All dressed up and nowhere to go.

About an hour before I was due to head off for our weekly bellydance session I got a call to say that the girl who takes the class was ill.

Disappointing? Yes! And...no.

Yes, because I really enjoy the class. Great fun even if we're not very good at it. Shaking the bits of the body that don't shake the rest of the week is a good start to the weekend.

And No because it is nice and cosy in front of the fire. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to even think of dancing around in bare feet in a chilly hall in midwinter.

Most of us have coin belts, veils, the odd bit of jingly jewellery and zils but only one or two have the full outfit. Bearing in mind we may well be one of the most northerly bellydance groups in the world we are considering getting costumes made from a nice cosy thermal material.

The other problem at this time of year is that to anyone outside the hall we practice in it sounds like the annual general meeting of The Reindeer Association.