Reasons why Fran needs the snow to melt

I've been leaping around the living room for the last ten minutes trying to copy the moves of Billy Elliott and the character Julie Walters plays as they dance to 'I Love to Boogie' in the film.

Hang on. I'll just get my breath back ...









































Sorry about the wait.


If you haven't seen the Billy Elliot film, that scene alone makes it worth a watch. Here's the Youtube clip. Why not boogie along?



Luckily, our living room is not overlooked by any other houses. I would hate to feature on Instagram or Facebook with the caption, 'Watch my neighbour dancing like a dream having a seizure.'

Still, it got the old bones shaking about and reminded my joints that they're meant to help my limbs flex.

It's about time I moved my body. It's been so snowy and icy for the last week, I haven't done any of my normal walking routines and what with staying indoors, near the fridge, I suspect the scales will tell a sorry story. I usually hop off the bus in the mornings, four stops after my workplace,  and walk back to give myself a regular fifteen minute workout, but I've been avoiding that while the pavements have been more suitable for Torvill and Dean than for a middle-aged woman with an untrustworthy knee and a nervous disposition.

I fell over on ice several years back and injured the knee, landing plum on my kneecap as though I'd suddenly come across the Queen, and my knee hasn't thanked me since. I'm pleased to say no one saw me The fall was witnessed by a traffic jam made up of about twenty drivers, all bored and with nothing to do but watch local residents crash to the ground in a heap and then lose several fights with gravity trying to regain some shred of self-respect.

My husband has been out twice today for walks in the deep snow, booted and trussed up like a polar explorer. He thinks he is the Ernest Shackleton of the West Midlands.   He asks if I want to come with him, but then his long legs don't disappear up to the hips as my titchy ones do. 'It's all right for you,' I tell him. 'You don't end up looking like someone's left a torso and head resting on the snowdrift.'

The snow is melting now so, on Monday, I can hopefully get back to the walking routine before my joints calcify and I am found stiff and unyielding, 'I Love to Boogie' playing impotently in the background.

'It says she wants it played at her funeral. Imagine!'  



Comments

  1. Debra She Who Seeks3/3/18 07:46

    "the Ernest Shackleton of the West Midlands" -- hahahahahahaha!

    ReplyDelete
  2. only slightly confused3/3/18 07:58

    I now have the mental image of coming arross a head and torso sticking out of a snowbank..frozen in place....thanks for that lol. Loved the clip.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill3/3/18 08:24

      I'm glad my descriptions are convincing, at least!

      Delete
  3. Deborah Jenkins3/3/18 08:13

    My favourite bit was the part about the neighbours thinking you were having a seizure 😂 Utterly hilarious, and thanks for reminding me how wonderful Billy Elliot is. Must get a copy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill3/3/18 08:25

      It's definitely one of my favourite films of all time. Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  4. jenny_o3/3/18 15:35

    I hadn't heard of Billy Elliott before but after watching the video you posted, I watched a few more related to the movie, and would really like to see it (and I'm not a big movie fan so that's saying something). I think it especially resonates with me as I live in a province with several mining communities. In fact, my relatives worked in mines in two areas of the province.

    I can also relate to the dance moves in the living room on a snowy day . . . not a bad way to get some exercise in!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill4/3/18 06:40

      You will love the movie, Jenny, and the mining backdrop plays a big part. Enjoy! And thanks for reading and commenting :)

      Delete
  5. Hazel3/3/18 16:48

    The big problem with dressing up as the intrepid explorer to go to the shops is the temperature differential - the combination of lack of staff in WHSmiths and the ambient temp made those of us in the long queue waiting to pay for the Telegraph look even more menopausal than normal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill4/3/18 06:41

      That paints a great visual image!

      Delete
  6. River3/3/18 22:21

    I shudder to think what might happen here if I tried to boogie. my legs might tie themselves in knots right before I crash through the floorboards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill4/3/18 06:42

      Okay, perhaps you'd better let Billy Elliot and his dance teacher boogie on your behalf. I'd hate to be responsible for you finding yourself in your cellar.

      Delete
    2. River5/3/18 02:09

      Cellars are rare in Australia.

      Delete
  7. Frances Garrood4/3/18 13:23

    I love that clip - my favourite part of the film. Thank you, Fran. Oh, to be young again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill6/3/18 10:05

      Yes, it's just life-affirming, isn't it?!

      Delete
  8. Janie Junebug4/3/18 16:47

    How I love that movie. I long to dance with utter abandon and disregard for what anyone thinks of me--oh, wait. I do that already.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
  9. BadPenny5/3/18 09:27

    The only good thing about layering up to go outside is the lovely feeling of weight loss when you come inside again and strip off the layers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill6/3/18 10:06

      Ha ha! I will appreciate that much more now!

      Delete
  10. SmitoniusAndSonata8/3/18 11:23

    That "Use it or lose it" that people are always going on about?
    Well , I've lost it and have left boogying to others . I'll stick to the film.

    ReplyDelete

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