Postcards from London with Wendy Sherer

Airs Thursdays at 7:35 a.m. during Morning Edition on FM 91

(Listen to archived episodes below)

Written and hosted by Wendy Sherer, "Postcards from London" is a weekly series of four-minute dispatches about Sherer's experiences in London, including her impressions of the city's people, places, customs and culture.

Wendy Sherer is a former Toledo resident and longtime WGTE volunteer. An ordained Lutheran minister for 13 years, Wendy moved to London in 2011 to fulfill two lifelong dreams: to work in radio and to live in England. She is currently studying a Masters in Broadcast Journalism at the University Westminster, volunteering at hospital Radio Northwick Park, and living near Tower Bridge with her two American cats. "Postcards from London" was born out of Wendy's abiding affection for her adopted country and a desire to share her adventures with listeners in Northwest Ohio.

This program is written and hosted by Wendy Sherer, produced by Sion Tammes and distributed by WGTE Public Media.
  • Views: 1 Postcards from London: In Remembrance

    Airdate: March 14, 2013

                On the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001, I had the uncommon sensation of being a stranger here.  It’s not that I expected no one to remember the day, but I’ve grown accustomed to a kind of shared grief in observing it when I’m in the U.S., and I didn’t anticipate that same feeling in the UK, now ten years after the event.

    Read more
  • Views: 27 Postcards from London: Star Gazing

                I lived in London for over a year before I saw an actual celebrity.  Here I was, living in this international city, close to the suburb of Hampstead, where such people as Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton were rumored to live.  But not once did our paths cross, so I never had a chance to give my knowing nod of recognition and be the ever cool, unfazed civilian I always hoped I’d be in such situations.

                I once heard that Johnny Depp had been sighted near Oxford Street.  Be still my heart!  I’d been out there many times, but alas, no quirky, enigmatic actor sightings for me.  I became resigned about the whole celebrity spotting thing.  What did I need with it anyway?

    Read more
  • Views: 23 Postcards from London: A Cup of Cheer

    Airdate: February 28, 2013

               My second Christmas in London bore no resemblance to the first.  And while I did receive several fabulous dinner invitations over the holidays, I still ended up with no plans for Christmas Day, the only day of the year when not a single bus or train runs in London, and cabs charge double fares.  The last thing I wanted was to be stranded at home—alone—on the 25th of December.  I put out a general Facebook inquiry, trying not to sound too desperate.  And lo and behold—a friend who happened to have a car responded, saying he’d been invited to a Christmas get together with some friends who were looking for company, and I was more than welcome to come along.  All I had to do was bring a secret Santa gift worth £5 or less.

    Read more
  • Views: 37 Postcards from London: Ticket to Ride

    Airdate: February 21, 2013

                Public transportation in London is not cheap.  Fares increase as often as postage in the U.S., and for my first year of living here, it seemed I was always worried about running out of money on my Oyster card, the universal transportation pass for Londoners.

    Read more
  • Views: 59 Postcards from London: Free for the Taking

    Airdate: February 7, 2013

                My favorite way to get something for nothing in London is Freecycle.

    Read more
  • Views: 41 Postcards from London: Baseball Blues

    Airdate: January 31, 2013

               Although my obsession with the Chicago Cubs has relaxed somewhat in the past couple years, I still get that rush of excitement at the first hint of Spring, and the feeling that anything’s possible on opening day.  I would hang a team flag outside my house on such occasions, to demonstrate my team loyalty to all my Ohio neighbors.  Here in England I have my Cubs jacket and blue cap, and I wear them around town sometimes, but it’s a different experience.  And that’s because in London, baseball caps are just something novel to wear on your head.  There are shops where you can buy a sort of generic version of a major league ballcap, but I suspect it’s more of a fashion choice than a statement of loyalty for most people here.  Either that or London has the highest percentage of  Yankee fans outside of New York City.   Occasionally, I think I pass a tourist sporting authentic team apparel, but it’s not too often, and I’m never quite sure it’s a real fan.

    Read more
  • Views: 72 Postcards from London: Cats About Town

    Airdate: January 24, 2013

                When I decided to move to England, I knew I could never live without my cats.  Or rather, I would never choose to.  I would do whatever was necessary to bring them here, and to make their overseas life as good as it could be.  I called them my International Cats of Mystery, particularly in reference to my older male cat, as the title seemed to fit his personality.  I think he would’ve preferred a little less mystery, and a little more of the stable comfort of the familiar.

    Read more
  • Views: 64 Postcards from London: Word Games

    Airdate: January 17, 2013

              British people have a different word for everything.  But I already knew this before moving here, and I was ready. 

    Read more
  • Views: 49 Postcards from London: Vicarious Victory

    Airdate: January 10, 2013

               Many people have asked me what it was like to be in London during the Olympic games.  “Fabulous!” I answer.  But truthfully, I missed most of it.

    Read more
  • Views: 64 Postcards from London: Jubilee

    Airdate: January 3, 2013

                2012 was a momentous year for London.  The mayor’s election, of course the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and in June, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  How exciting!  The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee!  Okay, I have no idea what that is.

    Read more
  • Views: 50 Postcards from London: Blue Autumn

    Airdate: December 27, 2012

                I hope I will be forgiven for saying this, but it’s not Autumn.  Yes, the calendar says we’re in the final months of the year, but it sure doesn’t feel like Autumn here in London.  At least, not the way I remember it.

    Read more
  • Views: 76 Postcards from London: Discomfort Food

    Airdate: December 20, 2012

               How did I get here, standing outside the locked door of a specialty grocery store on Christmas Eve, fighting back tears?  Earlier that day, I made a plan to shop for baking ingredients in the afternoon, and return home merrily at 4pm, just in time to catch those first famous notes of the Lessons and Carols from Kings College, a fitting soundtrack for whipping up a batch of holiday cheer.  How could I have predicted the holiday disaster about to unfold?

    Read more
  • Views: 173 Postcards from London: My English Heart

    Airdate: December 13, 2012

               I moved to London for love.  I’m not exactly sure when the dream of living in England began.  But I do know the symptoms.  Adolescent pining after the lead singer of Duran Duran or the mysterious Remington Steele.  A handmade Union Jack flag proudly displayed on my bedroom wall.  Waking up at 4 a.m. to witness the full grandeur of a royal wedding at age ten—and then again at age 39.  A teenage fixation with Gothic romance novels, all of which featured a young heroine who softens the heart of an aloof nobleman—who just happens to have a huge estate out on the wild Cornish coast.  And while these were only indications of a growing obsession with the little island across the pond, I can’t really put a finger on the exact reason why I chose England.  With true love, you just know.

    Read more