Finally! Stand up paddle boarding

I decided months and months ago that my next big sporty thing would be stand up paddle boarding. It's been a while since I've tried anything new so I stuck it on my Summer Ambitions list. It just looks fun and is supposed to be really good for your arms and core muscles.

So last weekend, I went out with a whole bunch if friends to try it out. The guys at Engage Watersports were superbly accommodating and helpful.

We started with a spot of kayaking:

Then some of us moved on to the stand up boards:

I found the actual "standing up" bit quite hard, but once I was stood it was pretty straightforward.However, I wasn't great at steering - you really have to pull the paddle right across the front of the board to get it to turn. And I wasn't quick either!

Next we played with getting two people on the board. Despite my slightly dodgy balance, this went pretty smoothly too. I discovered it worked much better for me if I stood at the front :)

Then our instructors happened to mention that they'd never had three people on a board. Challenge accepted!

I think we lasted about 7 seconds the first time and only about three the second time (because I bailed!).

After about 90mins of playing, we reorganised ourselves into two-up kayaks for the trek down the river to the pub for lunch. It was 2.5 miles each way and rather knackering - I thought I did quite well but the next morning my left arm was seriously sore! In a deep heat, ibuprofen and keeping it still kind of way :S

All in all a fabulous (if tiring) day out. I really want to get back on the stand up board sometime soon. Need to work on those arm muscles first!

 

All the photographs in this post are from ClareDowlingPhotography and are used with permission.

Summer nails

I finally have time to paint my nails! So far, they've been electric blue (with darker tips):

And then this pinky-beigey-greyy-sparkly colour, which took lots of experimenting with various layers to achieve the desired effect:

This picture really doesn't do the colour and sparkliness justice.

I might go with the bright neon orange from last summer next...

What I did yesterday

It's Marvellous Festival time again (how do these things come around so quickly?!). So, fireworks in a field...

1) I sported a delightful black tide mark around my hairline after re-applying sun cream with blackened, firework-powder covered fingers. Didn't realise for several hours. Attractive!

2) I forwent my usual baseball cap in favour of my cowboy hat, which did a wonderful job of keeping the sun off my face.

3) We enjoyed slightly cooler weather! After over a week of official heat wave (30degC+ everyday), it cooled slightly to a more comfortable 24degC with a cloudy sky and light breeze. Much better for lifting and lugging.

4) I enjoyed a post-rig and pre-show hog roast (otherwise known as pig-in-a-bun). It was delicious, especially the cracklings and apple sauce.

5) I surrounded myself with wildlife. The deer kept their distance this year - I could see them hiding in the woods, but none ventured over like in previous years. There were a few ticks about but not so many as to cause problems. Topping the chart were the butterflies! There were loads of them. Must be the sudden hot weather.

6) Fireworks were lovely :)

Photos from Sunday - clear sky and temps back up to 28!

Rigging, morris dancers and paella

Last weekend I helped out at a street party. Our task was rigging sound. The best part about rigging days is that no one cares a jot what I look like. I didn't brush my hair all day! Just tied it back in a crazy ponytail/bun combo so that it was out of my way and got on.

If you think you recognise the building on the left, that's probably because I set fireworks off the roof of it last year as part of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations.

Halfway through the set up, about a million (I am so not exagerating) morris dancers came past us in procession:

Things eventually got underway about midday...

... and the town was full of people.

I treated myself to paella from one of the hundreds of food stalls (again, not exagerating):

Yummy :)

Summer ambitions 2013

I totally forgot about this list that I wrote last year, until Janetha who writes the meals & moves blog posted about her 2013 list. Here is is:

I'm not half as artistic as Janetha, or as ambitious, but here's my new list:

The basic idea is hopefully to get out and enjoy summer (presuming that we get some nice weather) and relax a bit! I can't wait to have a whole day where the only think on my to do list is "sit in the sun" or "bake cookies". Sounds like heaven :)

What are you going to do this summer?

PS: If your answer is "go on a ballet summer intensive" then I am very jealous. Next year. Hopefully.

Is returning better?

There are some really obvious differences between me (returning to ballet) and many of my fellow adult ballerinas who have never danced as a child.

The first one is the terms. Ballet is all in French. Now I don't speak any French (apart from a little bit via Coffee Break French podcasts!), but say plié or tendu and I know exactly what to do. As a teenager I also learnt the "ballet translations" of many words:

Developpé - unfolding the leg from a closed to an open position and holding it there

Rond de jambe à terre - rounding of the leg on the floor

Port de bras - carriage of the head, body and arms

This amazing port de bras illustration comes from the very talented Adult Beginner. Check out her blog for all things ballet, sewing and running.

However, I've just had to look all of those terms up in my online ballet dictionary! I don't have a clue how to write them and often don't recognise them when I see them written. My ballet notebook from aged 16 (an essential class item as I remember) was full of phonetical spellings that were nowhere near the real words! I wish I still had one to compare...

Another great thing is how my body remembers specific sequences; ask me for a "coupé, chasse, pas de bourrée, pas de chat, pas de chat" and I'm off across the studio in a flash (and with my long legs I travel!). The same is true for pique turns or jeté, temps levé. It just works.

There are two downsides to this useful feat:

1) Give me a new combination (especially a variation on one I know) or a new step and I am totally at sea! Lame ducks leave me spinning on demi pointe whilst repeating "down up down up" over and over in my head. Beating (especially during assemblés) gives me bruised and battered feet and angles as I miss frequently :(

2) I get lazy. For example I assume that my feet and legs are always turned out because I'm used todoing  it. But sometimes in class I look down or catch sight of myself in the mirror and am shocked at the poor position of my legs. I could do so much better!

And there's one thing that previous experience has no effect on: poor flexibility. The more I stretch, the better it is. That's it.

Many thanks to the Wikipedia glossary of ballet - this post would not have made sense without it!

A few of my favourite things

Spring finally arrived. Summer might even be on it's way :) and I've mostly been very busy with work :( So I thought I'd take a break to share with you the things that have been bringing a smile to my face recently.

1) Hello Panda biscuits. I have now found a Japanese food shop that stocks these in about five different flavours. Have been through a few of these packets over the last few weeks...

 2) Summer shoes! Accidentally treated myself to two pairs of wedges whilst trying to organise an outfit for a wedding recently. They are so cute and summery...

3) Hart of Dixie. I don't know if you've ever seen this, but back in Febuary I got my hands on the box set of series one. I watched it almost non-stop in less than two weeks (1144mins on 5 discs!). It is very addictive.  And now series two is on TV so Monday nights are Hart of Dixie nights. So funny...

4) Cinema trips - there have been a lot of good films out recently. I've missed a couple (Great Gatsby and Iron Man 3), but rather enjoyed Man of Steel this weekend. A couple of weeks ago I also got to see the new Star Trek movie with was particularly good.

5) Amazing wedding food. Some friends got married a couple of weeks ago - it was a lovely day, with a back garden tipi reception. And a skiing wedding cake...

And the most amazing cheese cake...

You can check out more information about the cheese construction on the bride's food blog.

6) One of my friends posted this picture on twitter:

 I need to have a go at making these; she even shared the instructions:

I would reference this picture if I knew the original source. Sorry.