Another Week Off

I am currently a few days in to another week of annual leave from work. I'm not due back at work for another 7 days yet and it feels wonderful to be free for such a length of time. We are going away for a few days to Rye in Sussex, so I'm looking forward to that, as it will be good to get out of London for a few days and just chill. The rest of the time though, we are staying put and I'll be pottering around at home and out and about.

The last couple of weeks have been interesting.  There was another social dance the other Friday night that I went to.  Once again, I took myself there on my own, but luckily there was a girl there that I knew from solo classes and we spent quite a bit of the night chatting, which was nice.  She's very sweet and like me, makes herself go to the social dances to build her dancing confidence.

This time around the lesson went much better, as I was no longer confused about my role as a follower, which made it much easier. One guy played a little game of getting me to do moves that we weren't actually supposed to be practising. He admitted that he was just playing with me, which I found quite funny. I guess not everyone would find it funny though. He said I did OK. Thanks for that!

Anyway, I danced with a few more people this time, some of whom were very good dancers. I'd watched them from the side lines and when they asked me to dance I was quite taken aback, quite useless and in awe of their confidence, so I doubt they'll ever ask me a second time.  It was so much fun though and so interesting to experience and watch the different styles that each dancer exhibits when dancing. 

I find people watching at these events fascinating.  Some lead dancers are quite strong and swing you around quite fast and expertly (I quite like this actually, but I just wish I knew what I was supposed to be doing!), others are more subtle in their leading technique, which I actually find more difficult to deal with at the moment, but may appreciate later on. Some dancers you watch are very playful with the music, which is lovely to watch. It is great experience for a newbie dancer. I stayed the longest time yet this visit and left around 10.15pm.

On the Saturday following the dance, I discovered that Mile End Vintage were having a £1 sale that day, so I decided to head over and just managed to have a quick look around before they closed for the day.  I spent just £5, buying two blouses, a cute Laura Ashley alpaca mix cardigan, another vintage black dress (50's this time - I haven't posted a picture, because with it being black it doesn't really photograph well, but once again it fits like a glove) and a lovely ladies grey waistcoat. They were all in very good condition, save for one of the blouses, which had a few marks on it that I didn't see when trying it, as it was almost dark by then. I still need to wash it, to see if the marks come out.

Talking of clothing, I had another little splurge last week. I had to pick up a parcel from the Post Office Depot whilst walking the dog, so we took a slightly different route, during which I passed a new to me charity shop and saw a dress hanging up in the door way that I really liked.  I asked the lady what size it was and it was my size.  She was very obliging about letting the dog come into the shop for me to look around inside, which was lethal, as I had my handbag with me and was carrying cash.  I ended up buying the dress I'd seen for £7, plus another one for £4 and an A-line skirt for £2.50. I've been looking for one I like and that fits for ages, but I had to shorten this one as it was way too long. I'm wearing it today for the first time. All of these items will be great for dancing though, so I have no regrets.

On Sunday just gone, I decided to try out a new dance class, Lindy Hop this time.  The same teacher who took the workshop I did a few weeks ago was teaching it. I was a bit nervous going, as is always the case the first time you go anywhere new, but I really enjoyed it.  I stayed on and did a second slightly more difficult class, which was pretty challenging, but she was a great teacher, so I will definitely be going back when I can. When I got there I was surprised to recognise half a dozen people from previous classes or workshops, which was good. It's always nice to see a familiar face.

Yesterday, I met the new teacher who will be taking our Zumba class from March onwards. He seems very nice. My membership at the gym changes from 1st March and I won't be able to book as early, so my attendance will depend on whether I can get a place booking later.

I spent the afternoon compiling a Favourite Swing Track playlist on YouTube.  It's quite time consuming, but once done, means I can listen to my favourite tracks and practice my moves whenever I want, so it's worth it.

Today, I have nothing planned. I'm taking the dog for a walk as soon as I publish this post. I hope to post again during my leave week.





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