When did my life become a G rated movie?

Greetings from the West coast on this blustery Saturday afternoon. Today is Earth Day. I don't exactly know what that means, but the day has been labelled Earth Day and I am enjoying some time off and the host family is off at the park with some celebrationery type thing going on.

I love it here in California. I've made a couple of friends so far and tomorrow I hope to go church shopping. I do have a meeting with my new coordinator, but that shouldn't interfere with my checking out of churches.

On Thursday I went for a walk down the next street to see a film crew setting up for what we think was the set of one of the CSI shows. They even film some of CSI Miami here in California. Nothing like staying true to the location hey?

Calling home last night, I've been informed that my accent has not diminished, so to all those people who threatened to inflict bodily harm upon my return should I return with an american accent, you may not need to.

Disneyland is on the cards for this coming Friday, depending on weather and the behaviour of the children, but here's hoping I get to experience the happiest place on earth (I sincerely doubt that it is any kind of flop, Sean Taylor). Still, at the end of my year I do hope to visit Disney World so I can take in some of the epcot centre and all the joys that holds.

Other than that, the children have been pretty good, as good as you can expect 3 year olds to be and this family is very lovely. I am enjoying myself greatly.

That's me for another week, let me know what you've been up to.

Youtwo came up with a plan? You can't match your socks

This blog update is beamed to you directly from Sunny California. Actually, at the moment it's very windy, and parts of LA have no electricity (not us though, we have electricity, that's why I can update).

I left Greenwich behind on Thursday morning, and the as the rain droned against the airport windows, I was quite happy to be ending this chapter of my journey. I was also happy to actually get through airport security. If you have a foreign passport you have to go through an extra security process because you're clearly more likely to be a terrorist. I met some Aussie blokes on their way to Barbados and we had a bit of a laugh at how paranoid the Yanks are. We weren't too loud though, and we didn't say any taboo words like bomb, terrorist, hijack or turban, because we knew we were skating on thin ice with our Aussie passports and all.

Everyone in California that I have met so far is exceptionally friendly. They much more laid back, and while Manhattan Beach is still a very affluent area, you do get the feeling that more than money matters to these people. They smile and laugh and apologise if they bump into you. I know I'll miss the unforgiving excitement that is New York, but a change is as good as a holiday.

Speaking of holidays, one of my big aspirations while in the US was to experience a white Christmas. I won't be doing that this year. I also won't be at home looking forward to the camping holiday at the beach with my family. I will however be in Hawaii. I think I can cope with that. The family also has annual passes to Disneyland, which is good because I like rollercoasters and Mickey Mouse.

The kids are absolutely adorable. Sure, they have all the pitfalls of 3 year olds. Whining, wanting the world to revolve around them, fighting, plus they have the added benefits of being twins, so their plots are twice as evil. They have the cutest smiles and say the nicest things sometimes, you can't help but love them at the end of the day.

Tomorrow is the au pair meeting, where I'll get to meet all the au pairs in the area and make some new friends. It's a scavenger hunt, so it should be good fun.

Well, that's me done and that's you up to date.

Did you forward my mail to the gutter?

Yes guys and gals, for those who have not yet heard I am in the process of changing host families. It's looking good for a family with 3 and a half year old twins in California. Stay tuned for more updates, and email alerts telling you my whereabouts.