Lady Jill here with the final instalment of my version of Letter from America.
Daily routine included taking the dog for a walk in the park – a new experience for me as I have cats – and encouraging the boys to do their school holiday
assignments. California has more than its fair share of entertainment, and for their joint birthday treat we went to Knotts Berry Farm, which is a ‘Snoopy’ version of Disneyland. I regained my lost youth with a couple of drives on the Dodgems, but kept well away from the terrifying rides which seemed to defy gravity. I was surprised to have my bag checked on the way in to make sure it didn’t contain any food; presumably one has to buy it there at inflated prices.
The shopping malls were beautifully – almost clinically – clean, and open until 9 pm most evenings. The staff actually appeared to mean their inevitable comment to ‘Enjoy the rest of your day’. I was impressed by the large stores, particularly the fresh market areas where the fruit was polished to within an inch of its life and looked very attractive, rather like the open-air markets in France. I think perhaps some stores in the UK are also beginning to realise that the appearance of their fresh products is important to shoppers.