Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Thirty Two

'He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster... when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you.'
(Nietzsche) 

On Monday I put a new poem up on Instagram - read it here - and took Aum to Old Trafford for his (and my) first ever cricket match - England versus South Africa. I didn't have a clue what was going on, but it was something different to do, and Aum seemed happy to be there so I was content reading my book in the sun! 

On Tuesday I had date four (furthest I've got since being single again oo er!) with S; we went into Hale so I could show him one of my stomping grounds. We had a couple of drinks in Victor's which he really rated, and then one more in Piccolino, which was disappointingly quiet, it felt like we were being ushered out! It was the last time I could see him before coming away to America, so was glad I got to spend some more time with him before disappearing for nine days, I feel quite confident that we'll continue talking/messaging until I get back.

My track for this week is by a young girl band from Norwich that I hadn't heard of before, but I was sent it for Candid and I liked how badass they were, and the song reminded me of something Paramore would come out with so I thought I'd give it some airtime. Also love the homage to Miss Havisham in the video.



Wednesday and Thursday were pretty dull days spent prepping for California - I had my hair cut (free cake at the hairdresser's!) and Mum dyed it afterwards, I took the dog to the parent's, packed my suitcase - and I got a taxi to the airport at 10am on Friday ready for the absolutely mammoth journey to Pelican Hill, the resort I am staying in with Aum and his parents in Newport Beach.

We arrived late that evening (this place is amazing but more on that later..) though the eight hour time lag meant it seemed like super early morning to us. Yesterday morning we had the most INCREDIBLE buffet breakfast at the resort, fruit and yoghurt parfait, freshly made pancakes, waffles and french toast, cheese blinzes, muffins and pastries, meat, cheese, four types of sausage, I was in heaven! I have literally never stayed anywhere like this before, our 'apartment' has a posh coffee machine, sea views, marble floors, a huge open fireplace, a balcony with iron sun loungers and enough miniatures in the bathroom to start a shop, which have of course worked their way into my toiletry bag to take home... 

We spent the day by the pool sunbathing and relaxing, and in the evening we went to Fashion Island, a gorgeous outdoor shopping centre with fountains and cute little striped awnings over the shops. We ate at Cheesecake Factory there, where we all shared crabcakes to start and then I chose jambalaya pasta for main course which was delicious, if big enough for three people!

Today after another morning by the pool we headed to nearby Laguna Beach for a wander around. It had some lovely little boutiques, including a French macaroon shop where we sampled flavours such as white chocolate and basil, matcha green tea and Earl Grey, and an awesome second hand designer clothes shop that I could have spent a fortune in! I resisted though and instead opted for a quirky straw handbag as I have wanted a new beach bag for a while. 

We ate that evening at a Mexican seafood restaurant on the beachfront called Las Brisas that had been recommended. I had their signature cocktail, an orange margarita, and after calamari to start I then went for sauteed prawns with mushrooms, asparagus and rice. The view of the sunset was absolutely perfect, with the backdrop of the cliffs, and palm trees hanging over the sand in the foreground, it has definitely been one of those evenings that will stick in my mind for a long time. 

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Twenty Eight
'Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality'
(Lewis Carroll)

Week two started with the latest addition to my tattoo collection - a little key that is an amalgamation of the ones inside Anberlin's Lost Songs album cover. Jasmine and I have always loved the band since I took her to watch them as her first ever gig back in 2007, and we saw them again in 2012, and also their final tour before they broke up in 2014 (still not over it!). I would never get an obvious band tattoo, but this has meaning to us both whilst still looking unrelated. I had it done at High Seas Tattoo Parlour on Melrose by a sound young guy called Joey, who works with a single needle for really dainty designs. 

That evening Aum and I went to a Persian restaurant called Flame for tea, that is around the corner from our house. We shared some houmous and pitta bread, and then he had lamb kebab whilst I opted for a layered chicken and saffron rice dish with barberries in called Zereshk. The service was great and the food amazing, and there was plenty leftover for lunch the next day. 

I heard my track for this week in a taxi and asked the driver what he was playing - to which he told me this. It took me back to my emo days,  so thought I'd throw it into today's post as a bit of a curveball.

On Tuesday I took a trip to Beverly Hills to do some shopping. It is all very lavish so I didn't quite have the budget for any spending, but it was fun wandering around Rodeo Drive people watching, and I stopped for lunch outside in the sun at the original Cheesecake Factory. I had mushrooms in a cheesy pesto sauce followed by a slice of their chocolate turtle cheesecake: a brownie base with hazelnut and praline mousse and topped with a swirl of ganache (the 'turtle'), a huge slab so it lasted me two sittings!

On Wednesday I went back to Santa Monica to Bloomingdale's where I got a lovely '50s style halter dress and a dusky rose lace skirt for $20 each, and that evening we went to The Grove, an outdoor shopping area with a stage for live music, a farmer's market selling food from all over the world (I had a Turkish pizza), and a number of quirky shops. I couldn't resist getting Ferryn some funky doggy treats from The Dog Bakery, they were shaped like cream cakes but made with animal friendly ingredients like cream cheese, peanut butter and mashed carrots!

On Thursday we went for breakfast at Mary & Robb's Westwood Cafe, a five minute walk away from our house, and then during the day I headed to the Abbot Kinney area of Venice to check it out. It is super trendy around there (and very Instagrammable); loads of incredible bright coloured graffiti, hipster bars, bohemian clothes boutiques, and a short walk from the canal system, which feels very European. I managed to snap my sandals so had to walk around on the boiling concrete barefoot looking like an idiot for about half an hour, but I eventually made it to the boardwalk where I got hold of some flip flops, albeit two sizes too small. I bought a pretzel for lunch and sauntered along the ocean's edge until school pickup.

That evening we ventured a bit further afield to the Pacific Palisades to a seafood restaurant called Gladstone's which was definitely worth the extra distance. We all shared the macadamia shrimp and then I had a lobster roll for main, washed down with some much deserved prosecco after my shoe ordeal. The waiter (who looked and sounded just like Samuel L. Jackson!) wrapped the boys' leftovers up in gold foil to look like giant animals which was a friendly gesture that they were thrilled with.

Yesterday we all had a much needed lie in, and then went to Venice beach for a couple of hours. Jen and I sat chatting in the sun whilst the boys expelled some energy playing in the sea, and then after having a mosey along the boardwalk we went to 26 Beach for lunch, which was hands down one of the best meals I have ever had. For main I ordered the Crab Royale - a scramble of eggs, snowcrab, bacon, spring onions, avocado and cheese served 'Hawaiian style' on top of brown rice, and then Aum and I shared the S'mores french toast, stuffed with Nutella and marshmallow fluff coated with biscuits and topped with cream, strawberries and chocolate sauce. Out of this world!!

That evening just Aum and I headed up into the hills to check out the Hollywood sign and take some photos. The view of the city from there is beautiful, and it was all the more impressive as we were there for the sunset. A lack of wifi meant it was a struggle getting home, I eventually had to steal someone else's Uber, but we made it in the end!

Today has been another busy one, cramming in as many sights as possible with it being the last full day the boys have. We started in Beverly Hills at Walter's Cafe for breakfast, and then caught a cab to Downtown LA to The Last Bookstore. Anyone who knows me will confirm that I am an absolute sucker for books and libraries, and TLB is California's biggest new and used book and record store, so basically heaven for me. It has a vault full of first editions, sofas dotted everywhere, a huge poetry section and cute little independent art and knick knack shops on a gallery upstairs, totally worth a gander if ever in the area.

After dragging the boys around we then took them for a treat at The Ice Cream Lab, a 'molecular creamery' which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the cream and flavour ingredients to order, apparently making it the freshest and best tasting ice cream around! I had 'Salt Lick Crunch' - pretzels, caramel and sea salt - and the boys had 'Blue Velvet' literally a blue velvet cupcake including cream cheese frosting, both of which had vanilla ice cream as their base. 

We then caught a cab to the Griffith Observatory, a science institute with the best views of LA as it is high up in the hills, and the boys got to watch a Tesla demonstration and do some interactive experiments. We went home after a tiring day, and ordered $160 of sushi and gorged ourselves for tea!!