"If you get it wrong, you have to get it right. You can't just leave it."

Wise words from a ten-year-old. And she (Julia, Jig) is right - you can't just leave it. This is why I was never a particularly good dancer. I would start off practising my reel, only I couldn't get the timing or I couldn't do that bicycle...so I'd move on to slip jig instead. What Julia, or Brogan, or Claire would have done, is to keep practising until the timing was stuck in my head, or get between two chairs and figure out that bicycle. And to be fair, that's not even just a champion's mindset. That's just a hardworking mindset.

It's slowly dawning on me that things worth doing need work. Why did I never put my shoes on and drill trebles? Why did I just accept that I would miss them occasionally on my left foot? Now that I've drilled, I don't miss them on my left foot. Why did I just accept that I couldn't hit clicks? Now that I've drilled, now that I've actually caught on to the concept of pointing and turning out, I CAN hit them. Not consistently still, but I'm getting there, because I am no longer just leaving it when I get it wrong. This is so infuriating to me. Ten year olds know this stuff - why didn't I? I did know it deep down, but why didn't I apply myself?

I can't remember whether I wrote about Monday's class or not. There again, during the warm up I was really concentrating on turning out and crossing my skips. I looked down, and everything was where it was supposed to be. It was working.

I ran through Sweets again, and caught up the people who hadn't been there the previous week. It was R's first time doing it as she couldn't go last week so she was nervous, but picked it up a treat. Such a lovely dance. We then moved on to Cross Reel and I took turns teaching it with the regular teacher - he's definitely better than me! I'm too meek. I need to speak up and have a bit more fun with it. We got through lead, extended sides, full chain and gentlemen interlace - next week back-to-back, which I've never taught and can only dance as top gent or lady. Nevertheless, should be interesting. No class next week due to the bank holiday so just my Wednesday practice session - more heavy jig work. No use moving on until I've got both steps PROPERLY right, because as Julia says: "If you get it wrong, you have to get it right. You can't just leave it."