Ceilidh Dance Newsletter – 2025 #6

Last remaining tall ship moored in Anstruther

 What a wonderful summer weatherwise here on the west coast of Canada it has been so far.  No need to cancel any of the Monday nights of dancing in the park where there have been great attendances.  We are very fortunate to have avoided forest fires, floods, excessive heat, etc. and wish all well in other parts of the country and world.

We have enjoyed family visiting from near and far and more to come!  We will have all 4 children here for a day or so and some, but not all of the grandkids. 

 

peaceful picture of a boat by the bay at Plockton

Here is another Ceilidh Dance newsletter for you all to enjoy with jokes, pictures, news, etc.  If you don’t want to continue (how could you even consider it!) to receive this newsletter simply unsubscibe on the main page.

Thanks to Belinda we now have a presence on Instagram so you can follow us on instagram.com/vancouver.ceilidhs

https://www.instagram.com/vancouver.ceilidhs?utm_source=qr

Please check it out and make Belinda very happy!!

 

The next Ceilidh Dance will be held on Friday, September 26 in the Scottish Cultural Centre, 8886 Hudson Street, Vancouver.  We start the evening with a free class from 7 – 7;45 pm followed by the dance from 8 – 10:30 ish  Come and join us for a great evening of dancing, fun and social interaction.  As these dances continue to grow in popularity you may need to come early to ensure your place.  The last dance on April 25 we had another great attendance of over 160 and unfortunately had to turn a few of you away.  Some attendees leave about 9 so you could try again for the last 90 minutes or so.  We all had great fun and Alison, as always, kept you all moving and dancing to the great music provided by Calanais.

As we announced recently – 
We have, reluctantly, come to the decision that we have to limit the numbers both for the class, when we are restricted by the hall size, and the dance.  Starting with the dance on March 28 the class will be limited to 80 and the dance to 160.

We will start by collecting entry fees right at the start of the class, which will reduce the rush at 8 pm for the dance, and hand stamp as proof of entry.  If you do not want to pay for the free class then you will have to join the queue for the dance.  If we reach the cutoff for the class a queue can be formed until the class is over when admission to the dance can begin.  Again hand stamp will be required.

If the limit for the dance is reached then further admittance may be permitted if some people leave early.  It has been our experience that a few people leave around 9 pm but no guarantees.  There is a White Spot and a pub a few blocks away.

We do accept credit cards, though cash is preferred.  Please let your friends aware of the changes.

The dances are held in the Scottish Cultural Centre, 8886 Hudson Street, Vancouver which is a block north of  SW Marine between Granville & Oak in Marpole.  The evening starts with a free class from 7 – 7:45 and the dance with the live music of Calanais follows from 8 – 10:30.  Admission is $15 (students $10) and there are refreshments available but remember CASH is preferred.  Remember to bring some extra cash so you can donate towards the cost of the beer/cider/soft drinks/cookies etc.

If you are interested in moving to the next level up from Ceilidh dancing you should try Scottish Country dancing which is more refined than Ceilidh dancing but still lots of fun.  Weekly classes will start up again in September so plan to come along give it a try, you will be made very welcome.   To help everyone find a convenient class here is a link to all the classes in and around Vancouver and the start time if known.  

2024-25 Class List  – more details at www.rscdsvancouver.org

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Jacobite train passing over the bridge at Morar.

Due to increasing rents and other costs we have to plan on an increase in the admission to the Ceildh dances.  We have managed to hold them at the current rate of $15 ($10 for students) since September, 2017 which is really rather remarkable.  Starting in January, 2026 admission will be $20 ($15 for students).  We will not push for the donations towards the refreshments and we will accept credit/debit cards as well as cash. 

We really hope this increase will not deter anyone from coming.  If you have a group of 8 or more and pay cash, thus saving us the credit card fees, the group can come for $18($13 for students).  To take advantage of this you have to plan ahead.  Talk with any one of us on this or any other topic.

The job interview

 

Crail Harbour at low tide.

 

Tunes for your listening pleasure

Australian Ladies            Bobby Frew                  Edinburgh Castle Reel

 

 

 

Glen Docherty, Cliff Hill, Poolewe

 

 

Airborne approximately thirty minutes on an outbound evening flight from Glasgow,  the lead flight attendant  for the cabin crew nervously made the following painful announcement..: “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m so very sorry but it appears that there has been a terrible mixup one minute prior to takeoff, by our airport catering service… I don’t know how this has happened but we have 103 passengers on board and, unfortunately, only 40 dinner meals… I truly apologise for this mistake and inconvenience.” 

When passengers’ muttering had died down, she continued.. , “Anyone who is kind enough to give up their meal so that someone else can eat will receive free, unlimited drinks for the duration of our 5 hour flight.”  

 

Her next announcement came 90 minutes later… “If anyone would like to change their minds, we still have 40 dinners available.”  

 

 

An Englishman says to his friend, the Scotsman, that he has a perfect way of eating for free in restaurants. “I go in at well past 9 o’clock in the evening, eat several courses slowly, linger over coffee, port and a cigar. Come 2 a.m., as they are clearing everything away, I just keep sitting there until eventually a waiter comes up and asks me to pay.

Then I  say: ‘I’ve already paid your colleague who has left.'” The Scotsman is impressed, and says: “Let’s try it together this  evening.”

So the Scotsman books them into a restaurant and come 2 o’clock they are both still quietly sitting there after a very full  meal. Sure enough, a waiter comes over and asks them to pay. The Englishman just says:  “I’ve already paid your colleague who has left.”

And the Scotsman adds:  “And we are still waiting for the change!”