Brief pause and news

I am away from home while my boat is being mended and painted so I cannot do much in the way of planning, organising or blogging during this time of dislocation. Zoom class links will continue to land in your inboxes in the meantime. Email me if you want to be added or removed from any lists. I do not have a date yet for when in-person classes at Trinity Church Hall or Mark's studio can resume, but will post them here as soon as I get them. 

I have found a wonderful, affordable riverside venue for evening classes in future, where I live. I taught my Zoom short form classes there the last two weeks and it was lovely, 360 degree river views! Soon I will introduce Mark to the person who runs the space, and hopefully as soon as restrictions allow, we can have spacious, airy indoor space for pushing hands, evening groups, heartwork and occasional Sunday afternoon sessions. Watch this space!

Very best wishes to you all from near the Petersham venue, where I am staying until tomorrow. i shoul dbe back aboard my home on Friday.

Aberdeenshire classes

Here's the flyer with the current list of Aberdeenshire classes. Click on the picture below to see a larger version.

Changes at Turriff

This week, 2nd July, is the final class at the Gateway Centre in Turriff. It's more than a dozen years since Caroline first started teaching there. Many thanks to everyone who has assisted and to Max for looking after the hall.

I'm happy to say that the class will restart on 10th September at our new venue, the Baden Powell Centre at the new time of 6:45 - 8:15pm and will cost £50 for 6 weeks. Concession and weekly prices are available. Total beginners as well as any former students will be very welcome. There is also Long Form study for more experienced students from 8:15 - 8:45pm. If you are interested in learning or revisiting Long Form please get in touch to discuss suitability.

 © Baden Powell Centre

Mark's Thursday classes

After 22 years of Mark commuting to teach classes, we now have a dedicated studio for The T'ai Chi Centre Thursday night classes, near Hampton Court train station. Get in touch if you do not yet have the address, travel or parking details for the new venue, as the details will not be publicly available on the website. The first Thursday class will be on 1st March at 6.30pm - 10.30pm as usual. There is a week off next week for final venue preparations.

Thursdays are for regular students who usually attend any of Mark (or Caroline's) classes, new students are welcome to come along at 6.30pm to the Tuesday venue to meet the teacher and arrange 121 sessions to get ready to join in an existing class or study privately. Tuesday classes are not moving. Private 121s with Mark or Caro will be at the new venue, come to the usual place first for tea.

Aberdeenshire class flyer

Here's the updated flyer listing the current classes running in Aberdeenshire. (Click on the image below to get a larger version). The new Kingswells class will start next Tuesday, 16th January.

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These days it seems obligatory to provide online recommendations for further reading, listening or purchases of any kind. Personally I prefer word-of-mouth to software algorithms ;-)

So if you enjoyed the summer Intensive, or couldn't make it to Kingston last month, then you may be interested in coming to the Aberdeenshire Intensive from Saturday 14th to Monday 16th October. There will also be a Weapons workshop 7-10pm on Friday 13th.

The venue is Fetternear Hall (map available here). Note the hall is in a quiet rural location 2 miles from the nearest town / bus-stop (Kemnay), 6 miles from the closest train station (lnverurie) and about 13 miles from Aberdeen Airport.

More details will be posted here in due course. In the meantime if any visiting students need any help with travel or accommodation, including transport to/from the venue please get in touch with me. There will be some rooms available with local students and I can provide info on local B&Bs and hotels. It may be possible to stay at the venue but please note there are limited facilities (i.e. no showers).

If any of the Aberdeenshire students have spaces still available, please let me know so I can help match you with the visitors.

Today's venue

This afternoon's session will be at Scott's place near Inverurie. See you later!

Thursday venue 23rd June

As  Monymusk Hall is being used as a polling station, we'll have this week's Thursday session at Balvack from 7pm.

Inverurie and Turriff classes

Today is the last week of term at Inverurie and Turriff. I'd like to thank all the students, old and new, for all their enthusiasm, support and good questions. Both classes will restart on Monday 11th January at the usual times. Total beginners will be welcome to join either class in the New Year.

I'm pleased to say that thanks to Scott we've got a new venue for the Inverurie class. From January we'll be at the Port Elphinstone Community House. Click  here for more info on the venue and how to find it: it's on the main bus route into Inverurie and there is parking available nearby. Unfortunately the price will need to go up a little to cover the increased cost. I will post more details about both classes nearer the time.

 I hope you all have a happy and restful festive season.

Inverurie venue needed

The Inverurie class is going to have to move to a new location from the New Year. I'm going to ask round the places we've used before to see if there is a room available for Monday afternoons.
But if you know of any good - and reasonably cheap! - options then please let me know.

Change of venue for tonight

Monymusk Hall is being used as a polling station today and none of our usual alternate venues are available. Anyone that fancies some tea & cake (and a little T’ai Chi!) is welcome to come to Balvack from 7pm.

Thursday session this week

A reminder that we're in the Small Hall from 7-10pm this week as the bowlers are in the main hall.

Fetternear Hall fundraising - Please help with a vote

As many of you know we've been using Fetternear Hall for workshops for a number of years now. The committee have done a great job of improving the facilities but they require significant funding to carry out repairs to the roof.  I've received this email from the committee chairman.  If you'd like to add your support, voting closes on 10th October.

"Everyone in Scotland knows there is an important vote taking place this week...but you may not have realised there is another valuable cause that you can vote for and that is  through the Bank of Scotland Community Fund!  Fetternear Hall is on the shortlist to receive a much needed funding boost from Bank of Scotland, but how much we are fortunate enough to receive depends on how many votes we get.

It would mean so much to the Hall Committee and all the users of our building if you could do some clicking on the link below and vote for our cause to help provide a sustainable future for Fetternear's village hall.

https://communityfund.bankofscotland.co.uk/communityfund/cf_org_vote_profile.asp?cfr=98BAC5"

From Caro: Just voted, took 10 seconds, please do click the link as this is an ace hall and we love using it. Thanks.

Venue for tonight

A reminder that tonight's Long Form and weapons session is at Millbank Hall as Monymusk is being used as a polling station.

New Weapons Workshop Venue

The February 7th and March 7th weapons sessions with Caroline will be held at Millbank Hall. It's on the A944 between Dunecht and Alford.  Details for next weekend's workshops will be published soon.

View Aberdeenshire venues, Great River T'ai Chi in a larger map

Turn-off, coming from Aberdeen.

Carpark is on the right, just past the hall.

Tonight's Tuesday class

Is in the park at the end of Pentney Rd Balham, due to venue refurbishment.

Thursday 21st February

There's been a mix-up over bookings at Monymusk hall so this Thursday's session will be at Balvack from 7-10pm. Sorry there will be no room for weapons, but Marie promises plenty of partnerwork and Dance.

Hackney Round Chapel Class News

There will be some small changes affecting the next few weeks, they are listed below.

1st Feb: class as normal
8th Feb: 1st class of new block if paying by term. David will be taking the class, as I will be on retreat in Devon.
15th Feb: Class will be normal times at nearby venue so that HRC can hold a Valentine's Film Festival, and earn much needed cash for its ongoing restoration. Venue is 10mins away at: St Luke's Hackney, Homerton Terrace, (reached via Meeting Field Path from Chatham Place off Morning Lane), Hackney, E9 6RT. I will post pictures and make flyers soon.

It is very rare that we have to move from the regular hall, but I like to support HRC and accommodate their needs when we can. The festival organisers are paying for our replacement hall, and Lisa at HRC has done the research, so a big thanks to her. It'll be good to check out this local alternative venue; maybe it'll be ideal for when the music and beer festivals are on. If so, I will book it in advance for us for July and September and we'll not need to miss any more classes in future. Please support the class by coming along as normal if at all possible during these changes, which I hope will not affect you too much. New folks are still welcome to drop in.

There is a Staff Workshop on 12th Feb in Tooting at the usual vanue, 1-4pm, all welcome, £15.

There will soon be a sword study afternoon too, hopefully in March, watch this space!

North London Class

North London T'ai Chi Classes run on Wednesday evenings at Hackney Round Chapel on Lower Clapton Road, the entrance is at 1D Glenarm Road to the right of the building as you look at it. The class runs from 6-7pm for beginners with optional partnerwork until about 8pm. More senior students  come from 7-9pm where we study Short and Long Forms, applications, etc. After tea, and until 10pm, we study Sabre Form and Sword Form. I can't think of a better space in which to learn T'ai Chi. The class costs £10 (£6 concs) per week, payable in six week termly blocks, or £12 / £8 paid weekly. As ever, if any of my Scottish students are in town, or any T'ai Chi Centre students are free, then you are welcome to just come along. In January 2007 Steven Moore asked me to teach this class when he emigrated to Israel and the class has grown and developed naturally. T'ai Chi classes of our particular Yang Style lineage had been running in this venue for 10 years or so before I started, and there is still a great mixture of newer and more experienced students who come along. New beginners may turn up at any class at 6pm to meet the teacher and busk along for an evening. If they wish to join they may like to book a private lesson with me or one of the assistants to catch up with principles and basics so that they can take full advantage of the classes. Experienced T'ai Chi players are welcome any week at 7pm to discuss our method and see if the class is for them. All my students are also welcome to drop in at my teacher's school The T'ai Chi Centre in South London.
This is an update of the previously published 2007 post.

Over the Summer we did a fair bit of T'ai Chi here at Buccleuch Gardens:

In future there may be some Sunday sessions with Mark here, and when I am in Richmond, this is where I do 121s. In the Summer it's gorgeous, the river flows by within 30m. Wrapping up warm is a good idea in cold weather, but it is well covered, and there is a fab cafe (Hollyhocks) a 1 minute sprint away. More about the gardens here.  You can see the bustop in the first picture, 'Nightingale Lane' bus route 65, or a 10 min walk from Richmond Tube and Rail Station.