So I went to the ballet for the first time last week! With Chris and Katy and Aunt Carina we saw the Moscow city Ballet performing Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake at the Bath Theatre Royal. Fantastically impressive. Some very thin ballerinas, men wearing padded tights, and lots of prancing about, lifting and daintiness. There are two types of male dancer: the impossibly slender ones who zoom around, leaping into the air constantly (the jester was incredible); and the more well built ones who do the lifting, and also manage that peculiar jump where they criss-cross their feet about 20 times in mid air. The ballerinas all have sweet fixed smiles, apart from the swan who looked wistful throughout. The lead (ie. the Swan) was particularly thin which enabled her to wave her arms in a realistic swan wing-flap, and to manage the famous 32 pirouettes without breaking into a sweat. However you could count her ribs. We saw one of the ballerinas before the performance at the stage door having a quick fag. I would go again.

In Manchester we had a thoroughly enjoyable outing to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - an entertaining production, if a little limited. They worked hard to spin out the performance into a whole evening, repeating the songs several times and having the longest encore/curtain call ever. There were six of us - me, Chris, Helen, Katy, Grandma (Barabara) and Tony. Helen reckoned she could have 'smacked up' the part of the narrator, and she could.

More about Music!!!! Excitement at St. Augustines as Katy gets through to the semi-final of Young Musician of the Year (singing). It's a major event at the school, must be close on 150 entrants. There were 28 singers, all of whom take singing lessons with Jane Wavre. I was accompanying Katy singing "I've Got You Under My Skin" (Cole Porter). She did a fab performance, absolutely amazing Mr. O'Mahony the Head of Music who couldn't believe how her performing has come on in the past year. We didn't make it to the Final (just 10 musicians) but it was a great event.

Maths still happening - I've got an A-level (AS) student now (as well as three GCSE and four younger ones) so I've been brushing up my Stats and Mechanics. Seem to be in demand and now turning prospective students away! I need to limit it a bit more in future as it's a bit much after a day at work sometimes.

Conundrum - what's the chance of winning the UK lottery if you buy one ticket? (you choose 6 numbers out of 49).