Ceilidh Dance Newsletter – 2025 #8

 

The-Northern-Lights-plunged-Girnigoe-castle-into-silhouette

 Fall has arrived!  The nights are drawing in and though there is still lots of sunshine there is definately a chill in the air.  I am stuck mostly inside as I have a lack of mobility having had a complete knee relacement.  I manage to get around with crutches and/or a walker but it is slow and of course I rely on my wife, Margaret for most things including transportation.  It doesn’t help that I fell (off the raised toilet seat I had borowed) and badly bruised my rear end and backs of my legs so there is added pain to sit!

I am attending physio now with the goal of reaching at least a 90 degree knee bend by the end of the month.  Currently I have reached only 58 so have a long way to go in 3 weeks,

Autumn-is-creeping-in-in-all-its-colourful-glory

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, October 24 (not the last Friday!) 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.  At the dance last month we had a low attendance so don’t be scared away by all my warnings – just come earlybut please do come.  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.  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 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.  

2025-26 Class List  – more details at www.rscdsvancouver.org

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Caolasnacon-campsite-near-Kinlochleven

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 pp ($13 ps for students).  To take advantage of this you have to plan ahead.  Talk with any one of us on this or any other topic.

 

 

 

 

 

Tunes for your listening pleasure

Airie Bennan     Colin Dewar          Special Requests %

 

 

amazing-sunset-at-Holy-Loch

 

 

 

Yes, it’s that magical time of year when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us. They usually eliminate themselves from the gene pool.    

Here is the glorious WINNER:

1. When his 38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach , CA would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And now, the honorable mentions:

The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine. He submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company, expecting negligence, sent one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and also lost a finger. The chef’s claim was approved.

A man shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a Chicago blizzard. He returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff those patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies.. The deception wasn’t discovered for 3 days.

An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash and fled, leaving his $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer.. $15. [If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]

An Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided to throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. He heaved the block over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape…

As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, “Yes, officer, that’s her. That’s the lady I stole the purse from.”

The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti , Michigan at 6 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk said he couldn’t open the cash register without a food order. So the robber ordered onion rings.  The clerk said those weren’t available on the breakfast menu. The robber, frustrated, walked away.  [*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER]

A man attempted to siphon gas from a motor home parked on a Seattle street by sucking on a hose. He got more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said the man admitted to trying to steal gas, but he plugged his siphon hose into the sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying it was the best laugh he’d ever had.