Roisin boogies when she plays. She's a nice little girl. Bright, bubbly, musical and no use at all with a violin. And I think it's the boogying that's the problem. All her energy goes into moving in time to the funky backing track, which makes keeping a bow on a string rather tricky. The hilarious thing is that she has no idea she's doing it, despite the rest of the group giggling at her and telling her she's dancing all the time. Still - I think she's enjoying it.

And at last! Alex produced the most musical playing ever. Months of dithering, faffing about and making excuses as to why she can't do this or that, and then today, a passionate rendition of a Brahms Hungarian Dance. I'd asked her a while back to leave that piece until she was in a really bad mood and then play it with some feeling. Wow! Not in a bad mood, but she put herself into it.

No practice again - fell asleep and woke up half way through Frasier. I hope the music for the opera arrives soon. I'm a little nervous about that. Must sort out the staying with friends aspect as well.

Isn't Neil good? I think he's the only person that knows I'm doing this - even though I've now put a link on my profile at Ship of Fools .

Last night I went to Tango again for the first time in ages, and it's all changed. Well - not all of it, but there has been a kerfuffle with teachers. I realised just how slick our previous teacher was, and I realised how my pupils feel and why they play up when I'm not as prepared as I should be! Had to try very hard not to act like a giggly child - especially when Joe & I got 'told off' for doing it wrong. We were having fun anyway. Nice to dance again though, and good to be there with B.

I love my little 5 year old pupil. He's so bright and so cute and so intelligent and inquisitive. There's no pressure in his life yet. School is fun, home is fun, and violin is fun. Less happily, I have to decide what to do about a keen, motivated girl who desparately wants to do violin, but her mum can't / won't (?) pay so the school won't let her learn any more. What am I supposed to do when she turns up to lessons with all her friends? Tell her to go away cos her mum hasn't paid the bill? Tis difficult. Mind you - she's got a broken arm at the moment, so I can buy some time on that one, telling her not to do anything strenuous whilst the plaster is on.

I knew the armchair re-covering idea would turn into a 'thing'. Hmmm

How do people get these cheap, late holiday deals you keep hearing about? I've spent huge chunks of today, dealing with various websites, teletext numbers and other phone calls, trying to get somewhere warm for the beginning of June. Just for 2 or 3 nights. But it seems there are no flights. It's Whitsun. It's the Jubilee & everyone's leaving the country. It's summer in't it? And various other helpfulnesses. Why don't they update their ads then?

"You could put somebody's eye out with that!"

Didn't your mother tell you that? And your teachers? And, if you were a string player, somebody in your youth orchestra when you were waving your bow around in an absent minded fashion?

It nearly happened today. Poor lad - hobbling into his violin lesson with a twisted ankle, promptly got stabbed in the eye by his lesson-mate's bow. No actual blood - but oh - what a fuss!

And really - what is so difficult about reading music? When the notes go up on the page, the sound gets higher, so you add more fingers - and vice versa. 5 year olds manage it because no-one's conned them into believing that it's hard. 9 year olds decided they can't, and won't and shan't.

On the plus side - I correctly guessed the name Shakira when Leigh told me, "Miss - I like that singer who dances like 'this' (provocative style wiggling ill befitting a 10 yr old.) I dunno her name though - or what songs she done" Surely that's done something for my street cred?

Interesting violin teacher type injuries numbers 1 - 3:-

1. Sore fingertips from trying to turn those stiff adjusters on weeny, and out of tune violins
2. Grazed ankles from fighting through cupboards full of stacked chairs & drumkits in order to reach the heavy duty music stands
3. A bruised hip from barging into doors whilst carrying 2 violins and a large bag of music (which somehow never contains the book that year 5 have forgotten)

It's been said before I know - and many times, but why oh why oh why do people need gert big landrovers in the middle of a city? Two of them trying to pass in a double parked road clogs the place up and means that my takeaway goes cold. Mind you - Thai curry takeaway - twas v spicy. Charlotte wouldn't have like it one bit!

Ah - first Monday back at work. I start off teaching in the kitchen. Well - to be more precise, the area between the kitchen and the hall, where the dinner ladies have to come to and fro pushing chairs, tables, trays and children around. Usually they get cross with me for being around and getting in their way, but today they were cross with me because I hadn't been there last week. I suppose they must have got used to me.

Plenty of forgotten violins, stunningly out of tune strings and lost or forgotten music. Particularly from a group of year 4s, who can never quite get it together. By the end of the lesson we'd learned one whole bar of Cripple Creek, and half the group had gone for a loo break.

Why do small boys have such a fascination with bodily functions? And why do small girls feel the need to react by becoming overly prim, proper and shocked by hearing about said functions? The best non practice excuse came from Dan, who apparently had been ill over the holiday. Poo Mania it was. That's what his mother told him - so that's what it must have been. Either that or pneumonia. Either that or a cold. One of those anyway.

So - the dilemma. Can children play violin, play recorder and dance all in the same concert? The head says no, the music co-ordinator says maybe, the violin teacher says yes and the concert organiser is off with stress.

Had a good evening. Went to the Relaxation Centre for the first time. Lovely sitting in hot tubs under the stars, sweating in barrel shaped saunas and generally trying everything out.

Came out more invigorated than relaxed really. First warm evening here, and I was all prepared to go for a long, late night ramble.

I know, I know - not sensible. We went to the pub instead.

It's a sunny day, so I feel I should be outside. I should also be doing some practice.

But instead I've done a little tiny bit of work on Appalachian Spring and a lot of time here trying to set up a weblog that works.

Hmm