Updates

We now have clean floors and a vacuum cleaner held together by sticky tape which cost us $10, an afternoon, a stone of sweat and some further development of calf muscle. Quite a bargain, and we got to get lost in a scary neighbourhood where people were joyriding and staring at us out of windows. The posters failed utterly in all but making scrap paper.

We still have dirty windows but I have actually spotted some cleaning action on other buildings. I am confident that we will sparkle in time for Christmas.

We are in the throes of our first family visit, hence my lack of blogging this week. It has been a great opportunity to see how much we have adjusted so far with the aid of fresh eyes, and also to reaffirm how very very lucky we are to live in this city. It is easy to get bogged down with the daily difficulties, but at the same time, I have felt the kind of pride I experienced Liverpudlians exhibit for their hometown. It doesn't matter so much over here where you were born; San Francisco is full to the brim of people who hail from somewhere else. The only trouble is there isn't enough time on any visitors itinerary to show them even the briefest glimpse of everything there is to offer.

My arm has been twisted to plug a charitable game, so here goes. I have just signed up to Operation: Sleeper Cell, a fundraising initiative for Cancer Research UK. You get to play games for a good cause, which can't be bad. Tell your friends. Plug over.

I may well do a full review at some point in the future but more San Francisco highlights to add to my list are; the Exploratorium ( a science museum for kids, and I liked it - it must be amazing); the Japanese Tea Garden, a haven of peace and tea; and Cliff House, an art deco styled restaurant and tea room nestled on the edge of a cliff by Ocean Beach looking out over the sea. I like these places irrespective of the fact that two involve tea explicitly, but I think tea is served in the Exploratorium too. You will have to buy my forthcoming book, 'A Nice Cup of Tea, San Francisco Style' to find out more. It will be available in all good bookshops.