A very Merry Christmas

That's all folks!!!! A very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year to all our readers!!

Just myself and Stuart this year. Goose breast, roasted potatoes in goose fat. I bought myself 3 HUGE brussel sprouts which are a no-no for Stuart. And Creme Brulee. Yum. I've installed Skype so at 7am tomorrow morning I'll be able to see my mum and dad at my sisters house.

All the very best for 2 0 1 5. Please come back to visit.

Decking gets a polish!!

I was away this last week in LA Monday thru Wednesday. While I was away, Stuart and Danny set to and repainted the pool decking and the pool and spa coping. When I came back on Wednesday, it was almost done

. It looks spectacular  especially as nobody has moved the sun beds  - yet!! All ready for the 'season'. A very professional job,guys. Saved us thousands!!

And here's a picture of our fireplace!!

Flowering cactus

Well, Christmas is nearly upon us with it's usual merry cheer. There have been a few things going on here at the Inn, not least was the flowering of one of our tall cacti near the pool outside #1. It was spectacular. It took forever to flower; it just grew and grew and grew!! Then, pow!!! Burst into flower which lasted a few days. Other cacti have had buds but didn't flower. As dear old Gracie Fields sang about her aspidistra "oh, what a big one. I've never seen one as big as that before .............. !!!" Oh, what a beauty it must be six feet tall or even more!!!" LOL

Happy Pride everybody!!!!

Here we are, all decked out for Pride weekend (notice it's not called GAY Pride anymore. Who made that decision?).

Last weekend we were similarly decked out for Leather Pride but I forgot to take pictures. More or less the same but with the leather colours.

It's our anniversary!!!

Tomorrow, October 31st, is the 14th anniversary of us moving to Palm Springs!! Fourteen years! Can you believe that? We find it difficult to believe it ourselves. One ex-hotel owner told someone we know "They don't know anything about running an hotel. I'll give them 6 months!!!" Well, guess what? He's long gone and we're still here! Hoorraahhh for us LOL.

We still love it. We both remember waking up on November 1st 2000 thinking What have we done? We were sitting outside at around 6.30am that morning when the pool man arrived. We never did see him again so I guess he fired us. Our first weekend coincided with Gay Pride. The previous owner had let the place to a crowd of Math students in town for a math convention. They were here for 3 nights and there were over 30 of them including the math professor.  I think they paid $2,000 for the 3 nights (including tax). The professor was really pissed off when he called to book the place for 2001.

We have met some lovely people over the years and surprisingly, seem to come back! So, thank you all for making this an experience we have enjoyed over the years and here's to many more ... I doubt for another 14 !!!!!!

Little boxes!!

It's just like 'Little Boxes" in our car park tonight!!!!    "There's a blue one and a yellow one, a red one and a silver one" ... cars that is!! LOL.

Suzy and Sarah weekend Sept 24th-28th 2014

These girls and boys certainly know how to enjoy themselves! They chose an earlier weekend this year. Reverting back to October next year. Too hot for fire flogging!!!

Here is a picture of the weekend's menu: Don't ask, I don't know, we only live here!!!

Some heavy duty construction work. There were more F150's in the parking lot than you could shake a stick at!!! 

"girls just want to have fun!!!"

Before I get into that, just let me say, apart from spending time with Maxine, my parents, brother Paul, sister-in law Dawn , friends Steve, Caroline, Jane, Ruth and various nieces and cousins I had a blast. BUT eating at Maggie Joness' with Jane and spotting Prince Harry eating there with friends ... well what can I say and no, I did not take a selfie.  LOL. Well, I mean, the restaurant is just around the corner from Kensington Palace so it must be his 'local'. I suppose he knows the restaurant is named after his Great Aunt Margaret!!!! And no, the place wasn't surrounded by the secret service. It isn't big enough. He's very tall!!!!






.

And there's more!!! Later our visit to the Salton Sea

Here are some picture to tide you over..... dead Tilapia on the shore at Bombay Beach. Should that now be Mumbai beach!! The 'sea'  is  an impressive sight. Pity about the smell!!!

Our mini vacation (continued)

We drove to Big Bear Lake on July 30th for a couple of nights at the Robin Hood resort. We loved it. It's a bit ironic we had only just been to the Robin Hood pub in Sherman Oaks!!! We stayed there for 2 nights, a lovely big room with a glimpse of the lake.   We will definitely go back but maybe at a different time of year ... too many straight people with their children clogging up the place. I mean, why would you take you 3 or 4 year old to a restaurant at 9pm?

The pirate ship, aaarrr me hearties!! Shiver me timbers or something like that!!!

We went for a trip on the Pirate Ship!!! Supposedly from the movie Time Bandits. Stuart thinks it's all a bit bogus! It was lovely floating around for 1 1/2 hours.

A floating outhouse on Big Bear Lake. Don't ask!!!

We have taken mini vacation(s)!!!!

I hardly know where to start!!! We decided that, during our quiet 'off season' we should visit various places and fast food restaurants we have never been to. But wait .... I get in front of myself ....

First, we drove into North Hollywood July 27th to stay at the house for 3 nights. We met our dear friends Jennifer and Dianna and Dianna's mom Charlotte for brunch at the Castaways restaurant up in the Verdugo Hills overlooking the San Fernando Valley, (Burbank in particular). Astounding views. All you can eat buffet a bit pricey @ $40 each but it did include a bottomless champagne glass (or if we are to honest, cheap Californian  sparking wine)! Charlotte and I stayed with good old Bloody Mary's!  We laughed and laughed as we usually do with 'the girls'. Such great company.

Back to the house for a nap ... and then off to the Bullet for their Sunday afternoon beer bust. Now, when Stuart and I lived in NoHo, we were regular visitors to the Bullet. They did a fundraiser for us one Saturday afternoon for the Aids Ride in 2000 and it was the most money they had ever taken across the bar on a Saturday afternoon. Big mistake going back!! Yeuk!!! We only knew one couple. Full of old blokes who had been there far too long. We used to know everybody. Bruce is still there cooking up his burgers but even he didn't recognise us ...after all,  it has been 14 years. It was very depressing. We had 2 drinks and left.

Dianna & Jennifer suggested a 'new' restaurant in Studio City called Warrens Blackboard at the Beverly Garland hotel in Studio City. We went there on Sunday and Tuesday nights having met John, Angela and their friend Sue at the Robin Hood pub in Sherman Oaks Monday night.for fish, chips and mushy peas.. A great English culinary delight. Highly recommend them both.

No pictures, sorry!!! I forgot to say, our friends Dennis & AJ were here looking after the place whilst we were gone. Much appreciated.

And yesterday .... it RAINED!!

It's even hotter

we're not complaining BUT it got up to 110 today! It's hot!!!

It's Summer!!!

Wow, summer has arrived. It hit 106f this afternoon (41c) and was still 100f at 6.15 this evening. There is a hot wind blowing but the pool remains a cool 86f. Beautiful weather. We love it call us crazy!!!

The kittens are still around, mother being very protective. Stuart has named them all ... and we seem to be down by one. He either was nabbed by somebody or got run over. Hopefully not the latter.

We are off to North Hollywood on Sunday. Beer bust at the Bullet for the first time in ages. Staying at the house for 3 nights then off to Big Bear for a couple of nights before returning home. D & AJ staying here to keep an eye on the place.

Anyway, all fun and games here at the Inn!! Did I mention the debacle with the 2 guys and their 2 dogs who thought they could let them have free rein to run wild around the pool area and pee on patios???  No? They were booked to stay here for 3 nights, stayed for 1 and checked (walked) out in high dudgeon!! Good riddance!! As I said, all fun and games!!!!

Palm Trees get their annual cut ...

And here they are, in no particular order ...

 Ooohh, what exciting lives we lead!!!!

I KNOW IT'S BEEN A WHILE

So many things have happened over the last month. Least of all our three bicycles being stolen from out the back including the two Treck road bikes we rode from San Francisco to Los
Angeles in 2000 ... Nobody would know they were there unless they had been back there. How did they get in?  Also my mountain bike I bought way back in 1995. All were delapidated,  flat tyres, rusty chains and crusty seats.  Anyhow thanks to Paul who found us a  wrought iron gate which now stands blocking the back Try carrying bikes over that!!

This morning we discovered 3 kittens plus mother on the patio of room #2. So adorable all of them and only about 3 weeks old. You can just about make two of them  out hidden behind the stump of a Mexican Palm Tree. We can't keep them and mother seems to have disappeared.  Never a dull moment!!!!

The saga of the trash cans .... continues!!!

After the so called 'roll-out' of the new trash cans, you remember, they couldn't decide when we were to get delivery and then the day of the week for collection of trash was up for discussion? And we had 10!!??




Had a call from the Palm Springs Disposal Service a couple of days ago. "Hello, this is the Palm Springs Disposal Service. Do you know who we are?" No, I said, are you the people who read the gas meter?? Honestly, do I know who they are? Am I stupid? Anyhow I was told that it had come to light due to some rigorous review that we had been undercharged by A LOT over the last 13 years and that our new monthly collection fee would be going from $56.10 each month to ... drum roll ... wait for it ... $244.80!!!!! LOL. Anyhow, he agreed they would  take away 5 of the new trash cans to reduce our monthly payment to $122.40, still double what we have been paying for the last 13 years. .  We agreed on a day when they would be collected. Were they? Of course not. It took an e-mail and another day before they turned up. Talk about ineptitude!!  Well done Gas Meter Readers!

My view early yesterday evening whilst sipping a Manhattan

Lovely view of the Mount San Jacinto range.









Oh, and a picture of room #4's door advertising his 'wares'. Takes all sorts!! I think it say's RAUNCH.

The saga of the trash cans!!

Finally our new trash cans were delivered today, Wednesday April 2nd. Oh what an exciting life we lead! Many, many telephone calls to the Palm Springs Disposal Service we are now the proud owners of 10 (that's right, TEN) brown 'wheelie bins'. We still havn't found out our new collection day. Is it Monday or Wednesday? Nobody seems to want to make a decision!!! All we know is, they delivered the new bins today and didn't take away the old trash!!!

As I said, what an exciting life we lead!!!!

And thanks to Mike, I am able to post pictures again. Here they are .. our new trash cans!!!! Tah Dah!!! Count them. There are 10!! Plus we also have the blue recycling container!! Different day of collection, of course. See what you are missing, Jim!!!!

We miss you, Jim .... where'd y'go???

 We miss you already!! ;(

Shock!!!, Horror!!! Ice storm hits Palm Springs!!! (Not really).

OK I know, I know. This blog is like a London bus. You wait for ages for one to arrive and then 3 arrive together!


The roof of the hotel was due for it's 10 year makeover.  The company came in on Monday and were supposed to be finished by Wednesday. Well guess what? They didn't finish until today (Thursday).  The last word we want to hear is 'problem' so apparently there were a few.


They started by washing down the roof, both the single  and the two storey buildings. When I got back from LA Wednesday afternoon, the mess .. beyond description. You wouldn't believe after the wind over the last 10 years or so there wouldn't be many little chippings left up there. Oh yes there were!! They actually did a good job washing down but I'll be doing it as normal Friday morning.
Anyhow, this morning the crew arrived around 8am and set about shrouding everything in plastic. Then they disappeared for 3 hours!!! And we have guests wanting to use the pool and spa naked so they did. To cut long story short as they say, it was all done and paid for by 1pm, plastic away.


I am trying to download pictures but Google has changed some settings. Typical.

I had to share

Here it is, 9.30pm on Wednesday February 12th. We're happily watching the winter games .. phone rings ... drunken voice ... "can you help me out I'm trying to find Warm Sands off the one eleven".


Where are you says I. "Oh, on Arenas and Palm Canyon" came the reply. First of all, Palm Canyon is NOT 111 and hasn't been for YEARS! I gave him directions, i.e. turn left on Palm Canyon, keep going and make a left on to Ramon. So I said, why aren't you calling the hotel you're staying? "I don't have their number". Oh, I said, so you're not staying with us but you are asking my help to find your way to another resort? Good luck I said! I should've told him to turn right onto Palm Canyon and right onto Ramon. That would've REALLY confused him.  What an eeejit.


For those who don't know, coming into Palm Springs from the 10 (exit 111 believe it or not) , the 111 turns left at Vista Chino, turns right onto Gene Autry and left onto East Palm Canyon.

Check out our new view!!!

Happy New Year everybody!!
How about this! Thanks to the neighbour cutting down the Tamarisk we have got our view back. The one we had 13 years ago when we first moved in. It is now possible to see our sign from Indian Canyon which has never been visible before. The old flag pole is still there but we intend to have it taken down. It's old and doesn't have the necessary tackle for running up a flag.

 

 The weather here continues to amaze us all. Un-seasonably warm. A bit cloudy today but forecast is for a high of 77f. We have guests in from Illinois and Michigan, all glad to be away from the cold.



I know it's been a while but here's a picture of Stuart about to open his Christmas present from me!!! Unfortunately it arrived when I was at the gym so it wasn't a surprise Christmas morning!!