Mick and Mouk

winnie the pooh

sjaleitch — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:01:19 +0000

“If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we’re apart.. i’ll always be with you.”

a good year

sjaleitch — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:10:42 +0000

That’s my motto for 2008. A good year. Someone told me that this year is my golden one, 27 on the 27th… well I am into my second half of my golden year and it’s been nothing but golden. So much has happened, some things that I’ve wanted have not, but mostly I have met incredible people and experienced such great things, that I can only be thankful. I often think about how lucky I am to have grown up the way that I did. Surrounded by a loving family, in a safe and nurturing environment. Given almost everything I ever wanted, and certainly every opportunity possible. So now here I am, staring 2008 in the face. For the first time, I have set myself some goals, some key things that I want to achieve, in my personal life, and my professional life. So here I go, a few days into what promises to be a interesting year. I will keep you posted.

a ballad of love

sjaleitch — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:47:27 +0000

I couldn’t stop thinking about you last night, after I left here… you were so different to how you have been to me over the last 11 months… your eyes looked at me just like I remember them doing before, your energy was engaging and loving and you spoke to me like you had something to tell me, and for the first time in forever you wanted me to hear… standing there, looking, listening, it was so hard not to reach out and put my arms around you and pull you close to me… so hard. And everything you said about that kiss, the very first one, I had put that feeling, that moment, out of reach … so as not to hold onto something that I wouldn’t feel again. But the way you described it, the way you said that you felt, was exactly how I remember it… I can remember every tiny moment of that very second, your lips touching mine, my hands in your hair, our cheeks softly touching …

I think for that moment, our hearts were intertwined in a passion they shared, dancing hand in hand for the first time…but already best friends, lovers, soul mates.

autumn in london.

clairehadley — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:11:38 +0000

I don’t know what it is about autumn in London that I love – but I just do – I love it!

The air smells different.

The trees turn red.

The sunshine kisses your forehead.

Your fingers tingle without gloves on.

Walks are brisker.

Sunday’s are lazier.

Blankets.

Roast dinners.

And coffee just tastes better.

plus 1. x

clairehadley — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:29:49 +0000

I’ve neglected Mick and Mouk. For the past 7 weeks, my life has revolved around nothing other than morning sickness, vomit bags (I have been caught short way too many times now to leave home without one), eating every 2 hours, trying to find something to eat every 2 hours that doesn’t make me sick (Waggies – no longer a firm favourite!), getting through the day at work, sleeping and then getting up and going through the motions all over again. It’s exhausting, frustrating and possibly the toughest thing I have ever endured. Just as I was beginning to lose all hope, and what felt like my sanity too, we went for our 12 week scan on Wednesday. There on the screen, Beep moved and kicked (really kicked). We saw tiny hands and feet and a little beating heart - suddenly somehow this hard, hard time seemed worth every pukey and exhausting minute. So I have sewn those 20 minutes of meeting Beep into my heart – I carry them with me to get through the times that just seem too tough. And hopefully in a few weeks time I will come back to life, ready to enjoy the precious gift of having a baby.

the spiceways tour

sjaleitch — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:35:04 +0000

Well it’s been a while since I wrote. So I’ll start a few weeks back. Malcolm and I had a whirlwind “labor day” tour. We started on Wednesday evening in Brentwood at Katsuya, a new hotspot sushi restaurant. After waiting for what seemed like forever for a table we decided to take it down a notch and hit the old faithful – father’s office, possibly the best burgers you’ll ever eat. (C – you must remember them!). Thursday was my last “school” day as I took Friday off to hang with my man Malc’s, and make our way up to Santa Barbara. But before that we hit Sky Bar in Hollywood on Thursday night – probably LA’s most famous bar, impossible to get in, but we managed it. Good work team. Of course the night turned pear shaped and we only got home in the wee hours of Friday morning. We were up early bells for a surf and then off to Santa Barbara – one of my happy places. We dined at my favorite place – Brophy’s on the harbor, a classic local SB spot, and then made our way to meet Bailee and her friends in town. A long story short we all ended up at Bailee’s house in the hot tub, drinks left right and center… good times all round. (Ps. Bailee has a cute sister, he he.) Oh and I forgot to tell you that Malcolm fell in love with a girl (Liz) from Alabama on Thursday night, we’ll call her “Bama” for the duration of this posting. She was cute. After another festive night we awoke on Saturday wearing that it was straight back home to the couch for some down time and a movie… (not so). We jumped in the car and headed back to LA, but when we got to Malibu Canyon we decided to hit the beach road and take a scenic drive along the coast back home. We had time, and anyway who was counting? On our way down PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) we convinced ourselves to stop at another very famous LA spot called Moonshadows… what was supposed to be a light lunch at 1.00 turned into a HUGE afternoon and early eve, we only left Moonshadows at about 11.30 that evening… new friends made, Malc’s with Bama in tow. We were unstoppable. The night didn’t end there, we headed back to M Beach, where we didn’t hesitate in making our way straight to the local. We were welcomed with open arms to the North End – a small pub in Manhattan Beach that I like to call my own. It’s where the locals gather to be festive and hang out on the weekend to tell their stories from way back when gas was only a dollar. Sunday, we awoke and headed straight back to Moonshadows, with a bunch of Canadian girls that we had met the night before. It was supposed to be for lunch and well it turned into another chaotic afternoon session. Moonshadows have a huge deck with loungers and drinks readily available, good times, it has to be said. We named the Canadians the Gypsy’s as they didn’t seem to want to let us go once they new just how much fun we were… still we had too much fun. Monday was the end of the “labor day” tour. Malc’s packed his things with a weary head and I dropped him at the airport – till next time my friend, let the good times roll. Ps. Our motto for the tour was “life is as complicated as you make it”. Today Malc’s tells me the highlight of his trip was the consistently beautiful sunsets that we are so lucky to see every night from our living room, the evening surf sessions and the friendly people. Never take a day for granted!

malcolm in the middle

sjaleitch — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 18:49:04 +0000

Another great weekend under the belt. Malcolm arrived on Friday from London, so it was a quick trip up to LAX to fetch him and bring him back to Manhattan Beach. I always get a run of excitement, emotion, both happy and sad when I go up to LAX. It’s bizarre, but I love it… I think it’s a blend between loving having friends to stay, the excitement of showing them all how I live, and then sad too because it makes me realize just how far I am from my family and good friends. Anyway, we had another great weekend. It was Eugenie’s birthday drinks on Friday night so we went to a little bar in Manhattan called Side Bar, it’s tiny but lots of fun and there is always a good crowd there. Ironically this time around it was completely dead! (Malcolm’s first impression of California night life, not so great.) We still managed to have a good time though, and ended the night at our good old faithful – the North End, smoothing down Malc’s jet lag with a couple of cold corona. Saturday morning started with yet another beautiful Californian day. Spice took a run to get through some of the jet lag, and couldn’t believe how friendly people are here. He reckons it’s quite something, and feels like he made at least 10 friends all whilst jogging… yes, he went for a jog, not me. (But I did wake up and take a long swim in the ocean.) After an early start we shot up to Abbott Kinney for breakfast at Abbott’s Habit, fresh veggie bagels, fruit, yoghurt and freshly squeezed OJ. Nice. Then it was off to San Diego to see the Hawkins brothers. We had a crazy night in Del Mar, a great beach side town, super relaxed, which resulted in little sleep and a big bar tab! (Malcolm’s impression of Californian night life has now gone through the roof…) On Sunday we took a lazy drive back to LA, stopping of course at In n Out Burgers. (a Californian institution… it’s all about the double double, animal style, choc shake) and then crashed to sleep last night, absolutely knackered.

a beautiful weekend

sjaleitch — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 02:56:55 +0000

I’m just finishing up a stella weekend. One of my best since being in the land of milk and honey. So here I sit, typing away, a glass of Rioja in one hand and an eye overlooking a mushroom, sausage risotto that I have on the cooker … smells so good I can’t tell you. Yes, when I put my mind to it, I can still find that cooking gene – sometimes more easily than others! (And I pick a decent bottle off the shelf too…). We went down south to San Onofre on Saturday morning and met up with some of Piet’s friends from Affies (he has a bunch of friends who all live in Huntington Beach, great guys) for a morning surf session. It’s about an hour or so drive but the beach down there is so good, and really kind of unspoiled. Some say it’s the best longboarding wave in California.

Saturday night we had drinks with our newly befriended neighbors, who are awesome. A guy from Boston, I call him Boston Mike, and his girlfriend from Chicago called Stacia. They are both in advertising, and are such nice people. I am always happy to find new friends, but even happier when they are such fun people and that I know I will keep their company long after my time here in LA.

Today was just as good. Woke up early, ran some errands and then hit the surf again for a good 2 hours with Piet. I borrowed our friend Matt’s longboard and charged down to the sea… wow, it was better than yesterday and right outside our front door. We had some 50 to 60 yard long rides, just gliding, slow turns. It’s difficult to describe how much fun surfing can be. The water was a little chillier, I’m sensing summer is slowly turning, but it was crystal clear and super fresh. The only thing missing today where the dolphins that we usually share our surf sessions with. I spent the rest of the day lounging at home, had an afternoon sleep and now am about to embark on a great dinner.

I have to say that it is going to be hard to ever recreate this lifestyle that I live out here. It is almost too good to be true sometimes. Right now, my risotto is just about ready, it’s 8pm and the sun is setting over the Malibu hills that I can see from my balcony. Makes for a good Sunday evening.

melodies are for free

sjaleitch — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 19:03:39 +0000

Music is the voice of your soul, somtimes sombre, sometimes joyful. Often somewhat melancholy when our hearts are beating to an unfamiliar melody, and always joyess when our stars are aligned. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear your soul breathing to the beats and talking out loud in the lyrics of each an every one of your favorite songs.

It let’s us feel with touching, cry without hurting, smile without thinking, dream without sleeping.

If you pay attention to your choices, it tells a story of who you are, who you want to be … it’s a book without pages, a journal without writing.

A journey. An experience … A fairytale of your most magical times.

These are just a few of my most favorite right now:

Matt Pond PA

Alex Lloyd

Wilco

Sun Kil Moon

Andrew Bird

Albert Hammond Jnr

Ani DiFranco

As always more to come. Stay lucky.

a new place to call home.

clairehadley — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 18:10:32 +0000

there are a million wrong houses in london (too small, too pokey, too dark, too far from the station … the list goes on), and of course a million right houses too. okay, they don’t look over the beach at bakoven, but they have other things – they’ve been there for hundreds of years, they were there before london had cars and highways - sure, it’s not the ocean, but it’s something. and if you have a half a million pounds to spend, one of those lovely victorian semi’s is yours for the buying.

the funny thing is, the modest flat we once dreamed about owning but couldn’t afford, is now finally within budget – although according to my memory it seems to have shrunk dramatically in size in past 2 and a half years … so i find myself wondering why it is that in life as your budget grows, so you find that your needs and expectations have too?