Goodbye For Now

Stray Cat came for her last bowl of biscuits just now. My case is packed. I am about to put my computer away and go a meet Ryan downstairs for my ride to the airport. Ryan just messaged me to say he is awake. He has a lot of Virgo in his sign like me he understands .....

Park Life

Had Starbucks in the Opera House park with Ryan. In Starbucks they ask you what your name is so they can call you when your drink is ready. Ryan said 'Cornielius'

Back on Lincoln Road we met one of his friends with a dog in his bike basket. It was a super cute Yorkshire Terrier that let me stroke him and take his picture.

Wood For The Trees

I emailed my friend with my will last night. This morning he wrote back.
"I share you anxiety about travel I have the same thoughts just crossing the city let alone the Atlantic, Be assured I will do everything you have asked me to do in your letter. Could I have some of the insurance money I need a new jacket." I told the meeting about it this morning, we all laughter. I am so lucky to have people that understand the issues I have with perception & fear. It really is such a blessing.

Nature

I had my salad for lunch as usual and a healthy  peanut butter, almond milk & banana shake for breakfast.
This morning I past a dead lizard in the street it broke my heart. I can't stand to see things like that although I know a bird or cat will eat it and the cycle of nature continues. I fed a sparrow and a pigeon some sweetcorn from my lunch which makes me so happy. Stray Cat had another can of Tuna for lunch so she is content as well.

Breaking Even

I am packing my things ready to go home. Here are the three piles of clothing. On the right I have the clothes I have been wearing. To the left is the pile of clothes I was given while here. In the centre are the clothes that I dragged from London, hung up in the closet and repacked unworn. I am getting better at this but there is room for improvement.

A Question Of Priorities

On the subject of death, ever cheery, I was pretty healthy in my eating today. No ice cream just Green Juice and salad. In the meeting some women were talking about food and one was saying that she thought that an apple that was not organic was not worth eating because of the pesticide. The other was agreeing talking about the dangers of the sun and  how important it was to avoid it as best you can (fairly impossible here.)  The thing was that she had about 2 litres of saline in her chest and probably some sort of webbing in her lips and it just fascinated me that people (myself included) can be so selective about what we accept as dangerous. I have sunbathed most days since I got here. As far as I am concerned in Miami its dangerous not to have a tan because a pale person would fry just nipping out for a Starbucks.

It's Not Over Till It's Over

I was thinking about flying home and I suddenly felt the urge to email my friend and leave instructions on how to manage my paultry affairs if I die. It is a little odd that I all of a sudden had a flash of my own mortality, since I have no phobia of flying am not prone to premonitions and have generally lived life as though I were bullet proof. I was thinking about my son, how awful it would be for him to be left alone and confused at his age, he is now the same age as I was when it happened to me.

Restless

I can't sleep, its too hot. I want to stick my arms and legs out from under the cover but then I remember that I do not have an 'Out Of Africa' mosquito net and I will get bitten. Not everyone gets attacked by these haters, Richard says they don't exist which is his approach to all the dangers I highlight. I have about 5 bites already. God knows what they will do for food when I leave.

Last Night

Last sleep in Miami. I am sad to leave the sunshine and my little routines.

Trick Or Treat

I bought Stray Cat some Tuna cat food in a can for a special treat since I am leaving tomorrow. She was very happy about it.

Whole Food

Another lunch at Wholefood's.  I had a really good conversation with Ryan about how insane it is to be super irritated by other people. I confessed that all the people stealing in Wholefood's drive me crazy. The store is just full of people 'grazing' i.e eating as much food as possible from the loose foods and serve your self bars.

Sitting By The Edge Of The Bay

I walked by the bay this evening, it's very pretty down there. Miami Beach is a man made peninsula that sits between Biscayne Bay & The Atlantic Ocean. It is attached to the main land by causeways. South Beach is the 25 Streets that make up the Southern Point of Miami Beach. There are man made islands in the bay that are inhabited by  extremely wealthy people who enjoy the privacy of tourist boats sailing past the bottom of their garden, where they tie up their yachts, on the hour with guides yelling through megaphones. 'This home belongs to Rosie O'Donnell and this villa here is where Scarface was filmed.'

Coconut & Baci Ice Cream

Diet is a joke. Self Acceptance is the key. Even harder than dieting unfortunately.

Lunch

More Tofu Salad. I was going to have a Honey & Almond Croissant from a bakery a few blocks down but I tossed a coin in the manner of Dice Man and it was Tales = Salad. I had some Spirulina & Carob cubes as well. They are really nice and very inexpensive here $1 for 5 as opposed to £1.50 each in Wholefood's at home.

Wild Life Photographer Of The Year

This is the hardest shot of all. A tiny lizard, there are loads of them but they move very fast and do not like to pose for pictures.

Stray Cat doesn't mind at all. Here she (actually) is posing sleeping in the flower bed.

London Calling

Soon I will return to my real life of puppies and macaroons ....

Wild At Heart

On the way to get Black Bean Soup from Lime I pass a car park that is full of cats. Its hard to tell if they are stray or not as many of them are beautiful and have wonderful coats. As I stopped to look at them they all came over so I thought that they must, as Blanche would say be 'relying on the kindness of strangers.'

I got them a box of Purina on the way home and emptied it into various little piles so they could all get some without the dominant ones fighting them off. They seemed pretty pleased. Today there was a Flea Market on Lincoln Road and they had a stand where volunteers from a local cat charity were rehoming kittens and raising money for the feeding and neutering of stray cats. There does seem to be a high level of kindness to animals in this community which is so nice. I don't feel bad about leaving my Stray Cat when I go because even though I think I am his favourite human, lots of other people leave out water and food for him and his comrades.

Soul Survivor

I took Richards iPod to the beach. He has the best selection ever on his playlist. Today I played his 232 Rolling Stones Tracks as I lay under the sun (obviously I skipped the ones I don't like or I would still be there.) My whole life has been played out to a Rolling Stones soundtrack.
I got my first album when I was about 11 years old and I can relate every high and low light of my life since then to a Stones track.

Shot By Both Sides

Well I was taking my life in my hands hitting the beach this afternoon. Dangerous Cross Currents and Jellies. Still I gritted my teeth and lay down my towel. Only 3 days of sunshine left can't waste time worrying.

Brunch

Wholefood's Tofu salad from the serve yourself salad bar. I am using the following recipe which is so good I might try and recreate it at home.

• Lots of mixed leaf salad
• Some young spinach
• Bit of sweet corn
• Few Chick Peas
• Spoon of Tabouleh
• Corinader
• Olives
• 4 cubes of tofu
• Tahini dressing

Lying In Wait

By the gate post
In the sunshine
Calm & patient
Stray Cat

All I Want Is ...

Black Bean Soup from Lime served with corn chips & salsa and lots of coriander which they think is called cilantro. I had this for dinner last night and tonight, if I like things I just do it again. There can be a downside to this approach of course.

Too Much Exposure

Very tanned at the moment. It fades fast though. Richard said you have to moisturise all the time to keep the colour. He works with models so he knows about stuff like that. One of his girls works for Victorias Secret - she is lovely but to me that company represents everything that is wrong with American sexuality. I walked in the store today actually to see if it was as bad a I remembered and it is WORSE. They are opening one in London soon so expect to see an onslaught of neon coloured push up bras and visible G-Strings in the West End this summer. The whole ethos of the store seems to be to convince women to smell like Tom Cats and dress like $10 hookers. Its strange what you see in Miami in terms of clothing or the lack of it. Almost every woman between 12 - 70 is in a tight t-shirt with a push up bra. People tend to wear the same clothing to go shopping as they do to go to beach. Its strangely unpleasant to see someone in a grocery store in a bikini top.

Lunch

Tomato & Mozzarella - followed a few hours later by

 Baci & Coconut ice cream.

Magnolia Flower Water

The gutters are full of petals that blew down in the storms

Stormy Weather

Last night it rained really hard and kept going till about 11am this morning. The winds are very strong, a little dangerous in the exposed areas but warm. The Ocean was amazing - the warning flags were all red for Danger. All my beach pictures are shaky like this I think it was too hard to hold the camera steady. Really beautiful though.

Miami Style

Miami Style at its best. Pink Thunderbird car and Art Deco Hotels.

Happy Birthday Stella

My puppy is 1 year old today. Here she is on the counter of Rick Owens Mayfair shop.

Friday 13th

Every month that begins with a Sunday will have a Friday 13th!
Who knew?
I have just read that the superstition around todays day & date may be as a result of the capture and execution of hundreds of The Knights Templars on Friday 13th October 1307 in France.
It is raining here which is very unlucky, it is also raining in London which is very ordinary.

Miami Heat

90 degrees today.

Just Me & You

Richard has abandoned me  gone back to New York to earn money to pay for my holiday villa in South Beach. It's just me and Stray Cat now.

Back In The Salad Again

The relief of eating food I can actually digest! I had dinner in Wholefood's this evening. Tofu salad with tahini dressing and a vegan chocolate cookie (not pictured)

Tabby Cat

Stray Cat has a friend who is a Tabby Cat - very shy hence long distance ariel shot from over the walkway but comes and gets food when he thinks you are not looking. I got them Salmon and Brown Rice food from Publix today.

By The Dawns Early Light

Today was a good day. No jelly fish, no dangerous currents, just heat. I even went into the sea for 5 minutes - there are fish in there you see them even in the shallows. I over heard the jet ski guys talking about seeing a big sting ray and they don't go out all that far - not something I want to run into.

Fries With That?

So we were back in Ballan's this morning. Richard continues to be a terrible influence on me and I find myself eating eggs, sour dough toast and home fries. I am starting a juice fast as soon as he leaves, which is tomorrow night, which gives me 6 days to relocate my hip bones. I am not sure banana & peanut butter smoothies count as juice though.

Pancake Day

I have to have pancakes at least once each time I come to America. Today was pancake day, served with fruit and walnut butter at Ballans. The same sleazy Ballans that we have in Soho only the Miami branch is so much better.

Day Trippers

Ryan texted me and we decided to go to the Design District for lunch. We went to this little Argentinian cafe called Lemoni. It was really pretty, and friendly and nice.

It felt like it could have been anywhere, the area is strange, you feel as though you could be on a highway running through Texas or anywhere in the US. I had a soy burger panini and Ryan has quesadillas.

We went around the corner to see a girl Ryan knew, she has a whole house with a garden near by. It was amazing, she made us English tea from Harrods, talked a lot about working with ancestor spirits and had two really happy little kittens. The garden was full of lizards which the kitten chased and spider webs which I like somewhat less.

We stayed quite a while and then popped into Marni as our friend works there. On the way back to South Beach we went back to Lemoni to share a Brownie A'La Mode (that's American for with ice cream) and drink coffee. 

We drove back over the Causeway - its great as you can see all of Downtown Miami over the Biscayne Bay. 

Breakfast

Banana & Peanut Butter shake. Really exhausted this morning after the worst possible nights sleep ever. Meeting was awful. I am switching meetings that one is like an Emergency Room.

The Song Remains The Same

Sun & Salad - that's it ...

It's A Sweet Thing

Haagen Dazs has two new flavours. Coconut & Pineapple and Salted Caramel & Truffle.
Disturbingly good. Before my family imploded in the 1970's my Grandmother used to have Pineapple ice cream. It came in a can, I think from a cash & carry type place. It was amazing, one of my happiest memories.