Drove to Santa Monica today down Santa Monica Boulevard and onwards to Malibu.  Not totally sure why, but the sun was hot and the sea was blue. Either seemed  like as good a reason as any.  Walked the boardwalk and ate shrimp.  Saw the slightly empty beaches of Malibu and got to watch how  Americans do R and R.  Americans work hard and so they know how to kick back.  Skate boarders jumped over things and the new craze to climb things and jump randomly off things has definitely taken hold. Skaters skated, bikers biked, power walkers power walked, weight lifters lifted.   

Food chains are all over the place. Not the ones we know in UK but others;  In and Out, Carls, Jack In The Box Taco Bell. These companies with their bright brash logos are tattooed on the long arms of freeways and boulevards throughout the state.  The quality of what in England we call fast food leaves the UK wanting. I swear.    On the way back , we, the journalist and I,  stopped at a retail village for some retail therapy. Nice.  Very Nice. Very Nice indeed. Though it was called a retail village it was larger than any freakin village I’ve ever sen.

At some cutlery down mid growl point the waiter walked over to our table and said “Are we finished here?”. In retrospect this is not something that a trained waiter would say.. The writer in the back of my head, startled, woke up and scribbled down the line. “are we finished here”. Genius said my inner writer.   more »