2002-07-04 - 5:03 p.m.

No American readers today I guess as you'll all be eating fireworks and letting off turkeys and that sort of malarky. Let's just hope no low-flying Afghan warplanes mistake the celebrations for anti-aircraft fire and drop some "friendly fire" on the innocent revellers!!! How embarrassing would THAT be?!

One newspaper described it as a "bombing blunder" which makes it sound like it happened in a sitcom or something.

I wish you good independence, though, if you're a yank of the american persuasion. This time last year I was actually there, in sunny N'Awlins:

"I celebrated the 4th of July in the traditional way, ie, by necking a truckload of alcohol whilst frolicking in a stranger�s pool, followed by some touchingly old-fashioned and chest-beatingly proud laughing at fireworks by the river before moving on to that hugely enjoyable time-honoured display of patriotism that is snogging anyone that was unwise/judgementally impaired enough to come close. God bless America."

Londoners! Buy the Evening Standard tomorrow (Friday) for a good laugh at my feature in the new comedy mag that's being given away as a supplement!