Woburn - the Brits invade

When the first day of evidence in Neil Entwistle's trial ended on Friday, there was a mass exodus of British journalists from the small town of Woburn towards Boston Logan International Airport. 

The local news channels turned their attention away from the case as the weekend passed by, with the intense heatwave currently gripping Massachusetts and the Boston Celtics' basketball success lightening the mood. 

And for those of us here in Woburn - or WOO-ben, to give it the local pronunciation - for the duration, the weekend was at least an opportunity to put the trial temporarily out of our minds. 

But the novelty of having a British accent in this quiet corner of small-town Massachusetts means barely a few hours go by without having to explain to a taxi driver, waiter or drunken bar fly why we're here. 

"There's a big trial happening at the Superior Court involving a British man and I'm a newspaper reporter," is the usual line I give them. 

"Oh yeah, Entwistle," is always the repsonse, usually followed closely by: "I gotta tell you, I LOVE your accent."

One bus driver even asked: "I've always wanted to know, does it hurt your throat to talk like that?"

A teenage waiter in a diner near my hotel was amazed that so many of us are here for so long. 

"I've never met a British person," he said. "I've never even been outside of Massachusetts."

With the trial set to go on for at least another three weeks, we Brits are going to become part of the furniture here.  And I've no doubt that the novelty of the accent will soon wear off.