If you can make it to Broadway...

A trip into the city for a broadway show yesterday has once again inspired me. I am in awe of the phenomenon that is a Broadway show. "Broadway" is talked about, sung about, movies are made about it...

I have been lucky enough to see 'Wicked', 'Annie', 'Evita', 'Kinky Boots' and 'Pippin' over the last year. Choose my favourite? Impossible. 

Each time I go to a show I'm reminded how lucky I am to have this opportunity, how amazing it is to live on the doorstep of what is arguably the worlds greatest city. There is no better way to experience New York than to join the bustling throngs of people navigating Times Square and heading to a broadway show. The theaters are scattered around mid town, some small, some large, all have a personality and a life that is palpable once you are inside. 

One of the marvels of Broadway is the anticipation that comes as the curtains rise. Every show I have seen has left me wanting more... The dedication of the casts, the detail of the production, the talent of the musicians and actors, the timing, the colour, the energy....the palpable delight of the audience,  everything about it is wonderful. 

If you can, at any time of your life, not just see but experience Broadway, then do. 

As long as we are here and I am able, I will try to see as many shows as I can. 
Lucky me.

Coupon country

America is the land of discounts and bargains. No doubt the coupon culture feeds this nations appetite for the both the basics and the finer things in life at the best prices.

I  am not saying this is a bad thing. To the contrary. It's addictive! Today I joined up at the second major wholesale retailer in the USA. I couldn't resist the promise of a bargain. Even my membership was at a discounted rate. How good is that?! What is it about being able to save a dollar at the cash register? I find myself ripping out and storing coupons, combing through them and feeling an odd sense of achievement when I am able to use one. It doesn't have to be much but I feel somehow entitled to every penny I can save.

The skeptics would say the coupon discounts are already built into the bottom line and perhaps they are right.  Nevertheless comparing prices between stores and a highly competitive environment yields countless Americans powerless to ignore the lure of the coupon.

So today I saved $24 on my purchases, I may have purchased items that I had a coupon for that I wouldn't have otherwise bought today..... I may be lured back to that store earlier that I need because of new coupons no doubt making their way to my mailbox very soon....

What can I say..... When in Rome...

The Fall

So here I am, time has passed, life has changed again, I am back to 'life as usual' after a long summer holiday and a wonderful visit from my mum. So many experiences and memories, too many to record.
The new school year has started for my girls, at a time when we are used to winding down our year, it is only just beginning to wind up. Our biological rhythms must adjust to the opposite of everything we were born into. A shift in mindset must kick in, we are adapting to and taking on not only a new culture but a totally new life.

This time of year is extremely beautiful on the East Coast. It's not difficult to see why the Americans refer to Autumn as "The Fall". In our area, "The Garden State", the bright green leaves all around us fade rapidly into shades of brown, purple, yellow, orange and red.... their brilliance ending in showers of falling leaves and  ground carpets of shapes and colours that are quite something to behold. Every day the landscape changes...every day...Falling Falling..until the drone of leaf blowers ends and the cycle of nature absorbs them into the earth and only barrenness remains. It's a stark contrast to the lush summer foliage, an indescribable change, one that I wonder if I will ever get used to.

This is the favourite season of the year for many locals, not for me. The beauty is superseded in my mind by the promise that winter is coming. I don't dislike the winter, I know for sure the cold and snow is something I can appreciate and enjoy. It has its own beauty and magnificence. It certainly is something to be experienced. But I am a Southern Hemisphere girl...I thrive in sunshine and green gardens.....I relish the sounds of the sea and winters that are mild and forgiving.

But I know I need to appreciate each day for the experience... For now I am here. I will sip pumpkin flavoured coffee, decorate my garden with "Mums" (chrysanthemums) and scarecrows, arrange Halloween costumes and Thanksgiving weekend and know in my heart that one day I will be richer for these things.