The bucket list

It seems to be the in thing at the moment....a bucket list.

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it is a list of must do things before a deadline.

For example a friend of mine is 49 soon and, with help from her friends, wants to compile a list of 52 things to do, one each week leading up to her 50th birthday!

It could be learning a new thing, making a parachute jump, going somewhere new....you get the idea.

Well, I've never had a bucket list as such, but I have had one or 2 things that I would like to have done before I get too old (whenever that is!)

One was to see a baby born, and, of course, I was there for my lovely friend Emma, and with her Mum and husband as we welcomed Tiny Angel into the world...WOW! What an experience. One I shall never forget. Tiny Angel and I will always have that special bond.

One of my other 'would like to do's' was to return to a childhood love, ballet.

Ultimately to dance on stage and maybe to progress to pointe shoes.

Yeah, I know, it's never gonna happen right?

Mmmm! Or is it!?

I began ballet back in October 2011 (after a 35 year break!), it was bad! Not the ballet, me!

Shocking really, but I loved it and the music and gentleness of my hour together with the fitness benefits and some lovely ladies really made me feel good.

Shock horror.....July 2012, the dance school put on a show at our local theatre and us Golden Oldies got to dance to 'A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square'.

I was so pleased to have actually done it and we got an amazing reception from the audience.

When I look back at the DVD of the performance now, it is excruciating...let's just say that having only danced 8 months at that point, I have improved!

Earlier this year our dance teacher took a break for maternity leave and we continued our classes with a wonderful, young Australian lady called Ingrid, my, did she push us hard! We needed it though.

Well, to my utter delight she pushed and pushed and when she left in May for Jenny to return I knew I would begin Pointe classes.

After a few weeks of Pointe in ordinary shoes to strengthen my feet and ankles, I arranged to meet the lovely Ingrid in London to where she had recently moved, for some expert support in the Bloch shop in Drury Lane, Covent Garden.

I never go to London, and if I were to venture there it wouldn't be alone, so it was really odd to get onto the train at Horsham bound for London Victoria, little was I to know that later in the day I would also manage the underground and return journey on my own too!

I met up with Ingrid and we took the tube to Covent Garden where we emerged into the sunshine and just wandered. We did Covent Garden market, the Royal Opera House and the theatre at Drury Lane which is showing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, originally by Roald Dahl........

(taken for Tiddly Toes who adores the films)

We eventually make it to the Bloch shop and the trying of several pair of shoes,

the first pair were Serenades and oh so comfy, but we carried on until we hit THE most comfortable pair by Axiom (and thankfully a tad cheaper). Here's me trying another pair on.................

After this little session, Ingrid and I decided to find Neals Yard for an alfresco lunch, why Neal's Yard?

Take a look at this.......

so colourful, it really is uplifting.

And here is the beautiful Ingrid.....

We had a wonderful day and I cherished the time with Ingrid, she was the perfect person to come with me.

Want a closer look at my shoes?

OK then......I can't resist showing you.....

It was a bit odd trying to stand on them and hang almost upside down to take this one!.....

So there we are..... not only restarting ballet lessons, but a show AND my absolute dream, learning to dance En Pointe.

Thanks for letting me share my dream achievements with you, I'll see you again soon.
Love
Nora
xxxx