This list making is excellent shock treatment. I have been on 2 UWDC courses, both Thursdays at Junc. 28 and this morning's in Matlock. Am suffused with other people's successful ideas for cold calling. Currently am exhausted from an early morn. today and 3 hours non stop dancing last night.

Book keeping will really get into gear tomorrow. There will be 'Win a Mini' door knocking daily and locally. There will also be writing and prep. as now. Next Sunday is 'Win a Mini' at Calverton. Andy and I will learn from last time's mistakes and keep on going and keep on learning.

For years I had been reading about Anthony Sampson's 'Anatomy of Britain'. I remember its launch and feature on Clif Michelmore's 'Tonight'. Now I'm reading it. It deserves its reputation.
Tomorrow there's more salsa and there's tango on Monday.

I will sign up two customers this week.
I will contact all those UWDC types whose cards I have collected.

I will complete the revision of 'Daniel'. Indeed a target of 2 customers and 1 revsied chapter per week should be achievable when there is no Bilborough.

BST tomorrow will really be a new dawn.

It is now Tuesday evening and the 6pm 'new' pupil has not materialised. I shall wait till 7.10 just in case I had made a mistake in the diary. Book keeping is yet to be set up and I have neither re read the UWDC folder nor made a list of 'phone contacts.

All is not negative however. The sacred texts chapter is complete and a letter composed and despatched to the Speccie. Last night's tango showed much that is coming together. A joint calecita, rhythmic weight changes and turns with sacada can now be executed 'spontaneously'.

Further, the book by Mawdudi did not throw my thoughts about Islamic fundamentalism into irrelevance and Bill Bryson on Shakespeare is an exemplary storyteller. Sunday's salsa party was enjoyable despite the rough old dance floor. Tomorrow the missed bits from the list, book keeping and UWDC revision will be sorted; the trial of assembling a readable chapter by combining information acquired from recent books with childhood visions has been seen through.

That opens the road ahead for less challenging, but essential chores to be faced tomorrow.

Blogging my 'to do' lists seems a sensible policy. Blogs are easier to recall than scraps of paper or diary entries.

I have 2 days public holiday to go and must focus on the 'difficult' aims. Setting up a simple book keeping system is not difficult nor is completing the sacred texts chapter. The word 'difficult' is in parenthesis as an admission that I am avoiding recognising my precarious financial state. Daily book keeping will be a reminder and thus a spur to concentrating on topics less inviting than dancing and reading. Completing a chapter will bring closer the day (or rather days and weeks)when I shall have to steel myself to the disappointment of rejection by publishers.

A letter to the Speccie is due, for all that it may well be rejected. The theme will be the danger of sacred texts. 'Moderate' Islam, by definition demands recognising the Koran and Mahomet as fallible. I will quote Ibn Khaldun. Maybe there will be a similar opportunity at Southwell on 23 May after the Islam/Christian Adult Ed. lecture. Simon's departure from Southwell for Winchester come September is the other Southwell news.

I never went dancing on Wednesday, but made up for that last night at the Comfort Hotel. Two dances with the lovely Anna and a delicious whirling bachata with a blonde German lady in a sparkly top. AND a terrific salsa with a hitherto unknown black lady. I wish I could remember their names.

A brief note from Marek was welcome. I wonder whether work or pleasure is keeping him from his country seat. So, tomorrow (before dancing at the Robin Hood Experience):

1. The 'texts' chapter will be finished, informed by the 'Who Wrote the Bible?' book and made accessible by refs. to Brit. historiography.

2. The UWDC folder will be read afresh as prep. for Thursday's course. Better make a list of tel. contacts.

3. Book keeping system will be set up.

4. A Speccie letter will be written.

A new pupil starts Tuesday and a pupil of yore recommenced last week.

No. 6 and No. 3, the easy ones from Monday's 'to do' list have been sorted. Hyson Green Car Boot is for 2nd hand goods alone, the adjacent market requires public liabiltiy insurance, and there is nothing further to be gained from the Calverton contacts. Maybe a further UWDC signing will be difficult.

Afew paras have been added to the 'sacred texts' chapter, and there is not much more of Geza Vermes' book to read. I feel a little weary, so shall finish the evening with more reading, both of Vermes and tango. Maybe they will energise me sufficiently for late night dancing. I will report on that come the next entry.

Olly has e.mailed. He is training in 'Pompey' presumably in prep. for Afghanistan later in the year.

A whole week sans blogging. It is comforting to look at last Monday's 'to do' list. I did them and they bore some fruit; viz. a UWDC signing; fabulous music successfully executed at Southwell, a winning Italian night with Hugh at Kidderminster and some memorable and beautiful dancing, not least last night with Anne, Anna and Olga.

Googling at last has revealed some Marek news; my Marek, not that Polish photographer. His letter to the Evening Standard may help in a small way to spread awareness of the Jazz Powered Train.

We sang Thomas Weelkes 'Hosanna to the Son of David' twice yesterday. With a convivial pub lunch in between and David Bevan's extraordinary Magnificat and all its bass drones, Sunday was a great musical day. I'd had reservations about my own performance after all those missed rehearsals, but made sure to check my own dots for several evenings beforehand. The Pablo Casals anthem is worth a mention too. All that and dancing to follow.

Musicianship has slowly improved over the years with Southwell training; it paid off on Friday with all those Italian songs in Kidderminster. I never used to sing so legato before. A surprise event was Rosanna's birthday bash at the Ukrainian Club. I heard of it via Jenny late in the day and had known nothing of the Children's story fancy dress theme. I met there, an Indian Jew for the first time. I had not previously known of the Bombay community and its affinity with the Zoroastrian Parsees. Might see Leon again sometime.

And the week's to do list?

1. At least one more UWDC signing.

2. Facility with sacadas in tango.

3. The bloody ironing and vacuuming.

4. The complete 'sacred books' chapter, informed by a completion of the Gaza Vermes book 'The Authentic Gospel of JC'.

5. Start new book keeping system.

6. Prep. for Maundy Thursday music.


Now it's back to the ironing.

My last entry concluded by announcing an assault on a 'to do' list. Paper lists get lost so today's will be on the blog. That will make a handy reference to see how much has been done.

The 'sacred texts' chapter is begun and its structure largely planned. I have been avoiding writing much of the text; reading Gaza Vermes on Jesus and David Turner on Tango is so much easier and thus so tempting a distraction. Today I will resist such distraction and attend to the following:

1. Italian songs for Friday night at Kidderminster.

2. Follow up of 'Win a Mini' contacts made yesterday.

3. Guitar prac.

4. Southwell Music Prac.

5. Complete more of New Chapter

Olly's trombone playing in the charts with 'Oystar' on the Bank Charges song is worth a mention. It is witty and catchy (the song and video that is; the trombone adds that extra oomph to the final chorus). I can see why making money from recordings might be difficult if all is downloadable for free on You Tube. Must broadcast that to friends and contacts; a No. 6 for the 'to do' list.

After nearly a year I feel I have a positive working relatonship with Sharon Joshi in Telecom Plus. Yesterday's Carboot at Calverton was but a beginning. Andy Maile, her 'upline' is an easygoing 'can do' character. We should see some results over the spring and summer. That is a No. 7 for the 'to do' list. For a more effective appearance at Fairs etc. we need a much tidier act. We shall get it together over the next few weeks.

That's it. Time to assault the list.