Nothing in Particular

I propose a category - ‘Nothing in Particular’ for the odd observation / comment. Correct me if I am duplicating something already existing.
It shouldn’t need a topic.

My first comment would be -
We went to a village fête this evening and there was a cracking band on in the Salle Des Fêtes - very talented duo belting out a lot of very danceable numbers. Not a soul was dancing - not even the children. I was surprised. Perhaps too many exhausted young parents.

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Oh that’s a shame… perhaps it was too hot or perhaps you were too early.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that folk sometimes seem loathe to dive onto the dance floor too soon … they chat and chat, while the poor musicians work hard to entertain. It takes someone, or perhaps a couple to break the ice… and others gradually join in (that’s my experience).
Had I been there… I’d have got 'em dancing… :wink: (I speak from experience) :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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Not the case this evening. Previously we went to a country fête on an organically run farm and it was quite brilliant. Nearly everyone was dancing - even the dogs!

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We’ve been to a few dinners up in the Cantal where when the band has begun to play, several middle-aged couples have taken to the floor and done traditional Cantal(?) dances. After a few minutes they’ve been joined by others who remember the moves and gradually more and more traditional dancers and dances emerge.

Much preferable to dad dancing, but I’ve no intention of engaging in either…

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In the beginning, OH and I would often be taken to local soirées by neighbours … they, of course, knew all the dances and we watched and tapped our feet… while they swirled…
Gradually I found myself caught up in it all…
OH would happily sit and chat while I would be “doing something” to the music either by myself :rofl: :rofl: or with a general group.

I was given a very useful tip: There’s no such thing as “getting it wrong”… it’s just “improvisation” :wink: :wink:

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If in doubt learn the Madison!!

Our tiny village has a home grown fête de la musique in June each year, and we have an elderly couple who knock the socks off the youngsters with some rather slick jazz dancing, and a great Twist. Edit - just remembered they did a very lively jitterbug too!

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Absolutely… it’s amazing just how many different tunes can fit to the Madison… :+1: :wink:

I’m a big fan of partner dancing and have tried a few different styles - Salsa, Merengue, Zydeco, Baracha , and so on.
Not very competent but I make an effort and may have dragged Ewa up on the dancefloor this evening if she had been on driving duties and I had had another glass or two…
I think Salsa lessons should be prescribed on the NHS :grinning:

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Our son learned dancing - west coast swing, siroc and a few other styles years ago - and it’s been a way to develop friendships in new places as he’s travelled the world. Last weekend he was in Paris for a dance event, meeting up with others that he’s known elsewhere.

On the bands & unresponsive surroundings, years ago we were at a BMF rally - there was a huge marquee and a Lizzie covers band belting out really good numbers with barely a soul watching or listening, and I really felt for them. Playing with Gospel Bell we’ve had some great audiences get up and dance, but there was one where people sat just in front of us talking away and completely ignoring the band - our front man asked them to go and talk somewhere else because it was disrespectful.

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Many years ago my wife and I took up dancing lessons as I was on the ladder to become president of a builders organisation. The organisation had regional dinner dances and it was obligatory for the president and his lady to take to the floor when the music began.
We both have 2 left feet and to say we were rubbish dancers is an understatement. The only dance we remember and can still do is the jive which seems to fit most music if done in slow time.

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I spent a couple of years attending Salsa classes during which I had two weekend trips to Pontins to join fellow enthusiasts with friends. Probably 80% of the dancers were female which meant male partners were a commodity in short supply. It was exhausting!
Forget about drinking alchohol - it was just water and lots of it. I danced with ladies of all shapes and sizes and a lot of them were very good and I became the follower. I’ll never forget a guest dance group from Brazil teaching and demonstrating their native dance styles. One of their dancers - a real beauty swirled round in circles with her long blonde hair swinging out. Aaah :heart_eyes:

Nothing in particular but….

The past few weeks saw a gradual decline in hot water pressure. The water was hot enough but reduced to a trickle over a few weeks use. The cold water pressure was normal. The boiler (pompe à chaleur) is only three years old. I called the person who installed the system and he came a few hours later. He ruled out the boiler without really checking but remained baffled as to the cause. He disconnected then reconnected a couple of pipes and hey presto, loads of hot water at the correct pressure. He couldn’t really explain the cause of the problems and put it down to an air-lock as the only logical explanation. I gave him 30€ cash for his 30 minutes work.

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OH has decided that’s the problem with my car’s hydraulics… :wink: :wink: He’s run a temporary line which works just fine…
Later today I’ll be pressing the pedal to the metal… to help him sort things out.

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I know nothing about those systems but on my gas CH there is an air vent at the highest part of the system. In a system where none is fitted I suspect a pipe layout design issue though it could be something completely different - especially as the system has been running okay for some time. Think you need to visit a forum specialising in those issues.

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I do need my mugs of tea, and in my case, with milk, no sugar. I’ve been sipping my second mug of tea not realising that I’d forgotten to add the milk. Didn’t taste any different, or are my taste buds failing me?

I did that about 40 years ago and have not had milky tea since !

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I had Covid in January and my taste is still a little ‘off’ but the one thing that is consistently affected is tea which is really annoying

No problem with my tasteLizzie, just my ears . I lost about 50% of my hearing for about five days, scary !

Returning to UK and Caen - Portsmouth ferry has a stuck ramp. It’s been a wonderful two months here despite unseasonal weather and plans in place for a future in the sun. What I would give for a coffee.

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