Hello Everyone!
I hope August is treating you better than the rest of the world? It seems every which way we turn there is some kind of turmoil going on, although North Korea seems to have read my last column on a quest for happiness – I just read today that they are encouraging us foreigners to book surfing holidays on their shores! Makes swimming with sharks seem rather tame…
A part of me feels uncomfortable plodding along with my day-to-day life when the rest of the world is up in arms, however it is then I realize what ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ actually means. For those of you planning trips back home you may want to take out insurance and be on volcano alert as it looks like Iceland’s ‘other’ big volcano Bárðarbunga, might kick off. You may remember the absolute chaos in 2010 when Eyjafjallajökull erupted. Flights were at a standstill and passengers were in limbo for about 6 days. I was very touched to see so many Brits in LA members come forward to offer spare rooms or sofas to relative strangers stranded here in Los Angeles. I think it was about then we realized Brits in LA was a ‘real’ community, rather than just a virtual one.
We have just passed Brits in LA’s 8th birthday – and coincidentally coming up to our 8000th member ! Craig and I should really come up with some kind of prize to mark the occasion – we are hosting a Sunday Roast this weekend at the Pikey on Sunset Blvd. We have a reserved a big table from 3pm, so please join us if you can and don’t hesitate to come on your own as I promise we are a very friendly bunch. Chef Ralph is a fellow Brit and cooks up a great Sunday roast, however his carb servings are a bit too Californian for me – don’t hesitate to ask for extra potatoes and gravy…..they are always happy to oblige. He got his start with Jamie Oliver at the restaurant/TV show Fifteen. It never ceases to amaze me how each of us have such unique stories on our journey to LA. Make sure to check out this weeks featured Meet A Member, Kerstin Alm. She is actually Swedish and came here with her job at Air France many years ago. We still get asked all the time “ Is it ok if I bring my non-Brit friend along?” Kerstin is a prime example of our motto “You don’t have to be British, You just have to like us” – here at Brits in LA we aren’t fussed about nationality, sexuality, color, profession, religion, age or any other unique thing about you and welcome anyone and everyone. All we ask is that you be courteous and respectful of other people’s differences and we should all get along like a house on fire. Now let’s work on the rest of the world having the same attitude!
If you have friends who are still waiting to be ‘accepted’ to our Facebook groups get them to drop us a line at britsinla@gmail.com introducing themselves and we will process their requests as quick as we can. In the meantime have a great week and hope to see some of you on Sunday, even if it’s just for a cheeky pint.
Don’t forget Pub Quiz is on hiatus until October!
Cheers!
Eileen
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