My Trip to Monterey - by Rose

We went to Monterey at the weekend.  I loved the dolphins and I loved the sea otters.  The dolphins were out in the sea.  They were doing diving and splashing.  We went on a bike ride in a special big bike for all five of us.  We saw the dolphins from the aquarium and from the bike ride.

Here is a picture of my brother with a huge sea horse:

and here is a picture of me looking at a real sea horse:

Love Rose.

Dave's found a great bar

Although Dave's bar on 3rd Street ought to have been a hit it was just "OK".  Last night however we headed out to Bourbon and Branch which is on the site of an original speakeasy from the days of the prohibition.  The entrance is just a door with a buzzer (makes Soho House look like a regular pub entrance).  You press the buzzer and the door opens a crack and you're asked for the password.  Assuming you pass this test and have ID (I failed that one but passed the "tie-breaker" question to gain entry), you are escorted through a few dark rooms and, in our case, to the library at the back of the building.  It's floor to ceiling books as you'd expect with a bar at one end.  The barman was an absolute pro, an artist in fact.  They do about half a dozen "house" cocktails but he said he could make anything you liked but he was out of egg whites (no big loss in my opinion).  So I tried a couple of the house cocktails which were nice enough but then I caved and got down to the serious business of the Highland Park 18 (sorry Keith!) and a wonderful Ardbeg Uigeadail.  The barman seemed to like the way I was motoring my way through the tab and we got chatting about bourbon versus whiskey.  We discussed the whiskeys I enjoy and he proceeded to line up half a dozen glasses on the bar and started collecting various bottles from the massive array behind him.  Well, one thing lead to another and I now know that:

1. Right now, I prefer whiskey to bourbon.

2. I need to practice a little more to move beyond the vanilla and butterscotch.

3. If I practice too much, they all taste nice and it's hard to be really objective.

4. My current favourite is Black Hill Maple although the Buffalo Trace was also good.

5. You don't want to head South or West when you exit the bar.

So maybe not as cultured or as interesting as Jo and Owen's entries but you can't go far wrong with a tip for a good bar.

Only in America!!

Rose, Isla and I were out for a walk the other day while Owen was at school. We wanted to find out what shops were around our neighborhood and how steep the hills were and we came across this.....

We laughed and laughed. Only on Russian Hill would you find such a classy poodle parlour.

Rose wanted to see what was inside and why poodles had to have their 'nails done'.  I didn't feel like I could take photos of the interior but if you check out the website www.russianhilldoggrooming.com it will give you an insight into what we saw. When we looked in the window there were a stack of business cards so I had to have one for the scrap book.

I just wanted to share one or two of the things that make America, particularly California so special and why I love Southwold and my friends who keep me sane.

Love Jo x

My new school

Dear Followers!

I started my new school on Wednesday. It is a montessori school and very different from St Felix.

We start school at 8.40am and finish at 2.40pm. My teacher is called Miss Honna and her helper is called Don. First we put our lunch bags away and hang coats up then we we have a class meeting. This is were we do sharing of things that we have brought in from home like toys or books. After this we go to our desk and the teacher sets stuff up for us. Its not like work sheets its more like games. Today, for example, we played a subtraction game where you have skittles and beads for 1000's, 100's ,10's and units. They are different colours. The 1000's are green, the 100's are red, the 10's are blue and the units are also green but in a different coloured box. There are 4 teams all with beads and then you take it in turns to 'go'. It was so fun.
We had a St Patrick's Day party today where we all brought in green food. I took in grapes. Others bought in green beans, celery, seaweed and green pepper cut in shamrock shapes. Lots of people wore green to school including the parents and teachers. We got given a hat to take home.

We haven't got a playground yet so we go to the park or the butterfly house. The butterfly house has loads of toys and no butterflys.

We are going on a field trip tomorrow to see a man perform with his made up instruments.

See you soon
from Owen

On the Move again

We left the lovely Hilton on Saturday morning after a heavenly breakfast of everything you can imagine. Isla started with CAKE followed by strawberries and pineapple, grapes and yogurt, cereal and a fruit shot!! You can only imagine what Owen managed to put away. We'd been there nearly two weeks and were becoming part of the furniture. It is mainly used for conferences so when there are three children running around we seemed to make quite an impression. So much so that our breakfast waitress Robyn bought them each a leaving present and a packed lunch to take away.

So this is us ready to leave.
Isla and I waited with the luggage and Dave went to get the hire car with the other two. He successfully negotiated the downtown streets of San Francisco and picked us up. With all aboard and the guitar strapped to the roof we drove away to our new home in Pacific Heights.
The apartment is beautiful. First floor of a lovely looking victorian property directly opposite Alta Plaza Park in Pacific Heights. Its fully furnished so we were able to just move straight in. Oh, apart from a bed for Owen. Dave and Owen braved the Bay Bridge in the afternoon on a mammoth trip to Ikea of all places!

Owen is completely settled surrounded by Lego and girls are pretty in pink, if you can spot them in such a huge bed!

And the girls are pretty in pink, if you can spot them in such a huge bed!! Bonus points for upsidaisy.

And now we start the rest of our journey. Can't wait to share some more.

Love Jo x

Cable Cars

Cable cars are an iconic symbol of San Francisco. We have already had quite a few journeys up and down the hills of Powell Street and Hyde.

It cost $5 for a single journey but it's much cheaper, as with most things, to get a weekly travel card.






At the bottom of Powell and over by Fisherman's Wharf the cable cars queue up waiting to turn around and head back up the hill. The driver and the ticket collector push the cable car by hand onto the round about, turn it around and the push it off onto the reverse line.



We will be visiting the cable car museum in the next few days so that we have a clearer understanding of how it all works under the road.

Owen has taken some fabulous photos and video from the back of the cable car.

Not for me thanks

I bought icecreams today from Ghirardelli's. The most famous chocolate makers in the Bay. Strawberry for Isla, mint choc chip for Owen and chocolate for Rose. They were huge! "Am I in heaven?" says Rose as she takes a big lick and smears it all over her face.

We sat and ate them looking out over Aquatic Park at the Golden Gate Bridge covered in a light mist. In the enclosed harbour (a balmy 53 degrees) there is a scattering of orange swimming hats. Men from the Dolphin swimming club out for their daily exercise.