Letters to Ann

Dear Ann,

It was over a decade ago when I was having lunch with my good friends, Pat & Judy &, I think it was Pat, who said she had noticed an advertisement in our local paper for line dancing tuition at Belmont Neighbourhood Centre. That wasn’t too far away from where we lived, so we decided to ring up & enrol.

I had had a yen to do line dancing for quite some time, but had never really given it much thought. We were told the classes commenced at 12.30 p.m. every Friday.

By the following Friday, the day it was held, we had made our plans & found a little cafe along the way where we could have lunch before continuing on.

After a couple of wrong turns we arrived at the hall & learnt that our dancing teacher was Jean who had two helpers: a friend by name of Joyce & Jean’s daughter Robyn. The class took two hours with three five minute intervals to have a spell.

Line dancing had always looked easy to me & so I was in for a bit of a shock as it is not as easy as it looks. As Jean told us, it requires a lot of concentration. You are not supposed to watch those near you, as you needed to remember the steps yourself, which all had a name.

We were also to learn that you needed a lot of stamina as some were very lively, far from the slow waltzes & we soon learnt to embrace the five minute intervals.

The very first dance we were taught was ‘The Bartender Stomp’. Jean took us very slowly through the dance steps until we had learnt them, then we had to dance it to faster music. I may have forgotten dances we learnt along the way, but that one I learnt off by heart & could do blind folded. I could even let my mind wander!

We learnt many new dances along the way: waltzes, chachas, etc. & a lot of really lively ones too. The three of us picked it up quite well.

In the early days Pat & I used to meet & go walking a lot, so along the way on a quiet road we would do a little practice of the last dance we learnt. I guess we were often seen doing our fancy little steps together.

So the three of us went for three or four years until Pat & Judy decided to give it up for various reasons. I didn’t. I loved the activity & the exercise, the companionship with the class & everything attached to it.

On the second Friday of the month we had what we called our ‘social’. This was when we wrote down our favourite dances the week before, to dance on that day. On these days we were not shown anything at all. It was expected that we would know them.

Over the years we learnt over one hundred different dances. Some people can do them all. I am not that clever, as often I have to wait for the music to start before my little feet could take off.

Line dancing class in full swing (Dec 2016)

Sometimes I had to get started to give of my best, but there were some I did learnt off by heart. I loved the lively ones like The River of Babylon, Don’t Stop, one of Michael Jackson’s, Crazy Foot Mambo (very lively & I loved it) but my very favourite was the Rock & Roll Waltz.

I would put a few down for social day & never failed to have that waltz down. I could just float away doing that dance & live in my own little world.

Then in August this year the shock came. Jean advised us that she & Robyn were going on a trip to South Africa for five weeks & after she came home she would make a decision as to whether she would keep on teaching. So we didn’t have any dancing for five weeks as Joyce had also retired.

We all felt down in the dumps as some had been dancing with Jean for twenty years. It was a bit like a death knell as we tend to take things for granted, but change is inevitable.

When the holiday hens returned it was announced that they would retire.

So at our last social I had to halt the tears as I kept thinking it might be the last time I ever do the Rock & Roll Waltz!

There was nothing for it, but to accept this change in our life, which shows how much we take for granted. On our second last day we put down all our dances we liked.

On the last day – 29th September – Jean & Robyn had all their favourite dances. After we had danced out little hearts out we then had a party where everyone brought along all the vital necessities to farewell our wonderful teachers.

Despite the feeling of sadness, it was a joyous occasion as we gave Jean & Robyn our gifts of thanks where we all had to hold back our tears, particularly Jean.

The staff at the hall also joined us giving Jean a very well thought up gift. It was a framed Diploma with little drawings of boots & cowboy hats with some very well orgnised written words.

As well as this they had managed to get two huge round chocolates wrapped in gold foil which they had attached to long ribbons to represent their ‘Olympic’ Gold Medals!

Jean and Robyn with their gold medals.

The whole party ended in lots of fun with Terry, our only male pupil, making it fun. He was always saying funny things at our classes like one day when he asked me what was the next dance that Jean announced so I told him ‘Falling for You’. As quick as a flash he replied “I think you are a bit young.” Terry is thirty or more years younger than I am!

I was truly enjoying a delicious sponge cake as light as a feather that someone had brought along to the party & went to get my third piece (I was only eating that), so Terry made an announcement holding three fingers up while he told everyone!!

We were all sad & happy at the same time. I think Jean is now going to another class where she can just dance & not be the teacher, which is good as she loves it too & has been doing it all her life.

I also have been given the name of three different classes, but have decided I have enough on my plate with markets, puddings & relish until the end of the year & will make a decision in the New Year.

Line dancing class, last day.

I really would like to attend a class that dance the dances I already know. I know over a hundred, which is a small drop in the ocean as there are over ten thousand line dances!

Jean made it nice for us all though, as before we left she gave us a printed note to say ‘Let’s catch up for old times sake & meet on the first Friday of every second month for lunch at one of our nearby Clubs.” This we will all look forward to.

I really am missing my line dancing. I am thinking that, as I enjoy the dancing so much, it makes sense to take it up again & I don’t fancy going to a gym!

Love always my dear friend. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

In my life there are a lot of birthdays happening in the last half of the year. I guess the most important of all up to date this year is David’s 60th.

It is surprising how many birthdays in our family are celebrating a big one ending in ‘0’, which is always a reason for celebration. Trixie’s husband Bob, celebrated his 80th the same time as David was celebrating his 60th.

Then in December David’s cousin, Kassandra, celebrates her 60th also being just three months younger than David. They grew up together for the first few years until we came from Tasmania to live in New South Wales.

Also our little brother, Peter, who survived more than one war when in the army will also celebrate his 70th birthday in December.

And from where I sit & the experiences I have had, I don’t think males really like these advanced birthdays.  While Philip ignores his age completely, David was not looking forward to his recent 60th & I recall Peter wasn’t looking forward ten years ago to his 60th either.

The idea was, the less fuss the better while us females like to make a little fuss! (Editor’s note: perhaps it’s the fuss that makes us men not like birthdays.) David was quite down in the dumps when his birthday was approaching, but when the time arrived he had warmed to the occasion & it was quite a joyous one.

Like the other males in the family he didn’t want a party so it was decided to celebrate it at our usual fortnightly family dinner. It was really nice with just Lauren, David, Charley, Riley myself.

David usually cooks the dinner on family nights,but Lauren let him off the hook offering to do it for him instead. She made the cake complete with candles & David lapped it all up as he should. The cake was beautiful & David took care in cutting the right sized portions for everybody after successfully blowing all the candles out in one puff so that his wish will come true!

David’s birthday cake

With his birthday being a few days after Father’s Day it certainly is a problem to know what to get a man who has everything, or if he doesn’t have everything & sees something he likes can afford to buy it for himself before anyone else gets the chance. Our brains get a bit rattly trying to think of something different.

I took my problem to Dan Murphy’s famous liquor store as I think you can get every kind of wine from any country in that place. I love going there. I have a bit of a passion for that type of store,with so much to choose from.

I elected to get one of Dan’s employees to give me some advice & ended up getting a carton of crisp white wine, showing that it had earned a few gold labels. It originates from New Zealand & I was informed it was very similar to David’s favourite wine that he scarcely ever deviates from. So I bought a full carton!

Dawn and David with the wrapped case of wine.

While in the store I saw some very attractive little gadgets which you put onto glasses when having a party, so that everyone knows there own wine glass. They are to be seen everywhere, but I took a liking to the ones I purchased. I thought them to be a good idea with David’s mid year Christmas Party in mind, which he holds for the street annually.

I had really wanted to get him something cute for his Kombi, which he is very proud of & very wrapped up in, but hadn’t had much luck until one day when I walked into my own pharmacy I saw a book which was titled How to drink WINE out of fish heads while cooking LOBSTER in a VOLKSWAGEN HUB CAP. I couldn’t have found anything better & felt very pleased with myself.

When it came time for the gift giving after dinner I told him to unwrap from the largest gift to the smallest gift, as I knew the cook book would take the cake. But first he had to read his birthday card which took me ages to select & this is what it said:

My son you are a gift & a blessing. Your birth was a joy & a blessing!

Having you in my life has provided me with my greatest opportunity for growth & for that I am grateful.

I have come to understand & accept that love has brought us together for a reason.

I have learned so much about myself from loving you & learning to accept you as you are.

Watching you grow & develop has provided me with some of my greatest joys

Watching you learn from your journey has taught me how to let go.

Your talents & potential are extraordinary & I give thanks for the gift of being your Mother.

Thank you for all that is uniquely you.

I love you Happy 60th birthday. Mum

I think he loved his card, but sure enough when he opened up his parcel with his cook book in front of him he really did have a chuckle.

David unwraps his cookbook.

One of the reasons of why it appealed to me so much was that some months ago, when David was arranging for his Kombi to have a face lift, he was at a place chatting to somebody about Kombis who had two sons close to the same ages of about 10 & 12 years old. These two boys had built a business of making clocks out of old Komi hub caps.

Now who would have thought of that so David bought one, which hangs in his kitchen & looks very smart. So that’s why I thought he would enjoy his cook book even though I doubt if he will ever use it!

But anyway, who cares, it’s just a little something to show the fellow Kombi owners when they have their next bus stop which I think is going to be in Queensland.

So now my two little boys are over the hill advancing towards another decade & another big birthday ending in 0. You cannot stop old Father Time as he still marches on regardless.

A decade seems to go so fast & life goes on. What is gratifying to me though is that even though Philip & David are as different as chalk is from cheese they are now very much enjoying each other by keeping in touch regularly & enjoying seeing each other again as time permits.

I think the important thing with birthdays is to embrace them & for myself, I am old enough to be grateful that I am still here to celebrate birthdays & enjoy them. But then I am at the age where I embrace each day I am on planet earth!!

Love you dear heart. Dawn X O X O