California dreaming

I think it is exactly 40 years since the Mamas and the Papas released the hit single, California Dreaming. Of course the point of the song was that the singer was somewhere else (not California) in the winter, reflecting on what it would be like to be in California, away from the grey skies and the cold weather. So it may not be entirely right for me to be thinking of the song right now, as I am actually in California (though only for a few more hours). It is a beautiful day here, with a perfectly blue sky and temperatures in the 20s (Celsius).

I love visiting California in the winter, and have done so on several occasions around Christmas – and I even find the Christmas decorations in the warm sunshine quite wonderful. California has a huge budget deficit, and a major energy supply problem, and woodland fires – but somehow worrying about that doesn’t feel the same when you can lie in the sun in December while doing it. And maybe that also explains why, all in all, there appears to be a spirit of optimism here in LA.

There is also a major buzz here about the new political era that people believe is about to begin. Let us all hope that this optimism carries the day and is not punctured, and that it helps to lift us all out of the gloom in the New Year.

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Tags: California, optimism, recession, the Mamas and the Papas

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