Oldmeldrum Class

There will be no Oldmeldrum class today. Class will resume next week as planned.

Thanks.

Staff workshop - Jubilee weekend changes

There will now not be a Staff Workshop on Sunday 3rd June as it's the double bank holiday weekend, and many folks will be away. I have found only 1 other possible date to replace this at the usual hall, which would be the week we come back to classes, so Sunday 9th September, which has now been confirmed. Please update your purple flyers!

Revised London Sword and Sabre class dates 2012

...these dates are held at the regular class venues 6.30-7.45pm, £5. Note the June change due to the Jubilee. Sabre Tuesdays, then sword Thursdays of same week.
May 1st and 3rd **this week**
June 12th and 14th (changed 5th and 7th)
July 3rd and 5th
September 11th and 13th (after a full week back at class)
October 2nd and 4th
November 6th and 8th
December 4th and 6th.

Sword session

Yesterday's session was great, thanks to Mark and to all those who came along. The next general sword session, to which all with even a little sword experience are welcome, will be on Sunday October 21st same time and venue as normal. In the meantime there may be outside sessions in Balham during the summer, basically any time when the weather permits. These will be planned at classes for the following weekend responding to the weather forecasts.

Sword workshop Today

There is a Sword session this Saturday 28th April at our usual venue 2-5pm, St Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Trinity Rd, Wandsworth Common, £20. All those who have begun Sword with either Mark or myself are welcome. This is not suitable for total beginners. Tea will be provided.

The River Graveney

In Dorset, it would be called a brook, and in Aberdeenshire it would just be a burn. Here in Tooting this tiny waterway is called a river, and yesterday it was in full spate, full of rain run-off. I was planting seeds and could hear the rushing sound from behind my shed, so different from the usual trickle punctuated by the quack of a lost duck. Normally the Graveney is 3 or 4 inches deep, but here's a little film of it from yesterday living up to its name. It may not be a great river, but it flows into the Wandle (from which the borough of Wandsworth gets its name) and then into the Thames, which surely is.

Bees and neonicotinoid pesticides

Some of my best friends keep bees, and as a keen gardener as well as someone who wishes to reduce environmental harm, I was pleased to read there is now firm evidence to suggest why honey bees have mysteriously been in decline. I was sad however to read that agri-business is not acting on this as yet. A good appraisal of the risk of neonicotinoids in pesticides is here. Please check any spray pesticides you have at home for these chemicals, and if present, please do not use them. You can write to the producer asking them to stop using these harmful chemicals in their garden products. Many less harmful alternatives are easily available.

Chi Kung / Qi Gong

Week by week, a couple at a time, I am finally filming the Chi Kung set that I occasionally teach, including the Five Elements, at Hackney Round Chapel. Apart from a couple of sticking and sensitivity training exercises, these are the only aspects of Great River's formal syllabus that I did not learn from Mark Raudva or John Kells. I learned them from my excellent second T'ai Chi teacher Kajedo, of whom I have written before. He was taught by the Kobayashis, students of Dr Chi. I will make the clips available to all my students when they are complete, for private study use. Thanks to HRC student Stuart, who has prompted me to do this. I expect it to be done within a month.

Golden Rooster Stands On One Leg

Linda's friend sent her this recent photo of an actual golden rooster standing on one leg... It's lovely, far more graceful and colourful than I expected. Thanks Linda.

rub

Thanks to Hamid for one of my birthday pressies, this lovely Badger muscle rub. It isn't made from badgers, thank goodness, but is an organic gorgeous-smelling balm along the lines of Tiger Balm, but less full-on with the heat, more a korma than a vindaloo. I have been using it on my several current knee bruises (we are doing lots of big roll-back and split in class, taking the opponent to the ground, and someone has to be the one who kisses the floor...) It's really good stuff.

Aberdeenshire 121s

I have space for a session on Saturday morning 26th May, and some time during the day on Monday 28th. Let me know if you'd like a slot.

Trains to London for July workshop

Twelve weeks to go so train tickets to London for the workshop in July are now available. These sites may be useful:
Caledonian Sleeper
East Coast trains
The Trainline
Return trains will be available in the next week to 10 days.

Hampton Court from the bridge over the Thames beside Hampton rail station, last weekend.

breaking news

Outside my window right now a male robin is repeatedly dive-bombing the much larger young squirrel who is getting too close to his mate's nest. This morning he was feeding worms to his mate on the fence and is often on the window feeder. It's all go here. London life, eh?

I have just returned home from the funeral of my next door neighbour Dr Talati, who died last week at the age of 89. Born in Zanzibar, she had been the first female qualified doctor in Africa, and worked as a GP both there and in the UK. She was a lovley neighbour and will be sadly missed. It was good to meet her family from all around the world, and to be part of their Zoroastrian ceremony at the crematorium.

Last week in pictures

The gregarious heron at Richmond

Late sunlight hitting the tops of the trees.

Wysteria at Petersham.

A small onion bed at the old allotment.

Undoing the last 5 of 7 years art college training: getting back into sketching from life.

Mini crochet, perfect for public transport- coasters.

The Living Mountain

...a wonderful book of the Cairngorms by Nan Shepherd, a superb writer from Aberdeenshire who has written some of the most beautiful, true and poetic words about nature I have ever read. Thanks to Mary for this gift, which was excellent company at the Kuti.

Music

From my student Karen from the Hackney group:

I have two gigs this weekend, both fundraisers with other great acts that promise to make for 2 wonderful evenings.... please do come along if you can....

This Friday, April 20th, in St Lukes Church Holloway, will be an evening of lo-fi music and hi-fi words featuring Iain Archer, Anthony Wilson, poet Martin Roe and myself....

Time: 7.30pm
Location: St Luke's church, Hillmartton Road, London N7 9JE
Entry: £8 or £4 concession (includes 1st drink).... proceeds go to:Women At The Well, a safe house for sex-workers in Kings Cross

This Saturday 21st is a fundraiser for my friend Fran's awesome theatre company, and it will take place at Motel de Nowhere, unit 007, first floor, BJ house, 10-12 Hollybush gardens, E2, 9PQ, starting 7.30, suggested donation £5.... please see attached flyer for other acts etc.

www.myspace.com/karengracetunes
www.facebook.com/karengracetunes

Classes resume

...today with Mark at The T'ai Chi Centre, Trinity Hall 6.30pm.

Tomorrow with me at Great River T'ai Chi at Hackney Round Chapel at 6pm.

Turriff Class summer term

The dates for the next term of Short Form classes at Turriff are as follows:

16, 23, 30 April
7 May - no class
14, 21 May
28 May - no class
4 June
11 June - no class
18, 25 June

All sessions are 7-8:30pm at the Gateway Centre (next to the swimming pool). The price for the 8-week term is £55 or £40 concession. The class will be open again to beginners from September.

Sabre and Sword with Mark

Sabre 6.30pm Tuesday 17th April
Sword 6.30pm Thursday 19th April
Classes begin as normal from Monday 16th April.

June 121 sessions in Aberdeenshire

I have just booked my tickets to teach in June, but as I had left it a little late, and as it's holiday season, reasonable flights could not be found at my usual timings. I will be arriving late Thursday 21st June so I will be available for 121s all day Friday 22nd until the usual evening session at 7pm. Please let me know if you'd like a slot. I will be leaving early on Monday 25th, so I won't have time for the usual early bird slot there. 121s are also available on the Saturday and Sunday mornings.  All available slots below. I will book my September flights in better time...

Saturday 26th May morning
Monday 28th May free from 10am - 3pm
Friday 22nd June free from 10am-5pm
Saturday 23rd June morning
Sunday 24t June morning

Workshop details will follow at a later date.

Belief with John Burnside

I just heard this lovely programme on Radio 3. Listen Again is available until the 11th of April.

The writer John Burnside has had a good year. His latest poetry collection, Black Cat Bone, recently won both the Forward Poetry Prize and the TS Eliot prize. In a new episode of Belief he talks to Joan Bakewell about the influence of spirituality on his life and writing and he explains how he came to his beliefs. Raised a Catholic by a hardworking mother and a hard-drinking father John once thought of becoming a priest but he ended up following in his father's footsteps - drinking heavily and taking drugs until he ended up in a mental hospital. But years of reading and contemplation eventually led John to discover the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism and now he leads an altogether quieter life according to Taoist principles.

From Caro 7.4.12
Just listened to this - excellent, except for Joan Bakewell's lack of understanding of philosophies outside a montheistic tradition, tipified by the contrast of her use of words such as 'fatalistic', 'belief' and 'faith' in contrast to Burnside's 'understanding' , 'flow' and 'observing'. His exposition of his evolving relationship to the way of things, is as good an introduction to the Tao, as currently practiced here in the west, as I have ever heard. I have just ordered 'Black Cat Bone' from the library, and will add him and Thoreau to Gary Snyder, for books I will read at the Kuti in June. His words near the end of the broadcast about 'entering a discussion to close it down' were insightful and instructive. I will listen again soon. 

Regarding him feeling like he is on another planet from the mainstream of people's thinking... I wish he didn't feel so alone... there are a fair few of us out there whose thoughts and feelings he would resonate with.

My week in pictures

Two frogs at the allotment, beautifully camouflaged, we had to tread carefully.

Making Easter eggs with my nephew and niece tonight, I tempered the chocolate properly for once to get the shiny finish and satisfying 'snap'.

A newt at the allotment, also very hard to spot.

Walking with Sam in St James's Park - Pelicans, dwarfing the heron on the next rock.

Pollarded plane tree shadow on the way to the Heartwork session.

The skyline from my kitchen before buds opened last week.

10 minute Doodle on my iPhone in homage to David Hockney - saw his show at the RA 3 times.

Saw the Lucian Freud show at the NPG yesterday with my family, also tremendous.

Happy Easter.

Sunday 8th April

There's no drop-in session at Balvack this Sunday.

No Hackney class tonight

... As we are off for Easter for two weeks. See you all on 18th. Caro

Heartwork Workshop today

Sunday 1st April, yes, April Fool's Day... However, the workshop really is taking place, it's not a hoax.
2-5pm, St Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Trinity Road, 100m from Wandsworth Common, £20. Tea will be provided; in fact today it will be special jasmine oolong pearls, as Mark's regular tea has run out, so I am bringing my favourite one from Macbeans of Aberdeen.