Home again. . .

Pardon a little old-fashioned sentimentality. . .

So it's home again, and home again, America for me!
My heart is turning home again and there I long to be,
In the land of youth and freedom, beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.
Henry Van Dyke 1909

London Newspapers

Less American news than usual while I have been here, however, I have read articles about several current issues which have clarified for me what is going on, and British reporters have expressed approval of the direction we are moving. Example: the Boeing, Northrup, EAD aircraft contract. As usual, there is overall friendliness to the USA in spite of cynicism. People will cross a crowded room to visit when they hear an American drawl in your voice!

From Gerard Baker in the July 18, 2008 issue of The Times: What people dislike about President Bush is what they think they know about America--its' ignorance, its' arrogance, its' narrow-mindedness--all caricatures fed by the media coverage of the country and its' politics and culture. But there was, it is true, always the other side to the ambivalence of the world's thoughts
about America. The rise of Senator Obama is a reminder of what the rest of the world still admires--sometimes grudgingly--about America: a constant capacity to renew itself.

Summer Picnic at St. John's Church, Hyde Park

Private gardens behind Susanne's church were opened to the congregation for a huge barbecue today. Jens went early to grill and Richard tagged along. He was pressed into service to serve red or white wine or ginger beer. Not your Midwestern sort of church picnic! Nick met a 12 year old boy from Kuwait who came down to the garden from his grandparent's eighth floor apartment in the tower block to see what was going on in the garden. He is spending the summer here and told us about how week-ends begin on Thursday there because of the Muslem Holy Day on Friday and that they all go out to the desert to camp for the week-end, cooking out of doors and riding ATVs on the sand dunes. He checked his cel phone and reported the temperature there is 122 Fahrenheit today. It was a fun visit.

I always love attending St. John's, a friendly Church of England parish. A baby was christened today and champagne was served at the coffee hour. Weekly study groups meet at a nearby pub. Susanne is on the church board now and thoroughly enjoys the international flavor of the congregation. The event was called a "summer barbecue" because of grilling meat outdoors--not to be confused with the spicy red sauce as we know it. "Meat, wine, and strawberries provided."