The weekend's here

Oh how I love the weekend; as the week rolls by, I think this weekend, I'm going to really make the weekend really excellent and extract every last drop of life from it. A great start- just come back from tap, relaxing with 3/4 of my immediate family, glass of nice dry rose to hand - tomorrow's looking good, a visit to Putney to see Dad and just spend some time there, and have a nice time having lunch...where? decisions decisions.
A friend's birthday celebrations in the evening. A very yummy mummy of Brentford as it happens. Celebrating at Grounds coffee/wine bar in Brentford. Happy birthday yummy Jenny x
But what shall I wear?
Lots to look forward to, a work conference in Scarborough...aah, so close to Whitby. It will be very bracing by then, waves crashing against the sea wall, lovely crisp cold air. The following week, off to Dublin; here we come everybody, Sean (Dr Millar) and Phil might be doing some music together, it will be fantastic.

dancing in ealing

All returning to normal, went to tap on Friday, to be greeted by Rose in a t-shirt bearing the legend 'Rock'n Tinkabell', you may remember I called her a Rock 'n' Roll Tinkerbell in a previous post. Tap was great, so good to get back into it - the grown-ups might also be putting on a show, and I might take part...more nights to find time for though.
Decided a good thing, before Whitby next summer, might be to go to some folk/country damceclasses, or join a group ro something, so have discovered Ealing Country Dance Club. Wierdly this is also in Pitshanger LAne. Phil and I went last night, it was brilliant. Everyone was superfriendly, and tolerant and patient with us, there were no sour faces when we didn't do things properly, and we are learning to refine some of our moves. We knew it would be fun, but we had an even better time than we thought we would. One lovely moment was when we saw someone who had been at Whitby Folk Week; that was really special, seeing someone who had only caught glimpses of in the massive ceilidhs there, just locally in Pitshanger Lane. He is great and we had a lovely time talking to him. He goes to Pete Cooper's classes at Cecil Sharpe House sometimes. Our bus came just as we were really getting into our chat. Sadly these dances are on Monday night, clashing with the tap show rehearsals. Wow, I love dancing, it is so all encompassing and joyous. Particularly in a way when folk dancing is going well, and you are really with other people enjoying the music.

Whitby soon

Whitby, Whitby, not long 'til Whitby.....another fiddle lesson with Pete Cooper tomorrow, and I can now almost play four tunes off by heart. Still trying to get jig bowing to come a bit more naturally than it does at present. I'm quite looking forward to the pilgrimage this time, it's nice when you get out at Crouch hill, some wonderful houses and views going up the hill to Pete's flat. Bow hold now coming quite naturally, so hopefully the rest will follow. I will have missed three tap lessons in a row. Not good, and will feel really clumsy when I go back. Being in Whitby will be so good; like a child, I can't wait to see the sea, and just wander about being on holiday. All agreed it will be the Khyber cafe for our first dinner.

Saturday again

The week slowed down a bit this time, busy day at work on Monday in preparation for my time off with the boy as he recovers from having his tonsils out. Poor boy, so brave with operations; anyway, out came the tonsils, and he's ok, and eating and drinking normally which is the main thing in the road to recovery...nurses at the hospital - the West Mid, all fantastic, the boy went round and said thankyou to them all the next day...he's still waking up with bad earache though. He's been forbidden from going to school until next term due to risk of infection; strangely, he's been asking if he can go back on Monday Anyway nice to have time off work, and with him. Time to read and write and generally do housework and stuff that work pushes out of the way. Didn't go to tap again this Friday, Phil had to go out to music rehearsal at St Faith's and I was keeping an eye on the boy. Missed Barney's birthday drink in West Ealing - Happy Birthday Barney! Today I didn't go to Putney due/nursing duty...feels like I almost have time on my hands today, although later I have volunteered to help with a youth theatre event at Questors theatre in Ealing for a couple of hours. How I wish I hadn't said yes now. Never mind, will be fine when I'm there.
I have piles of paperwork building up around me that I promised I would deal with. Piles of stuff generally are accumulating, particularly in the sitting room. It looks like a storeroom. Phil and I obviously have 'issues' about keeping stuff and really need one of those life-laundry type people to make us deal with it all.
Booked the train tickets for Whitby yesterday, we are going to try a different route home this time, coming from Whitby station/Middlesborough/darlington /Kings Cross. Not long now!!!!Another two fiddle lessons with Pete Cooper before Whitby, I can now play two Irish tunes without looking at the music, which is progress! more soon...

This week

It's Friday, I'm just back from tap, any of my fellow tappers looking for the big entry about tap, welcome....scroll back to early June and "Tipetty Tap" more photos will be posted tomorrow

A lot of fun has been had this week, but have been neglecting this blog...Monday we went to see Roky Erickson at the Festival Hall as part of this year's Meltdown festival. If anyone doesn't know, he was part of the 13th Floor Elevators a very psychedelic band from the 60s and when I say psychedelic- they were so 'far out' they didn't let Jimi Hendrix join as he didn't do enough drugs! I used to really enjoy their music- the two albums I knew were Easter Everywhere (more accessible) and Bull of the Woods (more wierd)
Anyway- before he came on there were concerns about what he would be like- he'd been in some kind of institution for the mentally unwell for years and become very unwell himself- now, he is well again, enough to play gigs and enjoy life generally! the gig was excellent he mainly played blues, with lyrics he'd made up, I think, at least one, 'Don't Slander Me' from the early days. I couldn't hear some of them properly as they didn't make sense, but then I thought I may well have heard correctly.
Wednesday had a great day generally as my daughter got the results of her degree- a 2:1 and lots of good grades within that- excellent news- anyway she came to streetdance with me for the second week, and quite enjoyed it this time, people there are so friendly and remembered her from last week and chatted to her. We went next door to Pizza Organic afterwards - we could smell a lovely garlic bread smell wafting through into the class from there earlier so it was an easy decision- delicious olives and a celebratory glass of wine each- very nice..the week sped by to Thursday and we went to see another Meltdown show- this time, Cornershop. The only music I'd ever heard by them, to my knowledge, anyway is Brimful of Asha which I always really liked- especially the Fatboy Slim remix- but the best thing about both nights at Meldown, was Cornershop's support band Jeffrey Lewis and the Jitters; they were so clever , artistic and funny, I will be seeking out as much info and downloadable music as I can about them- the lyrics were so quick though I must have missed loads of the humour and general brilliance.
Cornershop were great- the variety of instruments and musicianship- a lot of what they did was kind of dance music- trippy , particularly when coupled with the slideshow; even when not remotely chemically enhanced, even by a glass of wine; great stuff though and I'll be looking for an album, definitely to enjoy in a more laid back manner at home.
All the fun broken up by work, which has been ok but hard to get back into after my recent time off.
Good to come home this evening and then after a square or two of chocolate, off to tap, yes tap- wonderful invention...the man came back for the second week, and has made amazing progress; I think it took me about two months to accomplish what he has! Three more new people-hooray! our class is a joyous, ever changing place to be at the end of the week...and my hip is feeling MUCH better thanks to gruelling physio.

tipetty tap

Tonight is Friday night...Friday night is tap dancing night. Fantastic in every way, if you disregard my efforts.
Starting tap dancing was particularly exciting as I have wanted to do this since my teens. I can't remember why I didn't do it then, I wish I had, when I had a fresh young brain, as it's hard to get one's head round the moves and routines now; what the brain wants to do does not seem to communicate effectively to the feet.

Ideally doing tap would have meant just owning the shoes and being magically able to tapdance.
Anyway it was really exciting getting my first pair of tap shoes and made me feel like I could do it until I tried. It is really hard- harder than giggling at the back of the streetdance class and sort of getting by, a bit...very hard, nearly as hard as learning the violin.
Luckily I have a partner in crime, Sue- we've been doing tap for just over a year and are of a similar standard- we cry on each other's shoulders when it's all too much.

Anyway...the teacher, Rose, is brilliant- She's a rock 'n roll Tinkerbell; you would not mess with Rose, she looks like she hangs out with Lemmy & co...yet she is dainty and elegant; a rocker with bleach blonde hair, pink at the ends, tattoos, a leather jacket with cannabis leaf badges and appears to be completely scatty although this is deceptive- you have to be extremely sharp minded to be able to tap dance well, and to communicate to others of very mixed abilities from week to week how to do it...the class is different every week- some people just come for a week or two, and lose heart, some have been coming for years; the variety in age is even greater than in streetdance class where I am one of the oldest, if not the oldest there... I would say in tap that the youngest are in their teens, and I am possibly about two thirds of the way along to the eldest. The more experienced ones of course are excellent with rubber legs that know how to do everything. Again a camaraderie between all. We laugh and joke with each other and with Rose, and we dance to excellent music. I don't know if in your mind's eye you have an idea of the sort of music one tap dances to? maybe showtunes, maybe jazz...Well, recently we tried a dance to Walk This Way by Aerosmith/Run DMC, and one we've been working on for a few months is Good Golly Miss Molly by Little Richard! I can do nearly all of that one now....although completely falls apart when I try to demonstrate this at home- Phil says I look like I'm trying to put a cigarette out on the floor...The class can be a bit chaotic; the more experienced dancers arrive about half way through the beginners' class, some clutching mysterious looking cases which contain their shoes. Rose has it all under control- the small studio is packed by now, but we still work on stuff that beginners can manage - just! She can also do amazing balloon designs!- see link up to the right.

It is brilliant, especially at the end of the working week, I can stamp out all my frustrations with a satisfyingly loud clickety clack, laugh with friends and then go home again to my family, food, wine and comedy on the telly. Bliss.