Reality

The travel home was long but not particularly difficult, the docking times and plane times did not match up too well so we had quite long waits, but in the comfort of the lovely No 1 Gatwick Lounge which makes it eminently bearable ! 

I unpacked when I got home at 2.30am, knowing that I had two full days of teaching to do before any free time, so yesterday I was all ready to start with nothing to face on Thursday which is a day off !

It was a good day and my new students L and C had worked like billyo whilst I had been away. I can see they will both be a great addition to our company in every way. C is 12 and shows all the right physical abilities for singing technique so with her, L and J we will have a lovely trio of early teens ! 

Another adult J, whom I have taught intermittently for some while now came after the newbies, and was delighted to tell me that she had finally managed to attend the ladies Friday afternoon session ! I was over the moon as I know these get together are so vital to each persons confidence in performing, and she really needed to bite the bullet and go. I must say I suspect she was an immediate convert to those 'fun fridays' as she was fairly bubbling with pleasure. These sessions are the low stress equivalent to the Performing Class sessions we had at the academy. Times when the students could perform to each other, offer constructive criticism as well as praise for progress made, all the while in the safety of the institution without the judicial ears of a panel, judge or talent scout. It is so very important to build confidence this way - the more times we perform, the easier it becomes !

N had a great Dido lesson, as well as discussion over references for conservatoire and whether doing a flash Grade 8 was a good idea ! Yes, we decided, it probably was - so as half the pieces she already knows, we will take Grade 8 in Late November !

Young F and H delighted me as ever, especially since there had been some excellent practise done during my holiday, this means lessons sail by with beams and smiles and best of all, sticky gold stars  ! Finally S came as enthusiastic and smiley as ever, having learnt her Black Swan aria perfectly. She is such a tremendous young actress, behaving in a deranged manner is not a problem at all ! A forgot to come Agh.............she texted and said she thought I was not back ! I gave her a gentle kick about perhaps reading my teaching website a little more often ! Oh dear !

It was a long day for a person heavily travelled and with little sleep, but kindly I and K had accepted my request to not come so I could finish a little earlier - I fact I was upstairs and ready for bed by 8.35pm, eyes closing before I hit the pillow !

It was a glorious warm and sunny autumnal day to welcome me back to reality, work and life. It does make is so much easier, and again this morning the gold shafts of sun are all over hedges and trees. Gretel has returned to her bed after two weeks of being with S, her home of real dog walks and workouts,  we are both the better for our breaks.

The sunny lane with the beginning of autumn colours