I got there Friday afternoon with "nameless" and spent a wonderful and very uplifting 20 minutes or so there. Like I said it's in Lake Carmel, off the beaten track and still with work to do, but when you arrive it's quite beautiful. Huge talls Buddhist temple in the middle, which is then surrounded by the library, sleeping quarters, canteen, souvenir shop, of course apart from the temple, none of this was open but that's what made it more intriguing, so silent, with no one around, although I did get the feeling we were being watched.

You have to remove your shoes on entrance to the temple, clearly not a problem, and my god it's so worth it, you walk in and there he is, the big man, sat there looking very regal and yet humble, just wild, loved it. I was disappointed that we only got this one shot because my batteries were running out, although I felt kind of weird anyway just taking this one pic.

Also around the big guy are thousands upon thousands of smaller buddhas that look upon him in prayer, god it was fab.

So after kneeling to say a little prayer of my own and then throwing a dollar into what was really a kids blow-up swimming pool, but had been turned into a wishing fountain, we left, feeling peaceful and happy with our lives.

So I'm back in the city after a very very enjoyable weekend in Cold Spring, bit chilly but very fine. I got the midday train from Cold Spring, which arrived around 1:20pm in Grand Central Station. I would of come home but the cleaner was coming and so I went to the office instead. Of course I checked my machine and she hadn't turned up and wasn't going to until this coming Friday, so I'm afraid she's fired, I can't deal with this, HEELLOOO I have a system, I work from home, so if you ain't coming then let me know cos it fucks up my plans otherwise.

Anyway safe to say that my Weight Watchers points system didn't exactly work out too well this weekend. Listen it's really hard when your at a friends house with two exceptional cooks working hard in the kitchen to serve you....I mean come on it's rude not to chomp down EVERYTHING that gets put in front of you. So I'm back on it today, except that I had a very very creamy clam chowder for lunch, only half though and I've just wolfed down a nasty stale cookie cos I'm frigging starving. Sushi tonight, 4 pieces, 2 points, that will have to do until tomorrow, god, looks like an early night then.

Right Al are you happy now mate???One page done, do the others either later on tonight or tomorrow morning, promise. Also there's lots of cute pictures of baby Olivia and the others....thankfully none of me, excellent