Call me a yuppy, but there’s something I love about Farmers’ Markets. In a world of pre-packaged convenience foods, that have been boiled, peeled, chopped, preserved, or made just plain FAST, I find myself drawn to Farmer’s Markets and the people who sell at them. Where else might I spot something that I can only [...]
What’s in an accent? Years ago when I was on the London Underground, there was an Irish drunk sitting opposite me. He was a merry drunk, but I didn’t want to engage him in conversation because he kept asking people around him some rather personal questions, and in those days I wasn’t very good at [...]
Last summer, I was invited to dinner at my friend’s parents’ house atop a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As if that weren’t enough of a treat, I was served the sweetest corn on the cob I had ever had the pleasure of gnawing on, the ear’s yellow teeth yielding to my bite with a [...]
Driving back from Del Mar beach this weekend, with a thoroughly worn out dog whose damp fur clumped in little spikes bound together with sand and sea salt, I saw a magical sight: three hot air balloons hovering in the sky up ahead. Two hung low in the sky, grazing the horizon, but the middle [...]
What a lovely week I’m having! I’ve been exploring quite a few things… …like Pilates. I’ve discovered a form of exercise that tricks me into exercising! Score! In so doing, I’ve also discovered muscles I didn’t know existed. And I finally understand why sporty people bang on about the endorphin high. I have a fabulous [...]
Near where I live, there is a tree I drive by often and have become quite fond of. In the summer, it was shaped like a child’s drawing of a tree. With autumn’s sharp drop in temperature comes an explosion of leafy colour: one side of the tree is a fiery apple red; the [...]
One of the best things about living in California is access to the beach. Specifically, the kind where you can let your dog run around off-leash. It’s doggie heaven for Banjo, and blissful for us. I can’t think of a better reason to voluntarily wade up to my thighs in jeans other than to teach [...]
It was a bright, autumnal afternoon, and Mr. Fizgig had a surprise up his sleeve: “Let’s go out”, he said. “And bring your camera…” he added, cryptically. Half an hour later, we arrived at Queen Califia’s Magical Circle, and I was spellbound! It was like Gaudí and Tim Burton decided to collaborate on a beautiful [...]
I’m a Brit. In California. When it comes to NOT talking about the weather, I don’t stand a chance! When asked how I’m doing, I can’t help but mention the lovely sunshine here. Sunshine makes everything better. When I look at myself in the mirror, I can’t help but be pleased by my suntan – [...]
It was one of those moments when I joked to myself, Oh, GAWD, what’ve I done?! Standing over the printer watching my impending itinerary to Vermont appear with each tuv-tuv-tuv, I suddenly heard a loud and muffled WUMP! and all the lights were out. Actually, what I noticed was that the computer screen was dark. [...]
