31st July - Modern Jive Class

I saw Maureen again at Jive class tonight. The moves we did in the beginners class tonight were wrist spin, side to side, basic and man spin. So that meant just one new move for me - wrist spin. Intermediate moves included aerial yo-yo and basic rock step. I reckon I could have had a go at the advanced move tonight as it didn't include a drop. After the class I had a couple of dances - one of which was with my old friend Barry. His dancing has improved considerably since the Northern Lights dance last year, but he still reeks of garlic!

30th July - Coffee Afternoon in Didsbury

I arrived at The Didsbury pub to find Anya, Sue and Leslie finishing off their lunch.
They introduced me to their friend Katie. Not long after that Kay, Mike and Nigel arrived so we moved to a bigger table. Charlie joined us and ordered lunch. Then Debbie and Vicky turned up. Ann, Sandeep, Rick, Sue F and Tim arrived later. Charlie's lunch looked good - he ordered Chicken and asparagus wrapped in bacon.
Karen turned up and passed round her photos of the boat trip which looked really good. It started raining ao we all had to squeeze up round one table. Tim and Sandeep came over and joined us and the conversation turned to the subject of the Network weekend which sounded as if it went well. Tim says he enthusiastically joined in with everything leaving himself very little free time. We also talked about dancing as Sandeep has recently started lessons. I left at about 5.15pm. I look forward to seeing everyone again next weekend.

29th July - Chinese Meal at Golden Rice Bowl

As usual I was the first to arrive at Mr. Thomas's Chop House. Brian had already rung to say he was in Wales and would not be coming. Debbie turned up not long after I did. Mike W was next to arrive and we then had a call from Neil to say he was coming.Eventually he turned up, closely followed by Jane and Mike. We walked across the road to the restaurant. I was impressed by the fact that they have free prawn crackers to eat whilst you're working out what you want. I had Prawn Won-Tons for my starter followed by Chicken with Asparagus, Sweetcorn, Carrots and Cashew Nuts. Neil and Mike W had the set menu which looked pretty good although they made the mistake of choosing main courses that were fairly similar. After the meal we all had slices of melon and orange. This was more expensive than our usual Chinese Buffet meals, but it was very good and well presented. You didn't feel rushed either as you sometimes do in the buffet places.
After the meal we went to the Waterhouse for a drink. Debbie and I were disappointed to find that they didn't have any Mudshakes in stock. The drinks are still cheap there anyhow. Dave O and Karen joined us at the pub. We left about 11.30pm. In all it was a good evening - far better than Tuesday!

25th July - Activities Unlimited Birthday party

I left Salsa class early tonight to go to the party at the Crown. When I arrived I found there were quite a few people there - some I recognised, others I didn't.
Jenny was running the karaoke machine. A few people got up and had a go. Most of them weren't all that good. Sue was the only decent singer. One disappointment was that there was no food. About half-an hour after I arrived, Sue started the quiz. This was basically a sheet of paper with little-known facts about members of the group and we had to guess who they referred to. I did quite well - I got 18 out of 25, but there was no prize for the winner whoever they were. We left at about 10.30pm. The evening was a bit of a disappointment really. I think I'd have had a better time if I'd stayed at salsa.

24th July - Modern Jive Class

The beginners class was a bit thin on the ground tonight when it started. There was no sign of Maureen. The moves we learnt tonight were Sway, Basket , Wurlitzer and Ladyspin. Only the sway was totally new to me as last week's intermediate routine included a more advanced form of the basket. I had a few dances in the interval between the two classes which were good fun. The intermediate routine included a catapult tunnel - a complicated move which looks like the hustle move I've wanted to learn for a while. Eddy didn't turn up tonight - must ask him where he was if I see him tomorrow or at weekend.

22nd July - Angie's farewell meal

I arrived at church tonight to find the hall laid out for a banquet! The tables were decorated with fairy lights and silk flowers. I sat at the top table with the guests of honour - Angie, her husband Gary and elder son, George. Her younger son couldn't make it because he'd only just returned from camp.
The first course was vegetable soup, which seemed like an odd choice for a hot summer's day.The main course was the carvery which gave us a choice of ham or beef with potatoes, yorkshire pudding, carrots,cauliflower and peas. It would have been nice to have some salad, but there wasn't any. The dessert was the best course. I had a slice of chocolate cake ,but there were also eclairs, strawberry gateau and a choux pastry slice filled with cream and fruit. After the meal Joan delivered a lovely speech about Angie and all that she had done for us. I had to laugh when she commented that Angie likes to drive fast. I have fond memories of a journey when she delighted in splashing through puddles! After the speech, I presented her with her present - a communion stole - which she seemed to appreciate. We then had some time for taking photos before we all left to go home. In all it was a lovely evening. I'm sure we will all miss Angie. I must make time to visit her next year.

17th July - Modern Jive Class

Just as I entered the room tonight, I felt a tap on the shoulder. I turned round and was surprised to see Maureen. She used to be the Brownie leader at our church when I worked with the Brownies. I haven't seen her for over three years so it was good to sit down and catch up on each other's news before the class started.
The moves we learnt tonight in the beginners' class were 2 way bounce, man spin, catapult and basic. That meant only one new move for me - 2 way bounce - as I have done all the others before.
The intermediate class was more difficult. We learnt three moves - the most complicated one was called the Irish Pretzel (these moves have very strange names!) - it took several tries to get it right.
I'm glad that I've not got any more Monday meetings until September now as that will give me the chance to attend classes for the next few weeks. That should make it easier for me to learn and remember new moves.

15th July - 25 plus Narrowboat Cruise

We left home pretty early this morning - 7.45 to be precise. Most of the journey was on the motorway. The directions were quite easy to follow. The only problem we had was when we went down a single track road and found someone else coming the other way! We arrived at Norbury Junction
to find that about half of our group was already there. We had already had a message from Sarah to say she was going to be late. She arrived about half-an-hour late with Richard and Chris. We had two boats so we split into two groups of six.
I joined Chris, Eddy, Rick, Nigel and Anya on the boat named "Defiant"! The other boat was called "Victory". Rick decided to be our "driver" as he did most of the driving last year. It was a beautiful summer's day so we relaxed at the back of the boat reading the newspapers. At lunchtime we stopped at Wharf Junction for a drink.
Lunch was provided by Sarah and Anya - we had ciabatta sandwiches with tuna and cheese, salad, fruit and millionaire's shortbread. We then turned the boat around and headed back towards our starting point. Rick decided to return on the other boat so Nigel and Chris took over the driving. Chris proved to be quite good at driving considering he'd never done it before. When we reached the halfway point, we checked the time and realised we would have to go faster to get back by 4.30pm. We soon caught up with the other boat, but unfortunately didn't get back to Norbury until about 5pm. However this didn't prove to be a problem. The boat hire company were impressed with Sarah's apology so we didn't have to pay the fine! Laurie and a new woman called Belinda met us at the Norbury Inn for a meal. We ordered drinks and were given the choice of having the leftovers from the barbecue for half-price or waiting until 6pm when they started serving food. Most of us opted for the latter option as the burgers looked a little overdone! I think Eddy and I made the best choice as far as the meal was concerned - we both had grilled trout. Richard was not happy with his gammon - he gave most of it to Belinda for her dog's supper! We left fairly early - about 8pm as we had a long journey ahead of us. The roads were quieter on the way back so it was still quite light when we arrived back in Manchester. I'm glad I decided to go on the trip. The long journey was well worth it and the weather really made the day for us.

10th July - Funeral of Brian Wibberley

I arrived at Central Hall this morning to find the chapel was already half full. The first familiar face I noticed was Evelyn so I went and sat with her. By 10.15 the room was full and Sam was hastily rushing around trying to fit more seats in. Then the funeral party arrived. The service was jointly led by Charlotte and Angie. The hymns chosen were quite bright and upbeat.The most touching part of the service was when Marion read a poem that she had written for her husband several years ago. At the end of it she placed a kiss on the coffin. The service ended with the hymn "Praise the Lord with joyful cry". It was chosen to reflect Brian's love of brass bands. In all, the service was a fitting tribute to a man who was dedicated to his church and his family.

4th July - Salsa class and Activities Unlimited meeting

On the way to La Tasca tonight, I sent Debbie a message to ask if she was going to the meeting in Sinclair's. She replied, saying she'd see me there.
Despite the hot weather, it wasn't too hot in La Tasca's tonight. We did quite a complicated routine in the Improvers' class. When the lesson was over, I decided to go off to Sinclair's for a change. I arrived to find Debbie and Neil sitting outside. I was surprised to see there were so few of our group there - not what I expected on such a nice evening. I sent a couple of messages to some of the others to see if they were on their way. Tony, Dave and Dee turned up soon after that. Also Gail joined us - it was good to see her - she says it's over 2 years since she came to a group meeting. She expected to turn up and not recognise anyone!
Debbie says she has decided to have a break from salsa classes as she doesn't feel she's improving and isn't enjoying them as much as she used to. I'll miss having her there, but I'm certainly not going to let it discourage me from going!

3rd July - Probationer Ministers support group meeting

I travelled down to tonight's meeting with Janet and Bob. On the way there they shared some sad news with me. Brian Wibberley died suddenly a couple of days ago. Brian was a steward at Central Hall. He was always very helpful and reliable so he will be much missed.
It didn't take long to get to Dukinfield Methodist church. The building was hidden in the middle of several blocks of flats so, not surprisingly, some people had difficulty finding it.
The meeting itself went well. We spent a lot of time talking about giving and receiving feedback.
I feel that being part of Margaret's (our new minister) support group will be good for me as it will help me to be more open and ready to share my thoughts.

2nd July - Final day of Cloverley Hall weekend

I decided to go for a walk before breakfast this morning and was rewarded with the sight of several rabbits - something which I'd been hoping to see all weekend. After breakfast we had a time of worship in the lounge. This was ably led by Robin who led a meditation where we were encouraged to think about the properties of string and relate that to our lives and relationship with God. In the prayers at the end I actually prayed out loud, focusing on all the strength we need for the changes that are going to be happening at our church. In all it was a good service - one of the best we've had on a 25 plus weekend.
After the service came lunch which was the best meal of the weekend. We had roast lamb with all the trimmings followed by Orange cheesecake. Some people went for a swim after lunch so I decided to take some photos. By 3pm people were starting to pack up and leave so we decided it was about time we did likewise.
On the way home we were caught up in a dramatic thunderstorm with fork lightning. I found it very exciting. I decided to get a taxi home from Manchester city centre as the rain was still very heavy.
Looking back, I reckon it was a good weekend. Hope they use the quiz on the next weekend away as that will give a better balance between sporting and non-sporting activities.

1st July - Second day of Cloverley Hall weekend

I had no problem getting up in time for the 8.30am breakfast this morning, but I think there were some of us who did! I spent the morning chatting to people. Also did an hour on First Aider duty by the pool. Only a few people went in, so that was quite a relaxing hour. The weather was lovely. It looks like this could be our hottest weekend away yet.
At 12.30 we set off to Hawkstone Park for a walk. I chose to do the two-hour walk as that seemed to be the most popular. The walk started with a steep ascent up to the monument. This was a tall tower with a viewing gallery at the top. Several members of the group decided to climb the steep spiral staircase to the top, but I didn't feel up to it. After a short rest, we continued on to the next folly. When we reached this point, Sarah announced that we needed to up the pace if we wanted to be back in time for the football as we had only done a third of the walk. My heart sank as I was beginning to find it difficult to keep up because of the heat. The rest of the walk proved to be quite hard as there were lots of steps to climb. Thanks to the encouragement of Alan and Elaine I made it to the end. Most of us bought ice lollies to cool ourselves down before making our way back to Cloverley.
Once we returned we all piled into the lounge to watch the match. It was much better watching it with everyone else. It made it much more enjoyable seeing everyone else's reactions. Some people couldn't bear to watch the penalty shoot out - we all know how bad England are at taking penalties. The final result came as no big surprise. Afterwards we all went outside for the barbeque. Unfortunately, Sarah decided to take a vote on whether to go ahead with the evening's quiz and most people voted against it. Pity - I was really looking forward to it. Some of us drifted back in to watch Andy Murray triumph against Roddick at Wimbledon. We then decided to have a stroll down to the pub as there wasn't much else to do. That pub must have done very well out of us as by the end of the evening most people had joined us. The day ended back in the lounge at Cloverley watching T.V. and finding out the big shock of the world cup - France had beaten Brazil.