wonderful news

My fellow students of Mark's, Kate and Tim, now have a baby boy Alfred, born yesterday around 6pm. We all send our love and best wishes to them for a wonderful Christmas with their family.

I also wish to send my love and best wishes to all Great River students, whether you are away in Australia, Cuba, India, Hong Kong or Jersey or staying at home in Aberdeenshire or London. I hope you all have a peaceful Christmas, and a wonderful New Year.

I have really enjoyed teaching this year and sharing T'ai Chi with such good-humoured and dedicated people. Studying Long Form more deeply, as well as The Dance, Sword and looking at 'open and close' with Mark over the October workshop has rejuvenated both my own practice as well as my passion for passing all this great stuff on. Thanks again to the HRC group for their generous Christmas gift of one of my favourite whiskies. The round box will become the new tea set cup holder in the New Year... It was a new one on me to have a wee dram after tea with you all, this may have to become an end-of-year tradition. My Sabre form was not too badly impared, I was still able to leap straight.

I shall be going to Sweden for a couple of days on Tuesday at the invitation of a student, and then back to London to spend as much time as possible on 'Whim'. We'll be fitting a wood burning stove; and once the place is actually warm, maybe we'll have a little boat warming. My mum's due for an operation over Xmas, so I will be away at some point to take care of her. Apart from those days, I will be at home and available for 121s anytime. Class-mates from The T'ai Chi Centre are welcome to get in touch, as I'd love to join in if anyone's meeting up for a session.

If you are doing T'ai Chi over the holidays, especially if you are somewhere lovely... please take a few snaps and forward them to me so I can put them here on the blog.
Much love and peace to all our T'ai Chi friends and family, where ever you are, caro x

Happy Yuletide

A Super Yuletide to Everyone

As for me, I'll be here..
.................. talking to him!

2010 desk calendars

I have just completed the calendars for next year. They contain all Great River dates in Aberdeenshire and London as well as lovely pics from 2009. I have mislaid the list of who wanted one. Please drop me a quick email if you want one. I have ordered 10 so far and the cost will be £6 per copy, which will include me posting it to you when it arrives, hopefully on 28th December.

Long Form 10th December - Wyness Hall

This weeks Long Form session will be at the Wyness Hall. It will be open from 7pm for anyone who can make it along early for some extra partnerwork. Bring your swords and sabres too in case we have time to squeeze in some weapons practise.

For the last week of term, 17th December, we'll be back at our usual venue of the Masonic Hall. We'll discuss a likely start date for after the New Year, and confirm once next year's calendar is available from the Masons. As always, if anyone is up for Sunday drop-ins or other practise over the next few weeks then get in touch.

And best wishes to all our classmates who are travelling to warmer climes over the festive period - salutations will be winging their way to the USA, Holland, Oz, Hong Kong, and India at regular intervals !

Turriff & Inverurie classes - winter break from 10th Dec

This is the last week of term for the Turriff and Inverurie classes. The new term will start on January 11th (Turriff) and 13th (Inverurie). More details to follow.

Instructors

Just in the process of adding Scott to the blog so he can post about class times and so on... If any of the other London or Aberdeenshire instructors want to be able to do this too, get in touch. It's great to have a one stop shop for all class time changes and so on. Also, if there are any good pics from the year, please post them, or pass to me to put them up.

Thanks and well done

Thanks to the Aberdeenshire students for a great weekend of good work. Also well done to this year's intake of Hackney students who have just finished the Short Form this evening. Next week is the last class of term in London for both Mark's and my schools. Great River returns on 6th January, T'ai Chi Centre classes start a week later.

December weapons practise postponed

The weapons practise session scheduled for Saturday 5th December at the Masonic Hall has been cancelled. We'll discuss at class on the 3rd whether to reschedule for another date.

Aberdeenshire Workshops 27-29 November

This weekend's workshops with Caroline are as follows:

Fri 27th 7-10pm: Ta Lu & stepping partnerwork. Jasmine tea will be provided.
Sat 28th 2-5pm: Short Form & associated partnerwork. Students from any Great River or Northern Lights Short Form classes are welcome
Sat 28th 6.30-9.30pm: T'ai Chi Weapons
Sun 29th 2-5pm: Long Form
Sun 29th 6.30-9.30pm: Dance (San Shou), Spirals, Slipping

The venue is Fetternear Hall and each session costs £12 / £8.
Please bring some food to share between the sessions on Saturday and Sunday.

pushes and pulls

Just off for a 121 with Mark now, with lots of questions about Sword and Dance for this weekend's workshops in Aberdeenshire. I am really looking forward to coming up. Right now I have quite a tickly cough and a cold, but I am hoping to be less snuffly at the weekend. I wish I could get to the Thursday night practice sessions in Inverurie when I come up, but my work does not allow it. I am glad that it is starting a bit later, so that all those who travel or have late jobs can get along to it. Also, it is good that the rota means each week is really different; partnerwork at the end rather than the start, for instance. This can also help those who come later not to miss the vital push hands work.

The last 2 months have been very busy for me as I have taken on arts work to meet a specific financial deadline. The extra work is fun and rewarding, but has often meant I have only been able to get to the second half of Mark's classes, for form, San Shou, silk reeling, etc. Just pushing hands 3-4 days a week for over and hour each time with my colleagues is such an essential part of my learning. Two months 'reduced service', even with the push hands I do at my own class and elsewhere, has certainly showed. I was delighted to return to it this weekend and last. So, here's a word from recent experience to all Great River students, whether instructors in their own right or not... even if it means skipping some other cool thing, having a packed dinner rather than a meal, or not popping to the shops that day... don't let your push hands training slip! It's the heart and guts of our T'ai Chi, without it we are paper tigers.

Weapons Day Tomorrow

is at St Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Trinity Road, from 10.30am - 1.30pm.

No Sunday drop-in 22 & 29th November

There will be no Aberdeenshire Sunday drop-in session on 22nd and 29th November.