A long Sunday blog

I must apologise for the lack of blogging during the latter part of the week but as my regular readers will know I prefer to blog when feeling very positive and I have not really been feeling that way. The cold doesn't help one's mood and it is also that time of the month when a girl does not feel at her best. Business is tough at the moment although I think it is less to do with the credit crunch and more to do with the large number of bugs doing the rounds, I also have several students off having moles removed.

To be honest most of the real financial worries come from the rising overheads involved in running a business rather than just lack of student numbers, the council tax is still extortionate and there are so many little bills that keep cropping up such as fire extinguisher checks, trade waste disposal, pole replacements etc etc......

I am sure that things will pick up or at least I sincerely hope they will. As cash flow at work is so difficult I am in the position of having to borrow some money to tide me over, this is not a decision I wanted to take as there is no guarantee that business will pick up but after 5 years work building up the art of dance I have no intention of throwing the towel in yet. In addition to the small business loan I have also booked myself on two workshops which I will discuss in full in a week or so.

Despite the current money shortage there is still lots going on at the art of dance and I am taking the risk of re-opening pole dancing classes in Torquay, By Wednesday I should have the fantastic new venue confirmed, Watch this space. Next week also involves Kelly & I performing at the South Devon College Be Healthy week. Here is the space in which we will perform in front of hundreds if not thousands of people!I hope to video the event and blog it sometime soon. I must mention how impressed I was with the facilities at the college, it is, as Ofsted have described it, outstanding.

For those of you who have been kind enough to ask about my Grandad her is a quick update:
On Friday afernoon my family & I met with professionals dealing with my Grandad's care so that we could help to plan my grandad's future. Louise, the social worker and Jenny from the R.I.T.A. team are an asset to their profession and made a difficult hour a little easier. Jenny commented that my grandad was the best looking 85 year old she had ever seen, a fact that he would have been very pleased with. It has been decided that Grandpa should go into a residential home ASAP. I think my Nan feels as though she is letting him down but knows that she can't possibly provide the level of care that my Grandad requires especially not on a 24 hour basis.

Today my Mum, Uncle & Nan are vising several homes that specialise in dementia, I was meant to be joining them but am still suffering a little with aforementioned nasty period so have taken the opportunity to stay at home in one of my 5 dressing gowns!

Some quick local news regarding the very unwanted Life Centre, check out Keith Rossiters brilliant article on the recent photocall attended by council leaders. I truly believe that the Life Centre will be a huge waste of money for the city and despite assurances from the council I think we will lose valuable green space within Central Park itself. I can't see that the Life Centre will boost the health of the people of Plymouth and therefore do not support it as I think it will fail to carry out its objectives. Good Luck to the friends of Central Park who are fighting so hard to protect the park.

Training news involves a new trick, I have finally sussed out 'shoulder mount to seat', it has been bugging me for a while but a simple change of hand grip suddenly made it easy, well perhaps easy is not the right word but at least the trick is now achievable. I do have quite a bit of pain in the right shoulder as it adjusts to being battered by the pole but I am sure I will condition. Pics & Vids to follow.

A quick word of warning to my students this week, the theme is 'hardcore'!

Before I sign off today I want to send a massive hug to art of dance student Kim Quaintance, Kim is a sufferer of Cystic Fibrosis and has been using pole dancing to help improve her lung capacity as well as increasing her bone density. The EDCF recognised the benefit of pole dancing for Kim and bought her a pole from their quality of life fund for CF sufferers. Kim was doing really well until just before Xmas and she has spent most of xmas and new year in intensive care. Thankfully she has made it through and is now on a ward in Exeter. I will be visiting her next week and hope to see her back on the pole very soon. Get well Kim x.

Say Healthy,

Sam x