​The school holidays are coming to an end.
The garden has been looking so lovely and my husband remembered to water the pots while I was away, so I came home to a kaleidoscope of colour and not shades of brown.
My week away (Norwegian cruise) was just what the doctor ordered. Norway was beautiful, and we had blue sky every port day and just 10 minutes of rain! You either love or hate sea days (we had just two) and you need to be super organised to allocate several consecutive hours to relaxing and have strong will power to keep away from the cocktails and cakes! There is nothing quite like watching your favourite film under the stars snuggled under several blankets with a hot chocolate and popcorn.
 
However and wherever you spent your summer day, pottering about in the garden, strolling around the park exploring or having a mad adventure- with ice creams or scones, I hope you see everyone back at class sometime soon.

I am very fortunate to be able to spend time in the garden, but it takes a certain type of dedication to allow yourself go out and actually sit and do nothing other than read or watch the bees buzz. 
All that bending and stretching to reach the weed behind the bush beneath the stone, and the carrying of the watering cans adds to my steps and my watch tells me I have been active all day! Of course I can reward myself with a cup of tea and a book in my reading corner, while watching  the my new rose bush come into bud. 
Physical activity means different things to different people, as does rest and reflection. There is nothing better than watching my class participants grasp a new movement, create pattern, collectively start after the introduction and end together on the same note.
​Watching your class it is like watching seeds germinate, the shoots peep through the soil and the reward is a huge show stopping flower, and they all know they are show stoppers! 
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Mental awareness week.
This year's theme is 'movement: moving more for our mental health'. I am not going to describe the mental value of getting up off the chair, talking a walk or joining an exercise class- because as in the same way we all have our preferences for a cup of coffee, tea or jam sandwich- we all find remedies for our mental wellbeing in different places and different times depending upon a multitude of factors.
I have to explain to people, that while being active helps us mentally- I can not plan a class for mental wellbeing- I can not pencil in the exact time the class will smile, a share a joke or dissolve into laughter - these things happen because we are enjoying a once in a moment 'moment' that can not be replicated! All I can do is be welcoming, smile, pick good tunes and make sure the class isn't boring!
Sometimes just sitting in a different spot in the garden is enough, chasing a butterfly with your eyes, or taking out your anger on an ants nest, enjoying your mug of tea at the perfect temperature or people watching.
Wherever you may be, in your favourite spot, enjoying an activity or 'moment in time', look after yourself and those near to you.

It has been wonderful to welcome back three ladies, who for a multitude of reasons have been unable to get to class. 
Taking the first step to attend a class is brave- but going back is just as nerve racking.
Will there be new routines?
Will I keep up...and will the teacher be kind? 

Yes - there were new routines - but with careful teaching they 'got them' first time.
They did keep up and adjusting the class to incorporate their favourites (which I remembered) they didn't feel as if they were starting at the very beginning. 
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It was lovely to see them again- and having them back was like welcoming a long lost friend back into the 'gang'. 

​Where do I get the inspiration for the stories behind my exercises?
One picture I paint is imagining we are lifting a bough of cherry blossom back up into a tree. On my walk I saw such a heavy branch of blossom and reached out to lift it up out of the way.
A daily stretch, the warmth of the sunshine and the springtime promise of summer!
​

In late January I put myself forwards for election as a Trustee at CIMSPA.
CIMSPA is the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, formerly known as the Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, is the professional body for the United Kingdom's sport and physical activity sector.

Writing a 200 word nomination 'brief' took 2 weeks, and the weeks waiting for the voting was only made possible by keeping busy! 
Finally the results were announced, and I was amazed to get an email saying I had been elected.

My Board blurb is below, and you can find out more here: https://www.cimspa.co.uk/about-cimspa/cimspa-governance/board-committee-panels/board-of-trustees/

​Walking into a room filled with people from the sports world - and not knowing anyone!
I was privileged to have been nominated by my MP, Theresa Villers, as a Community Sports Champion.
It all began when I received an email from 10 Downing Street inviting me, as a nominated Community Sport Champion, to attend a reception hosted by Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport at 10 Downing Street. I emailed back asking if this was a hoax and being assured it wasn’t! I replied, saying I would be delighted to attend.
Anyone who knows me knows I like to be early, and I was first in the queue. Passing through security, I saw a deserted Downing Street, and the big black door was shining as only it could. I was told to knock, and so I did. As I removed my hand from the door, it opened, and I was engulfed in a reception room that seemed too big for the front door.
We were instructed to turn our mobiles off and leave all devices by the front door. Would we be asked to drop them in a box or a glass bowl? Would they be put it in an envelope with a raffle ticket to claim it back? It was beautifully simple; we were directed towards what might have been a repurposed postal sorting box, and being first, I deposited my phone into a pigeon hole, box number 1.
Then, walking as slowly as I could up a flight of stairs, I studied the portraits of each of the Prime Ministers, almost expecting one of them to disappear, as in Harry Potter, and pop up elsewhere. The uniformity of the frames against the pale yellow wallpaper took my breath away, and at the top of the stairs was a Lowry, which took up almost the whole landing wall. I only wished I had more time to stand and stare, but the quick glimpse was magic to the eyes!
I entered three empty adjoining rooms that looked out over Horse Guards Parade with a private view of a public tourist attraction. Very slowly, the room filled with volunteers nominated by their MPs for contributions to sport in their communities. Staff negotiated the room and clusters of people with canapes and wine.
Not knowing anyone, I mingled and made conversation. We were the people who delivered at the grassroots level, the local clubs, small charities, and volunteers. Everyone had their own story, nominated by their MP as a way of saying thank you for growing and supporting their community.
We were finally ushered in one long, slow queue to have our photograph taken with Lucy Frazer, who, like all the MPs, had been held up in a parliamentary vote.
As a movement and dance representative and former Chair of the Movement and Dance Division, I have attended many events, but this was the first time I have attended something as a personal thank you from my MP for my contribution to the sector. It was magical, and as I said to a member of staff…’In case I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight’ (Pretty Woman).

There are many shades of Blue – my shed is blue, and as I type, the sky is a clear, bright blue.

The third Monday in January is sometimes called 'the most difficult day of the year' because, according to Sky Travel, in 2005, the third Monday in January when happiness levels fell to the lowest levels of the year.

Since then, it has become a day for promoting mental health awareness and self-care.

Share a cup of tea or coffee with a friend and have a chat, turn the Blue into a Brew, and pop along to Action for Happiness (https://actionforhappiness.org/calendar) for something positive every day!