At Home With The Maddens.

While in LA, we also got the opportunity to spend the day with my step-grandmother Carol's daughter Leah and her family. By the way, doesn't 'step-grandmother' sound like a sinister fairy-tale character? She isn't, by the way.

Anyway, Leah and her husband Andy (who does a spot-on impression of my Grandad John) were kind enough to show us the sights of their home of Long Beach, as well as parts of the O.C. (allowing me to fulfil the dreams of my friend Dave Finnigan, who always thought I was the Ryan Atwood to Jim Reid's Sandy Cohen). I feel I'm getting distracted again.

They showed us around 'Surf City'- Huntington Beach, before showering us with much-appreciated home comforts: homecooked food and La-Z-Boy reclining armchairs. We also got the chance to meet their sons Jack and Vince, who are so cute I think Liz wanted to take them with us! I've tried to convince her that my brother and I looked quite similar at their age, but I'm not sure she believes such a hairy, beer-bellied beast could ever be so cute... But there's proof:

I'd like to thank Leah and Andy again for driving us around and looking after us so nicely - oh, and for telling us that story about the strip club...