It's been a busy few weeks. Last Sunday Chris & I celebrated the 4th of July British style. We were invited to an "American 4th of July Picnic" at the London home of Louis Susman, the American Ambassador to the UK (actually, to the Court of St. James) and his wife. They live at Winfield House, which is a humongous dwelling within Regents Park. We of course were limited to the yard (even the loos were outside) so luckily the weather cooperated. It was a really nice effort, but pretty much a British event. We were greeted by the Ambassador himself upon arrival; he said hello then directed us quickly toward the hot dogs. Hamburgers were also provided, as well as beer (American & British), chicken, ice cream & Starbucks coffee. Pimms cocktails and large screen TV's showing the Wimbledon final kept the English guests content. There was a band - a very good one, in fact - but it was no National Symphony Orchestra on the grounds of the Capital and, sadly, there was no Stars & Stripes Forever accompanied by fireworks for a finale. I'm happy to say that there was a US Marine Corps Honor Guard in attendance, which of course made me think of my Dad. The 4th of July was a very big deal when we were kids and all of the patriotic songs that my siblings & I can all still sing are a result of Dad's tuteledge. ("You're a grand old flag...") Now, for some reason, which I'm sure makes sense somehow, Bianca Jagger was at this event. Just floating among the guests in a very un-celebrity sort of way. Sounds kind of like I'm recapping a strange dream, doesn't it?
I'd been feeling more settled and a bit more at home before this picnic, but I realized at the end of the day that I was feeling depressed and homesick again. We never had a huge party or anything for the 4th in the US, but we usually did spend it with some contingent of the extended family, and it really is such a huge part of our culture over there. Here, it was just another Sunday, which felt wrong somehow. Having Bianca at our "American" picnic might have kinda pushed the whole feeling over the edge. Oh well. Ironically enough, just as we were going to bed, we heard a brief smattering of fireworks going on out the window. We couldn't see anything, but someone was setting them off somewhere close by which gave me a bit of comfort before I fell asleep.
Yesterday, we went to the wedding of our friends Cristina & Wycliffe. Cristina was my niece Olivia's (Meg & Glenn's now 5 yo) very first au pair from 2005 to 2006. She is from Romania and after her 1 year commitment in the US went back home. Not long after that she took a nanny position in London, where she met Wycliffe, who is from Uganda. I'd gotten to know Cristina when she was providing wonderful care for Olivia & support for new Mom Meg, and when we came over for Chris's interview in January Meg hooked us up. We've seen them a few times since, including - much to Wycliffe's dismay - watching England's final loss (some would say embarrassing thrashing) to Germany in the World Cup together. So, yesterday we went to the British wedding of a Romanian bride and Ugandan groom and had a lovely time.
Chris's brother Mike arrived for a 10-day visit on Friday morning - so good to see some family! I think he's been having a good time: we took him to Borough Market & for a walk along the south bank of the Thames on Friday, Yesterday while we were at the wedding, Kyle showed him Covent Garden and they walked around the city a bit more, and last night we had lamb chops for dinner. Not sure if I've previously mentioned this, but the British lamb & pork that we've been getting from our local butcher is to die for. It's all free range and truly like nothing I've ever eaten in the US. Chris & Mike headed up to Birmingham today to play a few rounds of golf, one of which will be on the same course where something like 4 Ryder cups have been played. They rented a car and Chris drove for the first time since being here. He did call to say they'd made it safely - hopefully they'll have as much success on the golf course.
I'm most excited about the fact that this Wednesday, the 4 of us leave for a 3-day trip to Paris on the Eurostar!! I really can't wait. I've been brushing up on my French and pouring over the guide books. It's the first time going for all of us so it should be a lot of fun. It may just be a blog worth tuning back in for. Au revoir pour maintenant.
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