Batuka!

Hola Blogers,

Well last friday´s birthday fondue night was a success. It nearly didn´t happen - as I realised at five minutes to closing time of the supermarkets that I didn´t have any fondue oil to burn in the damn thing. Well of course I didn´t have any. Who does? Anyway all was saved by my clever boyfriend who went to the 24 hour chemist and came back with some form of alcohol that he assured me would burn well. I dread to think how he knows these things but thats by the way. So, I´m now well versed in fondue preparation and serving and am in the game to host fondue parties galore. Heather and Pablo are first up but we are struggling with dates (and there is always the possibility that they won´t be a couple when the as yet not arranged date comes around. This is a feature of their relationship rather than any specific one off problem they are facing right now). Maybe a fondue night is just what they need.

I am loving teaching. I now have three sisters from the same family under my care. All of which are charming, beautiful, clever, polite ......just how I hoper my brood will be one day. Speaking of which, my sister is due to give birth to the first of the next generation in our family. She ahs booked in for a compulsory C section due tot he little blighter being upside down (breached I think is the medical term). So, thats happening next Tuesday ....unless baby decides to do anything exciting beforehand.

My excitment for the day (other than the usual thrills of waking up and remembering that I live in Barcelona, I don´t work, really, I have the best boyfriend in the world and that I am, well, me!) has been Batuka! This has all started due to my recent addiction to Operacion Trionfo - which was teh spanish equivalent of Fame Acadamey. Thats over now (yes I did predict the winner right from the start) but I am left with Batuka. Batuka was a new form of exercise that was developed during the show in roder to get the students into shape but still keep some ties with their musical inclinations. So, its a work out, a bloody good one too, but its more like a dance class. You follow routines executed perfectly by your leader as best you can (questionable in parts as to whether I could be said to be following but I´m sure I´ll get the hang of it). You basically do a couple of songs of one type of music and then move on to another. The styles used are: salsa, hip hop, samba, reggeaton, flamenco, pop, merengue and a few others that I didn´t catch the name of. Its a gas (as my Irish friend Nena would say). You sweat like heck but feel like you been clubbing rather than pumping iron. I love it! I am going to try and go twice a week -Tuesdays and Thursdays. Watch out for it in the UK or whereever you are. Here there are videos to buy and do at home and classes in soem fo teh big chain gyms. I thoroughly recommend it.

Batuka!

S xx