cellini's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Home Blah blah, working on my manuscript tonight and getting sidetracked. Now here I am. I get strangely defensive of the monarchy of Britain. It is a strange thing. Yes, I lived in England as a child and went to school there but I don't know that this can be the full explanation. We Americans really do have a great deal of respect for the Queen when you get right down to it. Particularly those of us who know our history. The queen Mum really contributed quite a lot to her country during the war and the Queen has contributed a lot herself as well. She has met with every prime minister of England at least once a week for the last 50 years or so and that gives her a keener insight into the workings of the British government and into world affairs than probably any other education could afford. The queen is an amazing asset to the civilized world and if I was the President of the United States right now I would consult with her regularly. I mean that in all seriousness. She has a perspective on world affairs that NOBODY else on Earth can match. Whether Charles and William have that same desire for wisdom that she has had, and that same devotion to it, I don't know. I do know that I have enough respect for her contributions to global affairs and for the traditions that she represents that I would be very happy to fight and die under the British colors. And *that* almost certainly is a result of having gone to preschool in London, and having been witness to IRA bombings and so forth as a small child. If Britain was attacked by any country in the world, they ought to know that almost every eligible American would sign up immediately to fight and die on her behalf. It has been a long time since the last war or two, but we still remember. And aside from that, we remember that Britain was with us through one stupid adventure after another. Through Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan. We remember and we'd return the favor a hundred times over. I have been away for a long time but I still miss it. I think often of the smells of London. The diesel exhaust of a bus, or the crinkled paper and vinegar aroma of fish and chips. The punch of a straw through the foil of a half pint of milk. It all smells and sounds of home for me, even after all of these years. When I go home again, I have plans. I want to spend a few days in London, although I have no idea who to spend them with. I have no idea how to contact the people I went to school with. And then I want to travel. I want to go to Northampt0n to talk to Al@n Moore. That is important. Then I need to go Home. Back to Wiltshire, where my family came from to America way back in the 1640's. If I get a really substantial advance for the new book, of $50k or more, I'm going back home to Wiltshire this spring. So I am. 12:05 a.m. - 2010-12-03 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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