4th of July cont'd

The 4^th of July party was fun. At the risk of sounding trite in this blog - it may be too late for that - the weather has been beautiful here. Who would have ever thought you could compare England to southern California? Every day has been sunny and in the high 70’s. (Okay, England’s version of sunny, which means there are usually clouds at the ready.) And the natives complain that it is too hot.

Back to the party, no fireworks but American flags and a rendition of the national anthem karaoke style by Jo. Luckily Jo took the lead - she must have had advanced knowledge of my singing ability and she’s probably heard Sarah sing. (By the way, did anyone know that the U.S. national anthem actually has four verses? I learned this during my party preparations.)

I couldn’t get the assembled to cross their hearts while the anthem played. So be it. The theme shifted as Michael and Lisa, next door neighbors, gave me instructions on how to survive in Brent Pelham, our little country village.

1. Don’t ever get caught with your binoculars and clipboard checking out the neighbours. (I’m not sure yet what this means but I do know that Sarah anxiously puts down all the shades in the house before we go to sleep.)
2. Say you approve of fox hunting. (I attended a foxhunt on Boxing Day last year. Technically fox hunting is outlawed but some say they “happen” onto foxes. The Burberry set were in abundance on Boxing Day.)
3. Say you vote “conservative” even if you don’t. (A reference again, I believe, to the Burberry set.)
4. Address Capt. Barclay as “sir” or “your lordship.” (He’s the nobleman of the village, head Burber.)
5. Be nice to your neighbours.

We’ve been for a couple of bike rides. Yesterday a bunch of us rode to James’s school and came back along the ford, a river bed most of the year but dry now. Today, James and I took the same ride and lingered at a few spots to explore. It is quintessential English countryside. Sarah is relieved since she took me out of the big city and was concerned I would feel Brent Pelham was too remote or isolated.

Tomorrow the job search begins in earnest.