Christmas morning, 2007

Christmas morning with children - it's like: Russell with Bromley, Smith with Wesson, Whisky with Swallowing - they just go so well together! Having managed to sleep in until 7:00 AM - we descended upon the tree and it's surrounding gifts like Kings to mangers and here was the result:

Jezza gets into the Scottish spirit - thanks grandparents -

































Jake adopts standard present receipt expression:



























Wendi shows her love for the Blue Box




























...and finally - Andrew shows off his new pants!

Merry Xmas 2007

I love the world we live in today - sure some things are pretty crappy - but other things are just "Gosh Darn" amazing! I am sitting here listening to the Ely Cathedral Choir singing "I Was Glad" by Sir Charles Hubert Parry - or "Parry," as we used to refer to him; singing this is as intense as an E Minor Mass but waaaay more uplifting - I loved it as a chorister and am loving it now - thirty years later! I'm now listening to Kings College Choir sing carols - they're beautiful - they remind me of home - my Mum specifically - I know she's had her carols ringing round the house too!

We've had Christmas dinner on Christmas eve because the boys go back to their dad tomorrow at noon - but we get Christmas morning - and that's cool!!

This was the scene earlier this evening:


















Jake and Jeremy watch Stardust (not as good as it should have been but still worth it) and fret about whether they have enough time to fall asleep before Santa comes!

Much discussion is had over whether Santa leaves the stockings on the wall or at the end of the bed. Obviously the Scottish Santa leaves it at the end of the bed - amazing how he does different things in different countries!

So - we wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year - may 2008 be everything you wish for and more! We'll leave you with Jake - waiting for Santa...

Blogged with Flock

Christmas in Reseda

It's been a funny couple of years - !!!

To celebrate, we went out and got a Christmas Tree - we didn't have a Tree last year as we were in the UK and I'd forgotten quite how much I enjoy having the Tree inside - I love it.
























Of course, when you go out Tree shopping with Jeremy, you never know what kind of Tree you're going to get...


























...in our case, we got a live one; it kept trying to leap off the wall.

























Good job Jeremy was there to save the day!!

Blogged with Flock

Spouse 2.0 Day

It's Spouse 2.0 day - a bizarre concept but kinda cool.

To my beautiful wife:

















...words just don't cut it...

The Table...

...arrived today - it's awesome; Wendi is Mrs. Stoked, from Stokedesville, Alabama.

This is the view from the House...













This is the table from a little bit closer...
















This is the view from the bench...













This is the view from behind the table...













This is Bowser getting in on the act - he's definitely digging the table...
















This is what it looks like from Bowser's perspective; which is important, I think...
















Lovely!

American Education at Its Finest . . .

We just received our cellphone bill from when we were traveling in Europe. You would cry if you knew how much it cost us to call America to find out about our flight back. We couldn't call the local Air France number because the French do not work 24/7, as we do in America - but that is a conversation for another time.

On the bill, there is a charge for a 3 minute call which Wendi supposedly made while she was in ICELAND.

No, we did not take a side-trip.

So, Wendi calls the phone company to ask if the charge can be removed, as she was in France, and England, but not in ICELAND.

The customer service representative explained to Wendi that she must have ventured very close to where France borders ICELAND . . .

After a geography lesson given through suppressed laughter, the charges were dropped.

Robbie....

We're going to Paris

I hate cleaning....

Clean, Clean "Bloody" Clean; that's all we've done this weekend - and - just for the record - I hate it!!

It's not that I don't love the end result; there's nothing like sitting down with an aching back, scuffed knees, a runny "dust-filled" nose in a sweaty T-shirt and admiring one's handiwork - but come on!!! It's 2007 - where's the bloody Robots?

Sure - we have a Roomba but it was about as useful as a Chocolate Teapot and just as effective. The newer ones look a little better - still - Bowser would probably try to hump it - hey - maybe that's not a bad idea - we could create a Robot/Dog cross that cleans for biscuits!!!


I remember reading 2000AD in the 70's and 80's and thinking how cool it was going to be when we had all this free time 'cos the Droids would be taking care of everything. Yeah Right - Science Fiction indeed!!!!!

So - I'll finish now - Rant over - but if anyone's in the area - come round- the house is spotless as is the garage - and the Garden's none too bad either!

Have a great week

Waiting for Dinner....

quick video test

Long Ass Week!

The Last Wednesday of Our Summer . . .

Well, it is finally come to pass. The Last Wednesday of Summer has come and gone. All are going back to work and/or school. Robbie starts college next week; Jeremy started middle school today; and Jake starts 5th grade next Wednesday. Mom goes back to the 5 day work week. It's enough to make you cry. Instead, we headed off on our last day to shop and then to Venice:

We started with lunch at the Sidewalk Cafe

















Got Jake his first tattoo before we headed for the beach . . .






















Which they seem to have misplaced . . .

















But we are all really smart, so we did eventually find it!

















The boys made time for a brotherly chat. (I wish I knew what they were talking about . . )






















Whatever it was, it made Rob smile.

















And Jake think.

















I contemplated the universe and decided that if the 5 days a week at the law thing didn't work out, I could always put in an application with the band as a Shadowman! Now, it is back to reality.

At the beach....

Jeremy started at his new school today, Jake however doesn't go back until next week, so Mom, Robbie and Jake all took the day off and went down to Venice. Here is Jake sporting a new Tattoo (don't worry grandmother types - it's only Henna!)




















Don't feel too bad for the Jezza though - he finishes school a whole week before Jake does - so, I'm sure he'll get his own back!

Busy Times...

It's been crazy busy - yesterday was a blur with driving up to Ventura to watch Thom play in a No Doubt cover band at the Ventura Gay Pride festival - we all had a blast:



After Jeremy's introduction - Thom did indeed appear - ready to play..



Thom is Kelli's drummer and he's good people - although I'm normally used to seeing him with more clothes on!

We only caught half of the set before we had to rush back to LA to get out for dinner to celebrate Ken's 30th - the Boy's behaved immaculately!

The Reseda House gained a new occupant this weekend as Robbie moved in. He and a buddy, Justin, had been down to the Vans Warped Tour in San Diego and when we got back from dinner we found two very tired Teenagers crashed in the living room - we should have taken pics - they would have looked very familiar to anybody who has raised Teenagers!

Sunday morning came around and the ritual "fry up" was in full flow - when I couldn't resist capturing this...

Desert Vacation......

Last weekend Wendi and I managed to escape for a few days out in the Desert up near Palm Springs in a place called - wait for it - Desert Hot Springs. Yes, it's in the desert, it's hot and people all wear springs on their feet - amazing how they get around!

Anyway - we shot some video along the way:

Leaving LA:


LA is a spooky place - just being close to certain areas can affect you:



Of course, once you get there, it's all pretty damn nice!!



Which makes the drive back so much more relaxing. Here Beck accompanying the Wind Farms in the background - it's an amazing place America!

Second to Last Wednesday

For our second to last Wednesday . . .
We went to Santa Monica Pier. This is the gorgeous view from the pier . . .



















We rode the coaster (This is Jeremy and Jake waiting for it . . . )



















Jake went on a jump . . .























Followed by a Jezza . . .























Finished by a rock climb . . .
























We got home to find these two . . .























(Robbie and Keila) They were kind enough to make us a delicious dinner! Kelia is headed out-of-state to attend college, and Robbie is moving in with us in a week or so to start the same. I am sure that they will miss each other, and that our phone bill will show us how much. Just kidding, guys!
We ended the evening with a bonfire and two guitars strumming into the night. We even managed to wake up early and get to work! How I mourn the passing of summer . . .

For Bears.....

Bowser Training Part 1...

We ARE the Champions...(Parts 1 and 2)

Part 1...


Part Two

Andrew at work....

The Reseda House Logo Number1

by Jake
This is the first logo made for the Reseda House.
This shows all of the names of people [and animals]in the Reseda house.

Skater Boys

We have been taking Wednesdays off this summer to explore all that Los Angeles has to offer. The skater dudes explore Venice . . .

Welcome...

...to The Reseda House.

Having been inspired by Dan and the trailblazing work done on A Seaside Perspective and From the Four Corners (or is that the 4 Seasons?) - we thought it would be fun to join the party. So - here's the news from The Reseda House....we'll start with...sausages...