an award-winning broadcast journalist, international media trainer and consultant, and writer
A English Woman in New York
Well, here we are in that horrible limbo of leaving, but not quite. It's around 96 degrees today, so really too hot to do anything, but pack (which we've done) and wait (which we are doing) and try not to sweat too much. I spent all of yesterday wracked with worry that I haven't done … Continue reading Goodbye or is it see you later
They do love their signs in New York. Many are telling you what, or more likely, what NOT to do; some are informing you of quite unenforceable laws; and many are issuing warnings - warning of an entirely obvious nature in some cases. There was a great one on the boardwalk at Coney Island which … Continue reading The writing on the signs
I hate being a tourist when I'm 'abroad' so I was delighted to come to New York to work, rather than just visit. But since I finished the job Mutley and I have had the most amazing time just drifting around, pleasing ourselves and looking at things! I know I'm on holiday because haven't looked … Continue reading On the tourist trail
Living in Harlem is a very different experience to living on the Upper East Side. While that may seem like a statement of the obvious, it's a reminder of the ways neighbourhoods can change so quickly on this tiny island. Of course, coming from Belfast, that's also no surprise to me - but in Northern … Continue reading Black power
And speaking of trains, this weekend it's been all change as far as my life here is concerned. Mutley is finally here! And it's changed everything - for the better, I hasten to add! I had reached the point where I had had enough of all of it - the job, the weather, the city, the … Continue reading All change
Since I moved from the bus to the subway I've missed watching the street go by, but there is a whole new show to watch. As the subway trains are so broad - no banging your head on the curved roof by the door like the tubes - there's nearly always room enough to watch what's … Continue reading Subway stories
This week New York has bid farewell to two icons. Along with the rest of America, and probably the world, the city has seen the last Oprah Winfrey show. On Wednesday, the last of her daytime chatshows, one of the most watched tv programmes in America, was broadcast. There have been round 4,560 episodes of the programme, … Continue reading End of an era
The weather has finally cheered up. But in a twist that I didn't expect here, it's gone from cold and windy, to scorching! I spent the day in work looking out at blue skies above the skyscrapers, actually chilly in the air-conditioning, and then popping out in the heat to get iced-coffee and lunch. So … Continue reading Weekday wanderings
Well - I DID make it out last night - eventually! The Queen of Manhattan and I walked up the road, in our high heels, to a French bar with live jazz. It was amazing - wicker chairs, linen napkins, a guy playing the saxaphone, and a stiff, very stiff, g and t! The M15 bus … Continue reading Weekend wanderings 2
Today the world was supposed to end. So far it hasn't - although I AM a bit fed up... According to Christian radio broadcasters, the world was going to be consumed by earthquakes, which would start in New Zealand and work across the world - making May 21 Doomsday. Groups of believers have been handing out … Continue reading The end of the world