99

It's creeping up on us again. The venue's now confirmed. The fees are paid. I'm feeling ok.

I said I wanted to have all my dancing steps choreographed and sorted by the end of August, ready for just practising. I'm happy with all my heavy steps, sets included, and I think I've finalised my light steps but I'm relaxed about leaving those a little longer since I've always been indecisive about reel and slip steps, even as a dancer. I've just got so many running round my head that it's hard to narrow them down - even so I have a definite step for each, and a few maybes. Not concerned about that.

I've been killing the gym a bit so I feel like I'm getting fitter and it's doing my legs good. Not so my feet - a niggle has turned into full blown plantar fasciitis, especially severe in the left foot. What can I do but plough on? I'll rest at Christmas.

I'm feeling really good about ceili teaching and feel like I'm actually quite strong on lilting now which is one of things that let me down last time. I just need to calm myself as my speech speeds up when I'm nervous, I get raging dry mouth, I go pink - I know I know my stuff, I just need to not give them any reason to take off points. Speaking too fast could knock points off under 'clear and audible instruction'. They could knock points off for a lack of confidence, I don't know. It's physical, I can't control it and I'm not like that in a real class situation.

Solo teaching I think will be ok, I've got boys steps ready and again I just need to relax, and break down a bit further than I did last time. Lilting again will pull my marks up this time I hope, and I need to think about where I'll stand and how I'll actually teach it.

I wonder if I wrote a post last year about how I was doing with 99 days to go. I'm infinitely further on this time.