Frosty weather, sheer fabric, shimmy shimmy

What a wonderful day I've had. I made a colourful and tasty minestrone soup, onto which I like to sprinkle parmesan cheese before devouring. Then this afternoon I trundled off to watch Jackie, one of my Tattoo-tastic friends, dance in an amateur bellydance event called the Pyramid Awards.

On the way there I noticed that it has grown very cold, although I must be turning into a sissy because the internet tells me it is only minus 1C. I was thrilled to spy these foot prints in the frost:

The Pyramid Awards! I believe it was Edinburgh's first such event. A small start with just 11 competitors but as far as I know there are plans to make it an annual affair. The music was great, the women were gorgeous and the outfits were stunning. The dancing was sensual and celebratory, joyful and erotic. Jackie danced to a slow, sensual number by Yasser Habeeb, taken from a fantastic album of oriental-style lounge music called Hammam Cafe.

Here is a photo of all the beautiful ladies. The lovely Jackie is on the far right, and the mysterious creature showing some leg in the middle is the event host, Fereshteh Hosseini.

I must go back to dancing. I have been feeling drawn back to martial arts again as well, but I think the belly dance route it a better option for me, if only to be able to wear sheer fabrics and undulate around the living room in the candlelight to torture JP. The style I'm after is tribal fusion, and I've not had luck finding a class. But tonight Jackie's teacher told me of a class that runs on Saturday afternoons that may pick up again next semester through Edinburgh University. I plan to plough my way through whatever crowd necessary in order to secure a place (the martial arts training does come in handy sometimes).

Finally, I won a beautiful pink veil in the raffle tonight. I'm wearing it now. Overall, a day for hooray! Hooray!