Fiesta in Santa Barbara

I’m getting my driver’s license! Yes, for the third time and in the third country I’m once again studying up on my road signs and practicing my parallel parking.

Considering that I’ve been driving for quite a long time, you’d think that I wouldn’t be nervous about the test but somehow whenever the word ‘test’ is mentioned, I go all a bit wobbily with anxiety.

I used to be a teacher myself

It’s a really strange phenomenon, especially as I used to be a teacher myself and inflicted so many nasty tests on my poor students! I managed to pass the written exam and next week will be trying not to crash into anyone in downtown Santa Barbara. If any of you are in the area – beware!

One of the great things about living out here is being able to see and hear the ocean every day. It was also one of the things I loved the most about living in Brighton, England. I spent a whole afternoon at the beach this week with our dog watching a pod of dolphins jump and play in the surf only 20 or 30 feet away.

There’s something so magical about seeing them close up in the wild. I wanted to run out there and swim with them but didn’t want to scare them away with the flailing about that I call ‘swimming.’ They’d probably assume I was drowning and try to save me.

Next week is ‘Fiesta’ in Santa Barbara and some friends are coming to stay with us. In fact, there are a few groups of people coming to stay with us for almost all of August so it should be a pretty lively month. During Fiesta there is a big parade, live music and dancing and lots of stalls with amazing Mexican/Spanish food. Lots of margaritas will be drunk and confetti eggs thrown – Party time!!