Tango Setback.

Browsed web for info about Portuguese model trains:

There was once a manufacturer called VACMINEL and this is their model of the Portuguese SK.

 

Manuel Saraiva the founder of Vacminel.

I think SK stands for Saskatchewan. I think the locomotives were made in the USA and converted for Portuguese use and possibly there were Scandinavian versions too.

 

I suppose that makes sense. Portugal is unlikely to have had an indigenous locomotive industry.

 

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Last night's dinner on a shoestring:

 

Spaghetti and some Parmesan

Cost per head: £0.50

 

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Currently listening to:

 

 

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Tango update:

Terrible session last night at the Tango class: for two reasons.

1) Couldn't remember the sequences of steps for some reason. (Two fellow dancers obviously felt the same way: "Can't seem to connect my brain with my feet this evening." "Not having a good night tonight.")

2) But more worryingly I kept losing my balance and also could not heave my partners about. These two problems occurred in tandem. The man leads the woman in Tango by rotating his torso and thus his arms and thus the woman, and last night I just seemed too physically weak to do it with any effect.

So, I have devised a set of dance exercises to strengthen my torso/hip rotational strength over the next few weeks.

Basically, I am going to place a heavy weight in a rucksack and then strap the bag to my chest and practise the Tango steps as per usual.

Heading for a fall, methinks!

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Sibelius 5th:

On a whim went to the City Halls in Glasgow this afternoon to see the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra perform Sibelius 5th Symphony. A great romantic favourite of mine.

Went by bus. Travelling across Glasgow by bus is a hilarious experience, I must say.

Because it was being broadcast on Radio 3, there was a compere and in his introduction he said that the BBC Symphony Orchestra has Sibelius in its DNA.

The guest conductor was the Finn, Hannu Lintu, who was very dynamic in his posturings.