A very happy 4th of July, Independence Day, greeting to all the "former colonials" in my audience. My British acquaintances here (and even strangers, such as bartenders who pick up on my American accent) are well-aware that the 4th of July is a big holiday in the United States and many have mentioned it and wished me well today.
They’ve even taken my little joke about going down to the Thames and tossing in a few commemorative tea bags with good humor (although I wonder if the younger folks actually know anything about the Boston Tea Party).
I’ve been more struck by the fact that my acquaintances here seem very sympathetic that I’m not home for this big holiday. In reality, though, I categorize Thanksgiving and Christmas well ahead of the 4th of July as family-oriented holidays.
Somewhere today I’m sure expat Americans are gathering (probably in London) for a big party but the Internet was useless in helping me find out about it. Another case of an Internet search returning waaay too much information, much of it only loosely-related to the desired results.
Light up a sparkler for me, my friends, and I’ll be thinking of the Red, White, and Blue.
The Occasionally-Examined Life 