Location location location

Walton Hall

I haven't had a chance to blog lately so I thought I'd share a little snippet of life whilst working on outside broadcasts on location - which is something I am doing a lot of at the moment! (OB's as they're known, for those of you who don't know, are programs/shows recorded away from the base studio.) They can be anywhere from domestic to international destinations but at the moment for me they are not too far away .. it's not a holiday but some places have quite an appeal.

One such place we were lucky enough to stay recently was the Waterton Park Hotel, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The hotel is on the mainland opposite Walton Hall, a Georgian Mansion on a small island on it's own lake. The setting is idyllic and the views are stunning.  It was grey and overcast on the day we arrived but beautiful none the less.  It was a pity we were only there overnight but one thing you do need when you're away from home is a comfortable bed, specially when you have to work till late at night!  I slept like a log in my garden room and would love to have an opportunity to go back there again sometime.

working with limited light

As for the OB's, they can be quite challenging at times. Make up rooms or even tables are often non existent and you have to be creative in setting up a little area to work. Ever the professional, I tend to carry everything and more than I need .. you never know what people are going to ask for and it's best to be prepared.


My next OB trip away is Tralee in Southern Ireland ... who knows what will happen when the Guinness starts to flow - Irish republican singing, dancing a jig - I am not a big Guinness drinker so I will leave that to the die-hards!!  

I'll just leave you with an Irish quote "There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened." 

Sláinte! (to your health)

A busy summer ahead .. take care of you!

The week ahead

We've had all kinds of weather in the last few weeks .. a taste of real summer a couple of weeks ago (absolutely fabulous) after a seemingly relentless spell of rain and grey skies, the return of the rain again and now a changeable few days ahead again - although not as cold as it has been thankfully!  

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations are now over and what it showed was that the British people carry on regardless of the weather conditions and really know how to enjoy themselves.  Whatever your leanings - republican or royalist - you can't deny that it brought almost everyone together in the spirit of unity and happiness.

Work is going to be crazy busy for me again this summer with all the sporting events that are coming up including the Olympics, so I will try my best to keep the blog going and update you on some new make up and hair products over the next couple of months.

Remember to apply your sun protection even when it looks a bit dull out as those UV rays still manage to get through the clouds and burn you if you're exposed for too long.  As a reminder here is what the elements have done to my garden ornament .. you don't want this to be you!!