Wednesday 4 July 2012

Born In The USA


At least I always wished I had been born in the USA when I was younger and any excuse to mention Bruce Springsteen.
And July 4th is the perfect excuse.
As a child growing up in Manchester I dreamt of travelling to America.
Our family holidays were usually a bus ride away to Southport or Blackpool.
As a 14-year-old in 1980 teenager I would spend the summer holidays slathered in Bergasol sun lotion, sunbathing in my back yard on an orange floral sunlounger.
Radio 1 would be blaring out.
Tracks by Blondie, The Pointer Sisters and the Bee Gees would be playing and I would be reading Fab 208, a magazine that featured many articles about life as a stateside teenager.
By the age of 14 I had outgrown my Leif Garrett obsession but I still harboured dreams of becoming a California Girl.
Fast forward to 2002 and at the age of 36 I took my very first step on US soil after landing at JFK ariport to take part in the New York Marathon.
That first (and so far, only) trip to the USA was every bit as exciting as I imagined it would be.
I remember the sheer thrill of seeing the steam pour out of the vents in the sidewalk as we walked around Manhattan, the sensory pleasure of eating pancakes and maple syrup for breakfast in a diner and marvelling at the NYPD cops who were as wide as they were tall.
I loved walking round Central Park, especially Strawberry Fields which has links to my adopted hometown of Liverpool.
It is my aim that one day I will be able to visit every single US state but I am saving that for my Gap Year!
As a teeanger I did have a few pen pals in America thanks to the adverts in Fab 208 magazine but they fizzled out as many things do when the teenage years get crammed with part-time jobs, study and friends closer to home.
One of the brilliant things about blogging is the communication we can have with like-minded peaople across the world.
I still find it amazing that I can share the lives of many other women across the Atlantic and further afield through this blog.
So today  I wish all my American friends a Happy 4th of July and I dedicate my red, white and  blue outfit to you.


I wore:
Shoes - Marks & Spencer (25)
Jeans - Tesco (12)
T-Shirt - H & M (2)

9 comments:

  1. What a fun post!

    You mentioned Leif Garrett and that's so funny, he was the Justin Bieber of the day wasn't he? My dream guy back then was David Cassidy.

    I now dream of going to England...to Blackpool for the major Ballroom competition there!

    I agree with you about the benefit of connecting and sharing with women everywhere through blogging. It's a blessing.
    Very cute patriotic outfit today!

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    Replies
    1. I remember watching "Shall We Dance" with Richard Gere and Jenifer Lopez where they talk about going to Blackpool. Blackpool is less than an hour's drive from here and is not a place I would want to go to now but it made me see the resort in a different light after watching that film.

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  2. We must be the same age then! I loved Leif Garrett and Fab 208 but funnily enough never had any inclination to go the USA! I've only been on a long weekend to Boston but after meeting so many fab American bloggers I'm tempted to go back.
    Great red jeans! x

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  3. What a nice post Jane :)
    In my case, in my teens I wanted to have been a native of Spain :)
    I can totally relate to your first visit to the US - and i love those red trousers on you.

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  4. Funny how we fantasize and wonder what life would be like elsewhere. I always thought I'd like to live in an English cottage, one surrounded by roses and maybe with a thatched roof. Nevermind that I don't know how to grow roses and thatched roofs probably leak.

    I agree that the internet is a wonderful thing for communicating across the globe.

    Darla

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  5. Jane--You are always welcome at my house, smack dab in the middle-of-America, when your travels finally bring you here.

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  6. I hope you'll come back to the US. We Americans are always charmed by a British accent! I've been to all 50 states, and there are some you can probably skip. I've only been to England once, and believe it or not, I went to Manchester.

    I'm enjoying your blog and love that ladies across the globe can connect through this media.

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