Thursday 1 October 2009

Endless Summer – The Postcards Tour Finale


Michael Harling is a fellow American Expat living in the UK. I believe we met via an expat forum for Americans in the UK, some time ago. (As many of you will recall, I spent over a year living in England.) Michael's been touring the blogosphere, as a guest poster, and has chosen Suzer's Expat Adventures as one of his final destinations. Have a look at his other posts here. And if you have some extra reading time, don't miss Michael's other blog, Pond Parleys, which he 'co-hosts' with fellow British expat in the US, Toni Hargis. By the way, when you do make it to Australia in person Michael, we'll introduce you to our local brew, Cooper's. No one here touches Foster; it's export only I believe!

Endless Summer – The Postcards Tour Finale

I started this tour just as summer was beginning, so it seems fitting to end it just as summer draws to a close and autumn takes over. It’s been fun and I’ve met a lot of great people, but touring is tiring, even in the virtual world, so I’m taking advantage of that magic we call the Internet to round up the Kindness of Strangers Tour by relying on the kindness of several strangers at once. In a way, making my final tour stop to ten locations simultaneously seems the perfect ending for it—one big autumnal burst before quietly fading away.

This tour began as a means of promoting my book, but it soon became an end in itself and took on a life of its own. Very often, I found myself having such a good time “visiting” people around the globe that I forgot to mention the book. To date, my trip has taken me from Britain to Canada, sunny Spain, Tenerife and even back to my own hometown, ending up here in Australia with fellow American expat-Suzer.

This is the perfect place to end my tour because, as summer has drawn to a close back home, it is just beginning down here. Suzer tells me she’s going to put some Fosters on ice and fire up the Barbie (I’m assuming she means she’s going to light the barbeque grill and not set a perky little glamour doll on fire). So as soon as I finish this post we’re heading out back to enjoy the evening, watch the setting sun make the earth glow even redder and listen to the didgeridoos in the distance. I think I’m going to like it here.

I have to say, of all the adventures I might have imagined for my life as a young boy, touring the blogsphere on other people’s blogs was not a contender. But then the idea of leaving my quiet, rural life, moving to England, marrying a foreigner and writing a book about it never occurred to me, either. I’m glad and grateful for having done both, however, and although the tour is coming to an end, the adventure continues.

May yours continue as well.


Thanks and Good-bye from
The 2009 KINDNESS of STRANGERS TOUR?
Visit the Tour Page for the latest Tour updates.

Michael Harling is the author of
Postcards From Across the Pond – dispatches from an accidental expat
“Laugh out loud funny regardless of which side of the pond you call home. Bill Bryson move over, there’s a new American expat in town with a keen sense of humor.”
-- Jeff Yeager, author of “The Ultimate Cheapskate”

Visit the Home Page: http://postcardsfromacrossthepond.blogspot.com/

6 comments:

Maya said...

He picked a good place to end his trip. I'll have to check out his other posts and blogs.

steveg said...

haha - this is great, not often you can get two people from a different continent, now each living on 2 further continents and I can claim to have met both of them in person - I'm well impressed - oh and for those of you who haven't had the pleasure, make sure you pick up a copy of Mike's books they are very entertaining, I can heartily recommend them.

Hope you and Steve are well Susan?

Suzer said...

We're good Steve how's things with you? Spending the weekend doing some yard work and such...Spring cleaning!

steveg said...

Somewhat - we spent a deal of yesterday either holding down or tieing down things in the garden as we were gettting VERY high winds in the UK (super still this morning though) today I am working and later my daughter is over for dinner with her fiance.

Arizaphale said...

What a cool idea! Would like to check out his book. We must all get together soon!

Suzer said...

That would be good. Getting ready for my aunt's visit in a few weeks, so maybe after that.