How can it be 80 degrees in New York at the end of October? Today has been horrid for those of us who like to be cool. It was not helped by only five hours of sleep. My husband and I were up till the early hours sorting out mail and paying bills. Then, as the cleaner was due today, we had to get up and out around 11:30, which is really far too early. We had lunch then and tried to find somewhere cool, so we thought of a movie. The theater was indeed cool; the only problem was they were not allowing anyone in with an even slightly large bag. We didn’t wait to find out why, as several potential customers were already arguing with the management, so we left and spent some time in Tower Records. The security in New York is obviously very tight indeed. No one is allowed backstage at the Met except my husband, not even if I ask for particularly close friends. Having lived in London during the times of IRA bombs, I totally understand how things have to change and people have to be much more careful; I just hope that with time things will even out into a still-secure but less intense situation.

When I am singing away from home, which is almost all the time, we have to stay in short-term rental apartments or hotels. We much prefer an apartment, as it gives us more space and the possibility of cooking rather than eating out all the time. Some cities have corporate apartments, which are great … basic but clean and pretty well equipped. New York does not really have this, except at a ridiculous price. We have, like most singers, stayed in some horrid places, but we were very lucky on this trip to find an apartment, which is great. It’s close to the Met, spacious and quiet. It makes such a difference to living away from home to have somewhere that is comfortable. My first job singing abroad was in Geneva, Switzerland, one of the most expensive cities in the world, and I remember vividly the tiny room I stayed in and the mustard-colored curtains and green-and-red checked wallpaper. If we are only away a week or so, for example doing concerts rather than an opera, then a hotel is fine and can be a nice treat.

Trying to sort out accommodation and flights seems like a never-ending task. From New York we fly to London to visit my family for 10 days. I come from a city called Lincoln in the east Midlands of England, about 150 miles north of London. My mother still lives there, and it’s a beautiful city with the most incredible gothic cathedral in the country. From there we fly to Berlin for a concert with Daniel Barenboim and Placido Domingo. We have been to Berlin four times this year for various concerts and recordings and have enjoyed getting to know that city. From there we fly home to Seattle for a week and a half before a week of concerts in Vancouver, then another free week and more concerts, this time in Chicago. That takes us to Christmas and a break to recover from a very hectic year.

This evening I took part in a lecture for the Metropolitan Opera education program. Dolora Zajick, who sings Adalgisa in Norma, and I were interviewed and then asked questions by the audience. I have done many of these kinds of talks and always enjoy them. As any of my friends will tell you, I have no problem talking about almost anything, and it’s always interesting to have the chance to answer questions from the people who come to see you perform.

We followed this with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Picholine. The food and ambience there are wonderful, and the pièce de résistance is their cheese cart, which has over four dozen cheeses, typically. We shared a small plate of these, rather than dessert, and staggered home tired but sated and happy. 

I have a few more e-mails to deal with before bedtime, but it is definitely going to be an early night for me today. I think a little television, maybe the reruns of Saturday Night Live on the comedy channel, and a mindless magazine, and I may actually be in bed before midnight. When was the last time I was in bed that early? Probably sometime in the last century!