Not about Dancing - this is about food

Sometimes, you just gotta brag!  Kyle and I have had a bumper crop of Tomato this year, I had so many after a weekend away, that I had to oven roast them and turn them into soup!  I pretty much followed Jamie O's "30 Minute Meals" recipe but slow roasted the Tomatoes rather than blasting them with heat.  The soup came out a little yellow, but that's due to the delish yellow cherry tomatoes we discovered in the lower section of our yard!  Finished the soup off with some home grown basil!  This is what I do when I'm not dancing!

This is the bulk of yesterdays collection! 

Half of our tomato loot - ready for some oven roasting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Been slow roasting (could do it in half an hr if following Jamie O)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hit it with your stick blender and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Bill, is that your dog?

I wade with caution into this discussion but I feel like I should join in the great debate of “who leads and who follows” and the on going conjecture over whether a good follow simply follows or if too contributes to the lead of the dance. 

To me, learning to dance is like learning a new language.  At first, you only learn statements

• My name is Bill
• My dog is brown
• I need to pee

This concept may be more familiar to the leads as at first, they are the ones doing the talking, in your first phase of dancing leads tend to make statements at their follows, and we ask the follows to bare with it!!

Next comes questions

• What is your name
• What color is your dog
• Where is the bathroom

We are getting closer to a conversation, but its still the leads asking all the questions, and the follows nodding along trying to reply when they can but there is no real flow

-          My name is bill, what is your name, My dog is brown what color is your dog, I need to pee, where is the bathroom

After a while, the leads get a feeling for when to make a statement, when to ask a question, when to wait for an answer, and when to move onto a new topic, this tends to be around about the same time that the follow feels she can also freely contribute to the conversation

• Hi my name is bill, what’s your name?
• Hey Bill, my name is Sarah, how you doing?
• Good thanks Sarah
• Hey bill is that your dog?

You get the picture right?  But like a getting to know you conversation in a loud pub, quite often things can be missed, or misunderstood, and if you’re anything like me, sometimes you might find yourself talking over someone by accident!!  Just as we do when we are having a verbal conversation with someone, we learn to apologize for butting in, we ask for a repeat when we mishear, we learn to speak clearer when there is a lot going on, and  we get better at conversational communication the more we practice.

The truth is, some people like to listen to great stories, others like to tell great stories, and some like to join into conversations that they hear along the way.  I don’t think a bad follow is one that is captivated by the story, who does not like to illustrate too much and who likes to enjoy the journey so to speak.  Nor does it make for a bad follow if she actively participates in the conversation, adds in voices for the characters you’ve created, and at times, generally makes up new parts to the story (never let the truth get in the way of a good dance).  The same goes for a lead, sometimes its hard enough to just start the conversation with the ladies, let alone back it up with 3 mins of interesting banter!  At other times there is so much to say that you just need to get it all out and you silently pray that she keeps quiet and lets you finish your story!!

As long as both people have a chance to have their say, and the dance generally follows a conversation and not a great debate, then its usually smooth sailing.  This is what I feel is the role of the lead and follow – to have a conversation through their dance, and end up knowing where the bathroom is and who owns the brown dog!

What Makes a Man a Gentleman?

I used to have such grand ideas of what made a normal guy, a gentleman.  He had to open car doors for me, walk up the stairs behind me (to catch me if I fall), but down the stairs in front of me (to catch me if i fall..) walk on the side of the footpath closest to the road to save my pretty frocks from an unwanted splash of mud, and always stand up as I entered the room, and then again as I left.  Whilst somewhat out dated, these are the things I though a gentleman did.  Dancing has changed so much of what i thought a gentleman should be, and I'm most proud to say, the most gentlemanly men i know are from Tassie.

Last night I was enjoying my first social dance of the evening, when half way through an attempted spin, I commented on the stickiness of the floor, was barely a whisper, but my lead, through a variety of interesting and very well led moves, negotiated me to a secret stash of talc on the floor, with which I could powered up my shoes for extra slip.  I did not know what his intentions were, and if anyone cared to be watching, I don't think they would have cottoned on either.  This gentleman, ensured without fuss or grandeur that I was taken care of, a little like a gentle gesture to let you know you're slip is showing or to tidy the edges of your mouth, I was not made to feel embarrassed or demanding, I simply felt like a well taken care of lady.  You know who you are - and I tip my hat to you sir.

My second social dance of the evening was just as wonderful but for different reasons.  This dance just made me feel like the best dancer.  My lead took note of what moves I loved, and repeated them throughout the dance, he listened to what moves I was not getting so well and did not force them onto me again.  He maneuvered me out of harms way more than once, but never made it look obvious to the people who nearly crashed into us.  He was much a gentleman to me, as he was to the whole dance floor.  This lead took pride in the invisible.  No one will know that he nearly killed himself avoiding a crash, no one will know that he most certainly saved me from a world of hurt, but I sir, know who you are, and you are a gentleman!

My third social dance, was one that filled me with security and comfort.  Every lead was smooth and strong, every dip supported me head and neck, every pulse was subtle but clear, and every hold was like the ones you see on a black and white movies (swooony!)  We made our mistakes, I misread leads, and he experimented with new moves, but at no stage did I feel left to flounder, at no stage did I feel as though I had "ruined" the dance and although, I missed the end dip, he held my hand until we had left the dance floor, he thanked me for the fantastic dance.  This is how to be a gentleman!!You sir are the benchmark to which all others must measure!

This is more than has been taught in any class, this is the product of our young Tassie guys generally being awesome - yes last night I was actually awe struck by these guys!  Ladies, I hope next time you dance with a gentleman, you treat him well and show your appreciation!  I owe at least three guys a cool beverage next time the opportunity presents itself!