Elgin, Tin Hut and Red Shoes

Elgin Community Centre and Tin Hut, Gartly classes started today-it was good to see new faces as well as returning students.

After a great taster session, the Red Shoes Theatre Company class will start next Thursday, 2nd October at 10 am in the theatre, opposite the old Safeway car park, Elgin.
The class is open to staff, performers and friends of the theatre. Contact me for further information and costs.

Wednesday 24th Sep - no Inverurie class

There will be no class at Inverurie this Wednesday 24th September, as the Academy and Garioch Centre are closed due to industrial action. We'll confirm at a later date if there will be an additional week added onto the term.

Hut 150

Autumn Workshops with Mark and Caroline

Mark will be teaching the Autumn workshop from Saturday 11th October until Friday 17th, 2-5 and 7-10pm each day. We begin the week at Fetternear Hall and move to Monymusk Hall for 16th. All are welcome including beginners. Several folks are coming up from London, so if any Aberdeenshire folks can put them up, that'd be great. Also, if regular folks cannot make it to all the sessions due to work or other committments, come to as many as you can. There will be a TaLu session 7-10pm Friday 10th as usual, this time at Fetternear Hall (£15). The workshop costs £30 per day, bring food to share.

The weekend workshop will run from 28th-30th November with the usual array of workshops:
Friday evening Talu, Wabu, etc; Saturday 2-5 Short Form, 7-10pm Sabre; Sunday 2-5pm Partnerwork, 7-10pm Long Form. All are welcome, costs £15 per session. Do call for details.

Concessions are available, please ask for details.

Morning 121s from 10am with Caroline will be available during both periods, let me know if you'd like one. Mark will not be teaching 121s on these visits due to the intensive nature of the sessions.

Caro's September Workshops in Aberdeenshire

Here are the dates for this weekend. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone. Unless stated, sessions cost £10 / £6 concs.

Thurs 25th 7.30pm: Long Form (£5) Masonic Hall, Inverurie.
Saturday 27th 2-5pm: Partnerwork, all levels, Friendship Room, rear of Kemnay Village Hall.
Saturday 28th 6-9pm: Sabre, all levels including beginners, Kemnay Village Hall.
Sunday 2-5.30pm: 'Sunday Class', Short Form, any questions, partnerwork, salutations, etc, Friendship Room.

I have just booked the flights for Mark and myself for the remaining dates of the term and will list the dates in the next posting.

Walk like a cat again

Caroline - the other great wild cat photo...(who stares wins).

Elgin Classes

After a great taster session, the Elgin class for Moray Council staff will be held in the Community Centre from after 12.00 every Wednesday lunchtime.
The classes will start on Wednesday 24th September and run through to the beginning of December, with one or two weeks off for holidays.
The cost is £4 per class or £20 for six weeks (ie buy 5 get 1 free!)

Oldmeldrum and Inverurie taster sessions

There will be two taster sessions later this month for anyone in the Garioch area interested in getting a flavour of Great River T'ai Chi. Price is £3 / £2 concession and jasmine tea will be provided.
Saturday 20th September 11am- 1pm Oldmeldrum Town Hall
Saturday 27th September 11am -1pm Wyness Hall, Jackson Street, Inverurie.
For more information contact Scott: scott [at] greatrivertaichi [dot] co [dot] uk

Red Shoes and Tin Huts

The Red Shoes taster session is on this Thursday at 9.30am at The Red Shoes Theatre Company (opposite the old Safeway car park) in Elgin.
All staff and friends are welcome. Cost for taster session is £2.50.

The Tin Hut class restarts on Wednesday 24th September at 7.30 in the Tin Hut (aka Gartly Hall, at the Tillathrowie road end on A97 Huntly-Rhynie, 5 mins from Huntly). Looking forward to seeing new folks as well as returners.

And a reminder: Spynie classes start tomorrow at 1.15.

Durdle Door, last month, on a blessed sunny day.

121s in Aberdeenshire in September

There are a few spaces left for 121s with me, let me know if you'd like one.

Black Sky, White Sky

Shaman, journalist, avant garde musician and all round Dundee-born Balham renaissance man Ken Hyder wrote a book a few years ago and it is now available to read at the link below. He asked me to read it over the next week or so and leave comments, join me!

http://www.authonomy.com/ViewBook.aspx?bookid=1392

Heather's Last Stand

A motley crew gathered on Thursday evening to say farewell to Heather!

The last class in the studio.

Inverurie Autumn term - date changes

The Garioch Centre have now advised that the term at Inverurie will end 3rd December, not 10th December as previously advised. Price is £50/£25. There are still spaces available, ring the centre on 01467 620353 to enrol.

Rag Rugs

I just finished this as a first birthday present for my niece Isabella. I use coffee sacks and old T-shirts to make them, and it's just the most relaxing way to chill out. Here's a request: if you are ever about to throw away and old, even torn or worn out clothes made of T-shirt material (cotton jersey) please save them for me. I dye them in great colours if they are pale or white, and make these rugs, which are very useful and make great gifts. Thanks to Tania and Chris who have already given me some unwanted T-shirts, I dyed them red just now...

Partnerwork and Weapons Days

Mark will be teaching the next of his regular partner work days on Saturday 25th October from 1-7pm. All are welcome and he will be covering Push Hands, Ta Lu, Wabu, San Shou, sticking, sensitivity training and much else. New students are welcome but there will also be plenty for experienced players.

The following day on Sunday 26th from 1-7pm he will be holding the first 'T'ai Chi Weapons Day' in response to requests from students. He will be introducing Sabre, Sword, and Staff as well as demonstrating. The day will be suitable for total beginners as well as those who have already studied these forms. If you have staffs, sabres, bokkens or swords, do bring them, but we will try to have lots spare for newcomers.

The venue both days will be St Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Trinity Road, Tooting, SW17 7HP.

Call or email Mark via http://www.thetaichicentre.co.uk/ for details.

Sunday Class in London

There will be no class at my place on Sunday as I have been asked to go to Brighton and assist a friend with a workshop. Contact Dave if you'd like to do T'ai Chi on Sunday afternoon.

Mark's classes begin again on Monday. See you there.

A Reminder - The Last Class of the Woman from the Canadian Shores known as Heather

Our good friend and fellow t'ai chi addict, Heather, returns to Canada on Tuesday-how time flies!
Tomorrow's class -Thursday 4 September- at her house, will be her last.
All students who wish to say goodbye are most welcome to the class-and we'll try to do everyone's favourite bit - kinda like kareoke t'ai chi!
We'll also partake of a wee swally o' the vino collapso (with ra bubbles), a moothful o' funcy pieces and a horses doover or two -who could ask for more? (sorry folks, that sentence was a hideous mixture of the doric and the glesca patter.)
So join us, at Heather's tomorrow from 7-10 pm to say cheerio, farewell, tara, goodbye, should auld acquaintance, adieu, so long, auf wiedersehn, go'on yersel' hen.....

Aberdeenshire sabre practice, 6th September

We'll be having another sabre practise session this Saturday 7-10pm at the Masonic Hall, Inverurie. Jasmine tea will be provided.

The heartland of a great river ... the view on Donside last weekend.

Walk like a (proper) cat

Felis sylvestris grampia

Rockpools near Osmington, Dorset.