Aberdeenshire Postponement

Due to delays regarding the sale of our Aberdeenshire home I cannot now get up to Scotland next week to teach. I am postponing the sabre class which was due to be on Tuesday and will post new dates for it soon. All 121s and my visits to ongoing classes will happen as soon as I can get up, in early February, I hope. I really look forward to coming up and am sorry for the delay. Please do contact me by email or mobile if you wish.

Classes have started at Inverurie this week and will start at Turriff next week. I have confirmed the dates of Mark's Spring visits: 30th March for the weekend workshop, Saturday 14th April for the weeklong Spring workshop. All are welcome, let me know if you are interested. There will be a BTCCA weekend 24th and 25th February in London, myself and a few students plan to go, do join us.

Mark's dates for 2007

Below are the unconfirmed dates for 2007. A few people already have to book holidays in with their work, so I am listing them now to give them a chance to get the time off. These dates may be subject to changes, which I will post here as soon as I hear back from Mark. The plan for 2007 is the same as 2006: to hold 4 seasonal weekends which usually include most of these sessions - Talu, Beginners Introduction, Form, Partnerwork, Sabre. We will also have two week-long workshops again if there are sufficient students interested.

Spring Weekend Sessions: 30th March -1st April
Spring Week-long Workshop: 14th-20th April (plus Talu Fri 13th eve - provisional dates)
Summer Weekend Sessions: 29th June - 1st July
Summer Week-long Workshop: 28th July - 3rd August (plus Talu Fri 27th eve - provisional dates)

Dates for Autumn and Winter weekends will follow at a later date.

Caroline's teaching dates 2007

Just so you can fill in the dates in your new diaries...
Dates 2007:
January 22nd: Turriff class begins - enrol at Gateway Centre asap.
February 24th-25th Heart Work weekend at BTCCA London
February 27th- 5th March: Sabre on Tues and all other classes with Caroline, 121s near Monymusk.
March 27th-2nd April: Sabre and all classes with Caroline as above and Spring Weekend Workshop with Mark over one of the Fri-Sat-Suns to include TaLu, Sabre, Partnerwork, Beginner's and Long Form workshops.
April 14th-20th: Spring Weeklong T'ai Chi Workshop with Mark, venue TBC.
May 8th-14th: Sabre on Tues and all other classes & 121s with Caroline as above.
June 5th-11th: Sabre, classes and 121s with Caroline as above.
June 29th-1st July: Summer Weekend Workshop with Mark, similar to Spring schedule. Possible extra dates with Caroline after workshop.
July 27th-Friday 3rd August: Summer Weeklong Workshop with Mark, as above.

I have been at Mark's classes and at John's tonight. I can't get to the blog very often, but will hopefully be updating the website at last very soon. I am reachable by phone.

In front of the Aga

Here's a picture of myself, Mark and most of the students who turned up for a session at the house on yesterday afternoon after a great week of 121s that Mark taught. We dutifully lined up in front of the Aga and Jim, one of the Wednesday students, said 'no, you've got to beam out from the heart...' so we did... Classes start on the week of 15th January, phone your centres for details. Sunday classes will be held every week at different students' houses, email me for details. I will be back up on 23rd-30th or beyond, depending on whether I have a place to move to and how the packing goes. I do plan, however, to have a final Sunday class at my home in Forgue, as I feel a 4 hour T'ai Chi class would be a wonderful way to leave the house for the new owners (a local GP and his large family), as well as being a perfect way for us to honour all the love and work that has taken place in our T'ai Chi sessions there. All we'll need is firewood and some tea, so unless you hear from me otherwise, consider it on, and open to all my T'ai Chi students, past, present (and future) who'd like to come. Right now I am at my brother's in Tooting and will be flat hunting from tomorrow morning and going to T'ai Chi class four nights a week and Sunday afternoons. I am teaching a class on Tuesday night for someone who is away, so it seems life has certain plans for me that my sinus infection, the lack of a home and lazy thoughts can do nothing to derail.

I would like to send huge love and appreciation to all the Aberdeenshire students for your effort and support. Enjoy and deepen your T'ai Chi, cultivate your open hearts. I will see you in two weeks. A peaceful New Year to all who read this blog.

Lessons with Mark

It is lovely seeing the faces of students when they arrive to have 121s with Mark, and the equally delightful contrasting faces when they come through to the kitchen after their lessons. The T'ai Chi room is host to Mark for the last time this week, although I shall use it when I come up to teach and pack up at the end of January. The fire is lit every day. Apart from a few months of music and art 5 year's ago, that room has only ever been used for T'ai Chi since I have lived here, and it feels special now.

Back at home

I arrived back here this afternoon with Mark, who is teaching a 121 right now. If anyone would like a lesson with me this Wednesday to Friday, then get in touch. Also, all are welcome to come along for a New Year open session with Mark on Saturday 2-4pm before we we return to London, the cost will be £10.

I just got an email about the next HeartQuest weekend at the BTCCA on 24th-25th February 2007. Although I am not totally sure yet that I can attend it, I do not want my February week up here to clash with it, so I propose to teach in Aberdeenshire the following week 27th Feb - 5th March so that my students may attend in London if they wish to. I recommend it, (and will almost certainly be there too.) Please email me if you would like details of the weekend, or have a comment on dates I am suggesting...

I wish everyone a very peaceful and happy New Year.