is a carpenter with his own business. They are both so talented. Geoff came in later and made up margaritas for us. I really can’t do daytime drinking nowadays.

Jake arrived with Mark on Thursday night. It was so nice to have them home. We stayed up until 2pm, chatting and swimming in pool. We also smoked a funny ciggie called dreams - it certainly worked - after an incoherent and meaningless chat which was hilarious, I slept like a baby.

On Friday I cooked for most of the day. 150 brownies. 200 marinated chicken skewers and 100 vodka Jell-O shots with cherries in them. I also made labels for each dish.

The next day Jake went off to his week long conference in Woodland Hills and I made up 200 Caprese skewers (cherry tomato, basil leaf and mozzarella balls on a skewer) – I’m not really sure how I managed to get roped into doing it – oh yes I remember, I said yes!

In the middle of all this the Landlord came over with his wife and daughter to tend to the hill orchard. He said we should be picking the fruit, but I don’t know what half of it is and there is so much of it. The daughter, Hannah, played with Lulu with the hosepipe and then got her to swim in the pool. They both had a wonderful time.

The Casino night actually started at 3pm as we had to set up first. The chorus had booked professional gambling tables with Black Jack, Poker and Texas Hold-Em tables. The hall was transformed with lights, music and fabulous decorations.

Jeanne and I brought all our food preparations in cold boxes and lucky we did as it was a juggling act between those the one shelf in the kitchen fridge. We cooked goats cheese tartlets and reheated chicken skewers and heated tempura shrimp from Costco as well as all the hand-made treats Jeanne and I had made. People liked it and food went well.

At the end people were complimentary and Jeanne was especially chuffed that a lot of people loved her bourbon meatballs.

A lady came up at the end of the evening and said she loved all food, but the best was the heated tempura shrimp from Costco. Well people just love fried food I suppose!

The entertainment started at 8pm and we all came out of our places. Sally, the lead tenor, sang in her quartet, which had won international barbershop competitions and you could tell why. Their voices were wonderful- faultless. The voices blended and it was like honey to the ears. I don’t think I could ever be that disciplined. The chorus stood up on the risers and we sang our 4 songs and I loved it. We sang How high the Moon (a very difficult piece as the middle section is all doo- doos 🤣 and bah- dahs! I think Barbara Streisand sings it). Then we sang the Beatles, Eight Days a Week, then a Bublé favourite, Everything and last of all Luck be a Lady, which I’d seen Hugh Jackman sing last month; this song is incredibly complex in that it changes tempo and key a number of times throughout the song, but is really fun to sing. It was a real sense of accomplishment. I can see why these ladies have such a feeling of companionship to each other, as despite their differences, when they come together, they pull off amazing accomplishments.

Marla and Alan came with Mark, which was lovely of them and had great fun gambling. After at least 10 raffle prizes at the end of the evening we’d finished at 10.30pm. We arrived home at 11.30pm exhausted, but so happy I’d been a part of it. Having been the person who ran some of my schools biggest events such as Prize Giving, Induction Evenings and others, I realised that I really miss all that comradery when setting up events like these.

Sunday was a day of rest and box set binge watching. We decided to give Britbox a go as I miss my Brit dramas and love “Damned”, a drama written by Jo Brand with Alan Davies, based in a Social Services office. It’s so brilliant and sometimes poignant and true to life. Only 2 series unfortunately, wish there had been more.

In Walmart this week, we tried to buy razor blades, but it was locked behind a glass door and you need to call the manager to unlock it. Apparently there is only 1 key, so after a 10 minute wait there was a tannoy announcement calling for “George Michael, George Michael to pharmacy” – he lives!!!🤣

The Animal Sanctuary has had another massive intake of small dogs. My favourite is Howzer the schnauzer. I walked all the small dogs even though I was told later I should only walk the dogs who were available to adopt. Seems a bit unfair to me. My friend Nia was only there for 1 hour that day so we had a chat while she walked Mommas, a pibull, my favourite doggie from last week. She actually seemed excited to see me.🐕😆

On Tuesday, I arrived at the Sanctuary and all the small dogs from the previous week had been adopted and there was another set in. I had been hoping Nia would be in, so I could walk the bigger dogs with her, but she wasn’t in, so back to the small dogs I went. I checked the labels and chatted to Charla the lady who runs the volunteers, about walking the one dog available to walk and then updating the dog board with the new intake etc. I took out a scruffy terrier called Chico, who was lovely and so happy to be out of his cage. We had 20 mins walk around and he took food from my hand and sat for a stroke of his head. I have to admit I was maybe overconfident at this point. Well…. He didn’t want to go back in the crate and as I pulled him in by his lead, I tried to take the slip lead off over his head. At this point, quick as a flash, he attacked my hand, biting down with his top teeth and chewing with his bottom and wouldn’t let go. It was very surreal, as it was as if time stood still. Eventually he did let go and as I pulled my hand away, I saw deep teeth marks on back of hand and a very deep slice around the thumb pad. With blood everywhere and Chico still on lead I knocked on the grooming door. The little s**t looked like an angel at this point, although he did have blood dripping from his mouth. I was taken to the front desk where there were lots of the public sitting waiting to pick up dogs and there I was given an antiseptic wipe, a plaster and then told to go to my doctor. It was all a bit public and can’t have done much for their public relations. It must have taken them a while to clear up the trail of blood from Chico’s crate. So here, you don’t go to your local A&E, you go to your GP and they stitch you up (in more ways than one !) I drove with difficulty to the doctors ½ hour away and when I arrived the receptionist said ‘you haven’t made an appointment’ – DuH!

I was seen after only an hour, but in that time, no-one had looked at my wound and all that happened was that the technician showed me into an inner waiting room and said she wanted to check my weight and blood pressure. I was a bit ticked off at this point and asked with more than a little sarcasm in my voice, what on earth had my weight got to do with my wound! The doctor later said she hadn’t realised it was so bad. I had my tetanus jab and 5 injections into the hand by the wound - god that hurt!!!! Then… Several stitches later I was all bandaged up. God - I hope I’m covered by the insurance!!

It was going so well….. I am now without the use of a right hand for the next 12 days, when I have the stitches out. Feeling pretty ticked off as can’t go swimming, play my guitar, go to pottery, do any dog walking or choir as it is difficult to drive with only one hand despite the car being automatic!

Box sets here I come🤔and lovely Lulu cuddles and Jake returns here Friday.

I hate small dogs.....no not really.....🐕😆