So last night’s Lanarkshire Soul Collective night was fab – once we found it. We almost crashed a 40th birthday party then a live band with a bunch of teenagers in the audience before we found the right venue! I could have danced to just about every track but Himndoors isn’t much of a dancer, although I did managedto drag him onto the dance floor for a handful of songs. I need to get a posse together for the next one, either that or I’ll just have to get on the dance floor myself. There were some people there older than us and some younger so it was a great mix of ages, something you don’t see in most clubs. There was some nifty footwork going on and a lot of singing along to every word. It was great to see 50-somethings busting the moves they must’ve done during all-nighters when they were in their 20s. And that, in true Carrie Bradshaw style, got me thinking.
Young people never realise that middle-aged folk used to be young and vital like them. These older soul men and women maybe look perfectly normal and straight when you pass them on the street but inside there’s a 23 year-old with an encyclopedic knowledge of underground soul and funk, someone who’s probably more fleet of foot than most of today’s 23-year-olds. But it’s not just dancing – older people, and I’m counting me in that bracket, have a lot to offer, a wealth of experience behind them.
I spent 14 years as a journalist and in that time had many roles – bridal fashion shoots, feature writing, web design, celebrity interviews, event organising, music reviews. Aside from that I twice was accepted for dance degrees at Laban dance school but couldn’t get the funding to go. Instead, in classes after work I studied ballet, contemporary, Flamenco, trapeze and acrobatics. I learned aromatherapy and massage. I went out for three years with the guitarist from a charting band and spent time in the company of Brett Anderson, Jarvis Cocker and all of the Super Furry Animals. There are only fragments of my life from before I started my present job that my work colleagues or my manager know and although, most of it will be irrelevant some of it is but it’s by-passed because it isn’t in my job description.
There are thousands of older workers leaving local government just now and I’m guessing there is very little knowledge capture happening to help with succession planning before their final goodbye. At the other end there is very little being captured about what people have done before they start a new job. All employers are concerned about is how employees fit into the job in hand, not what they bring for how the job might develop. Knowledge management is being underplayed and it’s something that needs addressed before the knowledge is lost.
And all that from a night of top dancing!
So this morning the Minis were measured. MiniMe hasn’t grown much in the last couple of months but MiniHim has shot up more than an inch. I thought he school trousers were getting a bit short.
Before we left my mum donated a pair of sandals that she can’t wear. I had a good practise up and down their hall to make sure I could cope and luckily I could so these little babies now have their own space in my shoe display cabinet. Thanks mum 🙂
On the way home we stopped of at Morrisons for mozzarella but I couldn’t resist a rummage through their bargain CD box. I picked up 5 that I’ve either lost over the years or never got around to buying – all for £2 each!
Today I have learned:
- I blooming love music – all kinds
- there are Northern Soul dance classes on YouTube
- I blooming love dancing – all kinds
Today’s recipe
Pizza chicken
Serves 4
Ingredients
olive oil for frying
4 chicken fillets
1 onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
a sprinkling of dried basil
1 large mozzarella ball, sliced
Method: Brown the chicken in a large frying pan and remove. Turn the heat down and add the onion and garlic. Once soft add the tomatoes. Half fill the tin with water and add some to the tomatoes. Add the basil, stir then once bubbling add the chicken back to the pan.
Cook for 1o minutes then turn the fillets. If the sauce starts to get too thick add some more water. Cook for another 10 minutes then check they are cooked through.
Remove the pan from the heat and place the mozzarella slices on to each fillet. Put the pan under a high grill until the cheese starts to bubble.
I'm no expert 
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