Day 14

*A good friend of mine pointed out to me yesterday that my blog posts seem to have a recurring theme running through them. For this reason I am going to try and avoid all references to food in today's posting in an attempt to break the mold.

Will and Katy joined me on my run today which made it even more enjoyable. We managed just under 8km bringing my holiday total distance up to 58km which i'm impressed with.

In order to spend some girl time together at 11am Holly and I went to a local nail salon to have our nails painted. This was the first time Holly had ever visited a salon before for treatments and so the moment was really quite special. She chose a glittery red for her hands and sparkly turquoise for her toes. I went for a gorgeous hot pink and was so impressed with the beautician that I booked in for some threading next week before I go home.

After a healthy bite to eat (no actual food reference so i'm still doing ok), Katy and I set off for our night out in Hollywood with Jessica and Camilla (Katy's BF from school who now lives in LA and whom she hasn't seen for many years). 

The drive was long and arduous and gave us a glimpse of what it must be like to have to commute through this motoring city every day. 1h 45min later we pulled up at the Grafton on Sunset Boulevard, where the valet parked our car for us. The hotel was very cute, and we had a great room on the ground floor opening out to the pool.

After the big reunion, we cracked open the Prosecco and sat by the pool reminiscing about old school days and comparing notes on the experiences that life had thrown at us over the years. 

Three bottles and four showers later we were dressed up and ready to party. We began the night at the gorgeous Skybar at the Mondrian Hotel which was packed for a private event although we still managed to take in the stunning view and have our first cocktail.

From here we jumped in a taxi to the exclusive Soho House which Jessica had managed to book us a table at as she is a member at their London club. We were seated at possibly the best table in the whole restaurant and to add to the excitement crossed Jon Voight on the stairs on our way in, an academy award winner no less!!

The views over LA were simply stunning and as we talked, ate and drank to our hearts content the evening slipped away before us until we realised it was gone midnight. Feeling slightly on the tipsy side we paused in the corridor to have our photos taken in the velveted photo boudoir! 

Our last stop of the night was to the renowned Chateau Marmont bar which has always been on my 'places to go' list. I was disappointed that the bar was not inside the hotel as would have loved to have seen inside, but it was worth going just for the Facebook check-in! 

Drunk and tired we decided to call it a night and walk back to our hotel (an unheard of activity in LA). In between Chateau Marmont and the Grafton we managed to climb into a white rolls royce, momentarily fall into a strip club and take this hilarious photo, it was a great night, one never to be forgotten!

Day 13

After deciding that it would be really memorable if William and I could spend some time alone together this holiday, we agreed that Universal Studios would be the perfect place for our mother/son bonding to take place. After setting my alarm for 6am and dragging him out of his bed, we set off with Katy and Rita arriving just before the park opened at 9am.

We'd taken the shortest route as opposed to the fastest and so managed to drive through a few of the famous streets including, Melrose, Hollywood and Sunset. Katy was unimpressed with the layout and the atmosphere of Hollywood, commenting how much luckier we were to be staying in Hermosa.

Entering the park at just after 9am, Will and I headed straight for the lower lot in order to be first in line for the most popular rides; Revenge of the Mummy, Jurassic Park and Transformers 3D. We managed to experience all three before 11am which we were told was good going considering it was the hight of Summer. It took me a while to explain to Will that these weren't your ordinary Southend on Sea roller coasters. The rides were more like 'moving experiences' obviously there were large elements of stomach churning adrenalin but there was so much more. Each ride took you on a journey through a particular movie and included special effects such as water, fire, animatronics and stunning 3D visuals. Both Will and I enjoyed the Transformers ride the best but after queuing for 45 minutes couldn't face queuing up again!

The park is separated into upper and lower lots by about five sets of steep escalators. After we'd  exhausted all the rides down below, we headed upstairs to the biggest area of the park in search of more thrills and excitement. The next big attraction for me was not a $2m ride but the word Cinnabon, lit up in front of me. For those of you who have never had the awesome pleasure of trying a Cinnabon classic they look something like this....

I am in no doubt that my writing skills could never do justification in describing this culinary bombshell. But for a cake lover like myself it ticks just about every box there is. The only thing which took the edge of the pleasure of eating 1.5 of them (William left half!!) was when I glanced up at the board and noticed the 800 calories written in small print next to the picture. Determined that that would be the only thing I ate today, I walked away content in the knowledge that every one of my days allocated calories had been spent on something so stupendously scrumptious!

It was at this point that we bumped into Katy and Rita and decided to all go on the Simpsons ride together as there was no height restriction for smaller children. After another 45 minute wait we entered what we thought would be a nice relaxing child friendly experience that we all could share together - how wrong we were! The screaming children coming off the ride before us should have given us an indication of the rides verocity but as the sign on the door had said 'there's no going back now' we buckled our seat belts and hoped for the best. 

I'm not sure who was more scared, Katy or Rita, but it definitely felt like one of those scarring moments in your lifetime, where in 30 years time Rita will trace back years of fear and anxiety to that precise moment when she was forced to experience the Simpsons ride at Universal Studios, aged 5.

Splitting off again, Will and I enjoyed the famous Universal studio tour which took in the studios and locations used for many well known films and TV Shows. We toured the exterior set of Wysteria Lane from Desperate Housewives as well as many historical greats including Bates Motel from Psycho and Amity Island from Jaws.

We decided to leave before the traffic built up to heavily but before we did, Will enjoyed having his caricature drawn and also seeing his face superimposed onto the body of a movie character and printed on a t-shirt. Both activities were vastly over priced I might add, but seeing him enjoy himself was justification enough for the spending.

The journey home was painless thank goodness and it was lovely to hear that Holly and Louis had enjoyed their day at home without us. I felt less guilty for not taking them too after seeing their little happy faces when they received their 'ET' and 'Princess Fiona' soft toys.

For dinner, we visited a different restaurant, the 'Waterfront' which made a pleasant change from American Junkie. Conscious of how much money I had spent and the fact that I had already eaten my allocated calories for the day, I opted out of ordering any food and with good intentions let the children order cheese burgers and chips. 

When the burgers arrived Katy and I made the fatal mistake of trying one and can only describe them as the best burgers we have ever eaten.  We agreed that the secret to their superior taste had to be the 'onions in the patty' and full of self loathing continued to finish off all of the children's plates until we were fit to burst.

The best burger in the world

Day 12

Like every alternate day so far, today was a run day. Feeling fairly tight from so much running it wasn't the easiest 8km but still very enjoyable. I had to laugh when I saw this very patient dog walker with her tribe of dogs and even managed a picture, mid-jog!

Since arriving in the USA, I have been attempting to remain 'calorie neutral', offsetting excess calories with more running. I worked out today that I have notched up an impressive 50km of running so far, banking 4,255 extra calories. The fact that I have gained 3lbs will give you some idea of the temptations that I am faced with on a daily basis!

Arriving home, I discovered Katy and Rita were at the house, suffering the full effects of jet lag they had been awake since 4.30am and already managed two hours on the beach and breakfast at Starbucks by 8am. 

We decided a day at the Seaside Lagoon would be the perfect way to ease them both into the LA time zone. Without a second car we walked the mile journey and pitched our beach chairs in a relaxing spot close to the water. Luckily for us the skies were blue and the sun was beaming down on us. Three hours later, the jet lag was starting to take its toll on Rita and as Katy had plans to see Jessica later in the afternoon we packed up and walked home.

The rest of the day was consumed with visiting three different pharmacies to collect Louis' prescription (still to no avail!) and filling the car with 'gas' which was confusing as I didn't realise you had to pre-pay!  I was however excited to see my namesake restaurant on 'PCH' as I now call it (Pacific Coast Highway). I have to say that after 10 days of driving I am starting to feel like quite the local!

Day 11

As expected, our Sunday morning began with a trip to the local urgent care centre which was located not far away in an area called Torrance.  With no idea how long we would wait or how much it would cost to be seen, Louis and I made the journey. Two hours later and $114 worse off we returned home hungry and frustrated that despite all our efforts their wasn't a pharmacy within the area who had the medication we needed before 3pm tomorrow!

Thankfully we had an exciting afternoon to look forward too, welcoming Katy and Rita from LAX airport. As we approached the airport the little yelps and squeals from the back of the car became increasingly louder, I couldn't remember Holly ever being quite so excited! We parked the car and went and perched ourselves in Starbucks aware that with customs and immigration we could be here for some time. While we were there we met another family also waiting for their sister to arrive from London. The next hour flew by as we exchanged life stories and by the end of it, phone numbers! 

Katy and Rita arrived just after 3.30pm and we wasted no time getting home to familiarise themselves with their new surroundings. After checking into their Motel, the 'Sea Sprite' which was directly on the seafront, we all went to American Junkie for their first night dinner. 

Being a Sunday night, the beach was packed with 100's if not 1000's of people watching the summer concert which tonight was a reggae band. The kids ran around, playing ball and having fun in the sand while Katy and I chatted, accompanied by the mellow, hippy vibes of 'Get Up, Stand Up' and other Marley classics. 

Day 10

After the excesses of the last 24 hours, I thought it would be wise to offset the over indulgences with a 10km run, which I completed in just over 58 minutes. The Strand was heaving with people, it being a Saturday and I had a job weaving my way in and out of the many dogs, bikes, skateboards and pedestrians who had the same idea as me.

Rather than go to the beach, we thought an impromptu shopping trip back to the mall would work mainly so that Misa could do some shopping and I could get a birthday present for Rita who is arriving on Sunday. Of course, being me, that wasn't the only purchase I made. We left with a gorgeous pair of Nike trainers for me and more excitingly new school shoes for the children. I can't explain the relief of having completed this task over here. Taking three jet lagged kids shoe shopping in Ipswich a week before school starts would have been like Japanese torture.

Getting Holly out of the Disney Store was not easy!

Rather more tired and badly behaved than had been expected we abandoned our scheduled trip to Santa Monica Pier for a more relaxing evening back at Hermosa. Hoping to grab a table at our favourite 'American Junkie' we wandered down there at around 6pm only to be presented by the National Beach Volleyball League Championships.  For a 20 year old single male this literally would of been heaven on earth, the bars were over flowing with bikini clad girls of the highest calibre and the men weren't too bad either! But on this occasion, it was no place for children so we sculked back home and made do with home made hot dogs.

On our way to our favourite restaurant

The rest of my evening was taken up with a 2 hour search for a 24 hour chemist. Unfortunately, Louis has developed a tummy bug which needs prescription medicine and so tomorrow morning will be all about .... the doctors!

Day 9

If yesterday morning was fussy, then today was a total black out. We woke up after 3 hours sleep and reached for the nearest source of water as vague memories of the night before flashed before our eyes. Noticing an empty bottle of 'maxi' bar vodka on the side table and the smear of last night's make up on the pillow it was clear that we had fulfilled the 'party hard' requirement for staying in Palm Springs.

As the soberer of the two, I mustered up the energy to go for a morning swim and grab an hour lying by the pool, which was incidentally 94 degrees at 9am! Then we both had a gorgeous breakfast, granola, fruit and yoghurt for me and fruit and eggs for Jess. 

Slightly nervous about checking out we asked for the bill and were pleasantly surprised how reasonable it was considering the standard of the accommodation and the food and more importantly the number of cocktails we had charged to the room the previous night. Feeling fragile, we started our journey back to Hermosa, sadly watching the temperature drop by 38 degrees before our eyes. 

It didn't matter however because our night in Palm Springs had been a huge success. A night never to be forgotten. Ace had delivered on all counts and I hope to return again one day for more fun in the sun!

Reunited with the children, it was lovely to be home. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach in front of the house, building ocean defences with the sand and chasing away the seagulls. Due to my lack of sleep, I feel asleep open-mouthed in the chair and awoke half an hour later with a burnt tongue and throat - not a good look and also very painful!

Reunited at last!

Day 8

Awake at 7am and undeterred by slightly fuzzy heads, Jess and I started our day like any great day should, with a run on the beach. Our philosophy being that no matter how naughty we were in Palm Springs we could look back on at least half an hour of the day and feel healthy and guilt-free!

An hour later with blow-dried hair and GPS charged we set off on our road trip with no idea what adventures lay in store. Leaving Hermosa the temperature gauge in the car read 70 degrees, as we cruised inland the thermometer just kept rising and rising at a rate of what seemed like a degree every  mile until the time we reached our first stop the Desert Hills Premium Outlets it had reached a staggering 109 degrees!

Never ones to let a little thing like melting roads get in the way of a shopping trip, we headed into the mall armed with only a bottle of Fiji water and our credit cards. Three hours later, parched and hungry we left a little lighter in pocket but with happiness in our hearts thanks to a certain Mr Jimmy Choo and Diane Von Furstenburg.

Eager to arrive at our destination we returned to the road and admired the surrounding landscape which consisted of dry mountain ranges and literally a million wind farms. At this point I was relieved to have our sat nav safely installed as the view reminded me of a scene from 'The Hills Have Eyes', both of us  had a frenzied feeling we were about to enter unknown territory!

Our hotel, the 'Ace' was remodelled on the grounds of a mid-century modern motel and literally oozed with style and individuality. The design was simple but effortlessly cool, everywhere we looked there were little touches of style brilliance from pieces of vintage furniture to the cleverly designed signs around the pool.  As soon as we walked in we knew we had come to the right hotel.

Entering our room, the only thing we could bring ourselves to say was 'OMG', it was like walking onto a bohemian film set. The mini bar or should I say 'maxi' bar was stocked up with full sized bottles of Jack Daniels, vodka and tequila, this hotel really wanted us to have a good time.

Ready to hit the pool at around 4pm we were hit by a staggering wall of heat as we left the comfort of our air conditioned room. I can honestly say i've never experienced heat like it and i'm astounded that within only a two hour drive of Hermosa Beach the temperature could rise by 38 degrees!

The next great pleasure of the day was the arrival of our food. Both, utterly famished after our run and shopping trip we would have been happy with a Wendy's pretzel bacon cheeseburger but instead were presented with one of the most delicious salads I have ever tasted. Drinks were of course our next big priority and we wasted no time working our way through the entire cocktail menu.

We sat by the pool until gone 9pm, well after the sun had set behind the San Bernardino Mountains. With temperatures only dropping to mid eighties at night the pool stays open until 2am so there were plenty of people still enjoying the facilities well after nightfall.

This of course is not exactly how our night ended but then I do believe somethings are best left unsaid.  After all, 'what happens in Palm Springs, stays in Palm Springs!' ;-)

Day 7

This morning we woke up with with the promise of 27 degree sunshine. We packed up the car and headed back to the Redondo Beach Lagoon Pool for what we hoped would be a full day of sunbathing and fun in the water. Dressed in nothing but our swimwear Misa and I assumed the optimum tanning position  and lay back and relaxed. The children, surrounded by kids their own age, shallow warm water and enough sand to fill a stadium played gleefully unaware of the approaching sea mist that would soon roll in to dampen our spirits.

After speaking to several people I discovered that this cloud cover is not uncommon at the beaches, with temperatures up to 10 degrees cooler than only a few miles further inland. Despite our goosebumps we managed to sit out until just after 2pm when coincidently the battery died on my phone  meaning a return home was now essential. (sad but true)

We returned home to find the lovely Carmen cleaning our home and tried to stay out of her way while we waited for Jessica, a friend of mine and more so Katy's to arrive from Hollywood later that afternoon. It had been decided that Jessica and I would travel to Palm Springs on Thursday for 24 hours  of unabashed frivolity, we awaited her arrival with anticipation. 

It was lovely to see a familiar, adult face in our temporary home but we didn't waste anytime hanging around indoors, instead we all headed out in search of corn dogs and champagne. The kids were more than happy to return to American Junkie where we had eaten earlier in the week, we all enjoyed a great meal while Jessica and I nattered non stop, catching up on all the gossip!

Having waved the children safely home with Misa, Jess and I went off in search of the busiest hotspot we could find. We soon realised that although Hermosa is a lively place, it mostly consists of restaurants and not the bars that we are used to at home. Sharkeez, a surfers favourite was recommended as being the busiest place on a week night so we ventured in.  For me, Sharkeez epitomizes everything that is American, literally dozens of TV screens behind the bar showing every sport you can imagine, men in oversized baseball caps wearing shorts and t-shirts drinking huge jugs of beer and the Eagles playing as loud as possible. 

Aware that our big trip to Palm Springs was only a few hours away, we didn't over stay our welcome but instead took a slow wander home giggling and hiccupping as we went!

Day 6

Today was a day I think the children will always remember.

It began with my regular run which today took me right to the end of Manhattan Pier. I don't think I could ever tire of that route and only wish my knees were strong enough for me to run every day while I am here.

The first stop of the day was the Hollywood Bowl Viewing Platform situated on Mulholland Drive, the perfect vista to stop and take in the breathtaking views over the city which included the most famous view of them all ... the Hollywood sign!

The drive up to Hollywood was relatively straight forward, I definitely feel like i've got to grips with the LA driving but don't think I will ever get over how many cars there are in this city. From seeing how busy the roads were at 11am I have some idea of what they must be like during rush hour, something I hope I never have to experience! Of course the added stress of having three bored and hungry children in the back of the car didn't exactly help my concentration levels but after just under an hour we arrived at our destination, and we weren't disappointed.

It's hard to explain just what it feels like to see those nine white letters perching proudly on the edge of the Santa Monica Mountains, but it was a moment I will never forget. Although the viewpoint is still a considerable distance away, you can't help but feel spellbound by the incredible history that has captivated this part of the city for the last century.

From here, we made our way down towards Hollywood Boulevard, parking at the conveniently located Hollywood and Highland Center. You can tell straight away that this is the Leicester Square of Los Angeles, the streets are peppered with so called street artists dressed up (badly) as favourite film characters, trying to earn a living from tips given in exchange for photographs. Of course, never ones to miss out on a photo opportunity Louis did his very best Superman impression, accompanied by a very muscly, Clark Kent.

Look beyond the tacky attractions and cast your eyes to the floor and you soon remember why so many millions of tourists flock to this street every year. With over 2,400 5-pointed bronze stars imbedded in the sidewalk, you feel as though you are walking through time. From Charlie Chaplin to James Dean, Mickey Mouse to Michael Jackson, every one has played a part in Hollywood's glamorous  and vibrant history and it was fascinating to visit this eponymous landmark.

Walking away from the sidewalk, in front of the famous Chinese Theatre we found ourselves surrounded by the signatures, foot and hand prints of acclaimed movie stars from past and present. Putting my feet over the footprints of Gene Kelly sent shivers up my spine and brought back happy memories spent with my father who had such a love for old Hollywood musicals, as I do today. 

Another personal highlight would have to be Marilyn Monroe who along with Jane Russell immortalised her handprints in 1953. The photograph capturing the moment is still iconic of the actress and I imagine literally millions of women have place their hands in the very same spot over last 60 years.

Hot and hungry we searched for a lunch destination and found the perfect place in Johnny Rockets. An all american diner with neon sign at the door, classic dining booths and even a mini jukebox on the table, the menu was reasonably priced and the food was very tasty. 

Our last scheduled stop of the day was of great interest to me, as I consider myself to be quite a sweet connoisseur and have the sweetest tooth on the planet. Sweet! claims to be the biggest and best candy store in the world, stocking over 11,000 different varieties and to say that the children and I (and Misa) weren't just a little bit excited to go in would be an understatement. Just under an hour later I left having spent $84 which if my calculations are correct is just over £54 worth of candy!

It was well worth it though if only for the slow and hot journey home and I know the benefactors of my shopping trip (you know who you are) will be eternally grateful (if I don't eat them all first!) 

Of all of us, it was definitely Holly who enjoyed herself the most today. Seeing her name on virtually every street corner and signpost in sight made her feel so special, she summed up the day perfectly as we drove back up the I-110 by saying 'I hope you all had a lovely day in my town ... Holly Town'

Day 5

It's not every Monday morning you wake up in California. To take full advantage of our surroundings this morning we decided to make use of the fantastic bikes and scooters that have been kindly left for us at the house.

After some debate over who was to have which bike we started our journey up the Strand which thankfully was much quieter than yesterday. Unfortunately, Holly's lack of experience on a two wheeled scooter meant that we were travelling at approximately 1mph and so decided to split into two more sensible groups; the boys and Misa would carry on up to Manhattan Beach and fulfil their need for speed, meanwhile Holly and I would fulfil our need for fruit smoothies at a local beach bar!

After the boys returned home completely exhausted from their bike ride, I took the executive decision to leave them at home for the afternoon. I on the other hand was bursting with energy following my acai berry smoothie and felt the need to exercise my legs and debit card with a wander round Del Amo Fashion Center, supposedly one of the biggest malls in America. 

I'm not sure what was more enjoyable, having three hours shopping or simply having three hours peace and quiet from the children. Needless to say the shopping was the icing on the cake for my restful afternoon and I managed to gather quite a collection of gifts and treats for myself and others of course!

By the time I arrived home, the guilt had taken over and it seemed only fair that we all go out for dinner instead of eating at home. The children dressed themselves in their cool new american outfits and we headed out into the chilly evening air.

The American Junkie was our restaurant of choice, and after the waitress had translated the menu (I now know that PB&J stands for peanut butter and jelly) we made our selection. I have to say that I have been to some good value restaurants in my lifetime but none more so than this one. The children's menu which was $4 per child, that's £2.59 each included a main meal (big enough to feed an adult), as much lemonade as you can drink and an ice-cream. Holly went for grilled cheese (aka cheese on toast) and Louis and William went for a dish that I had never seen or heard of in my lifetime until tonight .... THE CORN DOG!!  If you haven't tried one either, it's basically a frankfurter on a stick coated in donut batter minus the sugar, it shouldn't work but it absolutely does and the boys loved it!

With our tummies full and my purse still heavy we got up to leave and spotted a familiar face in the corner. Former Girls Aloud member, Sarah Harding and her boyfriend who were no doubt there for the $4 corn dog meal too!

Day 4

Having decided that I will run as often as I can while I am here, that's exactly how my day began today. Despite waking up with the signs of a head cold, I laced up my trainers and hit the Strand which even at 8.30am was absolutely heaving with locals. In the short time we have been here I have deduced several things. Californian people love to exercise, including running with their dogs and their children wherever possible. If their not exercising then they're dressed for it and almost certainly holding a large take away Starbucks coffee in their hand. I ran as far as Manhattan Pier and back which was just a little over 7km, smashing my usual split time with an impressive best of 5min 32sec per km. I have to say that all of all the lovely locations I have run before, this place will be hard to beat. The endless people watching, stunning beach views and quirky beach house architecture means there's always something to take in and distract you from the task ahead.

Feeling slightly guilty for abandoning my brood I made amends by rustling up my first ever batch of American pancakes smothered in Nutella and whipped cream which were as you can imagine, greatly received!

After a minor mother/son argument which left William hiding in the garage for over an hour while Misa scoured the length of Hermosa Beach looking for him, we packed up the car for the short journey down to Redondo Beach where we would spend the day at the Seaside Lagoon. 

For Holly and Louis the lagoon ticked every box; heaps of sand, lots of of other children, shallow water, fountains to run in and out of and they couldn't have been happier until, 40 minutes in when the announcement came that the water would be closing due to a technical fault. Ever British, we kept calm and carried on, stoically making use of a closely appointed sprinkler and nearby shower to keep us cool and aid the children's 'hole filled with water' game which kept them amused for several hours. Regular cries of 'stay out of the water' (needs to be said in American accent) from the lifeguards left me momentarily searching for shark fins within the 2ft lagoon although neither the children or Misa had any idea which film I was referring too.

At around 3pm after over two hours of 'watergate' they announced that the water was opening and I wish i'd been filming because the squeals and yelps of literally dozens of children all hurtling towards the shallow pool simultaneously was priceless.

Having finally acclimatised to LA time zone, we felt ready to venture out this evening after Tom and Linda had recommended the Sunday night Hermosa beach concerts which featured a British friend of the family playing in the supporting band, Fallen Riviera. Unaware there was more than one band performing however, I mustered up all my courage to go back stage and approach the lead singer who I thought would soon realise our connection but alas looked at me blankly while being flanked by groupies annoyed at me for taking up so much of his time. Turns out the all american Wayword Sons have no connection to our exchange partners but do perform with British accents (even more confusing) and can belt out a phenomenal rendition of Bohemian Rapsody.

The highlight of the day featured Louis and seven Mexican street dancers. We had gathered around with a group of other spectators and were watching an amazing dance routine when all of a sudden Louis was called up as a volunteer. It's hard to explain on here just how they involved him in the act but luckily I have all 3.5 minutes of video footage which will be shared and cherished forever more!!

(On our way to the beach concert with very excited 5 year old)

Day 3

Today really was our first big adventure. After another early wake up call from Holly and Louis we ate our breakfast and packed up our beach bags ready to hit the road for Malibu. The road however in this case happened to be the Interstate 405 which if you haven't ever seen before, makes the M25 look like the B1438 in Melton. Thankfully, our superb car and trusty navigation system did almost all the work and after only a few wrong turns the car filled with 'oohs' and 'aahs' as we turned onto the Pacific Coast Highway with Santa Monica beach in our view.

Our first stop of the day, was the Malibu Lagoon State Beach. After paying $12 to park, we walked along the dust track toward the beach not knowing what or who would greet us around the corner. We soon realised that this beach was a surfing hot spot as a sea of black bodies bobbed up and down on their surfboards in front of us. The beach wasn't the prettiest or the cleanest but being a Saturday it was full of local families, namely men, eager to catch some waves with their wives and children left soaking up the sunshine and playing on the sand.

After another home made lunch (ham and cheese bagels for children and wholewheat tortilla wrap with cottage cheese and avocado for me) we decided to seek out another beach towards Santa Monica that had would hopefully be a better swimming location for the children. On the walk back to the car I took this great pic of Louis sporting his 'surf dude' t-shirt standing alongside two genuine surf dudes!

Back in the car, the driving was beginning to come naturally despite it only being my 2nd ever attempt at driving on the right. We stopped at what we thought was Santa Monica but actually turned out to be the Will Rogers beach in an area called Pacific Palisades. A very friendly local took delight in telling us all about the area and couldn't contain her excitement at discovering we were 'home exchangers' referring, as everyone does to the film, The Holiday.

The beach was busy, but with every right as its vast expanse of white sand and crystal blue waters lured everyone in. Will soon made friends with a boy around his own age and they spent the entire afternoon diving headfirst into 10ft waves. Louis and Holly were less happy to begin with as the verocity of the waves meant that they were limited to playing along the shoreline but it didn't take long for them to make the best of the situation using their imaginations to come up with games to play together.  Misa and I on the other hand couldn't help smiling when we spotted a rather handsome red-shorted lifeguard, even contemplating faking our own drowning to catch his attention ha ha. 

Conscious of the growing traffic and my need for a nice glass of sauvignon and soda, we packed up the car just after 3.30pm and made our way back to Hermosa, stopping only at Vons on the way, to replenish food and of course, wine! All a little weary and definitely a little pinker than when we had left this morning we are looking forward to another relaxing evening in our new temporary home.

Day 2

Inspired by our exchange partners holiday blog, this is the first entry of my journal which will detail everything we experience during our Californian adventure. Already well into day 2 (Friday) we are all still feeling the effects of jet lag. Holly climbed into bed with me at 4am this morning which signified the beginning of our day and I think we have had a weeks worth of tears from both Louis and Holly in the last 48 hours.

Despite the fatigue, we have already been seduced by Hermosa Beach which includes the most beautiful white sandy beach, quirky boutiques and a wonderful long stretch of walkway along the beachfront called 'The Strand' which is filled with inline skaters, cyclists and runners. After a rather excessive start on the food front yesterday, I joined the locals this morning and completed a 10km run all the way up to 32nd Street in Manhattan Beach which has definitely been my highlight so far.

As yesterday was Will's 12th birthday we celebrated with an authentic all american late breakfast at Scotty's situated on the Strand. The kids loved the pancakes (which were finished off by me) and the Redondo omelette I had was simply delicious. We also managed a trip to Von's the local supermarket which wasn't the most stress free experience with three children in tow but was nevertheless easy enough to find and navigate our way round. It is strange not recognising any of the food on the shelves and makes meal planning a little bit more complicated.

We had been planning to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific today but have postponed until another day when the children are less tired as it's quite expensive and we want to make the most of it. The kids have been having more than enough fun today on the beach, Will has a body board and has been catching some great waves and Holly and Louis are happy chasing away the seagulls and playing in the sand. I had a walk up to the local shops in Hermosa Beach earlier and found a great personal training gym where I have booked some sessions for next week which will be really good fun and offset the pancakes and birthday cake from yesterday hopefully!

Another early night tonight I expect and then a trip to Malibu tomorrow which will be fun. Both Misa and I have tried the driving but need to go out again soon to gain more confidence.