OK, is this more like it...?

There are worse sights to wake up to. I find the greenery so very restful.

As all but the least observant of you are aware, I am presently a temporary resident of the USA. It's a distinction which was first made by Jason (BBHN), in a comment some days ago now. I am not "on holiday", as such, I am actually living here, albeit for a very short time.

The vibe is certainly different. I am not on some mad dash to see every tourist attraction around, nor to go down to the beach each day and improve my chances of getting skin cancer. I don't have a car here, and I am living in a perfectly normal area of Lexington Park, here in Maryland. I suspect my impact on the area has been and will continue to be minimal.

So what am I doing?

Well, right now, after a wonderful flight here, loads of sleep, a trip to the beach and a lovely visit to a grocery store, I am laid up in bed fighting off cellulitis infection in both legs.

The lighthouse - and the nearby beach. Sunburn acquired here.

The house you see pictured to the right of this writing is the house in which I am living, moving and having my being. Whilst I have not ventured to the top floor, I can now conform that I have made it as far as the first floor.

The first floor has many wonderful things on it, mostly they are an XBox360 and a Playstation 2. On these boxes, Leslie and Noah play, along with their friends - one of whom is Sean, who is the erstwhile boyfriend of Jessica, who forms the third of the three people in the trio of offspring of Bonnie, with whom I am living, albeit on the basement floor, and technically in the garage thereof.

This is no bad deal, however, as the steps up to it are "none" and the air conditioning inside it works superbly well. So, I am cool, and I am happy. I also enjoy the occasional visitations of one or more local boys here for XBox and Playstation pleasure. These visitations always seem to end with the unanimous assertion that my accent is "awesome".

Well now, how nice to have something to give. I remain convinced that for me to remain in the USA would require nothing more than for me to get a job on a local radio station - in such a way as to make my "accent" available to a great many people. Maybe late at night, or something. That said, I have no plans to emigrate. Well, not yet.

Bonnie herself has been so gracious to me and so very kind. She is a teacher, by trade, and so is on her holidays right now. She has offered to take me wherever I want to go. She claims that this sort of thing is a real pleasure for her and that she likes me a huge amount. I'm eager not to be overly free with this blatant kindness, but it is nice to know that I am far from trapped here.

Even today and yesterday, when I have felt pretty poorly, Bonnie has made sure that I am looked after with drinks and whatever I might want to eat. It's actually less like being in a bed sit, and more like being in the Ritz Hotel. I could never thank her - or her wonderful family sufficiently. Jessica, in particular, makes a Moca-Latte to challenge even my own finest effort. Respect to you Jessica.

Now, to the left of this portion of writing you can see the bed on which I get to rest each night - or if today, during the day as well - but more importantly, you can see on it my new laptop computer. I am thrilled with my little MacBook, as it gives me just what I need in every department.

I can play games, check my mail, write my book, chat online and write my blog - and all without the endless waiting engendered by my old laptop. In short I am very extra-ultra-mega-delighted with it.

I know, the bit about writing my blog must seem a little amusing to you, but I put it in there anyway - in the cause of self deprecating humour. (hang on, should I write "humor" now?)

Liz asked my tonight if I was still glad that I have come here. Lying here, in quite a lot of pain, wondering whether my legs will get better or need treatment - well, I had to think hard. After all, the national health service is a wonderful thing. Sure, I complain about it, but I never have to fear receiving a big fat bill. Over here, even one visit to the doctors and a prescription for some antibiotics could clear out my reserves of cash. That is certainly scary. That said, I am really glad to be here.

I have been like a little kid, and I am so grateful to Bonnie for answering my endless questions about how life works here. On the face of it, everything is so similar, but the face of it is as far as it goes. I will deal with the rest or the grocery store experiences in a different blog - but the differences just go on and on and on. The way restaurants work, the way to order food and drink, how to do almost anything. I'll write about it all in due course, I am sure.

OK, that just about wraps it up for this little story. It's been an interesting first week, that's for sure. Thank you for putting up with the limited info-flow from me. All I can say is that I really needed to chill out and relax. I needed some time away, I needed to withdraw from my UK existence and truly be cut-off for a while. Thanks to you for respecting that. I'll tell you more in due course.

I promise.

Comments please...

Comments

[Bitova Loon]

Good to see your having a blast .. Hopefully the legs will sort out soon and you'll be out and about again soon. Welcome to the Awesome Accent Club ;)

[Jac]

Ah the legs - yes - let's just hope they're having a 'bitofamoan' cos of the flight and that they will repair to their 'normal' level of excruciating pain soon.
Thank you for keeping the rest of us awesome accenters in the loop - we only nag cos we love you, you know that don't you?

[Barry]

Andy Hope the legs are better soon,

Then you can enjoy yourself all the more

You Awesome fella :)

[Rebecca]

It must be nice knowing that you can take it all at your own pace, glad to hear that a bit of tlc has been thrown in, can't imagine how much that would cost at a hotel. Hope you feel better soon.

[Liz Curtis]

Here's praying that the infection will clear up very soon if not immediately.
Makes me feel happier knowing that Bonnie is looking after you too. Thank you Bonnie.

[christine]

Play Misty for me??????