Food Fiends Fantasy Time.I am one lucky little travelling laydee, with all these great people looking out for me round the globe. Herein lies the story of the perfect end to my perfect visit to sunny California.On my final evening in San Francisco my friend Tim treated me to dinner out in The House, the asian fusion restaurant du jour.(Check out the website if you're interested: www.thehse.com )For those who can't be bothered to check out the site, sit back relax...

California GirlTurns out I'm well suited for floating whimsically round the Californian vineyards, amidst sun-dappled hillsides of young grapes, picking rich purple blackberries to be eaten on the spot, causing sunbathing lizards to scatter. I lie in the sun beside a deliciously cold river, watching as bees collect honey from flowers inches from my face, and tiny fish nibble at my feet if I decide to go in the water. Ten days have slipped by in utter bliss, and...

River Nymphs & Wine Noses I am a slightly sozzled, soggy siren, and my wine-soaked limbs are tirin', For we've just spent a whole entire day, doing nothing but drink, swim and play. Let me elaborate. Today, ladies and gentlemen...today I think I may have figured out what I want to be when I grow up. Hang in there, and I'll let you know at appropriate intervals throughout this blog entry (this is called 'creating suspense'). In the beginnin...

Dahhhhhhlings, hello. The wandering minstrel writes again, today from the STINKING (103F/40C) hot sunny hills of the Sonoma wine valley, just north of San Francisco in California, though from the indoor comfort of the beautiful house of some long-time family friends, with a glass of iced water standing coolly by my side. I don't think I could possibly designed a more stark change of sceneries over the past few days. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (and cyclos...