Indian summer

Walking in the woods with Princess this morning, the sun shone brightly, the air was fresh and clean, and the few remaining non-migratory birds twittered. It's a lovely time of year, and if the forecasters are right we have another week of it ahead of us. Wonderful.

Princess nearly punched me when I told her about the seminar: "Why didn't you call me?! I'd love to have attended!" so I gave her the contact information and a hearty recommendation. She has a partner but would probably attend the singles seminar because it is (we both thought) more attuned to what she needs right now.

One of the seminar group was in Stuttgart this weekend for a tango course given by Pablo Verón, with music by Narcotango. True tango fans, and readers who have seen the film The Tango Lesson, will now be swooning enviously, and I have to say that she was just glowing when we met after the course. Let's call her "Sally", after Sally Potter who directed and starred in the film.

Sally and I walked around downtown for a while, talking about bookshops and tango lessons, but mostly about the seminar and how it affected/still affects us, then met Slim and Larry for tea and cakes at an outdoor café in an ivy-covered but sunny courtyard (something that southern Germany does quite well). He is now old enough for such excursions (or she is now relaxed enough to venture them), which will be a great relief and an enrichment for Slim.

I have always been curious about the tango, have loved to watch the dancers, but never worked up the courage to try it myself. It seems a marvellously communicative, soul-expressing, emotionally-entwining dance, which Sally confirms to be true. I let myself be talked into attending the next free-sample introductory course at her club in Heidelberg, sometime next month. Watch this space for further developments.