Concrete jungle where dreams are made of

Britain, never worry about not being able to deal with snow again. We have just returned from New York and its not coping very well. It did get nearly two feet in about 12 hours to be fair but its not coped. We stayed on Staten Island (very nice - about $100 a night cheaper than Manhattan and you get to go past the Statue of Liberty twice a day too). The street the hotel was on wasn't ploughed properly until yesterday morning - four days after it snowed. But it was alright - Manhattan had been ploughed, sort of. BUt there was still a lot of snow.

I still heart NY and could still quite happily live in Manhattan. We had the best meal we have yet had in America at the Guggenheim - proper sized portions and delicious food. Shops, fantastic shops. Buildings like nowhere else. Yes indeed, I heart NY.

This post would be far too long if I included all the photos so I have put all the good ones in two posts after this.

New York just like I imagined it, skyscrapers and everything

In the meadow we can build a snowman

The snowmen of NYC

We wish you an irie christmas, great tidings natty dread bring you

(For all those of you that are worried that there are not enough trains here. Oh and proof that it has finally started snowing at last.)

Have a good one.

Skyscrapers bloom in America

I may just give up*. After four months of writing this, trying to sum up the American Experience, this has been pointed out to me by one of my loyal readers. It sums up everything you could ever want to know about the foreigners experience of living in America in a much clearer and conciser way than I can.

* - no, not really.

I have spoke with the tongue of angels

The scene: A large clothes shop with me wandering around aimlessly looking for Giselle. An assistant sees me and says:

"Is there anything I can help you find?"

Me (somewhat flippantly): "Yes, my wife".

Assistant: "Does she have the same accent as you?"

Me (somewhat warily): "Er, yes"

Assistant: "I have just helped her find something, I shall take you to her."

I love being a foreigner.

Take a look in the five and ten, glistening once again

It certainly is looking like christmas in here. We went and got our tree today from Lull Farm (bad photo taken on mobile phone)

Putting it up wasn't without incident. I have ended up with five stitches in my hand - don't ever try and cut branches off your tree without looking at what you are doing, oh and if you are going to do, it with something other than a kitchen knife. But it looks lovely (the tree not my hand although that will survive I think)

Crystal world with winter flowers, turn my days to frozen hours

Its seems that I am living in the only place in the Northern hemisphere where it isn't snowing. Apparently the UK has some snow (so I assume that it has all come to a grinding halt then?). I just spoke to Giselle and she is in Chicago and it is snowing there. But outside my window? 48 degrees (or just about 9 in new money) and rain. Where is this much vaunted east coast winter? (I have a feeling I may regret that....)