Life and Times in SoCal

Christmas & Winter 2021

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful.

 Well, it’s not really that frightful outside but we have had some temperatures down as low as +1c at night! So, season’s greetings! both Julie and I hope everyone back in the UK is safe warm and in good health and spirits?

As I mentioned in my last post, we had just returned from visiting family in the UK. I am pleased to say that my mom and aunt came out to visit with us from November 13 through to the day after Black Friday – I wonder if that day has special name, like grayish Saturday or something like that?

But as anyone who knows my family well, will not be surprised to learn that this visit almost had be cancelled, not by COVID this time but by firstly Wakefield’s finest, the west Yorkshire police and then by a sewer drain!

Where to start? On the Thursday the week before mum was due to fly out to us, she was “T boned” by a speeding police car on Park Lodge Lane! She was making a legal right turn, when the police car ran in to the side of her, she was pretty shook up (but not the Elvis version) but not too much and had to be brought home, the last ¼ mile by my brother Chris, who was woken up by the young policeman (aren’t the all?) calling him from mum’s phone and saying that “this is west Yorkshire police and that Mrs. Christine Jevins had been involved in a Road Traffic Incident on Park Lodge Lane”. Well, you can imagine his reaction! So the only damage was the car and mom a little shocked!

On bonfire night, the night after. The family were having a bonfire party and setting off fireworks. Mum was walking back to the house when she stood on a sewer drain that promptly collapsed, dropping mom through like a hang man’s trapdoor! While she was trapped down the sewer one of the family just finished their “business” and then flushed! Ugh! 

She managed to break a small part of her knee and badly twisted the tendons in her ankle. The family called 999 and two teams of paramedics arrived to take mum from the sewer and transport her to A&E where she was left waiting for 8 hours before being seen! 

All this was just a week before she was due to make a 10-hour flight to see us! Fast Forward a little over a week and I’m glad to say she and my aunt safely arrived in LAX. We brought them back to our home and for the 1^st time in my life my mom was speechless when she finally stepped foot (or hopped) into our home.

It was great having her here with us, I took some time off and we went to Laguna Beach, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, Palm Springs and various other places in SoCal. Mum has seen it all before of course, but it was the first time for my aunt. Although I think we did have a couple of firsts for mom, when we were having lunch in Laguna Beach, we were overlooking the ocean and you could see dolphins frolicking just offshore. Then when we were in Beverly Hills. We stopped to cross the street. A black SUV stopped to let us cross, nothing special about that. Well, the SUV was being driven by Morgan Freeman!

We have now returned to normal and are now in the run down to Christmas, we have the trees up and the lights on the outside of the house, and in what had now become a tradition for us after completing the tree on Saturday we settled down to watch that holiday classic, Love Actually. I know lots of people say it but hasn’t this year gone fast? it seems like 5 minutes ago we were wishing everyone a happy New year and now it's back again. We are looking forward to 2022, hopefully Dominique, Jordan and their families will finally get here!

We are planning on being back at the end of March for around 8 days, but in the meantime, we will be going to Vegas, it will have been 2.5 years since we were there! We are going to see Van Morrison and then later in the spring we are planning to see Coldplay – again – but this time we may travel to some other part of the US possibly Dallas. 

We have decided to get back as close to normal as soon as possible and as soon as circumstances allow. With the years passing quickly there can’t be much time left!

we are also planning on going to see Chris and Wendy in Florida in May. Finally as always if you want to come and see Southern California then please contact us. we love having visitors but as Fred Pontin used to say "Book early" we already have people scheduled to stay at easter, in July & September!!

That's all for now, stay safe, keep smiling and be kind to one and other.

Ciao

Paul & Julie

December 2021