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THE
ENGLISH WAY
Submitted
by: Pam
Being British, I don't usually celebrate the 4th of July. However,
one year, some American friends of ours were staying in Cambridge,
England, and we decided to arrange a celebration for them.
We hired (rented) two punts (a cross between a barge and a boat) between
the five couples, to travel gently up the river Cam and have a picnic.
We were all dressed in traditional English summer wear (think Brideshead
Revisited), and we'd brought plenty of food and wine, and an awning to
sit under to protect ourselves from the sun.
The men took it in turns to gently propel the boats with the punt poles
(which is not as easy as it seems), and the women sat back under our
sunhats to enjoy the ride, giggling nervously as the boats wobbled with
each change of pilot. The punts traveled along side by side, and the
conversation flowed gently between them, mirroring the river beneath.
When we were about half way along our journey, the sunshine gave way to
a torrential downpour. We hastily maneuvered the punts towards a grassy
area of riverbank and climbed ashore, erected the awning, and scurried
inside with the picnic hampers. It was very cozy. Our friends had
brought along bunting and American flags, which we damply hung around
the frame of the awning, in due celebration.
We shared our magnificent picnics with each other, and really enjoyed
the makeshift celebration. Passing punters waved at us and shouted out
'happy birthday' (an understandable assumption, since we don't generally
celebrate the 4th of July in England).
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