Beds, Rats, and Adaptability

Another dream I had this week was about a nest of rats under my bed:

Rats
To see a rat in your dream, signifies feelings of doubts, greed, guilt, unworthiness and envy. You are keeping something to yourself that is eating you up inside.Or you have done something that you are not proud of. Alternatively, a rat denotes repulsion, decay, dirtiness, and even death. The dream may also be a pun on someone who is a rat. Are you feeling betrayed?

In a pet shop today there was a little white rat up for adoption. The sign next to his cage described him as very shy and in need of a lot of love. I could only see the tip of his nose and his ears as he cowered in a tube.

Rats as pets:

•Rats are intelligent, social animals that can make wonderful pets.
•Easily tamed.
•Relatively easy to care for, but are not low maintenance pets.
•Require a fair amount of attention and exercise time outside of thier cages.
•Rats are very social and do best if kept with other rats.
•Rats are very curious.
•Many owners compare the companionship of a rat to that of a dog.
•Females aretend to be active and playful.

I am a Rat.

The Rat

Being born a Rat is nothing to be ashamed of. In China, the Rat is respected and considered a courageous, enterprising person. It is deemed an honor to be born in the Year of the Rat and it is considered a privilege to be associated with a Rat. Rats know exactly where to find solutions and can take care of themselves and others without problems. They use their instinctive sense of observation to help others in times of need and are among the most fit of all the Animal signs to survive most any situation. (See...adaptable!)

The Sign of the Rat

Being born under this sign determines many talents, as well as other characteristics that may not be so commendable. Rats are very lively and need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. They can be calm and perceptive, but sometimes their brains can cause a mental restlessness, tempting them to take on too much, only to discover they are unable to meet their commitments. Rats are blessed with one of the best intellects going. Add to their intelligence a curiosity and a bright imagination, and they seem as sharp as a needle.

The sign of the Rat is the first sign in the cycle giving Rat people exude great leadership qualities and are good at taking the lead. They don't mind a lot of responsibility and they demonstrate a strong presence that other people respect. For those with the Rat nature, status and monetary satisfaction are the greatest motivation.

I am a metal Rat.

Of all the Rats, these are the toughest and most resolute. They are visionary and possess an emotional intensity that can lead to feelings of rage, envy, or possessiveness. They like to be in charge, and can act selfishly to get what they want. In relationships, business or personal, they can be obstinate. Metal rats have to bear in mind that meeting their partner halfway would help their relationships tremendously. They take great pride in their homes and enjoy decorating them in their impressively good taste.

Still...if I had a nest of them under my bed I would run a mile.

Beds, Dreams and Adaptability

Beds take up an awful lot of room space. Just think of what use you could put a bedroom to if it was without a great big bed taking up all the floorspace. It could be turned into another sitting room, a study, office, dining room, playroom, bathroom or gym. They say necessity is the mother of invention and I think it is necessary to rethink the whole idea of a having a room for just for a bed.

A wonderful invention would be a bed-in-a-box. It would be an ingenious mix of memory foam and a cloud like substance. It would come in a box no bigger than a small suitcase and at the press of a button out would squirt the foam/cloud mix which would quickly form a bed shape. It would be incredibly comfy and there would be no need for pillows of blankets (therefore saving on the need to do endless washing and struggling with duvets). Instead the foam/cloud would envelope you in a cocoon of cosiness. On the box will be a row of buttons offering you the choice of single, double or king-size bed. It would have a temperature dial so you could have a warm bed in the winter and a cool one in the summer. It would even have a ‘firmness’ factor that you could select in case you wanted to do something other than sleep in it. And it would be waterproof. When you woke up in the morning you would just press another button and the foam/cloud would be sucked back into the box. A deluxe model may even have an inbuilt dry clean. But the pièce de résistance would be that it could float (obviously you controlled how high) thereby making it usable in any room of the house. It also has the added desirability factor of being portable. No more sleeping on friends uncomfortable sofas or having to book into a B&B because there is no room at a relatives. Just turn up with your bed-in-a-box and at the push of a button you are dreaming in your own bed.

All the blanket makers, duvet and pillow manufacturers would be put to work making the beds-in-a-box as their previous skills would be redundant so no jobs would be lost. In fact demand for other sorts of furniture would increase as people could let their imaginations run free in the furnishing of the space freed up the removal of the static bed. The housing market may slow down a bit as people would not longer have to move house just for extra bedrooms which would be good news for first time buyers as house prices may even fall.

Ideally people would change their ‘bedrooms’ into ‘me’ or ‘our’ rooms where they did exactly what they wanted. Even sleep.

Speaking of beds…dreams are amazing things. I often wake up with the meaning of the universe startingly clear and I lay for a few secords marvelling at this enlightenment and then before I am fully awake the revelations fade and is lost forever. Or until the next dream.

One of my recurring dreams is one in which I partake in Parkour.

Wiki:

Le Parkour, primarily considered a philosophy, includes the physical practice of traversing elements in both urban and rural settings. The goal is to move from one point to another as quickly and efficiently as possible. This discipline was created in France, Sarcelles, in Smooth and Evry by David Belle, Sébastien Foucan, and the founding members of the Yamakasi. It is inspired by "the natural method of physical education" by Georges Hébert. The term freerunning is sometimes used interchangeably with parkour. While parkour aims to enable the practitioner to be able to move quickly and efficiently past obstacles, freerunning has a greater emphasis on self-expression within the environment. Freerunning includes tricking moves such as aerial rotations and spins, while the purist definition of parkour founder David Belle would not consider these part of parkour because the moves are merely showy, not efficient, and do not help the participant to get from place to place. Although Sébastien Foucan co-founded parkour, his philosophy differed and so he is generally associated with freerunning (see below). A practitioner of parkour is called a traceur if male, or traceuse if female (from the French for bullet). Two primary characteristics of parkour are efficiency and speed. Traceurs take the most direct path through an obstacle as rapidly as that route can be traversed. Developing one's level of spatial awareness is often used to aid development in these areas. Also, efficiency involves avoiding injuries, both short and long term. This idea embodying parkour's unofficial motto is être et durer (to be and to last). Those who are skilled at this activity normally have extremely keen spatial awareness. Parkour's emphasis on efficiency distinguishes it from the similar practice of free running, which places more emphasis on freedom of movement and creativity.

Traceurs say that parkour also influences one's thought processes by enhancing self-confidence and critical-thinking skills that allow one to overcome everyday physical and mental obstacles.

According to Williams Belle, the philosophies and theories behind parkour are an integral aspect of the art, one that many non-practitioners have never been exposed to. Belle trains people because he wants "it to be alive" and for "people to use it".Châu Belle explains it is a "type of freedom" or "kind of expression"; that parkour is "only a state of mind" rather than a set of actions, and that it is about overcoming and adapting to mental and emotional obstacles as well as physical barriers. A recent convention of parkour philosophy has been the idea of "human reclamation". Andy (Animus of Parkour North America) clarifies it as "a means of reclaiming what it means to be a human being. It teaches us to move using the natural methods that we should have learned from infancy. It teaches us to touch the world and interact with it, instead of being sheltered by it." "It is as much as a part of truly learning the physical art as well as being able to master the movements, it gives you the ability to overcome your fears and pains and reapply this to life as you must be able to control your mind in order to master the art of parkour."

Dream definition of Parkour:

To dream that you are performing a parkour move, indicates that you are not letting any obstacles stand in your way of your goals. Alternatively, the dream means that you are in tune with your surroundings and environment. You are able to adapt to any situation.

And I thought it was about running away.

Beer, Cauliflowers, Potatoes and Shards of Glass

Channel hoping last night I came across an interesting programme called Genius with Dave Gorman. I was intrigued to see Alexei Sayle on the panel so settled back to watch.



Genis with Dave Gorman last night featured Tim Minchin and Alexei Sayle. ‘GWDG’ is a TV version of the Gorman’s radio show in which celebrity guests take a range of ideas from the public, in the hope they will find something they can class as 'Genius'.

The reason Alexei Sayle stopped me in my tracks is because he has morphed into my dad…seriously if they stood next to each other I would be hard pressed to tell them apart. Sayle did not appear to be in his comfort zone unlike Minchin who was at ease and very quick witted. I laughed out loud at one ‘Geniuses’ suggestion for saving on fuel in the transportation of budgies, sheep and wardrobes. There are some funny people out there.

Driving home tonight I had a bright idea that would save the British agricultural industry, thus saving several other industries in the process. It was reported on the news that beer sales had fallen over the summer, blamed in part on the rain. Rain being of course the root of all evil and obviously to blame for the financial crisis we currently find ourselves in. Mark my words, in years to come they will say ‘Poor bankers and greedy governments bore the brunt of the blame for the financial fiasco of the early 2000s. When the real culprit was in fact the RAIN! Hindsight is a wonderful thing and if they had invented giant sponges earlier all that trauma could have been averted’. Wait a minute….giant sponges? That may be a real stoke of genius. Huge sponges that signal an end to floods and droughts. You could just suck up all the rain water from flooded areas and fly the water laden sponges over drought stricken areas and squeeze. Anyway back to my idea to revitalise the fields of Britain - my solution to the poor beer sales, cauliflower sales, and potato sales is to make it compulsory for every household in the land to buy at least one pint, one cauliflower and 2lb of potatoes (or equivalent) per week. Doesn’t matter if you are tee total or anti root vegetable - these purchases must be made. With threats of fines and imprisonment if necessary for any anti farmer people who drink wine and eat pasta. Think of how happy it will make the farmers, greengrocers, publicans and chip shops of this green and fertile land! So green and fertile and wet (that pesky rain again) that hops and root vegetables thrive! Think of the productivity, the jobs it would create! Think of the injection of vitality it will give the flagging economy. Everyone's a winner. Each week there could also be a wild card that you were obliged to buy. Something that wasn’t doing that great. But to qualify all items had to cost less than a fiver. My idea is much better than cutting public services or increasing taxes. I think the panel would have decided I am a Genius. And I can’t believe no one has thought of the Giant Sponge before.

The Internet is way wonderful tool for ‘normal’ people to indulge their journalistic, novelistic and comedic talents. My son’s friends are using their i Phones to create vignettes of comedy based on well known scenes from gangster movies. This involves large bags of self raising flour, swearing, and the ‘laying down of some good sounds’ but I don’t think that Tarantino has anything to worry about.Yet.

Talking of Genius...I am already loving The Shard. Seeing it grow over the last few months and knowing one day it will mean for me, home, is amazing. Whenever I travel back into London by road or train I always get the feeling 'I'm home' on my first glimpse of 1 Canada Square, better known as Canary Wharf. The Shard is going to be bigger, more visually stunning and best of all....south of the river!



Wiki:

Shard London Bridge, previously known as London Bridge Tower, and also known as the Shard of Glass,is a skyscraper under construction in Southwark, London. When completed in 2012 it will become the tallest building in the European Union.

The tower will stand at 310 m (1,017 ft) tall and have 72 floors, plus 15 further radiator floors in the roof. The entire building has been designed with an irregular triangular shape from the base to the top. The tower will be clad entirely in glass. The tower will be used for mixed-use purposes, including offices, residential apartments and hotel. The viewing gallery and open-air observation deck will be on the top (72nd) floor.

The building replaces Southwark Towers, a 24-storey office building which was completed in 1976. Renzo Piano, the building's architect, worked together with architectural firm Broadway Malyan during the planning stage of the project

The Shard was designed in 2000 by Renzo Piano, the Italian architect best known for creating Paris’s Pompidou Centre of modern art with Britain’s Richard Rogers. The London entrepreneur Irvine Sellar had decided to redevelop Southwark Towers, a 1960s office block next to London Bridge station, and flew to Berlin in March 2000 to meet Piano for lunch. According to Sellar, the architect spoke of his contempt for tall buildings during the meal, before flipping over the restaurant’s menu and sketching an iceberg-like sculpture emerging from the River Thames.

In July 2002, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott ordered a planning enquiry after the development plans were opposed by local authorities and heritage bodies, including the Royal Parks Foundation and English Heritage. The enquiry started on 15 April 2003 and public hearings concluded on 8 May 2003.On 19 November 2003 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced that construction had been approved. The Government released a letter stating that:

"Mr Prescott would only approve skyscrapers of exceptional design. For a building of this size to be acceptable, the quality of its design is critical. He [Mr Prescott] is satisfied that the proposed tower is of the highest architectural quality."

Power to the People

In an earlier blog I mentioned how much I enjoyed travelling by train. That was obviously before I made a journey that involved taking 8 – yes 8 – trains in one day to travel a mere 60 miles. The journey to Colchester in Essex necessitated me taking 4 trains there and four trains back at the astronomical cost of £32.00 and the return journey took 3 hours! That is 20 miles an hour. This meant that I drove on the subsequent days – a journey that took 90 minutes each way and cost in the region of £8.00 a day. Admittedly the M25 is a nightmare but on this occasion the car beat the train hands down. So when I say I love the train what I actually mean is that I love trains that I can catch at the station at the end of my road and takes me directly to my destination, which also happens to be a short stroll from the station, and cost less than a cup of coffee.

Colchester is a nice town. It is an army town in Essex and among its claims to fame is that it is the oldest recorded Roman town in Britain. As I said it is a mere 60 miles from London and the route I drove in on took me past the lovely houses that form part of its ‘posh’ district, Lexton. This is where I spotted the ‘Woodlands Residential Home for Ladies’ which I have earmarked as a possible home for me when I have one foot in the grave. It is for ‘discerning ladies’ which I am sure that one day I will be.

My visit to Colchester was not to look at possible care homes for me in my old age but to be trained as a facilitator for the Incredible Years programme. This is an aspect of my new job that I love. The amount of training that I have had over the last couple of months is phenomenal. I am being trained as a SENCO, EYFS practitioner, Facilitator and next week alone I have three more training days. My only concern is when I will get the time to actually do my work. It seems the further up your career you go the less time you have to actually do any ‘hands on’ work. How I yearn for the halcyon days of being a ‘primary helper’. That has got to be the best job in the world. It is such a pity it is so badly paid and ‘non professional.’

The ‘Incredible Years’ is the brain child of Dr. Carolyn Webster-Stratton. Dr Webster-Stratton is Professor and Director of the Parenting Clinic at the University of Washington. She has developed the Incredible Years Programme to promote children’s social competence, emotional regulation and problem solving skills and reduce their behaviour problems. The aim of the programme is to help parents and teachers provide young children with a strong emotional, social and academic foundation so as to achieve the longer term goal of reducing the development of depression, school drop out, violence, drug abuse and delinquency in later years.

It has been running in the UK for several years now and was initially trialled in Wales:

Ruling the roost

The Incredible Years parenting programme is being held up by ministers as a model of good practice -Laura Smith -The Guardian, Wednesday 20 September 2006

It's Wednesday morning at the Plas Pawb community centre on a housing estate in Caernarfon, north Wales, and seven mothers sit anxiously in a circle. They have come for the first week of a parenting course and are wondering what to expect.
Sitting among them is Eilir Jones, the softly-spoken Sure Start health visitor who will lead the group. She goes around the room, gently asking each woman why she has come. They start off embarrassed, unsure, but gain confidence from each other as the answers spill out: sons and daughters with learning or speech difficulties; kids who are violent and have problems controlling their tempers; sons missing their fathers after a difficult divorce; children who won't do what they are told. By the time each mother has spoken, the relief in the room is palpable. "A lot of mothers have so much on their plates," says Jones during the tea break. "They might have one child with physical or behavioural problems. They might have a difficult relationship with their partner. That's a lot to cope with. It helps to know that other parents are going through some of the same things." The course at Plas Pawb is just one of dozens of parenting courses across Wales that use the Incredible Years (IY) approach, pioneered by Carolyn Webster-Stratton, an educational psychologist at the University of Washington, and introduced to the UK in 1997 by Dr Judy Hutchings, an NHS clinical psychologist and research director at the University of Wales, Bangor. The central tenet of the programme is its collaborative nature. Parents are not told what to do, but are encouraged to work it out among themselves through group discussion. Positivity is another theme. Despite the serious problems faced by those who attend the programmes run at Sure Start centres or through child and adolescent mental health services, the first six weeks of the 12-week programme are spent not on addressing problem behaviour, but on helping parents build a positive relationship with their children. Listening and talking, playing, praising and rewarding form the basis of these early classes and it's only in the final weeks that parents are given strategies to deal with bad behaviour, including time out, loss of privileges and ignoring. Nicola Hilton, 35, from Tregarth, north Wales, finished the IY course earlier this year. "I remember feeling very frustrated in the first couple of weeks," she says. "My son has ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder] and the course was a last resort. I didn't want to come here and play Thomas the bloody Tank Engine. I wanted someone with a white coat to sort things out. But it's been an absolute turnaround. Things aren't perfect now, but to actually be in control and know you are the boss and for that child to know their boundaries is important." Hilton is not the only parent to report such a positive outcome. An evaluation of the approach in 11 Sure Start areas in 2003-04 found that children whose parents attended at least one session showed a 42% reduction in problem behaviours compared with a 7% reduction in the control group. And this was among three- to four-year-old children referred by health visitors because they were considered at risk of developing conduct disorder due to significant behavioural difficulties.
"The parents we saw had children who had incredible tantrums, were being aggressive and sometimes violent," says Tracey Bywater, research officer in Hutchings' department at the University of Wales. "They were climbing the walls. To go back to the same family a few months later and hear them say they can take their little boy shopping where they couldn't before, and that their relationship with their partner is better because they're less stressed out and that they are actually having fun with their children - it's lovely."
Such evidence has not gone unnoticed. The Welsh assembly in April this year unveiled plans to roll out the parenting programme to every local authority area in Wales. One of the other aspects of the scheme, in which teachers are trained to use the IY methods with reception and primary school pupils, was adopted by Gwynedd Education Department in 2001 and teachers trained in aspects of the scheme will be in place in every primary school in the county by 2008.
Central government is also taking notice. The government's action plan on social exclusion, published last week, praises the programme for its "significant results", including better parenting and a reduction in problem child behaviours. IY was recommended in the recently published National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for the treatment of conduct disorder and is being examined by the Department for Education and Skills for possible roll-out elsewhere in the UK.
Hutchings says she has lost count of the number of government briefings she has attended in recent months. "I had breast cancer two years ago and could do with retiring really," she says. "But it's quite hard to give up when you know you are doing something that could make a difference to family's lives."
While welcoming the government's renewed commitment to early intervention, Hutchings and her team are wary of the rhetoric about identifying problem children "pre-birth", which caused some outcry last month when Tony Blair lent his support. "There are risk factors such as low income, but you have to be careful because it's not predetermined," says Bywater. "You can't, in my opinion, say that just because they come from a single parent family - which my kids do - they are going to be trouble."
Judith Roberts, 34, from Deiniolen, north Wales, finished the parenting course earlier this year and believes it should be offered universally. "After a couple of years of having groups of people looking at you while you are grappling with your child at school and in the supermarket when he is going nuts, you feel so alone," she says. "This group makes you realise it's not just you and reminds you that you are a good mother. I'm a lot more confident now. I'm looking into going back to work and getting on with my life because it seemed to be on hold for so many years."


How The Incredible Years parent training programme works - DIANNE SPENCER - femail.co.uk

The Incredible Years programmes have been developed by Professor Carolyn Webster-Stratton, director of the Parenting Clinic at the University of Washington, to help parents deal with problem children. The long-term goal of this award-winning series of programmes is to prevent delinquency, drug abuse, and violence - the all-too common outcomes for children whose antisocial behaviour goes uncorrected.
Short-term, they focus on building the parent-child relationship by encouraging parents to become more involved with their children, teaching them how to play with them, praise and reward them, set limits and handle misbehaviour.
'Without early family treatment, aggressive behaviour in children 'crystallises' by the age of eight, making future learning and behavioural problems less responsive to treatment and more likely to become chronic,' says Professor Webster-Stratton.
'Yet recent projections suggest that fewer than ten per cent of young children who need treatment for conduct problems ever receive it.'
The Incredible Years programmes are designed to help parents learn how to:
• increase the amount of praise they give their children and reduce the use of criticism and negative commands.
• set limits by replacing spanking and harsh discipline with non-violent discipline techniques and increased monitoring of children.
• feel more confident about themselves and their parenting skills.
• solve problems and communicate positively with their family.
• gain their children's cooperation, leading to a more positive relationship.
For children, the benefits can include:
• reduced conduct problems;
• a decrease in negative behavior and conflict with parents at home;
• decreased aggression and disruptive behavior in the classroom;
• better social skills and improved ability to make friends;
• greater understanding of their own and other's feelings;
• better ability to deal with conflict;
• improved willingness to learn, and greater cooperation with teachers.

I disagree with Dianne Spencer in as much as i think the programme is designed to deal with problem parents rather than problem children. In fact the label 'problem' is a misleading one, or rather the problem is in the parenting methods used rather than in the individuals concerned. It is all to do with rethinking what we do, why we do it, what it is we actually want and making changes in things that are unhelpful, unsuccessful and sometimes damaging. The trainer was excellent, she really knew her stuff and it was probably the first bit of training I have been on where I had no trouble staying awake for the afternoon session. The only downside is that the ‘manual’ costs nearly £2000 dollars (including package from the US of A) and to become an accredited practitioner will cost us Londoners (the Eseex cohort get a discount) around £500. Since the training cost the LA around £700 per person this seems a bit excessive. And come Wednesday (the Big Spending Review Day) I doubt there will be any money left in the pot for enabling this to be rolled out in any significant way. I imagine it will mean, in the real word, us trained but uncredited facilitators, offering bits of advice to stressed out parents and teachers in a luke warm manner – ‘I say, have you considered playing with you child? No? well give it go and when I next see you I tell you about setting limits. See Ya’.

God, I hate sounding cynical. There has been a lot of praising over the last few days as part of the training was to praise others and yourself. So I have had a very positive few days, mainly being told that I have nice eyes, that my hair is a lovely colour and I that am ‘laid back’. What does that mean? ‘Laid Back’? That I take things in my stride? That I am easy going? Or did they all spot my innate Acceptance? My new work colleagues in particular commented on my ‘laid backiness’. I can only hope it isn’t a nice way of saying lazy. My new team has a reputation for being very hardworking, arriving at the office early, leaving the office late, juggling a thousand things at once and ‘demonstrating impact and achieving outcomes’. This does not bode well with my ‘laid back’ image. I will have to work on being unlaid and forward.

Image is a funny thing. Take Bloggers for instance:

I heard Andrew Marr speaking about Bloggers.

Marr, says ‘Most citizen journalism strikes me as nothing to do with journalism at all. A lot of bloggers seem to be socially inadequate, pimpled, single, slightly seedy, bald, cauliflower-nosed young men sitting in their mother's basements and ranting. They are very angry people. The country is full of very angry people. Many of us are angry people at times. ‘But the so-called citizen journalism is the spewings and rantings of very drunk people late at night.’ Marr does however concede that some Bloggers do have something valid to say - ‘It is fantastic at times but it is not going to replace journalism. Most of the blogging is too angry and too abusive. Terrible things are said online because they are anonymous. People say things online that they wouldn't say in person.

I do like the idea of ‘Citizen Journalism’. I would not say that the Rat Diaries are a form of journalism, far from it. The RD are simply a diary that is written on a blog and hopefully one day someone will read it. My daughter has just started college and mentioned to her fellow students that her mum blogs. She told me they were all really impressed by this and asked her what her mum blogged about. ‘I don’t know’ she admitted ‘I haven’t read it’.

The blogs that are Citizen Journalism, if well written and knowledgeable, are every bit as valid as 'Freelance Journalism', 'On Newspapers Payroll Journalism' or any other type of jounrnalism you care to name. I have read blogs that far surpass anything you could read in a newspaper – even the broadsheets. I have read blogs that are informative, reportive, reflective and impartial. I have read blogs that are intelligent, emotive, passionate and thought provoking. I have read blogs that are funny, sad, personal and touching. I have learned things from reading blogs, been inspired to research further, angered and moved to tears. I have read blogs that I don’t understand and blogs that put into words of clarity the chaotic thoughts that have been spinning in my head. All the things that a good newspaper or a news programme or a well made documentary can do and more. Bravo Bloggers and Citizen Journalism.

Power to the People!

I Could Have Danced All Night....

It is amazing how many dancers there are out there. I was expecting the class to be busy but I wasn't expecting there to be hoards of people, of all ages and abilities, twinkle toeing around the room.



The class started at 8pm and after learning a few steps and twists we were ready to 'free style'. I was fully expecting the class to finish by 9pm or half past but, after another 45 minutes taught time we all 'free styled' until 11pm. Great fun.

Ceroc is an abbreviation of the French phrase c'est Rock. The dance, sometimes referred to as 'Modern Jive', is a fusion of Salsa, Ballroom, Hip Hop, Tango and Jive. Ceroc has a certain etiquette -

You don't need to come with a partner. (I didn't see the friend I went with all night)

The more you dance in the freestyle the quicker you learn. (Yep, and the dizzier you get)

The women ask the men to dance as much as the men ask the women. (Some women, maybe)

Saying no to someone when they ask you to dance is unusual at Ceroc. (A big no no...unless you have cramp)

Teachers are very approachable and happy to go through the routine with you. (This was very true)

And finally, the man leads and the lady follows. (This is what I find very difficult, especially when the 'man' is a very small teenager)

Each lesson typically burns up 800 calories. Much better than a session in the Gym!

Next week - Zumba

Zumba is a dance fitness program created by dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez in Colombia during the 1990s. The program combines Latin and international music with dance in an effort to make exercise fun. It is danced to music based on salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggaeton, samba and other international music styles and forms.



Oh I can't wait!

Peas in a Pod. And a Turnip

Hell, I feel stupid. I really don't like feeling this way. That everyone else knows and understands something I don't. It is difficult to stand up and say 'hang on a minute - can you run that past me again'? You think there is something glaringly obvious but when no one else mentions it you convince yourself you are stupid. I really hate feeling like this.

Take Child Benefit. This payment is not means tested so anyone with a child can claim it. No matter how rich you are you are able to claim this benefit. However the poorest of the poor, those in receipt of Income Support for instance, have it given with one hand and taken away with the other. It has always been this way and no one has ever battered an eyelid. So why the fuss now that those in the higher tax bracket (earning in excess of forty grand a year) are going to have this benefit withdrawn in 2013.

If you are claiming Income Support and it is decided that you need £100 a week to live on you are means tested before that £100 is given to you. 'What money do you have coming in?' you are asked. 'Eh? nothing...thats why I am filling in this form and sitting in this hell hole. I have nothing. The larder is bare' 'Ahem. I take it you claim Child Beneift?' 'Well, yes. £20 a week. It is a universal benefit.' 'Not for you it isn't. We will take it from the amount you are deemed to need to live on. So we won't give you £100. We will give you £80!'

Yet earn £100.000.000 a year and you can have it, no questions asked. It has been this way for years.

Why don't they just scrap it altogeher? Those in most need will have their Income Support topped back up to £100 so will not suffer from it's demise and those who are on a low wage and in receipt of Child Tax Credit can be awarded an extra £20 per child. No one who needs the money will lose out and those who don't need it won't get it. Simples.







I was struck the other day about the similarities between Cameron, Clegg and now Miliband. Compare those guys to Bob Crow. Crow, a trade union leader, is reported to earn £133,183 a year. Crow is the son of a dock worker, he attended a secondary modern school, until the age of sixteen when he left and joined London Transport. Bob Crow earns almost as much as Cameron(£142,500) and more than Clegg and Miliband. Which goes to show class has nothing to do with how much someone earns. It has to do with the breed of dog you own (Crow - a Staffy), how you look in casual clothes, the way you speak, the money your family has (Camerons has millions) and your sense of fairness.

I wonder if the mothers of these mens children claim Child Benefit?