The Tour!

Well I’m home and just about caught up on sleep. What a week I’ve had!  Just in case you’ve been on another planet and missed me going on and on about what I’ve been up to. On Saturday I finished work and drove to Musselburgh for the evening of the Scottish Champs.  Then on Sunday I drove down to Wolverhampton to stay with my Aunt and Uncle for the night.  On Monday I went to London to do the Tourist thing and go to Jango.  I then spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with my Grannie with a spot of dancing in Fleet before heading off to Southport on Friday morning.

I’m Going to split this into two posts.  This one will be the beginning of the week and everything I got up to and the second will be a pure Southport post with all the Gory Details.

Over the Last week I have driven for roughly a day and a half and over 1000miles, but it has been totally worth it.  Probably one of my favorite holidays ever and the main reason…Independence.  I got to go where I liked when I liked.

Scottish Ceroc Champs

What a way to start a holiday.  I got there with time to change before the evening party. However due to having been working all day and then driving I was a bit tired at the start.  They announced the winners and runners up as I arrived although it didn’t mean a great deal as I hadn’t seen them dance and know if they deserved the prize.  There were some familiar names and faces which was great to see.

While everyone else disappeared for food I decided that since I had just arrived and hadn’t been dancing all day like the rest I would stay and dance while the floor was lovely and empty.  One person did bring me a tub of famous Ice-cream although no Spoon…Tongues are very useful things

The atmosphere at the comps was a strange one.  There seamed to be a general lack of enthusiasm from many and general Tiredness.  It may have jsut been that the events of the day had taken their toll or that the party was an anticlimax.  But personally I was at the start of my holiday so completely hyper…As usual.

As for the dancing I didn’t feel on form at all despite there being fantastic music in both rooms (Main and Blues).  I spent lots of timing moving between the two and having good dances in both but felt my dancing wasn’t as good as it could have been!  It meant that I was a lot less confindent in asking people to dance especially those I don’t know.  Normally on home soil I’m in my element but it was just one of those nights.

It was a good night anf a good start tothe holiday but strangely fairly unremarkable.  Possibly a good thing because it meant that the week could only get better but it did leave me worried that my dancing was gonna be awful the whole time I was away.

The night ended with trying to blow up the airbed at Gary’s unsuccessfully however it was a comfy night on the sofa cushions.  Thanx Hun :hug:

Wolverhampton

A night off dancing. Despite being told that there was alot of good dancing to be had in he midlands the sole purpose for going to Wolverhampton was to see my Aunt and Uncle who I hadn’t seen in about 2 years.

I got taken out for a Balti locally as it a popular type of curry in the area.  It was nice to chill out and catch up with family and family news. And prepare myself for the drive to London.  Eeeeek!

London and Jango

God the traffic in England is nightmarish!  I sat in traffic jams around Birmingham then hit the M25 and stopped.  But hey it was to be expected.

Needless to say I arrived at Greg’s late and therefore got into London late.  But despite being an hour late to meet Christopher I was allowed to do what I wanted in London.A little bit of shopping with a dissapointing visit to Freed’s, Lots of Lovely shooes but none in my size. Food, Good Company and then a walk in Hyde Park plus fabulaous weather, what more could a girl ask for?

Oh Yeah Dancin…

Well a little dance was had in Hyde Park to go over a couple of JAngo moves so that I wasn’t completely unprepared and then off to Hammersmith to Meltdown and Jango!! 

It was an experience!  The thing with Jango is that if you can get a leader who can do it well adn actually lead it’s at least possible to do!  However it was incredibly difficult to do with someone who was struggling.  Oh and I kept getting frustrated with myself.  Thanx to the guys who put up with my foot stamping annoyance.

The Classes were well run.  Amir is a great teacher and explains things really well.  Kate also helped out with the explanations, giving useful tips completeing the teaching.

One thing I did notice that was during freestyle was very few people lead me in Jango moves.  Not that I minded but it did seem a bit strange.  Another thing was that despite it being quiet the standard of Dancers was generally a lot higher so all my dances were excelent.  The good news was that I felt my dancing was back on form and I had a terric night.  I also met quite a few new forumites which meant I would know a few more people at Southport.  The scariest moment was one guy pointing at me and going FREYAAAA!!!!!  Errr who the hell!?!?!  But it was only Rhythm King!

Oh and last point…Scrummy Cake!  I wasn’t disappointed!

Hampshire

I spent a few days with my Grannie in Hampshire to chill out and have some time away.  We didn’t do very much but it was nice to be able to spend some time with her.  We did the country pub thing, some shopping and lazing around in the sun.  I did do two very important things while I was there, get some shoes re-healed to dance in and bought a new pair of Jazz shoes.

But I did go Dancing!!  Just as a warm up.

I had the chance to go to Fleet and experience Adam and Tas’s teaching.  The venue was great, the floor fantastic and everyone was very friendly especially Suzy, Debbi and Andy.

I tried Lindy Hop and Boogie Woogie which were both great fun so energetic I just wish there was a class up here I could go to.  It was all tripple steps and footwork which was a little strange given that there is very little footwork involved in ceroc.  But it was more of a challange and therefore lots of fun!

As teachers Adam and Tas were great.  They paced the class well so that everyone understood and managed to do the steps but no-one got bored.  As the class was very small with more women than men (No surprise there!) Adam and Tas demonstrated the steps then Tas stood out talking through the moves and going over steps with the extra ladies while Adam joined in the rotation.  In the Boogie Woogie class there were a lot more women than men I decided that given I probably wouldn’t get the chance again I might as well learn to lead the moves.  After the class though I asked Adam if he would go through the routine with me as a follow so I could get an idea of how they should feel.

Freestyle was great and it went on till half 11.  Lots of good music and partners.  Several people were dragged over to me and introduced, Poor them!  This made the whole experience less daunting as I didn’t have to ask as many people.  The other nice thing was although it was a large crowed several people came and asked me for a second dance later in the evening.

Then it was home to pack as it was off to Southport the next day!  But thats a new post!

Dance, Dance, Dance!!!

Well it’s been hectic recently and I’ve not really had the energy to write in my blog!  I’m currently on placement at Woodend hospital in
Aberdeen doing Care of the Elderly!  Not the most fun but things are certainly going better than last time! 

Well the last wee while I’ve been trying to cram in as much dancing as possible! I had the rest of my weekend in
Glasgow and the Glasgow Party, Aberdeen Jango Beach Ballroom and the Stirling Focus Workshop and Tea Dance! 

Glasgow Party 10^th June 2006 

Well The Glasgow Party was really quiet!  But it meant there was loads of room on the Dance floor and I got to Dance several dances with my Favourite People!  CJ was playing in the main room and Tiggerbabe in the Blues room so we had some fantastic music!  The main thing was that I had fun and got to dance and spend time with friends! 

Jango
Beach Ballroom 17^th & 18^th June 2006 

What a fantastic Weekend!  Decided to make a real weekend of it even though I wasn’t doing the Workshops.  A couple of Friends came up from
Glasgow to stay on Friday night and I took the night off work so we went out for tea and had a couple of Drinks!  I was Shattered and had work the next morning so it wasn’t too late a night!   

Saturday 

On the Saturday everyone descended as we were having Pizza and Drinks at mine before heading to the Beach Ballroom for the Saturday night Party!  It was great to have time to chill out and chat with guys you normally only see for 3 minutes during a dance on the dance floor and the girls who you never really talk to coz you’re too busy dancing.  The party was Fabulous and I had some amazing dances!  There were some lovely Guys up from
London who were fabulous to dance with.  But the real fun was had after when a few of us went paddling in the Sea – Yes it was 1am and Yes it was Cold!  Then onto the After Party at the Patio hotel lots of
Champagne and Laughter and for once we didn’t get a talking to from the Management! 

Sunday 

Sunday evening was Awesome.  We all went to Tim’s for Soup as is now becoming tradition and then headed to the Northern Hotel for the Sunday night Party. I love the Sunday night parties!  Tiggerbabe was on the decks and the dancing was amazing!  I was gutted when the music stopped.  Would love it if it went on for longer on the Sunday night!  After the Party We took the Visitors from
London to the beach (again) and the plan was to have a bonfire and go for a wee paddle again but it decided to Pour with rain so we headed back to mine for the after party instead! 

What a Great Weekend!  Thanx to everyone for the Dances and Great to meet those from
England! 

Stirling Focus Workshop and Tea Dance 25^th June 2006 

WOW!!!!  How did I not discover these Sooner!  I had a car full of people for the journey down which made the 2hour journey much more fun!  We met up with a few people at a restaurant just down the Road from the King Robert Hall for lunch.  It made more of the day and gave the whole day a very relaxed feel! 

Focus Workshop 

The workshop this month was Connection – Unusual Handholds.  It was good to focus on the technique of dancing for a couple of hours rather than just learning some new moves.  It was also nice that there were only 9 of us plus Franck and Sheena!  It gave it a very intimate, informal feel of “These are my thoughts and what works for me but try them out, change them and do what suits you!”   

Tea Dance 

The Tea Dance was much busier with lots of Familiar Faces turning up for the afternoon.  There was some fantastic music from Sheena and fabulous dances had!  Even got caught on Film dancing with Franck <Cringe>  I felt that the Tea Dance was a chance to put some of what I had learned in the workshop into practice and it did make me more aware of my connection with my partner and made the follow a bit easier at times! 

Anyway that’s enough for now will try and keep things updated on a more regular basis! 

Photos from this event can be seen using the Pictures Link!!!

Chilling out, Relaxing and Midnight Strolls!

Last Friday was a difficult day for me as I went to see a friend that I haven't seen in a while and has been very ill recently.  However the good news is that she's on the mend.  I then carried on through to Glasgow from Edinburgh to meet a Friend that I was staying with for the Weekend.  After a quick turn around we headed off to Loch Lomond for a BBQ at some friends who had rented a cottage for the week.

I have never been to Loch Lomond before even though I've lived all my life in Scotland allbeit in the North-East. I hadn't realised how close to Glasgow it actually is and how quickly you can get out of the City.  It was a lovely drive with some Great veiws of the loch.  The BBQ was all ready when we arrived and we spent a lovely evening eating drinking and chatting.

The Day was completed by a Midnight walk down on the banks of the Loch.  It was a lovely night with a bright moon the perfect night for a walk.  It was great not to have to worry about anything for once and just enjoy the company and the scene.

The next day started with a fry-up before heading back to Glasgow.  I got the chance to lie in the sun and read before going for a wander round Queens park!

Each time I come to Glasgow I start to like it a little bit more.  It has so much to offer other than just some fabulous shops. 

Time to Tango in Edinburgh

Well a snap decision on Wednesday was made that since Tango in Aberdeen was cancelled then we would head toEdinburgh for Tango and Bouncing!

We were lucky to get a surprise lift from my friend who happened to be up in Aberdeen from Edinburgh for the Day.  Sorry bout our singing…Badly! Bouncing was tremendous fun however the whole reason for going to Edinburgh was for Tango at the Merlin!  We turned up at the Venue an hour after it was supposed to start for there to be no-one there!  So we went for Tea at a lovely Indian restaurant in Morningside. 

One last check at the Merlin proved fruitful and Tango music was emerging from the doors! I was itching to Dance but felt completely useless and out of my depth.  Having only been one Tango lesson this year and about 5 last I'm struggling! There was a superb dancer who asked me for a lovely dance however I felt awful as I didn't and couldn't do the dance justice.  But it was good to be dancing all the same. Later on another guy asked me for a dance and I felt a lot better as he kept making some lovely comments.  He also kept things nice and simple so I felt that my following wasn't quite so bad. 

Talking to my friend after who teaches in Aberdeen my main problem is that I want to lift my feet as soon as possible.  So I need to work on my walking and learn to be patient. It’s not anticipation as such she explained but the fact that I’m thinking too much and trying to ensure I’m ready for the next move.  She also said that this is from my experience in Ceroc where you step back after every move.I’m going to keep at the Tango it’s just gonna be a tough ride!

Salsa

Well After going to June's 50th Birthday bash on Friday night and giving Salsa a go with Fred I decide to bite the bullet and actually go to a class!  So Last night I went to La Tasca, as it was also Fred's first time in Aberdeen it wasn't quite so scary.

We arrived just as the class was starting and they were going over the basic steps.  Initially I could do them all individually but try and go from one to another seemed to be beyond me!  We then got shown this wee routine and taught how to put it together.  It seamed a bit unorganized however we later found out that the Teacher was covering for the usual one and usually Teaches on a Monday night.  The Class was fairly small although I would have hated to have any more because I struggled to hear the teacher over general chatter and the music.  Also there wasn't a great deal of space to dance and at one stage during the class I got backed into a corner with my partner by another couple who although looked good had obviously not heard of Floorcraft. 

It was an enjoyable night though and I had a few freestyle dances with Fred and My friend Tim.  Although Tim was evil and took me up for a really fast Dance and then told me I wasn't remembering the footwork!  Overall I think I did OK at the Whole Salsa thing and by the end of the night I think I was getting the hang of it.  Especially the Step-turns rather than pivoting and spinning.  We didn't stay too long last night as both of us were tired but it was fun to sit and watch the more experienced dancers.

I'm not sure I'll be going back to La Tasca though as I didn't really like the Floor and the venue but will probably try the Treachers regular class on a monday. 

Unwell

Just a short post!  Been unwell this week!  Thanx guys who passed on all your dreaded bugs!!!!

I've been a busy girl as this weekend I was working pretty much all day Saturday between my two jobs and then spending time with the family as My aunt was over from New Zealand So her and my Grannie came up for the weekend!

Not done much dancing this week due to being unwell but also having a touch of the Post weekender blues!  Not had much enthusiasm to dance!  I did go out to Culter on Tuesday and had some fabby dances but wasn't the Buzz it usually is!

Hopefully a quieter weekend this weekend!  Not too much planned!

1st Post!!!

Well I thought I'd do a bit of an update as my first post!  Life has been insane recently! I've been busy doing essays and things for uni and trying to fit dancing in around it.  Actually its probably a bit of the other way around!

Since this is a fairly new thing I'll just start at this weekend.  This weekend was amazing! I had such a fantastic time although it has taken me a day to recover and catch up on my sleep!

Saturday

Bought a new pair of shoes in the afternoon – ones that I can actually dance in and a wee strap to hold them on.  Christine you would be proud.

Crocs BBQ – Went out to insch in the evening with Tim and Mellisa stopping on route to pick up food….mmmmm munchies. When we arrived the Fire was being set up and food was being cooked.  The great thing about Crocs was the trampoline in the garden and the company! With most of the people at the BBQ being trampolinests alot of time was spent bouncing!  I met some new people and spent the evening and the early hours of the morning chatting and laughing away.  Unfortunately We had an early start to go to Glasgow for the BFG.

Sunday

After about an hour of sleep I had to drive to Glasgow for 10.30 which meant leaving Crocs before 7.  Especially since we were stopping in Aberdeen to switch passengers.  Thank god for Coffee and Music!!!  The journey was uneventful and we found Paul's with no trouble.  I then got to doss about for a bit while Tim and Elisha went and did some workshops, but was completely hyper so couldn't actually sleep.

The reason for the Trip to Glasgow was the Big Forum Gathering (BFG) a ceroc weekender.  It involves a load of workshops and parties over the weekend and we decided it would be a great idea to travel down for the Sunday! I went to the Tea Dance which was an incredibly civalised way to spend an afternoon, Dancing tea and cakes.  We then had pizza and drinks at Pauls with Claire, Peter and Neil before heading out to the Evening Party.  More fantastic dancing with some fabulous people. Then it was back to Pauls to crash or carry on dancing!  

Monday

A lie in – Fantastic!  Headed into Glasgow for lunch before heading back up the Road.  Was absolutely exahusted and made a minor detour via the Forth Road Bridge as I forgot to get off the motorway!  Oooops!!

Home, bath and bed was the order of the day and a good night sleep!

Tuesday

I spent the day sorting out the cellar as while I was away someone tried to burn the lock off!  Very Strange. Fortunately there wasn't too much damage and it was patched up!

Didn't go dancing as I was still shattered and thought that after the dancing on sunday it would be nearly as good.  Also I had to get my beauty sleep for an afternnon out on Wednesday…!

Wednesday

Yesterday was a gorgeous day.  For once in Aberdeen the sun was shinning and it wasn't blowing a gail!  I spent the day with Chris!  We went for a wander along the beach chatting and gettting to know each other.  we then went for lunch and then to trampolining!!!! Eeeek!!!  I learnt how to bounce properly it's not quite as scary as it seems! 

After Bouncing we went to the Bobbin for a drink then to Sarah's for tea and Drinking games!  For some reason we were in the mood to get drunk and be silly. Got so drunk that decided it was too far to walk home and crashed at Sarah's.

Today

Tonight I'm going to Tango!  Haven't been since this time last year but I enjoyed it emensly and have been meaning to go back for ages!  Can't wait!

Hello world!

Well I thought I would set up an internet blog so that I could keep my friends and family updated without having to write long e-mails.  I was feeling that I have been losing touch with people especially those who have moved on or I don't see very often.

The title took me ages to come up with and those of you who know me will probably think it's appropriate.