Glasgow and Weasels

Glasgow rapper tour was great fun. Andy did a fantastic job as his first time dancing out as Number 1 and Ian did the Tommying for the first time. It was also James' first time out with us although he played rather than danced. We started off with the usual pubs and, in one of them, the hat was hijacked by a random audience lady who insisted on taking it round for us. She was far more aggressive than any of us would have been and I suspect we did quite well there. In the Scotia, during the tumble, Dot managed to kick a man's pint right out of his hand so that it shattered on the ceiling. Very impressive to watch even if did mean that we spent the remainder of the dance dancing on crunchy glass and having beer drip down onto us from the ceiling. The man whose pint we destroyed seemed happy enough with a replacement drink and his friend, who was the one who received the brunt of the splash, was far to happy shouting 'tumble' at random intervals to care. The rest of the audience seemed fairly blase about the whole thing as well which was a bit of a relief. Towards the end of the tour we hit a couple of kareoke bars who seemed more than happy to see us. (I did like the lady in the second bar who suggested, as there was a second section to the bar that some of us danced over there and the rest where we were actually setting up to dance. She seemed fairly bemused when I quickly explained that, for the dance to work, we really had to all dance in the same place...)
Our last dance was in Babbity's which seemed to go down well before people had to head home. It was decided that James was going to go back to Edinburgh but, as there was no room for him in Roger, he would get the train and meet us there. In retrospect, we agreed that it would possibly have been a better idea to send someone who actually knew Edinburgh on the train and take him in the car but we finally anaged to get hold of him again. I went home at this point as I was feeling a little off and my cough was really setting in.
All in all, a really good night. It was nice to be able to mix up the dancers a bit, the dances went really well (other than fast and loose where people kept losing swords. Different people each time and no apparent reason. we recovered pretty well each time so not really a problem but very odd!) and it was just generally fun.

Paid for the tour on Sunday. I was hallucinating weasels in the curtains (at least I hope I was hallucinating, otherwise that's going to be a fun call to Pest Control...) for a good part of the day so I dosed myself up on paracetamol and tea and just resigned myself to watching them gambol about the drapes.

Rapper practice tonight and, while I don't feel a hundred percent, I do feel better than I did yesterday and I am no longer seeing random mustelids in the soft furnishings so I will see how it all goes.

I think it's the Highland Ball in St Andrews this coming weekend but I'm in two minds as to whether to go or not. On one hand, it's usually a good dance, it'd be nice to see folks again and the floor in the Younger Hall is lovely to dance on. On the other hand, I haven't been to Scottish Country in ages , I still haven't got any new dance shoes and it's IVFDF the weekend after and, if I want to be able to find the stuff I need to take to IVFDF, I need to tidy (I really, really mean it this time!) I think, on the whole, I will leave it cause I'll get to see folks at IVFDF where I can do dances that I do actually currently have the shoes for and that are far more fun for me.

Morris Excitement

Getting along nicely with my tattercoat. (Although I now have a blister on my thumb from using the pinking shears to cut more tatters!) Am trying to alleviate my excitement for the weekend by making lists of what I need to take. I always do this and I don't know why cause I never actually use them. Hope the weather stays nice for the walk anychance.
Really wishing I was better at using my sewing machine cause I would have had the thing finished by now. Handsewing a tattercoat is not fun (still, at least it's not as mindnumbing as handsewn boning channels. I still have nightmares about my first effort at replicating a late C16th pair of bodies. I've never worn them out (although they were a fantastic learning experience and, when I come to try it again, I'll have a much better idea of what I'm doing) but if I do find myself needing body armour (for whatever reason), they should be ideal!)

Found out that Sherlock Holmes and Avatar 3D will still be on at the cinema next week so have promised my self that I will finally get round to seeing Avatar and then I can go and see Sherlock Holmes again. Still, it's nice to know I'm getting my money's worth out of the Unlimited Card!

Fiddle class tonight and then will spend the rest of the evening sewing like a sewy thing. I've taken the whole of tomorrow off and I don't have to collect Trina until 1pm so I can sort out my stuff tomorrow morning, do some last minute sewing and possibly get some clarinet practice in.

After this weekend, I'm starting a health kick. I really do need to lose the weight I put on in the Autumn (and a little extra to be honest) and I could do with being fitter. Have bought a healthy diet cook book thing so will actually attempt to cook healthy stuff rather than living off my usual tuna, soy sauce, tomato and pasta mush. Must also take more exercise so shall have to get along to the irish set classes. (Am giving up on scottish country at the moment as, for starters, I have fiddle on the same night and it'd just be too much for one night and, also, my heart just isn't in the practices at the moment. I'll still try to get along to some dances this year (she says having already missed the Edinburgh one last weekend) but it's not the priority it once was.)
So there's that to do and the flat to finally finish tidying and rats to organise.