San Frangriffco: A New Term

I start with a confession. I'm very aware that I haven't blogged for over 6 weeks. I'd like to admit that this is because I have been too busy enjoying Californian life to write, but the real reason is that its taken a while to resettle back into our lives here. I guess we did anticipate this happening. We went back to the UK after only six months into our life here, and had such a wonderful time for a big chunk of the summer. It was certainly hard to leave family and friends for a second time this year. Having returned, we found the car battery dead, had an empty fridge (aside from the delicious Delia inspired shepherd's pie made by Tara), had an ant infestation and Dan headed back to Europe on a business trip after only 24 hours on US soil. We also got some very sad family news from home. It meant that life didn't immediately return to normal for us. And a week later Annie started school and the new term had begun.

Annie's first day at pre-school which she attends three times a week.

Labor Day
(I'm still unsure exactly why its celebrated but woo hoo! - another excuse to see the inside of the Coakleys BBQ!)

A day out in the city (Bay Bridge in background) and a message for a dearly missed 4 year old friend in Newbury.

Since being back we've joined a gym centre and I'm a regular attendee on the treadmill and at the yoga classes (please dont tell anyone that I haven't been for a week due to a pulled muscle in my neck, which I got whilst walking over to the treadmill). The centre has an outside pool, so I take both children there at least twice a week for a swim in the sun.

Before we left for the UK we met a British family who were planning on relocating from China to San Francisco in September, so now we are back, and they have moved, we've enjoyed spending time with Julia, Martin, Ben and Lucy. I've been referring to them as 'the Walmart's due to the job that brought them here, but I've recently stopped doing that after the realisation that some people might be calling us 'the Visa's'....shudder the thought.

Me modelling the Visa jacket Dan nicked from work for me -
now who said something about not wanting to be called the Visas?!

Tom getting shuttlecock happy at North Shoreline Lake, Mountain View

The Welsh jersey finally fits the little man! Look how proud he is to wear those three feathers! Thanks Nan and Bamp!

Annie with Aiden and Conor Coakley showing us the pumpkins at school.

Late September evening sunset, view from our house- its been 90 degrees at times during the past month. An Indian Summer and some very warm days!

Crissy Field, the beach/park in front of the Golden Gate Bridge (covered with fog above). I took the children one afternoon and we just sat and played, ate brownies and drove home in time for bed. Priceless.

To help cement our new life here - again - we decided to take a few family days away and recently spent a long weekend in Carmel and Monterey, about two hours south of San Mateo along the coast. We loved Carmel, and looked out for Clint Eastwood (for all of you who have asked) but didnt see him! Carmel is such a pretty town, slightly European with its cafes, well heeled locals and 'camera shy' tourists. At the end of the main street lined with boutique shops is the sea (aka ocean). And after paddling our toes we drove on to Monterey and stayed near Cannery Row - the street lined with sardine fisheries famed by John Steibeck's novel of the same name. I fell in love with this street. I loved the old canning factories from the 1940s, now filled with sweet shops and hotels but from the outside still looking like they might have done years ago, along with the sound of seals and seagulls, and the smell of fresh fish and fresh air. We visited the aquarium, where we got to watch the ocean fish being fed. Boy, those sharks are fast! The best part of our weekend was the Sunday morning bike ride around the coast to Pacific Grove, one of the prettiest pieces of coastline I have ever seen. We had a wonderful time, and I cant wait to go back.

So slowly, life is settling around us. And I'm glad its taking its time. It means we are establishing proper roots here this time, taking life a little slower than before. After all there's no rush. It's a new term...and even the leaves are starting to Fall.