Right now I'm at the Chateau de Lavigny as a writer in residence, and it's pretty darned amazing. The downside is that I'm missing four crucial rehearsals before our performance on 25 September at the Repertory Theatre in Christchurch. For me that is drastic.

Last week we had are own little award ceremony before class. As Jan was unable to come to the Fringe Awards Jenny presented her with the 'best dance show duck' (and the beers).

Jen made her own presentation to Jan of a beautiful cupcake, and Jan gave us each a chocolate rose!

We loved dancing at . A proper stage, a proper floor, great lighting system! Helpful staff who went the second mile! Lovely seats, nearly all of them filled by appreciative people! If you think I'm just smarming here, read this: the Expressions staff actually made a cupcake for everyone in the audience.

Cupcakes is a theme of the year, already.

They featured prominently in our show, as Nigella sang their praises, I orated my totally original Ode to a Cupcake — and we tangoed around trays of delectable cupcakes ingeniously constructed from fabric and other  materials. Jennifer Holdaway, our wonderful artist in residence, had done it again!