Dave and I at Kew Gardens yesterday.
29 December 2007
24 December 2007
Christmas Eve
Love and best wishes to all who read this blog! It's one minute to midnight and definitely time to thank all my friends and students who have asked how my mum is doing. Not quite well enough for the train, my brother picked her up by car today and she has headed up to bed after watching 'Pirates of the Caribbean' with me here. I am so happy to see her up and about. Today Dave came over for some Dance revision and practice and for a laugh we tried each holding the camera phone one time from our outstretched arms from the beginning posture... results above. Peace to all.
Inverurie 2008 class: enrolment details
Any existing or new T'ai Chi students wishing to enrol in the new session of classes at Inverurie should contact the Garioch Community Centre as soon as possible.
Term runs from 16th January to 5th March. Classes are held 7:00-8:30pm at Inverurie Academy. The cost for the term is £40.00 / £20.00 concession. Please send cheques to:
Garioch Community Centre
Chelsea Road
Inverurie
AB51 3PL
Or call the centre on 01467 620353 if you need further information.
Term runs from 16th January to 5th March. Classes are held 7:00-8:30pm at Inverurie Academy. The cost for the term is £40.00 / £20.00 concession. Please send cheques to:
Garioch Community Centre
Chelsea Road
Inverurie
AB51 3PL
Or call the centre on 01467 620353 if you need further information.
22 December 2007
Christmas Class in Tooting
All T'ai Chi folks are welcome to my house in Tooting next Thursday 27th December for a class of whatever we all want to do... 12 noon- 1.30pm and tea afterwards. No need to call to arrange, email me for address and directions. Cost £2.
18 December 2007
Applications Workshop in London
My Teacher Mark Raudva will be holding a workshop teaching applications from the solo T'ai Chi Form which is open to all who are interested. The venue is St Mary Magdalene Large Church Hall, Trinity Road, Tooting, SW17 7HP, 1-7pm, Sunday 23rd February, bring a snack. The nearest tube is Tooting Bec and the cost is £25 / £15. More details will follow soon. This day follows the regular partnerwork workshop on 23rd at the usual Derinton Road venue from 1-7pm. Please get in touch if you would like to come along to either.
For all those from Scotland who cannot travel down, there will be a workshop session on applications on Mark's next visit, or the one after that.
For all those from Scotland who cannot travel down, there will be a workshop session on applications on Mark's next visit, or the one after that.
16 December 2007
Hofesh Schecter dance performance March 2008
http://www.cornexchangenew.com/search_results.php?id=1556
I am hoping to go and see this performance of Hofesh Schecter's dances Uprising and In Your Rooms. Anyone who'd like to join me, get in touch.
I am hoping to go and see this performance of Hofesh Schecter's dances Uprising and In Your Rooms. Anyone who'd like to join me, get in touch.
15 December 2007
Partnerwork Sunday 16th December
The partnerwork session this Sunday at Heather's will be 2-5pm, not 3-6pm. We'll eat together between sessions: please bring something to share.
12 December 2007
Workshops this weekend in Aberdeenshire
Friday 14th 7-10pm Ta Lu
Saturday 15th 2-5pm Long Form
Saturday 15th 7-10pm Sabre (at Fetternear Hall)
Sunday 16th 3-6pm Partnerwork
Sunday 16th 7-10pm Short Form (beginners welcome)
Monday 17th 7.30-9.30pm 'Thursday night class' £5
All sessions are at Heather's and cost £10/£6 unless stated.
All sessions will now be taken by my T'ai Chi brother David Knight (www.shoreditchtaichi.com) who has generously offered to teach at such short notice so that I can take care of my mum who is ill. The Aberdeenshire posse have been saying how much they have missed him, so it should be a great weekend for all. I am very sorry I can't be there too.
Saturday 15th 2-5pm Long Form
Saturday 15th 7-10pm Sabre (at Fetternear Hall)
Sunday 16th 3-6pm Partnerwork
Sunday 16th 7-10pm Short Form (beginners welcome)
Monday 17th 7.30-9.30pm 'Thursday night class' £5
All sessions are at Heather's and cost £10/£6 unless stated.
All sessions will now be taken by my T'ai Chi brother David Knight (www.shoreditchtaichi.com) who has generously offered to teach at such short notice so that I can take care of my mum who is ill. The Aberdeenshire posse have been saying how much they have missed him, so it should be a great weekend for all. I am very sorry I can't be there too.
10 December 2007
Classes in London over the Christmas break.
Classes run as usual this week until 13th. I am available for 121s at my home over the whole holiday period, call me to arrange a session. Drop in classes will be at the following times. Mark's and David's students are welcome too for these informal sessions for £2. All my sudents are always welcome too.
Wednesday 19th December 10.30-12 noon
Wednesday 2nd January 2008 10.30-12 noon
Wednesday 9th January 10.30-12 noon
Regular Hackney class resumes 9th January at 7pm.
I am also up for coming along to or hosting any partnerwork sessions. Both David and myself have space for a number of people to practise, so call or email if this appeals more than films on TV one afternoon.
Wednesday 19th December 10.30-12 noon
Wednesday 2nd January 2008 10.30-12 noon
Wednesday 9th January 10.30-12 noon
Regular Hackney class resumes 9th January at 7pm.
I am also up for coming along to or hosting any partnerwork sessions. Both David and myself have space for a number of people to practise, so call or email if this appeals more than films on TV one afternoon.
Push Hands
http://www.push-hands.de/en/index_en.html
Here is the link to the English page for next year's Hannover Push Hands event, up to nine days of workshops and afternoons free to push hands everyday. It seems it is possible to camp for free in the sports hall itself, if you bring a sleep mat and sleeping bag. I am almost certainly going along, although I will finalise that in view of finances in the New Year. I have good friends in Berlin and will probably fly there first on Friday 9th February and after lunch catch a train to Hannover. I would be very happy for any folks who I already know, teach, or train with, as well as anyone else out there who wants a posse to travel with, to get in touch.
This event is non-style based, you will find Cheng Man Ching, Yang, Chen, Sun, and other styles represented by push hands enthusiasts there. It is not a competition either. I spoke at length to a wonderful German chap I met at Taichi Caledonia last year about this event. He said that 95% of the folks who attend are there to share what they have and just to get their hands on as many other like-minded players as possible. This is truly a great way to learn, and to test what we hope we have learned. As I have not yet been, I cannot vouch for anything: whether that's the standard of workshops or the lunches, but I have only ever heard good reports. Both Henk Janssen and Sam Masich are teaching workshops in the mornings, and I can certainly recommend them.
The costs are clearly marked in Euros on the linked page and are very reasonable. I intend to stay until Friday 16th evening and then fly back on the latest flight to London as I do not want to miss my regular workshop with Wang Hai-Jun the following day, with whom I am studying Chen Style. The Push Hands event goes on in Hannover until 16th and apparently afterwards there will be a big party.
Here is the link to the English page for next year's Hannover Push Hands event, up to nine days of workshops and afternoons free to push hands everyday. It seems it is possible to camp for free in the sports hall itself, if you bring a sleep mat and sleeping bag. I am almost certainly going along, although I will finalise that in view of finances in the New Year. I have good friends in Berlin and will probably fly there first on Friday 9th February and after lunch catch a train to Hannover. I would be very happy for any folks who I already know, teach, or train with, as well as anyone else out there who wants a posse to travel with, to get in touch.
This event is non-style based, you will find Cheng Man Ching, Yang, Chen, Sun, and other styles represented by push hands enthusiasts there. It is not a competition either. I spoke at length to a wonderful German chap I met at Taichi Caledonia last year about this event. He said that 95% of the folks who attend are there to share what they have and just to get their hands on as many other like-minded players as possible. This is truly a great way to learn, and to test what we hope we have learned. As I have not yet been, I cannot vouch for anything: whether that's the standard of workshops or the lunches, but I have only ever heard good reports. Both Henk Janssen and Sam Masich are teaching workshops in the mornings, and I can certainly recommend them.
The costs are clearly marked in Euros on the linked page and are very reasonable. I intend to stay until Friday 16th evening and then fly back on the latest flight to London as I do not want to miss my regular workshop with Wang Hai-Jun the following day, with whom I am studying Chen Style. The Push Hands event goes on in Hannover until 16th and apparently afterwards there will be a big party.
This may be of interest to Aberdeenshire folks and those interested in preserving natural habitats in general. Keen golfers may not be so interested. A good friend at Findhorn sent me this in an email just now.
'As you might know, US property tycoon Donald Trump is attempting to develop Menie Estate on the Aberdeenshire coast. The site is a tremendous untouched sand dune system, next door to Forvie National Nature Reserve, and a protected site (SSSI) in its own right. However, Trump wants to build 2 golf courses, 1500 homes (all well outside the price range of the locals) and a hotel a third of a mile long. It flies in the face of Scottish development and environmental legislation, but due to the spin created by a very well-oiled PR machine, has a lot of support from those in 'business'. They are saying it should go ahead, and all hell with the conservation legislation. Aberdeenshire Council's infrastructures committee very bravely rejected the proposals last week, on the grounds of environmental concerns and issues with the scale of the housing development. Since then, those councillors who voted against the scheme have been blasted in the local press, and one was apparently assaulted outside her house on Friday as a result. The press have been absolutely disgraceful, printing a one-sided view of the issue, and suggestions have been made that money has changed hands behind the scenes. The upshot of it all is that an emergency meeting is to be held next week, as a result of the "overwhelming public outcry" about the infrastructure committee's decision. The aim is, apparently, to get the decision overturned. Interestingly, the local paper, the Press and Journal, ran a poll on its website that was mysteriously pulled when it showed a 60-40 split in favour of upholding the council's decision... Anyway, there is a petition on the Downing Street website to object to the scheme going ahead. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/trumpoff/ '
'As you might know, US property tycoon Donald Trump is attempting to develop Menie Estate on the Aberdeenshire coast. The site is a tremendous untouched sand dune system, next door to Forvie National Nature Reserve, and a protected site (SSSI) in its own right. However, Trump wants to build 2 golf courses, 1500 homes (all well outside the price range of the locals) and a hotel a third of a mile long. It flies in the face of Scottish development and environmental legislation, but due to the spin created by a very well-oiled PR machine, has a lot of support from those in 'business'. They are saying it should go ahead, and all hell with the conservation legislation. Aberdeenshire Council's infrastructures committee very bravely rejected the proposals last week, on the grounds of environmental concerns and issues with the scale of the housing development. Since then, those councillors who voted against the scheme have been blasted in the local press, and one was apparently assaulted outside her house on Friday as a result. The press have been absolutely disgraceful, printing a one-sided view of the issue, and suggestions have been made that money has changed hands behind the scenes. The upshot of it all is that an emergency meeting is to be held next week, as a result of the "overwhelming public outcry" about the infrastructure committee's decision. The aim is, apparently, to get the decision overturned. Interestingly, the local paper, the Press and Journal, ran a poll on its website that was mysteriously pulled when it showed a 60-40 split in favour of upholding the council's decision... Anyway, there is a petition on the Downing Street website to object to the scheme going ahead. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/trumpoff/ '
08 December 2007
06 December 2007
This blog
This blog is the noticeboard of events for all classes and related courses for my small T'ai Chi School in London and Aberdeenshire, Great River T'ai Chi. Two other contributors, who are instructors for the school in Aberdeenshire, currently add their dates for the classes they run, so they can easily alert students to a change of time or date. I always advise students to check here first, as it is updated much more regularly than my website, though I will attend to that soon!
Other than these dates, all other entries are posted by myself. It has modest aims: this blog is a place where I put what interests me and I feel may be of interest or help to students. Comments are welcomed but are moderated. This is not (and has never been) an open forum or a discussion board, although I am delighted if anything is of interest to anyone out there. It would take too much time and energy following each thread of a forum. I used to do this for a while when in music groups in the nineties, but I prefer interfacing on a 3D level rather than via a computer screen, and besides, I type very slowly.
I do love a good talk about T'ai Chi as much as the next person, especially over a cup of tea, but always face to face; as nuance and tone are often lost in translation to the written word, and so much can be misunderstood. The advantage of face to face is that you can stand up and go: 'Oh I see, what a different Ta Lu' and actually show and share things in real time in the real world. I do love the web, and being able to stay in touch so easily with loved ones far away is a real modern wonder. However, I shan't be committing to a second life yet, I am just beginning to get to grips with the apparatus and operating system of my first life.
There are many fascinating forums for T'ai Chi and martial arts in general all over the net, and several friends frequent them. It is also very easy to start a discussion group for free in a matter of moments on the web, and this could also be a very interesting way for T'ai Chi folk to exchange their many views and opinions... I only wish I had so much spare time as those who post regularly on the discussion boards. When I do get some time I prefer to do my own T'ai chi or cook a big meal for friends and sit around the table together.
What the web certainly has a surplus of is opinion. To a small degree this blog is part of that phenomenon. However, I have one over-riding factor that I consider when I post anything, whether it's dates, links, art, music, poetry, my thoughts or the comments I receive from anyone else. 'Is this helpful, instructive or inspiring to the students?' A link to a delightful video may be just that. A relevant book I have enjoyed will almost certainly get a posting. If I receive a comment that I feel is confusing or contrary to what we are hoping to teach, I choose not to publish for the sake of clarity and to avoid mixed messages. So although I hope to take myself less seriously year by year, I take what my teacher chooses to share with me more seriously. Even in this small blog, I prefer not to publish anything that goes against the spirit or meaning of what he has had the generosity to teach me. That's enough words for now.
Other than these dates, all other entries are posted by myself. It has modest aims: this blog is a place where I put what interests me and I feel may be of interest or help to students. Comments are welcomed but are moderated. This is not (and has never been) an open forum or a discussion board, although I am delighted if anything is of interest to anyone out there. It would take too much time and energy following each thread of a forum. I used to do this for a while when in music groups in the nineties, but I prefer interfacing on a 3D level rather than via a computer screen, and besides, I type very slowly.
I do love a good talk about T'ai Chi as much as the next person, especially over a cup of tea, but always face to face; as nuance and tone are often lost in translation to the written word, and so much can be misunderstood. The advantage of face to face is that you can stand up and go: 'Oh I see, what a different Ta Lu' and actually show and share things in real time in the real world. I do love the web, and being able to stay in touch so easily with loved ones far away is a real modern wonder. However, I shan't be committing to a second life yet, I am just beginning to get to grips with the apparatus and operating system of my first life.
There are many fascinating forums for T'ai Chi and martial arts in general all over the net, and several friends frequent them. It is also very easy to start a discussion group for free in a matter of moments on the web, and this could also be a very interesting way for T'ai Chi folk to exchange their many views and opinions... I only wish I had so much spare time as those who post regularly on the discussion boards. When I do get some time I prefer to do my own T'ai chi or cook a big meal for friends and sit around the table together.
What the web certainly has a surplus of is opinion. To a small degree this blog is part of that phenomenon. However, I have one over-riding factor that I consider when I post anything, whether it's dates, links, art, music, poetry, my thoughts or the comments I receive from anyone else. 'Is this helpful, instructive or inspiring to the students?' A link to a delightful video may be just that. A relevant book I have enjoyed will almost certainly get a posting. If I receive a comment that I feel is confusing or contrary to what we are hoping to teach, I choose not to publish for the sake of clarity and to avoid mixed messages. So although I hope to take myself less seriously year by year, I take what my teacher chooses to share with me more seriously. Even in this small blog, I prefer not to publish anything that goes against the spirit or meaning of what he has had the generosity to teach me. That's enough words for now.
02 December 2007
Huntly Area Classes
The Wednesday Tin Hut class resumes 16th January and the Saturday class in the Library on 19th January.
I'll post info on new classes in Huntly in the New Year.
A brilliant Xmas and new Year to everyone..
I'll post info on new classes in Huntly in the New Year.
A brilliant Xmas and new Year to everyone..
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