28th April - Single Mindedness Day in Halifax

Phil picked me up quite early this morning and he drove Charlie and I to Halifax quite quickly. The church we were meeting in was quite easy to find and was on top of a hill so it could be seen easily. We were warmly welcomed by Robin and the other speakers on arrival and offered coffee and biscuits. I must admit I was a little surprised to see so few 25+ members there. Apart from us 3, there was only Sarah, Tony and Andrew from the group.
The day started off in the chapel which was upstairs. The pews were hard and uncomfortable. I didn't fancy staying there for long. Each talk was followed by a group discussion. The most interesting talk was from a relationship counsellor called Christine.
We had an excellent buffet lunch. There was a good variety for sandwiches, quiches and salads and some delicious cakes for dessert. I discovered from Chris that tickets for the summer ball are now on sale. He also has nearly 100 people going to his party now which is great.
After lunch a crowd of us went on a walk down the hill and back up again. The weather was beautiful and the fields were full of pink flowers and blue bells. I discovered that Robin had invited friends from his church as I talked to two girls from Moss Side.
The final talk was on friendship and we received lists of what makes a good and bad friendship. Good things included honesty, not talking about people behind their backs and a willingness to share and listen. The day ended with a question and answer session and a song from Robin.
We then went to the local Brewers Fayre restaurant for dinner. I sat with Phil, Chris and Christine (the Relate counsellor) We discovered that we would have to wait for an hour for food. Oddly enough the time passed quickly as we talked to Christine about her job and her training courses. The food looked good when it arrived, but the portions weren't all that generous. I had Chicken with dauphinoise potatoes,green beans and red wine gravy.
After the meal we said our goodbyes and set off back down the motorway to Manchester.
Once again we had a quick journey as the roads were fairly quiet. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed today. We had some good opportunities for discussion and I made a few new friends.

20th April - You are a winner!

When I arrived home tonight I discovered I had a text message telling me I had won two tickets for the Squeeze concert at the Apollo in December. I rang up the prize hotline to claim my tickets and then phoned home to tell Mum the good news. I was really surprised to win. The next dilemma is deciding who to go with. I usually go to concerts on my own because it's not always easy finding someone else who shares my taste in music. Never mind I have over 6 months to make up my mind!

14th April - Pub Night at Cheshire Line Tavern

I arranged to pick up Brian on the way to the CLT tonight. He hasd already signed up on the 25+ mailing list and was keen to go and meet everyone and give his social life a boost. I managed to find the meeting place in Gorton quite easily as it's on a route I used to use when I worked in Denton. We arrived at the pub to find several friends sitting outside as it was a bright sunny evening. I was both surprised and pleased to see Chris tonight - he was selling tickets for his charity fundraiser birthday party next month.
We sat down at a table with Rick, Judy and Julie and chatted about the wedding last week. Some people decided to order food (I had already eaten at my parent's place) and Brian chose the chilli con carne. The food looked good tonight - I must have a meal next time I go. As time went by some of us started to move inside. I moved over to another table to talk to Leanne and Sarah. It was then that I discovered that I was being watched last Monday. Leanne said she had spotted me in Next - she said I looked like I was on a mission so I told her about my search for a dress and also mentioned that Mum had managed to find a good dress on Thursday. I told her about the ball and the dinner dance we went to in November.
Eventually the last few hardy(!)members of our group decided to go inside. I went over to talk to Chris and asked how he was getting on with his party planning. He showed me the list of bookings so far and I was pleased to see I recognised several of the names on the list. There seemed to be quite a few others interested in buying tickets tonight. Phil arrived quite late (after 10pm) but I still found time to make arrangements with him for the day in Halifax at the end of this month.
Brian and I left at about 10.30pm. The journey back was quite good. Brian seems impressed with his first night at 25+ - there were over 30 people there tonight and he managed to talk to quite a few of them. I dropped him off at a bus stop near his home and then drove home. In all it was a very successful night.

12th April - Success at last

Just thought I'd write a few lines to say that thanks to my personal shopper and fashion adviser (also known as Mum!!) I have managed to find a dress. She bought it from my favourite shop in Bury. It's pale blue with pink lillies on it so it's perfect for summer. It cheered me up no end when I tried it on and found that it fitted well. It even looks good with my silver dance shoes. I'm looking forward to the ball now.

9th April - Searching for a dress + Return to Salsa class

As this was the first opportunity to spend some time shopping together, Mum and I decided to go into town to look for a dress that I could wear for the Northern Lights Summer Ball in June. We started off by having lunch in the new cafe in the Arndale - there wasn't a great variety of meals on the menu but it was good value for money. We then went off round the various shops such as Debenhams, BHS, Next and New Look in our quest for something that suited me. I tried on lots of dresses but didn't end up finding anything that I really wanted to buy. However I did get a better idea of exactly what I wanted. I consoled myself with the fact that the ball is over two months away so there is still plenty of time left.
As it was a Bank Holiday the Longfield Suite was shut tonight so I took the opportunity to go to Les and Lorraine's salsa class at La Tasca. They were pleased to see me again. They said they have been managing ok since moving the class to a Monday,but numbers have fallen. The class started out quite quiet tonight. The regulars started to arrive gradually. It was good to see Bernie, Mary and Leona again. I enjoyed the improvers class and managed to pick up the routine fairly easily. Before the second class more of my old friends turned up including Pria and Jackie. I asked them if they had been going to salsa classes as I haven't seen them at jive classes lately. They said they had just not been to either for the last couple of weeks as they have been quite busy. The second class was more tricky. Les kept us amused with all his usual daft jokes - I have really missed the banter.
At the end of the class I said goodbye and reminded Pria about the jive night at Stockport later this month. I'm really glad I went tonight as it cheered me up after a frustrating morning at the shops.

8th April - Easter Sunday breakfast and service

I arrived at church quite early this morning to be greeted by the catering team who were busy making breakfast for us. I decided to just have cereal and toast as I'm not a big fan of cooked breakfast. It was good to have one or two people from St Peter's and St Matthew's joining us as it gave us the chance to catch up on each other's news.
After breakfast I started setting up the church ready for the service. It was another lovely sunny day. The cross had already been decorated with white and yellow ribbons and daffodills and the Easter banner had been put up so the place looked bright and cheerful.
Not long after, Margaret arrived with the bread and wine left over from the early service at Moston. She explained that there was a special order of service for extended communion (which makes it easier) which we would be using.
Once the service started it went smoothly.Margaret preached about rolling away the stone (the obstacles that separate us from God) and finding God in unexpected places. Her enthusiasm for the Easter message was clear and at times it looked like she was not using notes. I quite liked the special order of service - it didn't seem too formal and helped the service go smoothly. After the service I chatted to other people and was pleased to see that they appreciated it too.

7th April - Rob and Louise's wedding and Michael Ball concert

I was pleased to see that it was bright and sunny when I woke up this morning. My journey to Macclesfield went pretty much according to plan. I'm so glad I decided to go by train as driving to an unfamiliar place in this heat would have been stressful.
I was the first of our group to arrive at the church, so I was pleased to see a familiar face when Rick arrived not long after. We got chatting to an elderly couple from Arnside (a place I'm quite familiar with as it's not far from where my aunt and uncle live. Other members of 25 plus started to arrive. Julie, Judy, Karen and Sarah joined us on the bride's side of the church. I remarked to the others that Rob was hiding his nerves well.
The ceremony went very smoothly. The vicar did his best to make Louise and Rob feel at ease. His sermon was both thought provoking and amusing. He pointed out that Easter Saturday was a good day to get married because it was a day of trusting - the day when the disciples had to trust that Jesus's promises of resurrection would be fulfilled. At the end of his sermon he gave R & L creme eggs. He told R to put them in his jacket pocket and make sure that he took them out before ironing it or sending it back to the hire shop! Another part of the service that I liked was when prayers were said thanking God for R & Ls talents - I've not seen that done before.
Afterwards we all went outside to pose for photos. The weaather was still glorious and I managed to get several good photos of the rest of the 25+ crowd and the bride and groom. As they climbed into the vintage car that would take them to the reception, Mike pointed out that a red carpet had been placed on the pavement. They were handed glasses of champagne and we took our last few photos before they left.
I walked back to the station with Charlie as he assured me that it wasn't far. We managed to get there in time for the 4pm train. I arrived home about an hour later and just about had time to eat the pizza and salad Mum had cooked for tea and get ready to go to the Apollo.
When we arrived we were greeted by Ray and Fiona who were waiting for us in the foyer. We chatted about last night's meal and the songs we hoped would be sung tonight.Then we left them to make our way upstairs to the circle. Our seats were pretty good - 5th row from the front and fairly central.
We quite enjoyed the support act - Tara Blaze - a pretty blonde with a good voice who sang some of her own songs and some well known classics including "What do you get when you fall in love?"(originally a hit for Dionne Warwick).
After the interval the band took their places and started to play a medley of songs from the musicals before Michael appeared on stage to be greeted by loud applause.
Mum reckoned he looked as if he had put on weight. In his first chat with the audience between songs he said he'd stopped smoking so that was probably why. His voice certainly seemed to have benefitted. Highlights of the concert included a medley from the musicals (Les Mis, Phantom, Passion, West Side Story) and an assortment of pop and rock hits from 60's to the present. (including Queen's Show must go on and Rainbow's Since you've been gone) He told a very funny story about how he'd stayed out very late and got quite drunk at an awards show in the Savoy (impersonating several people who were with him at the time) and then launched into Amy Winehouse's Rehab song. He also sang "I don't feel like dancing" (Scissor sisters). About halfway through the concert he did a duet with Hayley Taverner (Emmerdale star who was runner up in the Soapstar Superstar contest he judged) - it was an operatic number and it sounded as if she had been having singing lessons as she held the notes well. The final song was "Love Changes Everything" (as we expected).
We reckoned this was the best concert of Michael's that we had seen. He is so versatile. In all this was a very enjoyable day.

6th April - Good Friday Service and Birthday meal at Yum Yums

On reflection I think today's service went quite well. Attendance was lower than I expected. We followed the Good Friday events through the disciple Peter's eyes and props were placed on the stage as the story unfolded to represent the various events. Many remarked that the readings and reflections that Bob had chosen were thought provoking. The service was followed by the usual soup, bread and cheese lunch. Some members of the neighbouring church joined us for this.

I arrived at Lloyds bar tonight and was pleased to see that Steve arrived not long after. We spent quite a while chatting as we waited for the others - we were concerned that it took so long for others to appear. Eventually a few turned up including one of the birthday girls, Sue. She said 19 of us had booked for tonight.
When it got to 8pm I contacted Debbie (the other birthday girl) to see where she had got to and found that she had missed a bus. She arrived at the bar just in time and we all walked over to Yum Yum's. I sat at one end of the long table with Mike, Jane, Debbie, Steve and Sue's brother,Mike. There was a pretty good selection of dishes on the buffet. I was adventurous and tried some of the Pork in Sweet Chilli Sauce (had quite a kick to it).Debbie received lots of presents. One of her work colleagues happened to be in the restaurant - she came over to give her a birthday hug. We stayed there for two hours - I love the way they don't rush you in this place. At the end of the meal the waiter came over with a lovely surprise - slices of chocolate birthday cake surrounded by pineapple rings with grapes in them. I discovered it was Steve's birthday too as the Thorntons package that Dave gave him turned out to be a chocolate car from Thorntons rather than an Easter Egg!
Sue asked us all if we wanted to go to the new Birdcage nightclub and as not all of wanted to we headed over to the Hard Rock Cafe first. There we met up with our friend Pete who we hadn't seen for ages. We also discovered that it would be £8 to get in the club after 11pm. I decided not to bother as a I had a busy day ahead of me. I rang a taxi and Alan (who had been up at 5am this morning for work!) waited with me until it arrived. It wasn't as efficient as usual but the cheap fare(under £5) made up for that! In all it was a good night and a great start to the weekend.

2nd April - Modern Jive Class

I arrived just in time for the class tonight. There weren't many there at the start of the first lesson. Stuart said that he was surprised to see Coronation Street had affected the attendance. Has no-one heard of videos?
The beginners moves tonight were Sway, Basket,Wurlitzer and Ladyspin. One of the guys I danced with pointed out that they were all very similar moves and after doing them a couple of times I must say I agreed with him. They certainly seemed to confuse a few beginners.
The intermediate class was better - moves included a boomerang and an aerial yoyo hips spin so I now know the difference between an aerial yoyo and an ordinary one - it's all to do with how high the man lifts your hand. At the end of the lesson I found my final partner was Sid - we had a good dance together.
I checked with Claire on the way out that there was definately no lesson next week.
I hope that there is a salsa class at La Tasca next Monday.
I then went home to watch Eastenders and the second half of Corrie - good to see that justice was done.