Sunshine on The Nile

The above photo of the River Nile at Aswan, taken in February 2005, has nothing to do with my subject, but it's so cold and miserable I thought it might may everyone feel better.

Our tutor has created subconferences and activities to help us get started as a group. Looks good too. As expected I was the first to post because I know how shy I was the first time I entered a course FirstClass conference. Well, I'm not shy any more so hope by posting others will be encouraged to join in. I even posted a Haiku and that took some bottle!

I've even joined in a story in the Scribs conference. It is about cosmetic surgery and the menopause so - a couple of topics I'm more than happy with. I wouldn't have dared to do something like that a couple of months ago. I used to read the community stories and think everyone was so clever so in this short time I've gained confidence in my new study subject.

I love A215 so far. The Cafe is buzzing and some lovely warm people in there. It doesn't feel like study at all - should I be worried?

Going to a live gig tonight. It's an annual tribute to a local musician who got drunk, fell into an alley on the way home from the pub and froze to death - exactly fifteen years ago this week. The band he played in still exists and everyone who has played in the band, about forty of them, turns up for this, wherever they are in the world. Sometimes there's three saxophonists, a couple of keyboards and as many as twenty musicians on the stage at the same time making a wall of sound. It's Blues, Trad and Modern Jazz, Rock with a couple of good earthy blues singers. We go every year, sometimes meeting people we haven't seen since the last event.

The tickets are a tenner and all the proceeds, every penny as everyone does it for free, go to a local fund to buy musical instruments for school children.

Good weekend to all.