We are definitely back into the swing of things - it was great to see so many more returnees at the class last night, we easily topped 30+ in numbers and there was a super atmosphere though-out - it was definitely not just about dancing, a fair few of the returnee's aren't dancers or were nursing injuries; but it was about meeting up and catching up. We did dance too of course, thankfully it was a lot cooler than the week before - the good old Glasgow Highlanders is beginning to gel, our new to us 'welcome' dance worked really well and the sight of 4 sets up dancing Wind of Loch Fyne was just magical. Of course the downside of having such a friendly busy night is the volume of chatter but my croaky voice managed to cope - and the reason I use a microphone was finally made clear to our newer members who hadn't yet experienced the class at full volume! I prefer it friendly and noisy however - it is meant to be a social night, and we get the numbers we do because of it. Not everything was happy however, we had to say good bye and good luck to our wonderful Society secretary as she head's off to the States for medical treatment, she'll be back for the beginning of next year, at the latest, we hope, but in the meantime we really miss her and very sincerely wish her a speedy recovery.
As usual I am wishing my life away because I'm already looking forward to next week's class - but there are more people due back over the next few days and it'll be great to see them. See you there too.

I'm slightly late updating the website this week because there was a committee meeting held at my house on Wednesday... making bacon butties for our dedicated, hard working and generally wonderful committee  (I can say that because I'm not actually on the committee  - Pete is :-) ) was definitely of more immediate importance than these blogs; however last week's class is etched on my mind, as I'm sure it is for many of you as one of the stickiest nights we've ever had to dance in. Years ago the class I then taught hosted a lovely american couple whose background was in Square Dancing; apparently that is a very very structured affair and also has a dress code that insists men wear long sleeves to protect other dancers from having to grab sweaty arms ( can't remember what they did about the hands - gloves?)! I think we could all have done with that on Tuesday - on the other hand we would have been even hotter. Thankfully we are now equally damp but a whole lot cooler now that torrential rain has blessed the land and I expect from now on we will be complaining about the cold :-) . Tuesday's programme was yet again slowed down drastically to accommodate another really intense teach in for Glasgow Highlanders - but it was worth it because the improvement was enormous and given the heat, it was an excellent chance to cool down after the Duke of Perth. FYI if you click the video link for the Glasgow Highlanders and scroll right down to the bottom there is a Dancemation video on just those pesky progressions - so we are obviously not the only ones who find them challenging! Okay that's it for now, the committee meeting finalised the date for the treasure hunt - 16th October, and also gave me quite a few other things to do - as usual it's all very exciting. See you on Tuesday.

I had no doubts that I would have  excellent night - it's a bonus when everyone else does too! We had a really good number of dancers for this time of year and although it was sad for those who couldn't dance for health reasons, it was super to see them and best wishes for speedy, painless recoveries because it's not the same without you.
We welcomed two new members who have returned to dancing after many years away ... they don't seem to have forgotten much! - it's always great to have new members but to gain two excellent dancers too is a real benefit to everyone in the class including myself :-) I finally have to say a really big WELL DONE to everyone who had a go at the 'Glasgow Highlanders' - it's a simple dance.. BUT... also a big challenge to learn (and teach) when no-body knows it; if you were there you'll know what I mean! The first time for something so different, especially with a reasonably big class, is a challenge - but I learn't plenty too by seeing what dancers struggled with so when we repeat it (and we will!) I'll be able to teach it with a lot more clarity. I'm looking forward to next week already.... see you there

We have finally reached the Tuesday dance class restart date and it's great to see that the weather is co-operating to give us the best of nights... where we are in the hills it's distinctly cool - perfect for dancing - and you never know we may even have one of the dramatic storms that sometimes hit us to clear the air too. Lets hope the hall electrics are feeling well - I think I'll bring a torch just in case! 
We are looking forward to seeing you all but especially those people who have been suffering a bit more than the rest of us over the Summer months.
On a different note P & I have been finalising the Treasure Hunt planned for later this month but have realised that such an early date doesn't give much time for people to organise teams - and of course some people aren't back on the island for another few weeks. We do have to watch the weather however since we intend to have a 'bring and share' picnic at the end (to which anyone can come whether they've done the Hunt or not - at the moment the weather at the beginning of October looks very good so if the committee are agreeable we may hold it then.
​See you tonight

Not that I'm counting! I have thoroughly enjoyed my summer break but now the weather is cooling slightly I'm a little impatient to be back doing some classes. Over the summer P & I have continued to walk through various dances but when we try and do them properly with the music and steps it's obvious that we've lost a lot of the fitness we take for granted the rest of the year - but we know it'll be back once the classes are on again so I hope everyone else is as keen to return so we have people to dance with! It is a slightly shorter program for the first class to take into account everyone's  inevitable need to catch up with each other's summer happenings and also give us a chance to take things a bit easier. I do have an apology to make, we were clearing up some of the videos on our YouTube account and inadvertently deleted the Ring of Brodgar video. We will have to film another one, so if you want to be part of the set to demonstrate it let me know - you don't actually need to be a brilliant dancer, but you do need to have an idea of which way to go so that anyone watching can learn the dance without too much difficulty! See you soon Jx