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First things first.

In last year's New Year blog post I publically promised to join a Scottish dance class.

I have to report back that last week I did it.

In Potters Bar Methodist Church Hall I danced not one, but four Scottish dances.

I can even name them: 'The Zoologist', 'Salmonfield Poacher', 'Rose of the North' and 'Tambourine'.

Scottish dancers dance in 'sets' - a number of dance couples that comprise your 'team'. The co-ordinated pattern of movement of the set is crucial to the beauty of the dance.

If you and your partner get out of step with the set, you effectively let down your team.

For those who don't know about the Scottish dances here's a glimpse of their patterns.
For instance the instructions for the dance 'Tambourine' start as follows:

The first pair goes down the middle (the second pair moves up), lead back up to 2nd place;
couples swap partners, pairs dance half reels of 3 to finish in the second place on the opposite side.

So, while joyfully jumping one has also remember where and how to jump, whose hand to hold, whose foot not to stamp on.

Now about my partners.

The eldest of them was 95 years old. Let's call her Lady D and then there was 94-year-old Mr T.

Both of them strongly believe that their love for Scottish dance keep them going so well.

Though I must say that on the basis of what I know about Lady D, that's just part of the story.

She has recently been to computing classes at our local college and since then communicates with us quite regularly via email.

The life of Mr T-y is also just as colourful as Lady D's.

He fought in the Second World War in Burma, has recently finished his memoirs and has sent them to a publisher.

Other dance partners were also of respectful ages and many stories to tell.

At some point in the evening, an idea of a story or a novel called 'Scottish dances' came to my mind.

But I immediately tried to suppress this poaching thought, because I was moving in the wrong direction and breaking up my set...

Happy New Year to everyone and please don't be too shy to share your resolution stories with me.