A couple of final idyllic images from the Bay of Bliss... looking both ways from the beach right by the house just before dusk, sun gentle on the horizon, fierce on the cliff face. I have over 500 shots of this coast and it seems to seethe with different shades in every one.


Final idyllic days and evenings too - one of which was the Spoken Word night at Dave Minton's home, where the 'Best in the West' writing group encouraged guests to read original and favourite poems and pieces while enjoying an excellent Pot-luck party. California must be the Pot-luck Party capital of the world - it's like, why bring just a bottle, when we could have more fun with a pot of chili and a plate of choc-fudge too...
And on the subject of yummy nosh, suppers with Mo and Anja are amazing: last night we had artichoke soup then Tilapia fish tacos with avocado and pico de gallo, which is a Mexican fresh salsa with lots of coriander... mm, at least I'll have something to do on the long-haul flight home, listing everything about California I'll miss...

Meanwhile back in Blighty I find as I prepare to head home that the town & county I left are rapidly being folded up to be put in a box for dumping. 100% axing of Arts funding across Somerset, libraries under threat, Cheese&Grain losing its funding for community events, and even the town Post Office closing. I can't blame SCC or FTC for that one but it's an added irony we won't even be able to stand in snake-like queues waiting for a soupy voice to murmur the number of the only operative cashier please and gripe to each other about these massive assaults on community life.
If ever there was a reason to go on Facebook, this is it and I urge you all, if you haven't, to sign up now and join one or more of the protesting campaigns to find out what's going on.
(And if you want to see where political tyranny and absurdity can lead, go see Rosie Finnegan's clever satirical play Back to Back Upstairs at the Lamb, November 10th & 11th. In fact, support Frome's pub theatre anyway - at this rate it may soon be the only theatre we've got...)