Having a balcony in the sunshine is a dangerous thing... because there is a great temptation to not explore California at all but just stay home and soak up the rays...

And, although we had good intentions, basically, this weekend that's exactly what we did!

We had good intentions Monday morning - put on our hiking boots and mentally prepared ourselves for a day of exploration - but when we got close to where we were heading, we saw that the ridge was covered in cloud - so, undeterred we amended our plans and decided to hike around a reservoir (which looks beautiful from the road) instead...

Unfortunately the rest of the world was there and so, rather than peaceful majestic beauty, it felt rather more like Butlins - and the lake was fenced off so for most of the time it felt like we were caged animals... We took a couple of nice photos and then... "retreat to the balcony" we cried... and that's exactly what we did!