Hollywood Housewife

Christmas Catch-up

2010-01-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

Having set myself the almost impossible task on catching upon my posts by writing each episode in detail I am officially throwing in the towel on this ridiculous expectation. For this post I am going to choose the bullet point option to sum up the end of 2009.
1. We got our Green Cards in record time thanks Philip being "An Alien of Extraordinary Ability" and my constant protestations about not being legally allowed to work and wanting a social security card. We made the decision in June and went to our trusty immigration lawyer Warren Winston who filed our case in October. We had to have medicals to prove we dont have HIV and by mid December we had received our Green Cards through the post . The cards are actually pink.
2. the second triumph of the year is our new sofa. We bought our first us sofa off Craigs List when we first arrived in 2006 and after 4 years of having every sticky and slimy food substance known to man smeared into it by the children it looked like it had things growing in it. The torn brown leather had been lovingly patched by Philip with gaffer tape . It was a blot on our living room landscape and gave our house a drunken -student- abode sort of feel. I cant deny my house shame when guests were invited to sit down on this reeking rubbishy piece of furniture. It was also hideously uncomfortable. One day my saintly friend Michaela gave me the tip-off that there was a beauitful sofa for sale at the Santa Monica Salvation Army Thrift shop . I had long time coveted a sofa she had bought there herself which looked like a very fashionable and expensive thing and so I raced over there . There were several mexicans hanging around outside with their pick up vans so I guessed this was a popular choice for furniture. I snapped up the L shaped powder blue sofa immediately plus 2 sets of heavy oak drawers all for $500 and enlisted the mexicans to schlep them back to West Hollywood. The new sofa looks glorious and I guard it religiously from from abuse by spillage and smear. Drinks and food are not allowed near it and the powder blue is covered by throws and blankets..I made myself draw the line at plastic coverlets -.that really would have gone too far. I am sure the powder blue will not be "powder" for too long but I enjoy it while I can.. So much for the bullet points.

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Green Card and appendix

Green Card and appendix

2009-12-19T16:06:00.000-08:00

Yet another six weeks of blog-abuse by neglect. It has been a year packed with both minor misfortunes and triumphs but whatever the case these events have managed to swallow up large amounts of my time. Poor Gabriel got appendicitis - some of us thought it was stomach flu!! We were called by the school one day and I came to pick up a deathly green boy who could not bear to eat. There were several other green-looking children waiting to be picked up so I assumed it was all the same bug..perhaps even the swine flu. To my shame I decided to wait to see if the "bug ' passed only to watch the normally robust energetic and cheeky prankster slide into semi conciousness. No matter how ill Gabe has been in the past there has always been some enthusiasm about food..but the mere mention of it seemed to repulse him. I finally went into full on panic and we rushed him to our wonderful pediatrician Dr Sachs . Strangely enough the nurse also thought he had flu but one look from the good Doctor and we were sent straight away to our local emergency room at Cedars Hospital. Within minutes Gabreil was being examined by the surgeon Dr Chen and his assistant also named Dr Chen . A burst appendix was diagnosed and Gabe was whisked into the operating theatre while I sobbed. Parents reading this will know that there is nothing worse than watching your gravely ill child suffer. I cursed myself for the misdiagnosis.
The wonders of modern medicine ..Gabe was out after half an hour. They had operated laprascopicaly using a tiny camera and four tiny incisions to his abdomen. I remember the appendix casualties as a child with their four inch scars across the belly. Oh releif and so much gratitude to Dr Chen and Dr Chen. Then began the 4 day vigil at Cedars with Gabriel in his hospital room. It was challenging. I slept in a fold down bed designed for a Dwarf . Every 2 hours the bleeber would scream to remind the nurse to change the IV . Sometimes the nurse would come and sometimes not ,leaving the torturous bleeber screeching for 20 minutes. If it was not our bleeper going it was some other patients as these things are designed so the nurse can hear them from some distance. I wondered how any of these children got any rest with all the interruptions throughout the night.
Mercifully on visiting Gabe Dr Sachs could see that my mental health was being effected and persuaded the Doctors Chen to discharge Gabriel after 4 days rather than a week. Again we were thankful for good insurance and wondered about other children who might not be so fortunate.

Autumn madness

2009-11-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

Well we have had enough drama packed into this year to last a decade . I am hoping I have had my fair share of crises for 2009. There have been very few gaps to blog and as I write now I am also micro managing squabbles between children with one eyeball on the computer and the other on the watch out for potential mischief. Silence is always a bad sign.
Both Gabe and Grace have started at new schools . Grace at her new High School LACHSA -specialising in the Arts where she is studying Drama. She had to go through several grueling auditions to get a place . It is a 15 mile commute on the freeway from our part of town and luckily I have joined a car pool along with several other "Moms" and we take turns to schlep across LA . I am learning terms like "freshman' "Sophemore" etc . Going to the school is like walking on the set of "Fame" , youths doing piroettes in the halls, singing at full blast and trombones playing in the corridors . The children all have vocations and seem to love the school. I breath a sigh a relief that its no longer about competative child spoiling ...that one is not "less than " for not wearing the $200 jeans that are so' In". It no longer "So and so has a credit card and a new lap top and a digital camera and an account at Nordsrums , not to mention a giant flat screen in their bedroom etc etc" and so "Why can't I?" We are so lucky to have found good public schools where material pressure is noticeably less.
Gabriels school is near the airport and mercifully take s the yellow school bus departing at 7.20 am sharp . The school "Open Charter Magnet" which is a constructivist school where children learn about subjects in context rather than from a curriculum . Gabriel has responded well and has regain his love of learning . The children do not sit at desks , they move around the class room, they do writers workshops they explore , they garden..The whole thing is inspirational..and he has learnt more in this public school in a month than he did from his previous private school in a year.

Montery

2009-09-27T19:02:00.001-07:00

NoCal

2009-09-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

I have always been intrigued by Northern California . Many friends have raved about it and urged me as a painter to visit it . In February we had the great fortune to meet a very friendly woman at my friend Doris party who when I proclaimed that I would love to explore Nocal promptly offered us her holiday home on Pebble Beach between Monterey and Carmel. I had no idea where these places were but thought we should take her up on this kind offer given that money was tight and that we probably could not afford a holiday for 5 this year. I hurriedly informed the lady that I had 3 children ranging from 14 to 4 thinking this might be a deal breaker but she still appeared keen. I offered her a painting in exchange for such generosity. She told me it was an old house and I honestly expected an old shack with the basics.When we arrived we were astounded to find an enormous villa with two guest houses filled with antiques and china looking straight onto the pacific ocean. Otters would swim by and seals lolled on the rocks. It was also in a wild life sanctuary. The country side around Monterey is stunning and the weather cool and its a little like Scotland in the sun. Carmel was over-restored and saccherine with "cutsy little stores" and cottage -like hotels and both a tourist trap and ghetto for the wealthy.Its the sort of place that makes me want to march up and down the streets yelling profanities. Monterey on the other hand which is a few miles north of Carmel has grit and character and a great Aquarium. It a proper old fishing town with no frills and beautiful architecture and it even had a second hand book store.
One of the down sides of staying in a beautiful house with fragile and valuable contents is one is contantly having to watch small wandering hands. I practically had to use a tranquilizer gun to stop the kids touching and playing with all the objects (alot of which I hid on arrival ) The contant supervision was exhausting and I needed surveillance cameras and eyes in the back of my head to keep check on my ginger brood.
The one time I could relax was when we were out of the house . This meant frequent visits to Big Sur and the spectacular journey along the Pacific Coast Highway. So many people had enthused about this drive and I was not in the least disapointed.I felt so grateful to our lovely friend who gave us the opportunity to see this amazing part of the world, I was releived to get back to LA and to our house where there is nothing worth breaking.

East coast 2

2009-08-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

After a great deal of nagging and against My better judgement I chose to take the ginger minions to NYC for one night. Had it been only myself i would have headed straight for Moma and the the Met followed by a stroll in central park. I would have taken the circle line ferry and seen Manhatten from the Hudson River. Alas I was harangued into visiting the worlds biggest Toy shop FAO Schwarz which was a dissapointment after much build up and huge expectations. My son marched right up to the manager and demanded to be lead to "the weapons department'. The manager stifled a gasp and explained in a whisper "we do not sell toy weapons here!'
My children who have become die hard Angelinos have become very unaccustomed to walking. Due to heavy traffic and no subway we had no choice but to walk 2 or 3 blocks to our hotel in humid heat . My children started to fade and feign illness saying they could not cope with this prospect and would probably swoon. So I cajouled ,carried ,bribed ,beseached and begged them back to our tiny shared room on 7th ave. I was mentally exhausted by my cohersing but no rest for the wicked as it was straight on to TOp Shop for my teenager.This time we tried the subway. After about an hour of figuring out how to get through the barrier we managed to get on the train. This was the first time they had used public transport in 4 years and it was shocking. The noise, to be nose to nose with people we did not know. Quel horror! Top Shop was also a let down . In England it is affordable accessable glamour but in New York it it high end and exclusive . my poor teenager , ! we bought a t shirt.
Next stop was my glorious friend John Barratt ,an amazing hairdresser who is a dear old friend. He had invited us for dinner at his vast Soho appartment . I thought it would be just me and the kids who made themselves at home immediately on his pristine bed eating ice cream and watching videos. I soon discovered that he was holding the party in my honor and had invited 30 of his closest friends.He peraded me around like a visiting Duchess saying that I was Sarah from LA which was the reason for the party. I met a variety of very entertaining people but felt somewhat self concious.
After a predictably uncomfortable night sharing a tiny bed with my 8 year old son we headed for Times Square which I thought would be a "hit' . Sure enough we found the 2nd largest toy shop with a weapons dept and a policemans booth . My son who is facinated by law inforcement was allowed into the lockup and quizzed the policeman on criminals. My 4 year old girl asked innocently "Do you mainly arrest black people?" awkward silence ensued and I'm sure buttocks were clenched as it was also within 2 weeks of the unfortunate Dr Gates incident.

East Bound part 1

2009-08-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

So the children and myself have been on the East Coast enjoyng the wonderful hospitality of my dear friend Maureen.I have always said that a good form of torture is 1 adult plus 3 (preferably under 5) children on long haul flight..you will reach depths of despair you did not know existed. The flight pain factor measured at about a 6 out of 10 and it was only 5 hours of mediocre distress from LAX to JFK. Of course I did NOT get to watch the Virgin America in flight entertainment , nor did I get to read a sentence of Middle march. My time was taken up with managing fisticuffs, squabbling and attending to demands and whinges and trying not to disturb my fellow passengers too much.I tried but alas failed. There was the inevitable tutting from all around.This flight however was a picnic compared to my epic and disasterous journey from London,s Heathrow airport to Sydney Australia in 2002 when I flew alone with my two very young children who did sleep a wink in 24 hrs.I dined out on the martydom of that flight for some time.
We arrived to torrential rain in NY which my children found quite a novelty and were picked up my the marvellous Pat who drove us the Maureens beautiful house in South Hampton. The house is in a small colony about 5 miles from South Hampton village where most of the inhabitants have been coming every summer for 40 years . Children roam free around the colony and the beach is 2 minutes walk away.People drop by, children are in and out of each others houses and bikes are ridden . It s like England but warm.Maureen and I met in London when our eldest daughters were two . She went on to have 3 more kids and I lagged behind at only have 2 more.Maureen was a wonderfully generous and relaxed host and we had many years to catch up on. So with 7 children and no husbands we went sailing ,kyacking, painting , played tennis,swimming ,sat by the Atlantic. It was Idyllic We became well acquainted with the Long Island insects. Due to a record amount of rain and storms this summer the mosquitos have mutated into these super bugs which were delighted to feed upon my 3 children and myself.As well as the mozzies there were Tics that embed themselves under you skin. Grace was bitten by some tiny spider and we nearly ended up having to pay a visit to the notorious Dr Kot-known by the local women as Dr Hot due to his extreme handsomeness. Maureen gave me a tour of the various tennis and beach clubs which I was entertained to hear one was only allowed to join if you had the "right breeding" I was shocked! This is America for God sake..Is this an East coast thing? However the local community has obviously worked very hard to preserve the charm of this place. Parts of Sag Harbour looked so pretty it was like being on a film set, I am now so used to the ugliness of LA that beauty can look inauthentic. It was great being able to meander down small streets looking in shops.It felt like a great privilage to be able to see this beautiful , unspoilt part of the world.

summer

2009-07-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

About 2 years ago we were offered a free air conditioning unit ..it was spring time and it would mean a drive to the valley and in a fit of "Can't-be -botheredism I declined this generous offer.Today I am regretting that decision. It is baking , our lawn is now yellow and the neighbour 's grass is taking a while to catch up . I can tell those who are doing illicit sprinkling by the continuing vibrant green of their gardens. Up till 2 weeks ago the weather was almost British but with sunshine but now the "unable to touch the steering wheel for 5 minutes" has set in for the next 3 months. I like the heat - don't get me wrong but it does require extra organisation.For some reason I have a chemical resistance to sun block ..no matter what precautions I take (I now slap on factor 50 )and go out in the sun for 10 minutes and yet my skin seems to be a sun magnet . Friends say to me ..wow you've got alot of colour -code for "you are bright red and you're sun burnt again" Or as Mr Hollywood HW would say "You are as brown as a tomato"
I think back wistfully to my days in England when should the sun make a rare appearance I plus most of the population would be out at the nearest park or lawn with our tinfoil absorbing every minute of precious rays- never mind skin cancer -never mind lack of ozone..I needed every hit of vitamin D I could get. When we went on holiday there was panic if the weather was bad and would interfere with the tanning process .We had to be a deep leathery teek color that we could go and show off
Since living in California where the sun beats down intensely every day I have developed an almost allergic phobia of the sun.The thought of sunbathing actually fills me with horror and I can feel my skin wrinkling up in it. I am armed with factor 50 at all times , my new Indiana Jones hat ,sunglasses and high necked t shirt. Infact I can now tell a visitor or tourist here in LA by their sun tan.

4th July

2009-07-08T13:03:00.001-07:00

2009-07-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

The reason for the lack of posts it that time has been gobbled up by bored children on the 11 week holiday extravaganza. Summer Camps have been organised and rejected so it has been a political minefield trying to get the 3 children occupied and to bond with their camp.Paintings have been left unfinished , phonecalls not returned and the house looks like a crime scene, dolls limbs scattered around and stuffed toy monkeys handcuffed to various pieces of furniture.
Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett have died. My son thought Jackson was a basket ball player.Jackson still dominates the media a la princess Diana infact my eldest daughter went past his house in Beverly Hills on the way to the 4th of July party to find a similar gigantic shrine like thing going on to Kensington Palace in 1997.
We also had some fantastic news this week and extraordinary fortune. In December of last year we signed Gabriel up for a magnet school knowing it was pretty much impossible to get in but that we would "gain points " in order to get him into a good middle school. I have several friends who's children had attended this school and they had collectively raved about it and the unconventional teaching methods..there are no desks and classes are known as "clusters" each having a different colour and theme.By February of this year I was so fed up with Gabriels catholic school that public school was looking more and more attractive. In May we got the inevitable letter that Gabe had not got a place at Open Charter but was on the waiting list . I eagerly phoned the school..(the first of many nuisance calls) and commenced pestering them on a regular basis. I was told he was 150th on the waiting list and to give up there was not a chance in hell. Reluctantly I went to our local school Carthay Circle and collected an application form. I went to great efforts to meet some of the lovely parents who were working so hard to elevate the school, I joined the PTA and went to the PTA BBQ and got ready to role up my sleeves. On the morning I was due to hand in the application from and register Gabe at Carthay School I thought I'll give Open School 1 last call just to make certain we did not get a place.THe patient and tolerant secretary who was so used to me by now said that Gabe was now 3rd on the waiting list and got quite excited saying they would know within half an hour if Gabe had a place . Of course the phonecall came and I was asked to go in immediately to register. It just goes to show that persistance works and to listen to the good advice of ones friends and neighbours who told me .."don't give up ..keep calling "

Don't Get Me Wrong?

2009-06-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

A week or so as I gathered with my very lovely book club members to discuss my dear friend Liza Campbell"s wonderful book "Title Deeds" or the American version " A Charmed Life" I discovered that I have given the impression by this blog that I am rather ambivolent about America. I was mortified to hear this as this is certainly not how I feel and yet can see how one might come to that conclusion. I can safely say now with hand on heart that I like it here.. I like the people , the enthusiasm the hope, the diversity, the lack of pigeon-holing. the lack of defining people by birth or where they went to school .I particularly like it now that its not run by that daft cowboy.When the prospect of returning to London comes up I beak out in a sweat and start to panic at the very thought of it.I think of the the often 30 minute search around the Royal Borough of Ken and Chelsea for a residents parking space on a bitterly cold night versus the indignation I now feel when some one has the audacity to park outside my LA house. I feel outrage at the prospect of having to walk more than a few feet from car to front door..My how lazy and spoilt I have become! I miss the spirit and buzz of London but it is a tough place to live without oodles of cash. Mr Hollywood house wife and I have decided to take the enormous step of applying for Green Cards which means proving that P is indispensible to the US and has unique talents which means we have permanent residence here. It also means I will be legally allowed to take a job ,get a social security number and joy of all joys get a Target charge card...this is how much I like America.

Sicilia

2009-06-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

Grace did not like the photo I posted so heres another one

Exhibits or Exhibitions

2009-06-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

Exhibits or Exhibitions

2009-06-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the huge gaping space between posts. I have been in a frenzy of multitasking..Just before I got sick with my mystery illness ( I still don't know what caused it ) I started attending a self help group for creative people who find it hard to generate cash and get into debt and have a fear of the brown envelope-although here in LA all unpleasant correspondence seems to be disguised in white envelopes. Within days of me addressing this particular shortcoming which I have suffered from all my adult life I was offered two exhibitions in the UK ..one at Cambridge University and a mixed one at my gallery in London, Long and Ryle http://longandryle.com/stitt.html. My agent said of the Cambridge show " it may not reap tons of cash due to the economy but its top notch stuff for the CV (resume). The other Exhibit..you will notice I am trying to speak American now..is titled' Remembered Landscapes 'so I have done one of Pembridge villas and two of the interior of Sicily -Mafia country -possible the most arid and dramatic landscape I have seen Philip and I spent a wonderful summer in Gangi 7 years ago and I have always longed to go back.I have sent out mass emails inviting people to these shows that I shall not be attending which is rather strange. Tickets to London are not within my spending plan and must adhere to self-help groups budget principles which seem to be working.
The other big event has been Graces graduation from Junior High School or Middle School. This has been rather like preparing for a coming out ball for a debutante.We bought a white gown and then the was hair to be coiffed, hair extensions to be bought , a mani pedicure, a makeover courtesy of Mac at Nordstrums ( I could not resist getting one for myself too) . A touching ceremony was held at her school where the teachers paid homage to 27 teenagers who were starting High School in September.
After being on my soap box for three years about the water waste here in CA and the questions "where does the water come from?' and "why do so many people have lawns in these desert conditions?" I was thrilled to hear about a water ban and that you are only allowed to use sprinklers for your lawn on Mondays and Thursdays. At last and about time too I say. We have the lawn of shame ..it is orange and turning yellow compared to all our neighbours flourescent vibrant green. I refuse to water the lawn more than twice a week anyway due to the waste/water bills.Now our lawn will be the same colour as everybody elses.

Education ..a rant

2009-05-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

My heart is breaking over my children's education here in California. Every where I look I see ludicrous wealth and ostentation and yet California is broke! How can that be? Fertile land , a booming film industry , great tourism , high taxes..yes I have paid more tax here in the three years I have lived here than I ever did in London and yet I have earned less? How can this be? Today there have been protests about the cuts in Education that are going on here and having just made a decision to educate my kids at Public schools I am saddened and scared. By the way English readers Public school here means State Education.
In England being married to a former teacher we became very savvy about how to educate our children at the best State schools. We were lucky enough to live in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea which offered a variety of excellent free church schools. Getting into these schools required enormous amount of effort and research into how often you had to be "on your Knees to avoid the fees" , getting tip top Priests references and written assurances that you were sound of mind and body. We would spend many hours studying SATS results in order to find the right school. We managed to get our eldest daughter Grace into Our Lady Of Victories where she developed a passion for learning and a love of reading aged 3. The school had a wonderful cross section of students ranging from every stratum of society .The parents were all very committed to their childrens education and Christian values. Gabriel also attended nursery at the same school and was equally enthused by learning. Just before we left for America Grace landed a place at Sacred Heart School for girls , a Secondary State School infact Tony Blaire's daughter went there . One of the hardest parts about leaving the Uk was giving up the place at this school.
Arriving here in the US I had no idea how Education worked. We placed our children into Catholic school in Beverly Hills. Although inexpensive the school was private and uninspiring. Our eldest girl lost her love of learning and complained of bullying. We had been heavily warned off our local school due to the "ethnic imbalance" and that it was overcrowded and the Education was rubbish.We ended up putting our girl in a very expensive private school with a higher class of Bully who wore designer shoes.She became moderately more interested in learning and alot more interested in shopping Malls. So now she has got into Arts High a small public school but where students spend half the day doing what they are passionate about and I am looking at the local elementary school we were warned off for my son. The children are focused , well behaved and enthusiastic. I was so moved by the mother who showed me round who was clearly so dedicated to the school and making it a better place, she expressed sadness at the cuts saying the classes would get bigger. She also expressed detemination to continue her hard work and despite these difficulties she was eager to persuade local parents like myself into sending our kids to this school which little by little was gaining a better reputation.

sick Boy

2009-05-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

invalids

2009-05-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

My boy was off school the other day .We were invalids together . He dosn't look very sick to me. It was one of those illnesses that clears up by 11am.

Wheres my Umph?

2009-05-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

Someone once told me years ago when I was pregnant with my first child and worrying about what I would do if I got a migraine "When you have children theres no such thing as 'I can't cope!' . You HAVE to cope" These words sprung to mind as my four year old jumped on me in bed and demanded to play hide and seek hours after I had undergone surgery and still half anaethatised on thursday. I suggested a better game for me was patient and nurse. I got up full of good intentions to take my poor traumatised children into school a la normal but when the room started rocking I thought better of it and realised I was a danger to myself and others behind the wheel of the car so I called upon my lovely friend Katie you took Esther to school. My current state of invalid has forced my to do many things I find unsavoury..like ask for help ..how I long to be superwomanish and invulnerable and "No I don't need your help" Nor your pity.Alas I cannot keep this up as I am feeling as feeble as a 90 year old and my 3 ginger giant children can smell it when I am weak. I am having to "take it easy" which for a hyper-active like me is pure torture ..I had made up my mind on friday to give myself a days rest and then business as usual but the body rebelled and after 2 surgeries within 10 days, a head injury, a blood transfusion and only having half the normal amount of haemoglobin (red blood cells) of a normal person I was forced to lie down . The sofa is now my domain and the TV is my new best friend . I have watched some truely appalling films such as "Nights in Rodanthe" and "How to lose friends and alienate people" . I have been sucked into the vortex of reality TV " Make me a super Model" completely addictive.I can't even get excited about Swine flu.
Saturday was Gabriels first communion which I was determinded to attend so we went to Good Shepherd Church in our finery and hovered around for much photo taking. After three hours in Church I felt like the living dead and had to "take to my bed". I have to surrender to this listless state and just let myself be a sicko for a while.

medication

2009-04-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

One of my very generous and well -heeled friends has just delivered half of Whole Foods to my door-enough to keep my family of 5 fed for a least a week. Her lovely and I suspect gay assistant was perplexed at what to buy the kids so I think he chose to buy every variety of everything so they would not be upset??. I am yet again at agogue at such generousity of spirit and purse.How do I respond? Things like this have been happening all week..Philip said I should get ill more often..As my friend Miss Whistle says "This is what they do here"
I have felt alot better the last two days partly due to now only being on 4 types on medication rather than 8 . I no longer feel like a ghost inhabiting my own life and have actually put paintbrush to canvas. I now have more than half my blood in my body in stead of just half. This incident has made me think about how worrying about small stuff is not that necessary -the unpaid bills I was agonizing about are no longer as important ..the fact that I am able to sit at a computer and write and be walking about is Great. This is my wealth..also the quality of my relationships. I am gearing up for my second surgery tomorrow and having a day of nil-by mouth...this should be hard but not too hard as I have given up PG tips for a while..this was a bad addiction and I would dearly love to learn about controlled tea drinking.

carry 0n Hospital

2009-04-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

I have at last a genuine excuse for blog abandonment and have only just got enough energy to do a post. Unfortunately the last week has been like a french farce of disasters or comedy of errors and if you are squeamish at all I suggest you stop reading now. Like all good Brits I have learnt that you do not go to see a doctor unless you are nearly dead and so last saturday when I unexpectedly started bleeding heavily from my internal I chose to ignore it and hope it would right itself or go away. Unfortunately it persisted and got worse throughout the night , again I thought 'I"ll deal with it tomorrow" Procrastination has never worked for me and this was no exception. At 6.30 am after a sleepless and bloody night I went to tick the children off for waking me but as I passed along the corridor I fainted , fell down the stairs and hit my head on the concrete wall at the bottom.I came to and wondered how I had come to be lying nearly in the kitchen with blood now on my forehead and feebly called for Philip and we drove to the small hospital 5 minutes away. I believe I was the only patient was promptly whisked to a booth and hooked up to several machines including an automatic blood pressure reader. GOD BLESS AMERICA...my head was stapled !! 5 staples and they are still there . The internal bleeding continued and despite everyones best efforts they could not stop it ..by the afternoon I had lost half my blood so I was given a blood transfusion. I was very impressed by the trauma care and felt like I was in an episode of ER also being hooked up to every device known to man. I could not move for wires coming out of my body.
Sadly I as allotted a rather bitter and obnoxious male nurse who chose to lecture me in the midst of my distress on my choice of doctor...he later implied I was pregnant and was cunningly trying to keep it a secret. and I that was having a miscarriage..I could hear him bickering with his colleagues as well. and thought to my self '.theres always one.'
By 7 pm I had been in the ER for 12 hours and my condition was not improving so It was decided I would have emergency surgery and I met my very nice and funny surgeon/Obstreotrician and by nine pm was being tied down in the operating theatre with soft music playing..yes here they tie you down believe it or not.
SO my bacon was saved and I feel lucky to still be here. I was in very bad shape the following day and was unable to appreciate my 5 star hospital surroundings..My own large room .. a nurse at beck and call cable tv...clean and bright but sadly too sick to enjoy it.
One of the blessings about being ill has been experiencing human nature at its best ..all my friends, my wonderful book club friends of Bill, neighbor have literally come to our rescue. Flowers, phonecalls , emails , delicious meals being dropped at my doorstep so I don't have to cook , shopping being done etc etc..the community spirit here is fantastic and I am truly touched and humbled and blessed to have such people around.
After 4 days in hospital I was allowed home and looked like a mixture of Russell Brand (hair) and Rhiannon (beat-up face) only to have to return again 24 hrs later as my arm where the iv drip had been strapped had blown up to 3 times its normal size and got infected and had a clot. By now I am on 1st name terms with the hospital staff and have become quite a regular fixture there. So this saga is to be continued and I am sure the lesson and blessing in it all will be revealed.

Art of the Two Germanys

2009-04-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

This is an incredible exhibition and ends on the 19th April ..I intend to go again before it ends..its at LACMA on Wilshire blvd

Easter

2009-04-12T20:10:00.000-07:00

My poor children are theologically confused..I am a protestant , All three children were baptised Catholic like their father. In England we attended the beautiful Farm street Church regularlly and I became very good friends with the priests who were hoping to convert me. On one occasion in church Grace aged 7 turned to me and said.."mum .you shouldn't be here ! you're a prod!" Now I wonder where she got that idea from. We moved to Los Angeles when GAbe was 5, Grace was 10 and Esther 1..Gabriel started to attend the local Jewish community school.. a wonderful local preschool recommended by our neighbour..and before too long he was singing songs in Hebrew and coming home complaining that I had not 'lit the candles or bought the Hala"One day around passover he came home and said to me "Mum you wouldn't believe what Pharoh did to our people!"
He was sent the following year to join his elder sister at Catholic school and was rather confused and alarmed by the prospect of Jesus Christ with his stigmatas and demanded to be "made Jewish again".
Grace then went to an independant school with no religious affiliations but with predominantly Jewish pupils. Every saturday for about a year she was invited to a Bar Mitzvah or a Bat mitzvah (for girls )-all turning 13..After witnessing these lavish events and the huge bank balances these kids were left with post Mitzvah cash injection Grace was keen to have her own "Faux Mitzvah" ..an oppulent money giving party for non-Jews..No was the answer.
So now we are full circle ..Esther is at the JCC = Jewish pre-school..and complaining that I have not bought Hala and what about "Shabbat" and telling me that Pharoh was a "very Very BAd Man" and sings songs about frogs being everywhere.She also believes herself to be the reincarnation of Queen Esther who saved the Jewish people at one stage in the old testament.
Today on impulse I took them to a new church in Hancock Park which turned out to be a Billy Graham -esque happy clappy Catholic church..this time I was confused..It was full to the brim -over a thousand people and the songs were very modern and evangelical christian..the Priest was shouting out his joyous Easter messages and the crowd was respondonding..he told us all to write a gratitude list but not before we'de written a "poopy list" saying why you think life stinks ..I kid you not...Now I cannot imagine the Jesuits at Farm Street making the Poopy List part of their Easter Sermon.

sell sell sell

2009-04-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

So the credit crunch has sent me into great productivity and awoken me from my passive "waiting to be discovered torpor. It is very comfortable to hide behind the stress of having 3 children and use it as excuse to become less than useless at putting yourself "out there".As I said in my last post , there is no shame here in LA at aggressive self-promotion and marketing offensives.People seem very goal orientated..I was warned my my French friend M that if one is invited for dinner here in LA it may well be to form a connection in order to step up the rung of the work ladder that ones host might get to meet your good friend Mr Bigshot.She said it is rare that one is invited because you may be entertaining or the life and soul of the party..I am still forming my own judgements about this theory.
So last week I was approached by some publiscists ( thanks to my friend Liza..please read her blog it is linked from this one) they wanted to find out if I was worthy of free publicity...presentable , reliable trendy etc... i told them straight off "if you are looking for cash do not waste your time with me.." it did not put them off me an they asked for a meeting..
I managed to get rid of the kids for a few hours so they could visit me at home and they spent considerable time going through my press clips , catalogues etc...the only other artist they represent is a rock star-painter who commands $70 000 per painting.These people naively beliieved that the astounding sales of his paintings had little to do with his rock star status!
I told them of my trip about a month ago to Honor Fraser Gallery in Culver city. I had gone to her opening in the hope of having a quiet word and getting some advice from her only to see a queue going around the block waiting to get into her gallery. I thought to myself maybe there was a night club in there? No a hip gaffiti artist called Kaws who had a huge Hispanic following.
The publiscists explained that only letting a few people in at a time would have created an enigma and added intrigue..we noticed that in the midst of the credit crunch Kaws had managed to sell his flourescent skulls for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Well done Honor. I did speak to her a few days later and she was sweet and helpful .
So the long and short of it is the publiscists are going to "pitch" me to their boss to see if I am money-friendly enough to invest in ...we shall see

2009-03-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

As you might have noticed, I have added a personal list of my favourite blogs. Grace has made a blog and is a computer whizz! Check it out at www.vintagehipster.blogspot.com

stress

2009-03-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

These last few weeks have been very stressful and I have at times fallen into dire self -pity but I remember that I am not poor Old Natascha Richardson RIP or Jade Goody , both leaving children and families devasted by their early deaths. A stark reminder that illness and misfortune are not socialists and can strike at anytime no matter how much you have . It reminds me to savour every day and be grateful for what I have..healthy children , my own health , the health of my extended family, a roof over our heads , food to eat etc..
Living in America has its challenges from time to time ..not knowing systems.About a month ago P,s salary was slashed due to taxes and various beaurocracy which left us with zero in the bank and unable to pay bills , school fees etc..that same week my English card was chewed up by an american ATM so we have had to do some very creative accounting and some serious saving until the next paycheck comes in.It occured to me that this is probably what a huge percentage of Americans are going through too, with job losses , home losses and the credit crunching. We are not alone and it is life on lifes term- sometimes a very bitter pill to swallow particulally in Hollywood where extreme wealth and materialism is always on display but swallow we must. It seemed almost comical that in this same week we were invited to a party where we were the only people a/not famous and b/ not multimillionaires ..as I drove my battered old Dodge Caravan (the metal handbag as its known cos of all the crap inside) behind Mick Jaggers limo for the party Valet parking the attendant looked at me and the car and assured "dont worry I'm from New York".Oddly enough though I felt no shame as it occured to me that the only difference between these people and me is that they have "stuff" and I dont.
What has been so touching though is the many many kind friends who have been so helpful in our strife ,my friends Miss Whistle and Shelly , and Julia v and Michaeala all helping me marketing my paintings. I have been truely touched by their generousity of spirit .In LA no one is self concious about selling , unlike the UK where one is more subtle..you wait in your garatt to be discovered..here I have found out you put yourself out there shamelessly..even make a nuisance of yourself.

PS

2009-03-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Forgot to mention..the most momentous of things during my American stay is and was Barack Obama ..the lead up to the election was so exciting and the collective sigh of relief from millions of Americans was amazing.
Also joining a book Group full of great ladies and not to mention learning to play tennis blah blah the list goes on.
I have to say that when I first came here three years ago I was truely appalled by the lack of ready-made shove in the oven meals that you could buy in the supermarket. unlike England where you need never have to look at a cook book.what me cook ??come on now!!.The only place that seemed to do them was Trader Joes and being a vegetarian we were limited to Aubergine parmigian and frittata but after you have eaten these two dishes every night for 2 weeks you want to start sticking pins in your eyes. How I longed for Tescos Finest or Waitrose gourmet dishes for two and of course the Grand Dame of ready made s Marks and Spencer..how I grieved those dishes..I have been forced to cook since being here..yes actually cook from scratch and read recipe books and chop up vegetables and by doing so have rediscovered a certain joy of cooking..it was either that or give the children wheat poisoning from having pasta every night.There is a huge gap in the American market waiting to be filled.

3 years

2009-03-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

This week I celebrate being 3 years in America. We arrived on the 6th of March 2006 and lets just say my mental health was not at its best. I was suffering from post traumatic stress after packing up a house , a studio and our whole life in England to move here having just given birth to my 3rd child.It took a good year just to feel slightly settled and now after 3 years it feels sort of normal and yet not.
I have become desensitised to the huge monster trucks that I found so offensive when I first moved here. I am no longer appalled at the huge distances i have to travel in my car to get from a to b ..usually a 45 minute trip.I no longer attempt to walk everywhere like I was in New York or London nor do i feel my buttocks start to clench when someone I dont know very well tells me "I love you".
I am now genuinely shocked when I come across someone with "bad teeth" and consider it my God given right to have a manicure and pedicure every month..( it is very cheap here too)
Highlights of my 3 American years
Watching children have fun in the street
Making friends with our neighbours(IN England if your neighbour dropped dead you would step over the body and be on your way)
Getting Married in Vegas by Elvis
Seeing the LOve show in Vegas
Going on hikes in the canyons
cycling along Venice and Santa monica seaside paths
Seeing the Culver city open night for gallerys
Learning to ride again

Birthday week and Oscar Week

2009-03-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

As I drove to Burbank the other day to ride my trusty Steed Ranger..I was horrified to find that Hollywood Boulevard (otherwise known as "Horrible Boulevard" as termed by my 4 year old who thought and still thinks that is its correct name) had been closed down 6 days prior to the Oscars causing havoc to people like myself trying to get to the valley. What where they preparing for.?.A World Summit with Heads of State trying to sort out world peace , the Global financial crisis or a cure for cancer?? No ..a load of actors wating to have their photos taken or pick up an award..the only crisis would have been an outfit crisis. Its the one time of the year when its all going on here and I have to say I was glad to see Slumdog get recognition although I have to say I thought Frost Nixon deserved best screen play..and I am not biast!!!
We celebrated 2 birthdays within 4 days ..Gabriel turned 8 and Esther turned 4 wow ..I no longer have a baby !!!Hopefully no more until I am a Granny. We had a low key celebration with Gabe this year and went to have "ribs" the favorite du jour and see the unbelievably bad "pink Panther" Unsurprisingly the kids were bored within seconds and the theatre was empty -again unsurprisingly so Woolfie and Gabreil spent their time climbing over seats and playing spies in the the auditorium ..they danced they ran around , they played pranks they crawled along the isles without having to spend a second watching the atrocious film.
Then Esthers birthday was on friday and we chose the park as the venue as last year I recall some difficulty getting rid of the parents at 6 oclock ..I invited 30 4 year olds and at the last minute decided to call in a Princess of Esthers choice for the WOW factor. Eshter wanted Ariel . I had underestimated the effect that Ariels presence would have on these children ..as soon as she arrived and just as things were getting out of hand the children went totally quiet and stared agogue. They did whatever she told them ..played games told them stories and a $140 well spent I thought . Every one was packed off by 6 but I was catatonic for two days after. Over for another year thank God.

Professional Parents

2009-01-28T15:26:00.001-08:00

After an epic break in posting i am back,,truth to tell there has been so little time..between managing the various family dysfunctions..painting applying ,for High schools worrying about the economy...the list goes on. I have yet again been doing the rounds of visiting schools , trying to enthuse my teenager to study for tests and filling in application forms. One thing I have noticed ..America loves red tape ..it is even more beaurocratic than India. Alot of the forms I dont understand. For independent Schools here one has to fill in a manual of maybe 30 pages..then send a manual to her current school where they have to fill in forms asking about your releyability as a parent and if you have contributed communally to the school..did you bake enough cookies for the school fundraising commitee meeting?.In England I would occassionally come across what I would call a "professional Parent" these people would have their child enrolled for every club from cooking to learning Cantonese. They would hot house their kids 3 years prior to applying to other schools..they would always be 1st to volenteer to be on the cake baking committee at school , on first name terms with the head mistress.. What I found miraculous is that they found time to do this..were they spending all night making the costumes for the school panto? Unsurprisingly most of these professional parents were American.
Although in England I would admit to scoffing at the enthusiasm of these parents I now admire their willingness to take an active part in the community. The British way is that we do not like to appear "too Keen". It is uncool and also why not let someone else take care of it . So I have joined the ranks here in America of providing Snacks for the School play rehearsal , doing playground duty and clearing up after fundraisers because here in America everyone mucks in.

Christmas Cheer

2008-12-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

A difficult week..glad to see the back of

2008-12-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

Last week started as I gathered with some of my lady friends on monday evening..I had bought a wedding present for my friend M, whose wedding party I had attended the previous friday. I was horrified to hear she had been burgled the night of her wedding as she stayed in the honeymoon suite of a Beverly Hills hotel. It was made all the more terrible by the fact that we all expected her to be in post marital bliss rather than in post traumatic stress.She was very dignified and philosophical about it all.
It was the coldest week I have ever known in California which brought my attention to the fact that our central heating was not working as we shivered in our arctic like living room. When I tried to tell our far from sympathetic landlady she said it was tough , this was a maintenance problem for which we would have to pay. I rushed out to buy a heater and guess what ?? most stores had sold out of heaters as it seemed like my fellow Angeleans were having the same problems as me. I went back to the house and thought I would bottle up my troubles by hanging out the washing in freezing cold and feel virtuous about still being Green..alas I discovered a mangled set of head phones and worse ..a nearly new ipod broken and soaked. I had thrown in a dirty old sweatshirt of my daughters without checking the pockets.It was now beginning to feel like I was lurching from one crisis to another. Things could not get worse but they did....
The next day I managed to find the last heater left in K mart..hallejulah ..at last good luck ..I took it home and switched it on immediately..within minutes the whole electric system had fused and would not mend...no power, no heat 3 children ..it did not feel pretty and the POOR MEs had begun in earnest. I rang our trusty plumber Edwards who came to the rescue and then the electrician hoping they would restore order in the home..It was now friday ..Philip was due to fly to Vermont from Van Nuys airport..after driving to what seemed like the nieghbouring state ..I dropped him off only to have to pick him up again 30 minutes later due to bad weather on the East coast.Once back in central LA , P went to take Grace to her doctors appointment in West LA ...half an hour later Philip called to say the car had been impounded due to lack of smallsticker (car tax) on the number plate and why I had I not paid...but I had paid...bla bla bla ..there then began a farce like chase across LA trying to get the relevent documents in order to get the car released..sadly we did not manage it and the car stayed the weekend in the pound and I have the task of getting it back tomorrow.
On a good and final note ..the heating was fixed and so was the electrics and I managed to get our wedding photos after 2 and a half years at a discount price....

holiday season

2008-12-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

This has been far from a holiday for me , i have been trapesing around a multitude of highs schools, attending open -days calling admissions officers etc all in the hope of getting our lovely teenager into a descent school for 4 years. My preference would be to put her into a tunic wearing make-up banning all girls convent( my inner Nun dictates here) but I have been told that imposing my will on her future might lead to rebellion. All I know is that private school is out and trying to find a public school which is not dominated by gang warfare is my goal...me and a load of middle class parents who are victims of the credit crunch and looking at LAs public school alternatives.
As well as the High school debacle i have been doing my tax returns for both the English and American Tax man. There is a curious irony about me paying tax in the US given that I am not allowed to vote, work , have a social security number or do jury service, or have a Target store card. You may have no rights here but you may pay tax thank you.!My 03 visa has just been renewed for another 3 years .
i have not bought or wrapped one xmas present , I have not sent one card and am hoping to cram it all into one day before the end of term .It feels increasingly odd not to be in a cold crisp climate for xmas and to be honest i miss it. Xmas lights and palm trees just dont mix and there is an orgy of sentimentality that goes on around here that makes me gag.I thank the heavens for small mercies , that Philip still has a job, that there is no strike, and that we have no involvement with the stock exchange.Things could be alot worse

weddings and holidays

2008-11-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

I attended a Batchelorette party on saturday in a beautiful home in Beverly Hills...As i found out at my own hen party there is a tradition here of giving gifts that my enhance the wedding night. I was at a loss..giving too much of a "slutty" present might offend and yet what does one buy the woman with everything?? I began my search at a shop which had intrigued me for some time called "Trashy Underwear" on La Cienega . As I entered this dark gothic shop which had their xmas underwear on display ( santa claus themed briefs) I was informed by the scantilly clad shop assistant that I needed to be a member to browse the thongs and panties and I was asked to hand over $2 ..I was outraged at this ..that i should pay for the privilage of entering a shop so I left promptly and decided to cruise up and down Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood where I had been told by reliable sources that the were a large variety of naughty shops. Sure enough I found one within minutes where I thankfully was not taxed on entrance and a very helpful shop assistant. I told him I needed an amusing gift for a batchelorette Party (3rd Marriage) and he led and talked me through the sex toys and latest novelties. I was very tempted by the gold lame panties with back thong 'for him' but I thought it might be a touch over familiar buying such an intimate gift for her betrothed so I settled on a vibrating phone and 'low carb' edible underwear for him.
The hen party was a tasteful ladies tea party with scones etc ..one of the gifts was a lap dancing demonstration(with lap dance instructor) who gave us a lesson in how to entice the man from his football game and the art of moving in a 'come hither ' way. It was most entertaining but I reflected that if my beloved would probably be highly alarmed if I started doing the "slow slow moves " and might think I need extra phychotherapy. She encouraged us to come to her weekly pole dancing class which she said was a great workout for the 'Abs'

philip and his New friend

2008-11-17T21:37:00.002-08:00

here is philip as Camilla parker bowles ...I wish i knew how to add video links to the blog but I am not there yet. the sketch will be aired tonight and i cant wait to see it..he certainly looks like he enjoyed himself.

philip and his New friend

2008-11-17T21:37:00.001-08:00

Philip and his New friend

2008-11-17T21:34:00.000-08:00

LA ZOO and Franklyn Canyon

2008-11-14T15:29:00.000-08:00

sportiness

2008-11-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here in CA doing out door sports is virtually compulsery..I made a decision at about 11 years old to" drop out"of any sport because a/ it was deeply uncool and for losers and b/ what would happen if God forbid I should lose? c/ complete unwillingness to go through the pain of learning something new lest I look a complete fool and the intolerable experience of not being "brilliant" at something immediately.However coming here to California I have taken up two things I dropped out of ..riding and tennis..My wise and wonderful friend Oscar says you learn more from doing a sport than anything else..and I would agree. I go through the whole spectrum of emotions ranging from rage to elation.
At both these things which I had tried out as a child and never really mastered because I was not Olympic standard immediately.Learning to manage competition is not easy , there have been times I have wanted to murder my tennis opponent and this is a great opportunity for rage management. I have also wanted to break down in a heap in the middle of the court weeping with despair and give up . It is also hard to cover my glee at the occassional game that i have won.
As for our 4 legged friends..I never stop learning from dealing with animals - like children you have to show them whos in charge. I had an interesting experience last week . I went up to malibu to see my friend and meet her beautiful new horse who is housed in a very posh German Barn. I got an introductionary lesson from her trainer. I have to say it was more than a humbling experience. My friend warned me that my riding would be "deconstructed"
As I mounted the horse I was told that everything from my neck down to my little toe was out of place, that my 3rd virtibrae needed to be more to the left, seat bones more undernieth me ..as I rode around in circles and the German instructor "deconstructed" me I became more and more nervous and agitated and started to get more and more wrong. The horse then picks up on ones fear and starts to act out. As i drove the many miles back to West Hollywood I reflected on what a soul destroying experience I had just had and that it had ruined my ride.
I then did a clinic with a visiting Brit Islay who is one of the heads of the British Horse Socoety ..I was dreading this and expected to be named and shamed..and ticked off within an inch of my life a la English instructers of my youth but no ...Islay proved to be the Delai Lama of the riding world ..she instructed all of us to get relaxed with the horse and not to worry about toe or heel positions. Within minutes I felt this wonderful connection to the horse and that we were able to work together in harmony.Once again I was proved wrong by my expectations and contempt prior to investigation.

2008-11-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

Obama and me

2008-11-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

After the longest election campaign and a nail-biting build up Obamas enormous landslide victory has restored our faith in America. I have to say that I went to an election party all hyped up expecting to be there well into the wee hours watching the state chart a la Bush -Gore but no there was no build-up , no hysteria , just a calm mention at around 8 oclock that Senator McCain was going to do his resignation speech. I cannot deny I did not feel a touch cheated out of a frenzied close call and that it was a tiny bit anticlimactic but made up for by the sheer joy that finally there is a President with brains ,beauty and good old fashioned common -sense not to say integrity. At last we can all relax and not feel ashamed to be living in America . I feel sad that Obama has been left such a tough legacy by the Bush administration and will have to turn the light on a very untidy room which he will have to clean up. In these tough times I cant help feeling it has given Americans a boost of hope .
I read in the papers that England is being hard hit by the economic climate and It occurs to me that in England people are fed their daily dose of terror and despair just by looking at the newspaper stand or turning on the TV..its a "we're doomed" mentality that quite frankly I dont miss at all. Fear begets fear and as I listen to all the economic professors and experts talking about the recession on KCRW and the one thing they all say is that each particular country should try and avoid panic in order to recover. How do those poor people in England expect to get on top of it when fear is so readily marketed?

We have a new President and its a great day for America

2008-11-06T17:37:00.001-08:00

Election and Halloween

2008-11-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

Well I can't believe i actually have a spare 15 minutes or so to write the old crumbly blog...I believe the limited audience that was now no longer reads it as the entries are so spasmodic...I aspire to make my blog like my friend wwwmisswhistle.com who posts fascinating articles poems photos,recipes etc on her blog and it is a general work of art. Or the wonderful , moving and funny ganderlady.blogspot.com - my beloved sisters blog ...
the dust has been settling after the sudden and tragic suicide of my friend..it has shaken many of us in our small community and the legacy that is left to some is harsh ..She had a wonderfully dignified funeral at Hollywood forever Cemetry and it felt strange on a boiling October day to be singing beautiful old English Hymns and yet oddly fitting as well.
Halloween and the election have been welcome distractions from the sadness of this whole thing. There have been the usual costume crisis, my eldest 13 year old daughter took me to the party shop displaying costumes for "teens".these costumes..little red riding hood , Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ etc looked more like adult role-play costumes designed to add spice to the bedroom.for couples .given that the skirts were very short and ample clevage to be revealed and yet they were marketed at teens..after much pleading i relented and bought one for my daughter.When I went to see her and her fellows in the Halloween parade I noticed that many were dressed in these "costumes" ..I get confused by America ..its very puritan -there is pure horror if one lets ones toddler go naked on the beach and yet its ok for teens to dress up like hookers ah well...
Tomorrow is election day ..avery exciting time to be in America ..we pray Obama wins..

2008-10-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

A Sad Goodbye

2008-10-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

On thursday night I went out for an exquisite dinner at my friend and chefs Crispins place. I never normally answer or even take my phone out but on this evening I chose to not only take it but also to pick up ..I found it odd that someone should call me after nine pm so I answered it to hear the devastating news that someone I had been very close to had taken their own life only an hour before. I felt so saddened by the news which is still haunting me and was only reflecting a few days prior how much this person had contributed to my settling here in Los Angeles.
I had been given her phone number by a mutual friend in London in 2006 and during my first few bleak weeks of living in a new country I had called her and although our conversation was somewhat bizarre it was comforting to hear a British voice . We met by accident about a month later and became instant friends. She asked me to help her with a specific problem of hers of which I had a bit of experience and it was the beginning of a pretty intense friendship..she was intelligent ,open and lovable and was often gloriously irreverent ...she was a real individual and truely English in her eccentricity...she was also never far away from intense mental and spiritual pain.
For about 7 months we would speak up to 4 times daily and the distraction of her troubles would take me away from the loneliness and despair I felt about leaving England..She was a blessing to me..After about a year we started drifting in different directions and following seperate pathes and I knew I could no longer help her.In the last year I saw hardly anything of her...but the question still comes into my head ..I wonder if there is anything I could have done to prevent such an out come?The answer is no..sometimes the pain people suffer is just too much..I hope she is now at peace.

crunching on credit

2008-10-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

Well its all hotting up re the elections..and turning into a right old mud slinging contest ,but mainly the dirt is being slung at Obama who seems to have no dark secrets but the McCain Palin camp try tirelessly to associate Obama with terrorists and no -gooders..the links are so tiny and tenuous its laughable..if not that then they are terrorising the Americans by saying ooooh its all so scary Americas falling apart you cant possible risk a vote on that new upstart..better vote for us again..we're safe and the devil you know. etc etc..and yet the definition of the word "insanity" is repeating the same mistake over and over again and not learning from past mistakes.Does America want to repeat the old mistake ?. A well informed friend told me that since the Bush administration the Rich are 8 times richer while the poor and middle class are much worse off and God forbid theres a medical emergency because if you dont have the proper Insurance you will possibly end up selling your house or going bankrupt.. Britain gets some things right ..God Bless the English National health System ..we salute you despite long waits etc ..I have delivered 3 babies in the capable hands of the NHS without incident or complications and I now hear that Gordon Brown is advising the Bush administration on how to deal with the credit crunch..good old Blighty.

2008-10-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

2008-10-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

Electionitis

2008-09-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

So it is all going off here this week in the USA..the credit crunch debacle and mixed in with the build up to the election...but there is no doubt the person people are still all talking about is Sarah Palin who is getting more than her fair share of negative attention.I feel it is a very exciting time to be living in America and would love to be able to vote but sadly no can do..I am also acutely aware that I am a guest in this country and have to frequently remove myself from the British high Horse and of hundreds
of years of imperialism that are in my DNA.As an observer this is what I notice.
1/ That whoever has been running the country for the last few years does not seem to know what they have been doing and that ignorance is bliss up til now that it has bitten everyone on the arse .
2/That the election seems to be a popularity contest and not unlike the "X factor or" strictly come politics".Who does better on TV? Who slags their opponent more ..who has a more sexy or exciting vice pres?
3/ Until the recent economic crisis it seemed the election was about God and Guns..with a little bit of War in Iraq knocked in.
4/ That now there is someone who is more inarticulate and bumbling than George W not to say clueless re current issues ..that is Sarah Palin.
5/ That the American people yearn for change and feel very wronged and are unsure which way to turn.

Out staying our welcome

2008-09-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

With the much dreaded Embassy visit over it was time to Blitz culture and friends and God children confident that we would be on a plane by wednesday. I managed to get Grace (teenager) to walk across Hyde Park and Battersea Park on several occassions. I realised that my relationship with distance has completely changed .What used to be an unthinkably long journey (From Beaufort st to Prince of wale drive in Battersea ) now seemed like popping round the corner, so I now walked all over London and also discovered the delights of the overland train.After spending many many hours in the car in LA Londontransport was a novelty and odd to be travelling at such close quarters with others. In Los Angeles you can go for days without having any contact with other humans as one is either in the metal box or the wooden box -house..in London it is hard to avoid others.
I regenerated my very underused brain cells by going to some great exhibitions -the Hammashoi at the Royal accademy and the drawing exhibition at the Tate Britain with my dear friend Lize .I spent most of the time reading Tracey Emins scrawled school girl memoirs and realised she has made a great living from self involvement and rcording the various stages of self.
By tuesday i was ready to go back to the US having made our various courtesy calls but alas no seats on BA flights a la virgin for wednesday or thursday so we had to tell our beloved tolerant host Frank that we would be staying..by this stage the girls dorm was getting very out of hand mess wise and one could not even open the door..sadly our chaos was reaching beyond our room and Franks office had been colonised...by Grace on facebook and me on the computer frantically emailing BA..Frank took it like a gentleman.

2008-08-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

US Embassy - the sequel

2008-08-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

It too k several hours to get over the sense of injustice of not getting an upgrade on BA....and odd to find oneself back in England after such a short time..We were staying with our friend Frank who lived in the ultimate of "bach -pads" along with 2500 DVDs stored alphaceticaly , 2 zero-gravity lazy-boy chairs in front of wide flat screen tv,office with no less than 4 computers etc Frank however is not typically Bach as he is not only a very good cook , homemaker but also one can talk to him about anything and he's not gay.Grace and I were staying in the girls dorm which very rapidly degenerated into what looked like a set of "animal house"..you could barely walk through the door for stuff ..So the next morning it was up after a sleepless ,jet lagged night to go to the Embassy again where I am on virtually 1st name terms with the security guards.This time despite getting our paper work well prepared I made the mistake of taking several electronic devices in my bag such ipods and 2 mobile phones.. I was told to deposit them at the local pharmacy for a small fee of $10 and then to pick said items up after our embassy visit.. I was running back and forth along Upper Grosvenor street like a mad woman so that we would not loose our place in the queue, once again I was searched for devices and oh dear they found my bluetooth ...".but thats just a cell phonehead piece "I insisted..oh no that small device was capable of much terrorist mischief I discovered and bombs could be detonated from this seemingly harmless item..so it was running again up to the pharmacy on upper grosvenor street.. ( now on 1st name terms with these guys as well as the US Embassy Security guards) to deliver my head piece...It was not unlike a c"carry-on film".
Any way the rest of our business went smoothly ..there were no swat teams waiting to surround Grace and myself and we managed to get visa stamped.

Blighty

2008-08-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

so after a month of travel and minidramas I can write the blog again.. a potted history ..Grace and I went back to Blighty flying Britsh airways (I'm afraid not as good as Virgin and flight totally packed so no lying across 4 empty seats(as was my fantasy) and getting a good kip.Unfortunately one has to walk through Business class on the way to coach and get a glimpse of the beds...after a dreadful moisture and humour extracting flight we arrived at the new very wow terminal 5 building which was like being in a science fiction palace or star wars set...very efficent as well and bags were collected.. I was a little piqued as I saw an acquaintance who I had also seen 2 nights befre in LA looking rested and relaxed after the 11 hr transatalantic ordeal...I had a sneaking suspicion but I had to ask...and how was your flight?"great I slept all the way back..." "and why was that?" "oh I was upgraded ...I happened to be standing next to a pop star who gave me his seat as he was upgraded.." How dare she ! I thought..anyway we were picked up by dear Alan our friend and taken to Frank ps place where little did he or I know we wouuld be spending many days....

Our Hols

2008-07-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

So many things have happened in the last few weeks- we went on Hols to Mexico -club Med to be exact - in Ixtapa -a tried and trusted location..there was an enormous blip in our trip though which was we were unable to take out teenage Grace. We were all very upset and spent alot of the holiday ogling other teenagers and wondering who Grace would hang with if she were here too. I also noted that to my knowledge there were no "hot Boys" and eagerly passed this information onto Grace. It rained torrentially for the first two days and we spent alot of time fighting over umbrellas.Grace said this was Karma intervening on her behalf and maybe she was right.
One of the great things about club med are the shows -there are shows every night and one is forced to participate because ones children are usually in them -doing hip hop or circus activities..one is expected to join in the sing songs and dance to "hands up, baby hands up give me your heart baby...." I love this sort of thing but for others it can be buttock-clenchingly cringe worthy.Luckily my buttocks have been surgically unclenched over my 2 and a half year period of living in southern California where sentimentality runs rife and cynicism has not yet been discovered.So I made a complete tosser out of myself doing aqua aerobics , poolside line dancing and taking daily tennis lessons.

Bicycle and horse

2008-06-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

I have two new modes of transport- My brand spanking new Chubbies bicycle- a retro design with giant handle bars and very comfortable squishy seat tooboot.. my other mode is a 22 year old codger of an ex race horse called Ranger. I have leased Ranger from a nice lady called Liz who found me in tears at the equestrian center having had a melt down after having ridden yet another cranky old horse who would not move and behaved as though he had had a huge amount of valium administered to him. For some bizarre reasons the center always allotted me horses with behavioral difficulties-either too hyper or too sluggish. I fell madly in love with a horse called Connetticut who was a dream and excellent dressage horse but my heart was broken when one day I discovered he had been leased by another..So I am getting to know old Ranger who has hidden dressage skills and is very affectionate and gentle. The only problem so far is that if I ride him out in the open and he sees no fence he thinks he is on the race course and goes into a gallop.Its all learning.
My exhibition i London ended on saturday phew .. most of the larger work has sold which delights me no end - what does not delight me is that more and more people I discover did not receive their invitations.. much to my shame and embarassment..I can sense that .."oh blaming it on the post again line.." but this time I am truely astonished at the decrepid London Postal system . I did not leave any stone unturned re invitations such was my fear of being resesnted . what ever went wrong I am more than powereless living 6000 miles away..I still continue to write grovelling letters however..

Suiting Up and Showing UP

2008-06-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

Its all very well sitting in isolation doing ones paintings , its when its time to put them "out There" that I go to pieces. I start to get more neurotic by the day on the build up to a show, the anxiety fear and self critiscim gradually building to a crescendo in my head.Negaria peaks and I start asking questions like =why are you making luxury items when you should be stopping global warming or helping earthquake victims in China? Despite amazing support from family (thanks MA and PA) and friends I still end up in a shame vortex and in the bondage of self obsession.
Luckily this year there was enough distraction to quell the hysteria... the novelty of London -meeting my new God Daughter Rose -I did a fair amount of converting dollars to pounds in my head which stopped me shopping (an excellent detterant for the spender when bored syndrome) - wow what temptation along Kings rd! I really practiced restraint of "walllet" . I saw nieces nephews old friends. I went all over London on the underground and bus.
The day of my opening it pissed with rain- a great putter offer of social engagements- I went and saw my dear friend Lize who gave me one of her splendid boxes - small moral tableaus with play mobile men- I was thrilled with my new piece- also a good distraction.
Bt 5 oclock I had decided I would not attend my own opening at all and would sit on Albert Bridge and listen to my ipod and be tragic. I then remembered my friend Miss Whistles Book that she so kindly lent me "THE WAR ON ART" - it said "a professional show up and awaits the out come no matter what." I inhaled and walked into the gallery to await my punishment -which of course never came. I sold 11 at the opening and there was a great party in swinging LOndon.

All Over

2008-06-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

Well, My mission is complete.My lack of blog has been due to my global movements and extreme stress and lack of time.I have exported my paintings, catalogues and myself back to the UK, got my visa stamped . It felt like a mammoth task a few months ago particually as I was not sure I would be allowed o reenter the USA with relevant stampings. I got an unbelievable warm reception from my wonderful friends. Things that struck me about the Uk as an outsider and a visitor after 2 years
1 Its cleaner - I no longer have to scour the ground in order to dodge dog shit
2 Less traffic- Red Ken has done a great job as mayor of London
3 The food is great , I ate out and ate very well - the brits are getting it together food wise after many centuries of neglect. I ate at Roly Leighs new place Cafe Anglais (where macdonalds used to be in Whitelys ) can you believe!
4 It is a great pleasure to walk around London - I ended up walking vast distances -it all seemed so near after being in LA
5 The Brits are warm but viral negaria is always on the lurk and can be caught easily- I have been infected by viral upbeatness of USA
6 Im afraid status anxiety and keeping up with Jones and obsession with celebrity is rife- largely due to tabloids and OK and Hello-esque mags -Ugh
7 London looks beautiful - new gardens planted in Hyde Park , more work on the south bank- thanks again Ken, London has gained pride in its appearance and had a makeover.
8 Sadest news for me that the PAn bookshop is no longer there.

Philips return

2008-05-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

I have been a single parent for 10 days which went suprisingly smoothly and without "incident" but am am ready for Philips return and happy at the prospect. I am now so used to spinning plates- here are the things I have been multitasking..finishing off paintings, shipping paintings ( now on 1st name terms with my shipper-Dean) sending off invitations and catalogues, retrieving missing addresses..cooking , shopping ,washing clothes ,telling stories, doing homework, taxying services- for children,paying bills organising summer camps etc etc the list goes on- luckily I was given a 3 wheely chairs by my neighbour cos it means with 1 shove of the foot I wheel myself from the computer area to the cooking area to the painting area. Then I go to bed and read my book only to waken in the middle of the night thinking of all I have to do and all that can go wrong.

11th hour

2008-05-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

having shipped adn fed-exed and obsessed and worried about my luxury items and spiralled into a self absorbed vortex of "how difficult it is for me" I allowed myself the luxury of a film and I chose the 11th hour - Leonardo De Caprios film which was a very sobering and unpalletable watch infact it made me squirm and feel a sense of powerless about the world and what we are doing to it in regards to global warming and pollution.He described the problem as spiritual and cultural- that we have grown so away from nature that we believe we are not a species not part of nature infact above it and that by robbing the planet of its natural resourses we are infact self destructing as a species. The Earth will regenerate but we may not. He said that we work and we consume and do little else apart from keeping up with the Jones and getting that must have car or outfit.We are bombarded by Brands and Logos and advertising which makes us feel bad if we dont have this" stuff"He also says that while the money making corporations running the country are the authority it will be hard to make the shift needed to arrest global warming.We can do something about about what we buy - is it locally made or grown?-did it come from a sweat shop in China?He says the answer is to become aware of the problem..Living here in America which is the worst offender re global warning I am aware of how unaware everyone is compared to Europe. The other thing I have noticed is that its easier to be green if you have money- I would love to buy a hybrid car but cannot afford to. I will however invest in a $400 bicycle.

preparing for Blighty

2008-05-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

I waved Philip off on the plane today..he is going back for 10 days to see Lena his Mum and attend his friend Johns wedding, he will also go to London for a few days. He like me is scared and excited -its been over 2 years. I finally got my paintings shipped-after weeks of indecision and hysteria not helped by getting a nasty bout of flu. Origionally I had sought the cheap quick option for shipping but when the secretary told me the paintings might get damaged on the way to the warehouse having not even reache d a ship-big alarm bells began to ring. After speaking to a few sensible people who reminded me that this was 2 years work and did i really want to play damage roulette not to say 'where will they end up" roulette I changed my mind and decided to go to the local specialists in packing .
The whole thing has been a real palava - shipping , organising the catalogue all 5000 miles away from the actual gallery and has reaked havoc on my mental health but the end is in sight.

Larry David

2008-05-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

I am always amazed that people read this blog and am horribly flattered if i meet someone and they make a reference to it. The fact that people dedicate their precious time to reading my rantings makes me feel very honored. P says that I have an "honesty compulsion" that can cause concern or offense so I should practice "restraint of tongue and pen" not always easy. I had the ultimate compliment this week when an unknown blog reader compared me with my hero -Larry David.. The great one,,you can not imagine how Larry kept my spirits going for the first very lonely months here in LA while I was adjusting and homesick. First I would watch "curb your enthusiasm" every night in my jet lagged state and this would make me forget my misery for 45 minutes of the day, secondly I had a fantasy about bumping into Larry and us becoming friends which gave meaning to my being in Los Angeles. This did not seem unlikely as within my first couple of months here , living in West Hollywood I had spotted many actors loitering in supermarkets, I had even managed to strike up a conversation with John Malkovitch in our favorite bookshop, Chevaliers in Larchement. After about a year I had given up all hope of meeting Larry and had nearly forgotten him when...oh the horror of it.. our friend Ian came to stay from London and he had done the whole tourist thing here , the Chateau Marmonte and venice beach but imagine my shock when he reported that he had seen Larry David on Venice beach filming Curb your enthusiasm..I was gripped by a horrific flood of envy and wanted to throttle poor sweet Ian (who was also taking us out to dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel I might add) when he bombed me with this information. I am happy to report that today I have "right -sized" larry in my mind and that I have found "meaning" in being in "SO-CAL' other than him.

Tap and ballet

2008-04-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Tap and ballet

Mac and the Getty Villa

2008-04-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

Macbeth and the getty villa

MacBeth

2008-04-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

I feel like "Terry Shields " this week -notorious pushy mother of the lovely Brook. While One small child had her debut at ballet and tap the elder trod the boards as "Macabeth' in possibly the only Junior Shakespeare company in North America.
Esther had been begging me to do let her do ballet for quite some time so we went to a small class run by Miss B for a "try out". Within 5 minutes of the class beginning I heard terrible wailing and sobbing and Esther was taken out ."wheres my Tuttu? and wheres my ballet shoes?" I should have realised that the whole point of ballet for 3 year olds was the tuttu. Luckily this is where LA comes into its own - there is always a handy costume store at hand not to say dance equptment, so within minutes . These shops are every where and stock a range of gear ranging from risky kinky sexy get up - maids costumes and S&M gear to serious dance attire. Very handy indeed if one wants a hasty change of look.
Grace had been rehearsing for months with the LOs Angeles drama Club which my friend Sophie..introduced us to . Sophie is a Green Activist and has recently had a book published ."Gorgeously Green" also there is "gorgeouslygreen.com" for useful lady green tips.Any way previous to the LADC Grace had been in the very hammy and veryy expensive YADA productions. "Youth Accademy of Dramatic Arts" Where children would perform well known musicals such as Annie , high school Mucical and Greace. The kids would "belt " out songs and have a great time but the finished productions were errrrm.
This production of Macbeth however was a breath of fresh air - tots as young as 5 were learning complex parts and speaking Shakespeares lines with conviction and understanding. It was very touching . Of Course Grace was incredible as MAcbeth and everyone was spellbound by her soulful dagger speech .It was 104 degrees here in LA yesterdy and the show went on.

2008-04-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

ANother very exhausting week as we juggle various stresses - an enormous tax bill - just what one does not need post strike, Grace rehearsing 2 plays at the same time, causing mass indignation with both drama tutors and mild hysteria building as my show approaches..Craig is doing the White house Correspondence show which is huge as he will be going before George w himself so P has been boning up on political jokes- the ratings for "the LATE Late show" have soared due to beating Conan Obrien ( main competitor) . We went to a gathering up at Zuma Beach in malibu last week and I was astonished to see that all the women had the same blond hair and had obviously been to the same surgeon as well . There were so many trout pouts and clearly alot of money had been spent unwisely. I was horrified. Maybe they dont notice as everyone else looks like a freak so everyone fits in. LA is divided up into Cities - Siverlake and Los Feliz -where it is mandatory to have at least 8 tatoos on your body. The great thing about here is the words "odd" and "eccentric" do not exist- it is a misfits paradise where no one bats an eyelid if you wear the wrong thing or say something contra versial . One of my first conversations I had with a Los Angelian when I arrived here was 'When did do first find Philip Hot?' I had no idea what they were talking about - also I had only just met this person- I was agogue. not to say cynical and scathing at the audacity of this .but today nothing shocks me and give me straight talk anytime.

Earth Day

2008-04-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

It was Earth day here in the US yesterday, and just to remind us of the enviromental crisis , temperatures soared into the 100s while in Britain I hear about snow storms. It was really uncomfortable as we sweltered with no AC and the children could not play outside until dusk. We went to a themed Childrens Birthday Party where the kids were encouraged to do enviromentally friendly things -reuse recycle etc plant a tree- although there is an awareness here there is not the urgency there is in Europe. Most of my neighbours have Hybrid cars but not one person uses a washing line (too trailer trash ) is suspect.Climate change is treated like a wierd religion - do you believe in it or not ??!! Another legacy from you know who.Rhyms with "tush"
Although I am increasingly aware of my carbon footprint I am pleased to say I have kept my long-haul flying to a minimum and I have finally booked my ticket back to London in late May in preparation for My Exhibition on the 4th June .I am rather nervous and scared about going back - how will it have changed -but also very excited.It has been over 2 years since I left and I realise I am no longer a British resident. Anyway enough self self self .. my capitalist problems were put into perspective when I read my sisters blog "Ganderlady" she is living in Kampala and has just had a baby. I was horrified to read in her blog that her neighbours 7 month year old died of Diorrhea the other day and that apparently common place , happens all the time -is preventable but no cash means no cure and the no1 killer in Africa.

Inappropriate

2008-04-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

I have recently taken alot of time to teach my 7 year old boy to read...yes they start a year later here but all catch up eventually. After many painful sessions of virtually handcuffing him in front of a book he is now fluent and reading childrens books about Pompeii. As he has become literate however he has also become computer savvy as well as learning to spell "ugly words". He takes huge delight in writing the F word and the S word and I find various pieces of paper littered around the house with profanities written on them in his child like scrawl. I turned a blind eye as i believed it was good for his phonic practice. Yesterday though as P and I looked at the history of the computer we noticed that someone had been going to www.F*ck.com and also sh*t.com...it did not take long to work out who this was.Grace told us that he had confessed and had come across a predictably unsavoury porno site with f*ck.com but sh*t .com was about grading ones poos! so now we are off to the apple store once again to get a a blocker for children.

2008-04-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

Easter Bunnies

2008-04-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

well easter is long gone now and due to lack of internet , TV and phone for a week ( it sent us all into a post modern techno trauma) i will summerise..Easter break , kids off school , take them skiing for a day at mountain High - one hours drive from LA -with pretty descent slopes.I went with my friend Ellen who is an OLympic trained skiier (although she failed to mention this to me ) any way i felt a little awkward as she sped daintily down the slopes as I tumbled .For Easter we went to friends in Bel Air ,they are French and have made their home into a replica of a south of France Holiday home with olive groves . orange and lemon trees etc.most of all i have been trying to finish off pics for my catalogue and having mild panic attacks about my show in June. I have taken to painting at night and it has helped me kick minor harmless addictions ie internet scrabble ( whod have thought?) The big news is that i am now an auntie of 6 ! My sister Sc gave birth in Kampala , U ganda , to baby Katherine who was delivered in a blackout - the only light available to see the deivery was the light off my brother-in -laws laptop which was pointed at my poor sisters nether regions and saved the day.!!!

Anniversary

2008-03-16T20:42:00.001-07:00

2008-03-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Anniversary

2008-03-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

On the 3rd March we celebrated being in the US for 2 years ( our only travel has been to Mexico during this time due to visa issues). Much has happened in that 2 years and it has gone so quickly. P and I got married on July 1st 2006- It was a classy affair - It happened in Vegas and the ceremony was conducted by ELVIS. There were other "themed" weddings available such as 007 James Bond wedding, A LOrd of the Rings Wedding , Fantam of the Opera and my personal fave -the Austin Powers wedding .P and I chose the "driving into the church in a pink cadillac convertible into a sea of dry ice " option-we wanted to give our guests the "wow" factor..all 30 of them.As you walked into the Elvis chapel there was a sign saying "Forgotten something?" "Rings $7 each"This was a real "class joint "
Philip had Craig as his best man but I was unaware that I needed a matron of honour (someone to hold my miniature bouquet) So I chose my fiend Marj as she walked into the chapel. The ceremony consisted of us dancing to a few Elvis numbers and mumbling a few lines -It felt rather post modern as our three children (all dressed in white) looked on. The whole thing lasted 15 minutes..It was filmed digitally and sent into cyber space so our friends in GB could watch live on the internet.When I threw the bouquet at the end, one guest, who was married I might add was so determinded to catch it that she ran into six lane highway and nearly got herself killed. Two days later the whole event was immortalised on American TV as it was the subject of Craigs monologue on the Show.

A Terrible Story

2008-03-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

Today Esther who is 3 started jabbering in spanish-I did not understand and asked her what she meant but she did not know how to translate- she is completely bilingual and will lapse into spanish when angry. Her and I talk "Spanglish" alot of the time and I have learnt to make myself understood since living here. There is an enormous Hispanic Subculture here in Los Angeles. Our beloved Aricelly - Esthers Nanny is from Guatamala and gathers regulaly with the other nannies and domestics at La Cienega Park where they all hang out. They are the hardest working people I have ever come across and they really earn their place in America. Every one knows the Californian economy would fall to pieces without the Latino population for cheap labour etc. They will go to any lenghts to get here , most common is SWIMMMING ! What they leave behind is a tough life in Central America.
Aricellies best friend Anna looks after Lilly who is Esthers best friend. Anna is about 42 years old she has 3 grand children and a son. Yesterda y a distraught Aricelly came in to say that Annas only son had been shot dead in El Salvador over money. He was 26 years old and had been ordered to give $15000 to the "delinguants". He could not deliver - they stabbed him and he went into Hospital ..they waited until he came out and shot him that day. Anna has been warned not to return to El Salvador for the funeral as she will be in danger. She is devastated. She could not tell her boss, she has little English , so I ended up telling the boss myself today and offering whatever help we could. I realised that we are only 3 hrs from where all this begins - life is cheap there and these people have known true hardship.

Esthers Birthday

2008-03-04T08:20:00.001-08:00

Faux Pas

2008-03-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

Today we were invited to return to a crime scene where I had committed a holly wood faux pas some 18 months ago. P , I and the children were invited to an actresses Birthday Party in studio city. her husband is a collegue and friend of Ps and they have children the same age as ours . the party was very down-to-earth by LA standards and no showy ostentation or needless glitze, and I (new to LA ) felt relaxed surrounded by other families. I ended up talking to a women who like me had several ginger kids and a ginger husband who was also a writer.Having bonded over our common ginger gene I asked her what she did for a living and if like her husband she wrote..the atmoshere instantly changed and became frosty and hope for my new found ginger commerade went out of the window, I went into the garden and confided in P that I was having difficulty making friends and smarting from the sudden scorn of said woman. He told me that the woman in question was an Oscar winning actress who had also been in a sitcom here for many years. I do not watch TV and i instantly forget actors but here it appears they are Gods and to be noted come what may!!!
The irony of the tale is that today we were invited for Brunch to the same couple who had also invited "Ginger couple". I told our hosts that I had offended the Oscar winner and that I may not be a welcome guest."offended-not in the least- they liked you and wanted to meet you again, thats why we asked you and them together!"

Esthers Birthday and a Faux pas

2008-03-01T07:51:00.000-08:00

Two Birthdays within four days and I need pschycic resussetation- i am burnt out through planning , present buying and dealing with "well he got...she got...situation" This week in Feb is a fertile breeding pit of resentment and hysteria..I decided to make Esters party a very low key event -5 or 6 children and good old fashioned Tea and Party games -pass the parcel , musical bumps.needless to say there was a beed eyed "MOm" watching over my son 7 who was beating all the babies at the party games-"Hes chEATING" SHE ACCUSED' so Gabriel was sent off and melodrama ensued.. when half past five arrived I breathed a sigh of releif- all had gone well without major incident but at 6 oclock 2 Moms decided to arrive fashionable late- half an hour after the party had offically ended.

Getting perspective

2008-02-28T12:50:00.000-08:00

One of the things i miss most about London is Great Western Studios where i had a workspace from 1994 til I moved here in 2006. It housed about 100 artists and one could move in and out of solitude if you wanted.I had many friends there and it was beautifully managed by the lovely Adam. Today i received a tragic email regarding one of my fellow comerades at said studios- a lovely woman called Natasha who made wonderful tin sculptures and had been at GWS the same amount of time as I . Natasha who was about 40 had suffered a massive stroke leaving her unable to move or communicate, like the nightmare scenario in Julian Schnabels "The diving bell and the butterfly". She had two children one of whom was about 10 and a regular child feature at the studios, she also had a partner Sid whom she met on GWS campus, a talented painter, they had been together for years. I cannot stop thinking about the devestation this terrible accident this must have caused the whole family and hope that they are being supported.One feels horribly powerless in a situation like this and we can only pray for a miracle.. These days.when i am moaning that my" Latte is not hot enough", or catastrophising about a" bad hairdo ", or kvetching that i am not wealthy enough ..i now think about Natasha and thank God for the only currency that really means something -Good health.

2008-02-24T13:19:00.000-08:00

Gabriel is 7

2008-02-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

It was Gabriels Birthday yesterday and the day before we hosted a party for 22 boistrous children , luckily contained at" my gym'where games and activities are provided and I just sit back and observe the chaos rather than try and manage it . Thank God it is someone elses job for 2 hrs -well worth every penny of the $350 spent. There was one problem I had not forseen and that is sometimes one has to entertain the parents who choose to stay behind and watch,most are really pleasant , some have become great friends but there is usually one , who cannot draw breath and insists on having an intense conversation about the drawbacks of the PTA and problems with the school- all this while I try to lay out the pop corn and crisps ..It is Ocsar day and La is in a flurry of females "optimisation" and award and party obsession - I relanted yesterday and had a manicure and eyelash tint.Grace preparing for a Bat mitvah had a pedicure and manicure-at 12 years old -what am I doing.This is my contribution to optimisation- I sometimes feel peer pressure and find my self browsing the plastic surgery , botox etc sites but I end up thinking about Carcasson in France - a beautiful city that has been over -restored, so many here look over-restored- So few get the work "just right" so you dont even know they have had it-Anyway never say never.

oscaritis

2008-02-22T18:26:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention Zandy, my brothers visit, He swept into California from London for the WEEKEND and was up and alive with no signs of jet lag. It was great to see him after 2 years and we blizted the various hot spots and beaches.
well its all about the oscars here -people do "oscar parties" here -gathering at a someones house or Mansion and sitting in front of their small cinema sized plasma screen and shouting at the TV. Last year we went to My friends Sar and Wal and there was a sweepstake on who would win what for a $100 - I got quite worked up and competitive - my inner compulsive gambler was awakened.Also all sorts fly in from London so it is a chance to see old friends..Last night we went to see our friend Sachas film at a screening at CAA- a marbled palatial agency with valet parking etc. The film Anvil (about a struggling heavy metal band) was moving , unusual and put a new spin on our ideas of success and the triumph of the human spirit and the tenacity of the rock artist- anyway it was truely great.I loved every minute and hopefully it will be out in the autumn. One of the band "lips" was there selling the bands CDs which had been in the boot of his car.

2008-02-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

Oh dear , I am not the greatest blogger..I have been so snowed under the last few weeks that the poor old blog has been neglected yet again ( I am talking as if I have a reader list of many who are waiting with baited breath ) To sum up ..writers srike is over Hurrah so its back to gruelling routines for all and heavy pressure on Philip. It seems that CBS have chosen to remove the six weekly dark weeks to make up for lost show (due to strike) we pay the price. This means no mini breaks .
The date for my show in June has been set so I have been in a frenzy of redoing paintings , organising catalogues and the shipping to London. I have not been back there for 2 years now -strange ..I have alot of anxiety about the whole thing but I am just doing the work one bit at a time and prepare my self for humiliation..One great thing about this is that I have to make a few small paintings so I have been going up into the canyons and on the beaches with my paints and doing them in situe or en plein air just to be pretentious.
It is an exciting time in America re the elections -the prospect of either Obama or Hilary winning is fantasic and a real hope for change . I get the feeling that most Americans are really fed up with the status quo and cant understand how it ever got this way.

new year

2008-01-18T07:31:00.000-08:00

Its an utter disgrace, the amount of time I have neglected the old blog- I have excuses mind you-rotating illness, children on school holidays and us settling back to a gruelling work routine. P is back to high pressure- last weekend we went away just the 2 of us to the desert for I night - It felt very indulgent but it is so easy to forget the other person when swamped by small ginger individuals always needing this or that, So much so that I am at a loss as to what to say other than"pass the wipes" or could you make sure they have done their teeth. So I had to rediscover the art of conversation to ones spouse.
I have finally managed to loose myself in work resisting the pull of Facebook (apart from Scrabulous) It is a great feeling and I realise I have done full circle. I am painting my friend Oscar , who sat for me 14 years ago .
The good news is the Directors have made a deal and there fore are going back to the negotiating table with the writers. we pray for a deal.

Back at work

2008-01-04T16:42:00.000-08:00

So we welcomed 2008 with the fantastic news that bathrobe can be hung up and beard can be shaved- Philip is going back to work - hurrah. We are in the very fortunate position of being the employees of David Letterman who has made a serperate deal with the WGA and owns his own slot on CBS so he can do as he pleases. There are only 30 WGA writers allowed to work in the US and P is one of them. We have huge amounts of gratitude as more loans were about to be taken out., but also a fair amount of survivors guilt. I feel so badly for the thousands of writers still striking for what is fair and just, as I know what living with uncertainty in a money obsessed society is like. The show has had alot of press and Craig devoted the whole 1 hour show to stand-up rather than have guests on..Never have I been so gad to be reunited with Philips sketch sub personalities- SiR Cecil Wesley Hogg , the Edge , Camilla Parker Bowles, My personal fave -the french film maker Jean Luc Batard, Herr Pees and the photographer Mario Biscotti- we love you all .

My favorite house

2007-12-24T10:15:00.001-08:00

Here is my favorite house in Hancock Park- the xmas decor this year does not disappoint. Note the real snow obviously imported for a winter wonderland party( just outside the gates)

xmas

2007-12-21T17:14:00.000-08:00

Well there is no getting away from the orgy of yuletide excess here- more tableaux and sets out side houses- this time with reindeer , Santas , lights covering every available inch of space on the house. Luckily we are the only non Jewish people in our street so we have been spared the campery. I have become used to a certain level of what would be considered "vulgar" in England. People seem to divulge the most intimate details of their lives here within minutes of meeting them and yet are strangely distant at the same time.
Baby Esther was invited to a private Santa party the other day ...( santa was giving an audience to a select few toddlers at one of our friends houses) for those of us who did not want to queue at the local dept store.I was very excited by the prospect but poor Esther came down with a bug so it was stay at home.
As Philip and I drove along Mulholland drive on our way to an xmas bash , oohing and arhhing at all the lit up houses we thought of how much sentimentality there is here. And yet the studio exec who does up his house with flashing reindeer might well have sacked his entire writing staff that day as the numbers were down .Sentimentality and Brutality are never that far away from each other.

2007-12-13T17:04:00.000-08:00

The daily battle against Strike hysteria is on .. I spoke to my friend M. last night who told me 2 of her films had been grounded due to the strike- so it filters down into the general Californian economy..I am diverted by internet Scrabble courtesy of the highly addictive facebook - timewaster extraordinaire -it is an excellent divertion in times of anxiety . I never play scrabble -with a board but I have to confess I am having trouble drawing myself away from the pull of "Scrabulous", My dear friend Liza is the person responsible for my addiction- I shall call her the pusher .. she is so good at board games she was looking for new souls to anaihilate , so when she came here she found some transatlantic opponents.Whats more I am really bad at "words" and fail to get more than 4 letter ones - however what is great about this is you can make up words and maybe they exist-also play around . I have scored very high points by just winging it - who knew "Jotta" was a word as well as "Snell" and quoi ...I also now play with people I have never met.

sensored

2007-12-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

It seems that my last post was a bit of a disaster area- I spoke too much about my children and also got the name of the gallery wrong..so I have deleted it. I am still getting to grips with blog etiquette-I have been told to be careful by fellow bloggers as to not mentioning names or too much personal stuff which almost leaves me talking about the weather.I am still conflicted about what to share and what not.I try to keep in to me . I have been the victim of a poison blog attack by someone I think I had only ever spoken to once , luckily I never read the verbal attack even though one so -called friend was eager to tell me its abusive contents.So it is Christmas in sunny California and lights and general campery are on display. I miss the cold and dark of xmas in england and the less aggressive festivities. I have told the children that due to the strike , pressies will not be massive, infact they may not be even medium and to keep expectations low. I also have to curb my own affluenza. I have acquired a lifestyle habit that is difficult to kick , I do not buy clothes , I do not go to snazzy restaurants but I do ride horses and even though it only amounts to a paltry 25 pounds a shot , it is a diffucult one to break. I find it theraputic and I am contantly looking for signs from the LORD Above that I am meant to continue- but alas no signs.
The Gallery where my paintings are currently hanging is the Galerie Mourlot on Robertson and Rosewood www.galeriemourlot.com- run by the lovely Megan .Its a beautiful space .. I hope I have got it right this time

The return of BAthrobe Man

2007-12-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I bumped in to my neighbour Laura who asked how we were and how the strike was going. She sympathised saying "So you have Bathrobe Man in the house. " She explained that she had had many phases of "Bathrobe Man " herself but luckily her husband was "Suit Man " at this particular moment in time.All hopes of an agreement went before xmas were smashed on thursday when it sounds like a revamped miserly offer was made to the writers. So we are back to phoning schools and explaining why we cannot pay the fees in full, organising loans and tryng to be in the moment rather than resort to panic and hysteria.
Here are some of the good things that have come from the strike.. we have both taken a keen interest in our parenting techniques and spent more time with the children. A book called "Between Parent and Child" by Dr Haim G Ginott has changed the way we relate to our children for the better. It is a beautiful book by a man who died tragically young. It has made me squirm in parts as I have been doing just what the book tells me not to do .
Another good thing is that I am forced to put myself "out there" in terms of my painting. In England it was such a huge part of my identity but it has been lost here as I have no connections to the art world .I have to become "go get " and "take Charge" -very alien to my nature.
All our woes were put in perspectiive last wednesday . I went to do a talk at a womans group and just as I was about to speak a woman started having a fit and was apparently overdosing on meth amphetamine.It was truely tragic as this poor woman could have been any of us having made the 1 wrong decision. It showed me where the disease of addiction takes people. We all thought she was dying but luckily the paramedics arrived in 2 minute (God bless America ).

they wanted me to do a rewrite but I said NO NO NO

2007-11-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

So Philip and I were out at the mass demonstration with our comrades on Hollywood Boulevard demonstrating last tuesday. There was a good turnout -about 4 thousand people and the atmosphere was cheery. We were all being art directed and choreographed for the worlds press that had gathered so that an visual impact could be made.We just missed Alicia Keys singing but were in time for the bongo players and chanting of an Amy Winehouse version of "they wanted me to do a rewrite but I said NO NO NO'. This made me laugh for a full 5 minutes- worth every plod I took. There was every description of man woman child and beast on the march and a selection of fine camera equiptment was on display. I was rather miffed not to have a groovy red comrade teashirt and banner to wave. I shall make a point of acquiring one next week when I accompany Philip on his circular picket plod.Hollywood being the small town it is we bumped into several other writers . After listening to 10 minutes of rantings against the "mAN" we left but had forgotten where we parked the car so I march turned into a marathon hike around hollywood.
One thing I find odd is that many people say "but is it wise to go on strike" -AS if there was a choice in the matter. They dont seem to realise that 93 per cent of the Writers Guild voted for this strike-Hollywood is a union town and sometimes what is best for the whole "sucks" for the individual. The writers had to fight for their priviliges 20 years ago so that we could benefit and now we are the ones fighting.

Lizas Visit

2007-11-18T08:45:00.000-08:00

We have been settling into "strike Mode" the last few weeks . Philip took Gabriel to the CBS picket line where he got cooed over. The panic and fear have lifted a bit and luckily I have had the distraction of my friend Liza visiting who is one of those I have really missed from London.She was here to launch her book which has the American title "A charmed Life". In England it was called "Title Deeds" which was too dark for here and the Pun was wasted. Poor Liza arrived mid strike drama and every where we went people were talking about it.
It is always interesting to get a newcomers take on LA as I am now used to it and have ceased to notice the monster trucks and the enormous amount of waste here that initially appalled me. She was interested in the amount of "work" a great deal of the women have had done here and it has often baffled me that rather than make them look younger they just look like they have had "work" . I can understand that it is a pressure when everyone around you is doing it.
LIza remodelled and resurrected my garden after I had murdered it , she hung my pictures on the wall ..and generally left a trail of order and beauty.
One of the things that has scared me most about the strike is the prospect of going back to England . I realise I have been seduced by the life style here , the weather , the friendliness and I have become soft and not so cynical.

Writers strike

2007-11-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

If Philip and I could have looked into a crystal ball we would have not gone on that holiday to ojai valley Inn or put our daughter into an absurdly expensive school. The writers strike is upon us and we have no savings , enough to live on for about 3 months and both of us waking up at 6 am in abject terror. There is no safty net here , no dole , no social security, no tax credits , but we are taking each day as it comes. I am taking a stand against my "maniana" attitude and making calls to various galleries and people in position to help but so far I am coming up against walls. worse still are the people who say " I am interested in a commission " and I say ok -heres what it will cost ( a fraction of what it would cost in the UK) and then I never hear from them ..Also I dont want to appear too desperate - such a turn-off if you are trying to sell something.I am considering painting pets even...
meanwhile Philip has sore legs from 4 hours of picketting per day..most people are showing great solidarity for the writers and I truely believe thay are doing the right thing in fighting for more of the share in DVDs and digital technology. Most people think that the writers make too much money but his is not true . Most are like us - middle class people with children to support .

Halloween and Writers Strike

2007-11-05T09:11:00.000-08:00

It seems the biggest event in the year here in CA is Halloween , people prepare months in advance, creating vast tableaus outside and making stagesets out of ther front yards.Life size ghouls and fantams are erected on pully strings , lights are hung ,fake cobwebs are hung on trees and costumes are planned to meticulous degree. There was clearly a case of "keeping up with the Jones " in our street as the family that usually reign supreme re Halloween campery were out done this year by the Scotts who live opposite them. For the last month each time I drove past these two residencies , each had added a new scary gimmick or sound effect. By the time halloween came along the scotts had turned their garden into a graveyard , along with mist and sound effects , moving creepy figures and dismembered body parts. Children were scared to go trick-or -treating there.
My children had permanant outfit crisis for about a week and we had numerous trips to "arghhs" the costume shop and rite aid to add new bits to their costume so as not to feel "Less Than " on the big day. The big day ended up being a non stop sugar highs and a "Super market Sweep " along several streets- the general attitude being fill your pockets with as much as youcan as quick as you can. You can imagine the next day the level of crankiness was high . I was just releived it was over.
Now we have the writers strike to deal with . Philip has down ed tools and is off to the CBS picket line . we dont know where the next penny is coming from, hey ho, more will be revealed. I may have to start painting peoples pooches.

Brush fires

2007-10-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

With very high temperatures and strong warm winds -the Santa Anas , brush fires have been ravaging Southern Calfornia. We who live in west Hollywood have been lucky to escape the damage but malibu -only 20 minutes away has been hit badly-my friend Sara phoned to say the house next to her on the beach had been burnt to the ground and that she was not sure the portrait I had just done of her had survived the fire.Philip and i naively decided to go for a walk in Santa monica and Venice beach on monday believing the worst of the fires were over . the place was eerily empty and quiet with a huge yellow grey cloud blocking out the sun.we walked about 3 miles in this stiffling heat..Phil and I were blissfully unaware of the healthwarnings about the air quality the blanket effect the fires would have on the enviroment. I felt decidedly worse for ware after the walk -short of breath . we got home to find the fires had spread to Orange county and San Diego and that people were being evacuated.When I got up the next day I found a thin layer of ash on our car. never without a drama.

writers strike

2007-10-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

So this week we have been anticipating a writers strike here in Hollywood- its all the talk.. the producers are not paying the writers enough for things that are being downloaded. They threatened to do away with residuals and are being very hardfaced about the whole business. The last time there was a writers strike was in 1989-it lasted 22 weeks and many lost their homes . so it is bad news for us . Initially there is a ballot amongst the writers to see who wants to strike - Ironically most writers here are wating tables as only 10 % actually earn a living from it- so therefore 90% of the voters will not suffer the consequences of striking.Even though it will be uncomfortable for us we believe it is the right thing to do. Anyway the onus is on me to try and make some dosh which is quite hard work. I have to be very thick skinned as people seem gripped by enthusiasm and then we never hear another word. It is important to take out "flake Insurance " here as people with the best will in the world can often not follow through. So I keep trying and develope spiritual resilience.

Nit so Nice

2007-10-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

wow , this must be a record amount of neglect for the old blog .. no I am not dead . We have had a series of mini dramas to deal with over the last few week and I just have not had that spare 20 minutes or so to devote to writing the blog--although my attentions have sometimes strayed to the highly addictive "facebook" which i joined by accident and now cannot leave alone. I name Mad who invited me to join in the first place as the pusher of an a class drug. Anyway must get my mind off the dreaded FB . Illness has been with us , a terible cough /fever bug kept the baby esther up every night , after 8 nights I was seeing double and having minor hallucinations. To top it all off I noticed a giant lice crawing across graces forehead alerting me to the grim reality that Nits were in town.I deloused the whole family with the strong pesticide found at the pharmacy. the nits did not respond, then I was told about hair Fairies - a hair salon devoted to the eradiction of nits. For a mere $75 you can have a consoltation and diagnosis, after that you pay to have your nite removed by the hour and if the nits are severe it may take 4 sessions. My friend Shelly spent $1400 dollars there in one week . I was content to buy their products and delouse myself.

Sara's portrait

2007-09-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

Sara's portrait

2007-09-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished the portrait of my old friend Sara Sugarman. She has a truely wonderful face and I painted her 23 years ago when we were both virtual teenagers, partygoers and hangers out at the Chelsea Arts club. I got the painting into the National Portrait competion. Imagine my great fortune when I discovered she was living here in Los Angeles... Its great to have someone here with whom has a history. She is a very talented writer /director / play write and my son Gabriel wants to marry her.we decided to repeat history .
We like to compare notes on American culture. We both bore witness yesterday to an extraordinary thing- which was several republican Malibu inhabitants banging the drum in favour of global warming to to say how America was right not to sign the Kyoto agreement. Matthew , a fellow welshman and I kept mentioning our washing lines but were drowned out by one man saying that some people were lucky enought to be able to live in places that were "too cold for habitation" due to the gift of glabal warming . not to mention we could now take advantage of the huge oil reserves in antartica..well i never .. it takes all sorts

The Green issue

2007-09-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

Having written about trivial issues for the last little while , house frau complaints and whinges about uncouth children I am now gearing up my committment to all things "green".While we remain one of the last people to have a Hybrid vehicle in our street , we are the first and only in the street to use a washing line.I am AMAZED that in this climate where washing dries within the hour Americans still put their washing in the drier!!! can you imagine how much energy is lost and while the californians make a big noise about driving Hybrids- putting washing on the line is clearly sniffed at and just a step too far in airing ones dirty laundry. One of the biggest differences between Europeans and the US is that we love a washing line , even drisley old England with its 15 hours of sunshine a year people still optimistically hang out their washing . Whats more spin driers not only wreck the enviroment but they also wreck and shrink your clothes. To be fair Californians are clearly getting a grip of some things .. There is an enormous march organised in Beverly Hills against bottled water - how we are not only getting ripped off but the land fills that are overflowing with with excess plastic. So I expect to see the well heeled taking to the streets in protest.
So this week I have bought biodegradable washing liquid and various green accessories. The great excitement of the week is that Philip has discovered radio 4 online , so I have listened to Womens hour, the news , Jonathon Ross and Chris Evans... it makes the UK feel very far away ,and rather odd. I did not find Jonathon ross funny as I once did-am I becoming soft?!!!!

My screen debut

2007-09-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

After the longest school holidays known to man-Gabriels lasted 10 weeks-its back into a gruelling routine of three differnt children at 3 different schools all of whom have o be there at 8am-so i have been in stratergy mode , trying to organise school runs and making a nuisance of myself to parents at Graces new school. I thought i had hit the jack pot with the car pool as one of Graces schoolmates lives litterally round the corner. I made an eager phone call and counted my many chickens before they were hatched. The Father phoned me back in raptures about saving the planet and what a good idea it was as their kid was an only child.. etc etc.. My prayers had been answered all was sorted but then at 8am the next morning the Mother called only to say that it would not work..for some reason I have taken this news very badly and I know these people who I have never met are perfectly within their rights to "Pass" on the car pool but I am certain that I am missplacing my new girl anxiety onto other areas-is that analytical enough for you?? I am trying to resist bitter and cynical retribution but I am afraid it is I who is back in the playground and not my 12 year old child.
On a lighter note , Philip and i were priviliged to be asked to an early screening of our freind Bernard Roses new film in which I have a cameo appearance and Philip has a small talking part. It was clever and dark and and ripped along- Danny Houston the lead was very compelling. It was screeened in the location where it was shot , in the beautiful Beverly hills hacienda.Lets hope it reaches the big screen!!

Cancun

2007-09-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

We managed to sandwich our holidays inbetween hurricanes Dean and Felix in central mexico.Yet again we chose the very parent friendly Club Med which to our great suprise was very 5 star in Cancun.6 million had been spent on renovations . While my sportaholism let loose ( I was playing tennis, water skiing and doing water aerobics all within a 3 hour period) Philip prefered the spa. The water skiing consisted of being towed along in a crocodile infested lagoon -I JOKE NOT!!- I spotted at least 3 -which luckily for me put alot of people off and therefore no queues- Apparently the crocs are so afraid of the speed boats no one has been eaten for 20 years.The only downer was being pulled in by customs at 2 am in the morning on the way back due to my strange visa , they took me into a room full of uniformed people which made Gabriel very concerned "Are you in Jail , Mum" he asked

The brown calling card left in a drawer

2007-08-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

Another week of fun and frollicks. there was no camp for the children this week so I was the master of entertainments.Luckily our freinds Pete and Lila were visiting from England with their brood 4 CHILDREN-can you imagine!??..the thought of it gives me palpitations and sweats .So it was down to Santa Monica for surfing..errr boogie boarding-Our latest outdoor craze. The next morning I thought I smelt something odd in my six year old sons room..Odd-nastie-odd sewage...I started to search for the source of the smelly smell...under beds , in beds ,eventually I looked through his bedside drawers and voila! He had wraped a piece of his very own poo in some loo paper(considerate for those who would have to pick it up) and placed it in his drawer along with half a rotten lemon..this was the beginnng of my day.start as you mean to go on.Off to mexico tomorrow to bask in the debris of hurricane Dean..what fun