It's been a lovely week. Anna and I have made the most of some time just to be girls, and to add to it all, the weather has been unseasonably fabulous.
Whilst we have become accustomed to the old story that 'the weather is not usually like this', this has usually related to torrential rain and UK-like temperatures. On this occasion, however, we have been treated to some real winter sun - with the temperature reaching 26 degrees on Tuesday. I made the most of it, taking Bronson for a walk along the beach at South Curl Curl over to Freshwater, where the beach was buzzing with bikini clad women and small children playing in the sand. The only people venturing into the water were the surfers, who were kitted out in steamers (winter wetsuits), but apart from that, it could have been a spring or early summer day.
A bit of sun on your face seems to smooth away a lot of anxieties, and as a result, I haven't started the assignment I have to have in next Friday...I'm hoping for a lot of rain next week as a result, but I still have it ingrained in me that I mustn't allow good weather to pass me by. I just haven't gotten used to the idea that the moment the sun slips its hat on, I don't need to rush out to catch some rays. He'll be coming back out soon enough.
So what have Anna and I done this lovely week together? Well, time has been restricted by the fact that Anna has been dancing all day everyday at Sydney Dance Company (more on that shortly), but in between, we've made muffins (and successfully been able to protect them from Bronson, who has recently begun to steal the odd thing off the worktop...hmmm), been to see Hannah Montana the Movie (one good song and one fun dance, and that's about it - but don't tell Anna I said that...), and been to see Harry Potter at the Gold Class cinema (film fairly good but marred by a group of cackling women at the back who laughed like drains at anything that was even mildly amusing - god alone knows what sort of a state they would have been in, had it been a comedy...). We've snuggled up on the sofa watching tv, shared my bed, and held hands around the shops. We've had our hair done at my hairdressers, which was a very special treat for Anna, as I feel that even when I go there it's a bit of an indulgence - this is the salon which did the hair for Nicole Kidman's wedding and the owner recently travelled around the world with Hugh Jackman doing his hair for all the press junkets for Wolverine. It's been gorgeous. I've had a day doing a bit of naughty retail therapy in the city too, so pretty much it's been a perfect week. We've received regular updates from our boys, who, by all accounts, seem to be having a wonderful time too, even if they haven't been so lucky with the weather.
And to cap it all off, today I"ve been to Sydney Dance Company to see the winter intensive course showcase. Anna has danced from 10am to 5pm every day this week, being taught and choreographed by some of the most respected people in the Australian dance industry (some of whom we've become familiar with when they have choreographed for 'So You Think You Can Dance') and dancing with a group of 11 - 14 year olds who all also live and breathe it. They've covered lyrical contemporary, Broadway jazz, hiphop, jazz/funk/hiphop, classical ballet and jazz (I think that's all of them) and Anna has loved every moment. She's been to one other workshop at SDC, but this winter is the first time she has been old enough to attend one of their youth intensives. She was a bit nervous at first, as they recommend that the participants have at least 4 years experience to attend (Anna has been dancing for just about 18 months), and she didn't have anyone to go with. In the event, from what I could see, she was able to keep up with the standard, and she made lots of new friends. She is already nagging me about the spring intensive.
The actual showcase was really pretty impressive. There were some children there who were particularly talented, but overall the standard was pretty high. I'll try to get some of the video I took on here, and you'll see that for the amount of time they had, and the number of kids in the class (50!), they all did pretty well.
So Anna is on cloud nine. And not only because she has danced herself dizzy this week, but also because 'her' issue of Total Girl is out. She has a picture on the front cover, and a double page spread on the inside.
Imagine you are an 11 year old girl...it probably doesn't get much better than that, does it?
PS I've added a feed from YouTube which should allow you to see any videos I upload. It's on the left there. Yes there - on the left...well done...
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