The Joshua Tree

It was 1994, it was August and it was one million degrees (which may be a slight exaggeration, but not much).  I don’t think you could get more of a difference in landscapes between south London and the southern California high desert.  Summer in London - probably either miserably hot and humid (low 70’s) or raining.  Summer in southern California - dry, extremely hot (low 100’s) and very dusty.

But it wasn’t only the weather that was different.  It was the whole lifestyle.  There wasn’t (and still isn’t) any public transportation whatsoever so we had to drive everywhere.  The biggest problem we found, apart from not knowing where anything was or where we were going, was the music.  The only stations we could get on the radio were country music (ugh!).  Can you imagine?  You’re driving around unfamiliar roads in the desert, the sun is blazing down and you’re listening to country music?  I half expected Clint Eastwood to come riding by on his flippin’ horse!

It turned out that we had a couple of tapes with us (yes, actual cassette tapes!) so we spent our drives playing them.  The problem was, we only had the two and they were both U2, the Joshua Tree being the one we played most – over and over and over…because, you know, California’s a big place.  That album became sort of our anthem.  Words in “Where the Streets Have No Name” had a relevance to our lives at that time

          “I want to run, I want to hide…..
          We're beaten and blown by the wind, trampled in dust,
          I'll show you a place high on a desert plain,
          Where the streets have no name”

It basically summed up how I was feeling then, sad, lonely and lost (literally).

Fast forward twenty odd years and I recently had the opportunity to see U2 live at the Rose Bowl (because let’s face it, seeing them dead at the Rose Bowl wouldn’t have been as exciting). Ironically, it was the Joshua Tree tour, so how could I not go and listen to that album …. Again? 

It didn’t take long for me to be transported back to 1994.  The images they were projecting were exactly those images that I remember so well.  Bleak desert roads with Joshua trees along each side.  Apart from the fact that Bono is way too political and ruined a great concert, it was a good night.

Bleak roads

But those videos, oh my goodness… they brought a tear to my eye.  Those days should have been exciting and the beginning of a new adventure and I suppose, in a way they were.  But I hadn’t wanted to come to America and those first few months were torturous.  I missed everybody and everything about home and not even having  familiar songs on the radio made it seem worse.  Two young children were with us on those drives, wondering what had happened and how their lives had changed and where their friends were.  I often wonder what went through their minds at that time.  

Joshua Trees

It all came flooding back to me as I listened to those songs and I cried.  I didn’t just sniffle a bit, I literally cried like a baby.  Trying to explain what was going on to my hubby didn’t help, it just made me cry more.  Of course, I tried to laugh it off, but who ever believes that??  Memories are like that, they have a knack of sneaking up on you and getting you all emotional, don’t they?

***

And on a different note altogether, I was once told that Joshua trees only grow in southern California and apparently there's a law that if you are going to build a house and there is a Joshua tree in the way you are not, under any circumstances, allowed to cut it down.  You either have to build around the tree, which is a bit inconvenient, or dig it up and move it.  I’m not sure how true this is, but I do know those things are everywhere!  [although there doesn't seem to be many in this photo I took]

Homesick *BLUES*

It’s funny how homesickness can suddenly sneak up on you at the weirdest moments.  Sometimes even when you are in a good place.

This weekend, for example, I had the worst case of homesickness I’ve had in quite a while.  Usually, I get it around Christmas because (*cough*) America just doesn’t know how to do Christmas right, in my opinion. It’s also a time when you want to be with family and as mine are back in England, Skyping on Christmas day gets you all gooey and tearful.

Sometimes, when life gets on top of me, I fondly think of life back in Blighty and wish I was there (usually while looking through rose-tinted glasses as I know it’s not really how I remember it).

So yesterday morning, while sitting in my pyjamas, watching Chelsea win the Premier League Championship, seeing all the celebrations at Stamford Bridge, it hit me hard.  Such a massive surge of homesickness made me bawl.

Looking cool(ish)

I spent a lot of my youth and early 20’s at Chelsea.  I began supporting them back in the early 1970’s, mainly because my best friend’s family supported them… I was very (very) young and impressionable at that time!  

When I was around 17 or 18, I managed to snag myself a job selling programmes at the ground and that, as they say, is when I really fell down the rabbit hole.  

Every Saturday I would be there, home or away, almost every game. Rain or shine, actually a lot of rain, I would be on the terraces (or in the West Stand benches, or in Gate 13 in the East Stand). Every game, without fail.  

It wasn’t like it is today though.  I remember going to games where there were less than 3000 people in attendance.  The ground would echo, it was so empty.  Chelsea were then in the old Second Division and if you supported them, you really supported them.  There were no bandwagon jumpers in those days.   There were bad times and there were… well, worse times.  Not many good times at all.  But the camaraderie  was second to none.  I made so many friends during that time, some I still keep in touch with.  There were games in the snow – usually up north!  That didn’t stop us though.  We used our Persil coupons to get cheap tickets, if we didn’t go on the Supporters Club train, that is.  [Or maybe that should be called Supporters Club Cattle Cart, dirty drafty things that they were].

But there was that one season - the season everything went right and Chelsea earned promotion to the First Division.  What a celebration that day was!  Obviously, I was there…. The club put on parties and a brilliant time was had by all.  Just look….

Yeah, we knew how to party!!
(I am actually in this picture - can you see me?)

The last game I went to before we left the UK was the 1994 FA Cup Final against Manchester United.  It was not, much to my dismay, a wonderful going away present.  Chelsea lost 4-0, I was sitting by myself in the Man. Utd end and it absolutely bucketed down!  Hmmm…..typical!

As we all know, Chelsea have gone from strength to strength since I’ve been away (and I’m hoping it’s nothing to do with me).  Now they are once again Champions of England!  So Sunday was bittersweet for me. I will admit, I was extremely happy, but also it was a poignant reminder of what I miss most.  The celebrations were so few and far between back in the day.  But at least I can watch live on the telly now, not like in 1994 when we got here.  [that will possibly be a subject of another post].

So I would just like to say a big BLOODY WELL DONE CHELSEA!   Even though I’m in the good old USofA, when a football team is in your blood, its there forever.  

Oh, and I was happy to find this 'old school' car sticker the other day, which I actually put on my car on Sunday.  [**smile**]

Going Old School on my car!

That's a Bit Different - USA v. UK (Part 1)

While I was back in England, I realized there were a few things I had actually forgotten all about or things that I really, really like. Here’s a few:

Ice

Now I know every American tourist complains about the lack of ice in drinks and warm beer, but I had totally forgotten that when you order an alcoholic beverage in a pub, not only is it in a tiny little glass, you only get one or two ice cubes. It threw me for a minute. Then I realized that although my glass was tiny, I still had the same amount of alcohol, minus the half a glass of ice you get everywhere in America. There are two upsides to this: your drink doesn’t get watered down so fast (if at all) and you can actually drink more (*smile*). Although this will tend to cost you more, but hey.

As for going out to dinner, there was never a time when someone just dumped a huge glass of ice water in front of me without even asking. I never drink water with my meals, let alone a frosty one and it annoys me that waiters just assume I want it. What a waste. Anyway, back to my point, when you did have water with your meal, it had no ice and that was really nice (for me anyway).

No Ice Please

Serviettes (or should I say Napkins?)

I don’t think I am a messy eater, but having lived in the good ole USA for 20 years, I’m apparently rather used to the overabundance of serviettes everywhere.  You go for a meal and the waiters are continually bringing you new 'napkins,' go for a burger and you get about ten in your bag.  Even at home, I am now used to using a bit of kitchen roll while I’m eating.  (I don’t think of myself as posh enough to use serviettes – kitchen roll is perfect for the job).
 

You can only have ONE!

So when going out to eat in England, I realized you only get ONE serviette – and not a very big one at that.  You better not order anything messy, because you will regret it later when you have dirty hand prints on your clothes from wiping your hands.  (I find it’s a bit rude to use the table cloth).  Even when eating at home (my sister’s house) I found myself getting a bit of kitchen roll.  I’m not sure what’s happened to me that all of a sudden I am a sloppy eater who needs to wipe her face and hands all throughout a meal.  Nobody else seemed to have a problem.  I think I’ve become brain washed by American-eze.

Toilet Roll

Ahh, what a lovely surprise when I walked into my mum’s bathroom and saw green toilet roll!  Yes, green!  Oh hello coloured loo roll, how I have missed you.  When we went to the supermarket, I even stood in the tissue aisle for a while gazing in wonder at all the lovely colours: peach, blue, green, yellow…..I have become so used to only having boring old white.  What is that all about?  Why does America only use white toilet roll?  I Googled it (obviously) and the only definitive answer was that apparently white was more popular (oh, and apparently the dye might cause irritation or bladder infections to the overly anxious Americans)  Hmm…. okay.  Maybe I should have brought some coloured stuff home with me. 

Although, I did find out that National Toilet Paper Day is on August 26 and there’s something I never knew.

Give me some colour

 To be continued.......