Maidstone Hens on Caffeine!

We launched our Maidstone group on Saturday (16th October) with a Coffee Morning at The White Horse at Bearsted.


Maidstone 'hens'


Over 20 women drinking coffee made for a lively discussion and lots of laughter especially when one women suggested they went on a Chocolate Making Workshop, ‘but do you get to eat the chocolates?’ another asked, ‘Oh yes!’ the first replied, ‘otherwise what would be the point?’

I was there along with the appointed Host for the Maidstone group, Lesley Dorking who was really pleased with how the morning went, ‘It’s been great, and such a good turnout. I’ve managed to talk to all the women here and find out what they are looking for from the group. We’re all keen to go on a spa day and be pampered ASAP!’

Gill did a short talk on Hens Dancing and the benefits of membership and also the


Travel in Twos scheme which was popular amongst the attendees. This is a scheme whereby Hens Dancing match women in the same area and put them in touch so they can car share when they go to meetings. This also works for the theatre trips up to London where women can travel on the train together.

Some of the women there said they were attracted to Hens Dancing because there's nothing else like it and it's just what they are looking for. W.I. was mentioned as not what they are looking for and some said they have actually been keeping an eye on Hens Dancing for a long time and waiting for a Maidstone group. The married ladies find that their husband doesn't always want to do the same things as them e.g. theatre trips and spa days and some run their own business from home and find that quite isolating so they want to have a social network.

Two hours of caffeine later ‘the hens’ all left looking forward to the next meeting, the Saturday Lunch Club on 20th November, also at The White Horse.

Katie gets it right again!

EAST in Tunbridge Wells kept our Champagne glasses filled as we heard from Katie Day what an amazing difference it can make to be wearing the right colours and how much better you feel when your clothes match your personality.


Always delivered in style and with humour, Katie's talk was marvelous as always. She showed us how East have clothes to suit Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter as well as styles that flatter all.


With 20% off the whole Autumn range many of us were tempted and the changing rooms were full. There were even gatecrashers!

Survey results now in!

We had a fantastic response to the Survey with over 170 completed - thank you hens!

And the feedback has been great - really positive allowing us to make some changes for the better and shape Hens Dancing in the coming months.

I have written an article which gives an overview of the feedback and outlines the measures we are going to put in place in response.

I am particularly excited about starting a new Saturday lunch club for those of who prefer to socialise at the weekend and also Coffee mornings for newcomers and members alike to drop in and find out a bit more about us.


To read the full article click here.

Look out Maidstone!

Met up with Lesley Dorking today who lives just outside Maidstone and is going to host a new group we are setting up there.


We are planning a coffee morning in October which will be on a Saturday and give anyone interested a chance to meet myself and Lesley and find out more about Hens Dancing.


Then there will be Saturday Lunch Club in November and a Christmas meal in December. More details will be on the website soon.

As we chatted today, Lesley said 'Im really excited about this!' So look out Maidstone ladies!

Fed up with work? So play!

Back in February I wrote a blog entitled:’ Do you love your job?’ and had quite a few emails about it. It came about because I met a woman in her forties who felt stuck in a career she hadn’t even chosen herself.

So when I saw an article in The Times last week: ‘Fed up of work? So play!’ I wanted to share it with you. It’s about an unconventional guy called John Williams who has written a book: ‘Screw work, Let’s Play.’ I told you he’s unconventional!
He’s basically talking about how your find the vocation that is right for you and he ends up with five interesting questions which help you find the answer. I dare you! Read more…

Guildford Group at the Seahorse

Reports on the Guildford groups June meeting were good.
Helen who hosted said: 'It was a perfect Summer’s evening for our June Supper Club at the Seahorse was and we enjoyed a a great combination of good food, companionship and lively conversation.

We welcomed two new faces to the group who fitted in straight away and had many stories and life experiences to share.

The Seahorse always proves to be a good venue for us – we have a table in the cosy stable area. The atmosphere is always buzzing but still allows for free flowing conversation ... an essential part of the Hens Dancing experience!'

Think I might pop along myself next time!

Who's Wearing What?!

Fabulous evening with the lovely Jan and Rebecca from Who's Wearing What who transformed our usual venue into a fashion boutique with some adorable designer pieces hand picked by them after scouring the fashion world and at affordable prices.

Everyone bought something and we all enjoyed a glass of wine and the relaxed social atmosphere in which to try on and admire.

Thanks to all the hens for making it a great evening. See more at http://www.hensdancing.com/past-events/

Read on? Or back to www.hensdancing.com

Good times!

We certainly danced with life last night! As Strada buzzed into the evening the hens laughed and the conversation flowed. Jools Holland was playing up the road so town was particularly busy and Strada was having to turn out dish after dish of Italian delights.

We talked about how to cope with major stress and Kerry recommended Bach's Rescue Remedy. And later the discussion got onto plastic surgery including Botox in rude places!  Sounds painful!

Some were looking forward to the talk next week: Re-discover your Sparkle! and others were making plans to go to the Vintage evening (a chance to glam up!) or to do the charity walk on Sunday - nice weather permitting.

Read on? Or back to http://www.hensdancing.com/

Supper Club at The White Hart, Sevenoaks

Our first Hens meeting at The White Hart in Sevenoaks; we were a small but beautifully formed group of six which did allow for much chatter and gave us the chance to get to know each other better.

We talked about how the Volcanic Ash from Iceland had affected our lives, in particular Freda, who works on the Channel ferries and said they were incredibly busy with all the extra passengers.

The menu was varied: some had Crab Linguini, some had Coq au Vin and others Cheddar sausages which looked very colourful!

Overall a relaxing evening. Hope to see you at the next meeting: Re-discover your Sparkle on 19th May.

Read on? Or back to http://www.hensdancing.com/

Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter: Which one are you?

Katie Day, our speaker, was on excellent form last Wednesday and the Tun Wells group enjoyed a fascinating talk about what a difference different colours and even the shades of those colours can make to the way we look. Therese bravely volunteered to model some of the drapes and we saw how colours with yellow tones enhanced her skin tones. She was amazed that an orangey lipstick and scarf enhanced her look and she said Members at Katie's talkshe'd never have thought of wearing those colours.



She also talked about style and how clothes can make us feel so much better about ourselves as well as creating such a good impression.

The Hand & Sceptre were a bit slow to serve our food but it was good when it did arrive. I think we were all really pleased by the end of the evening that we'd come along and some were booking appointments with Katie to find out more.

Fingers crossed Katie will come and talk to us again one day soon.

No sand in Sandgate

After sitting in the garden on Saturday and enjoying the warmth of the sun and even going a bit pink, what better way to spend Sunday, than on the Kent coast?!
I hatched a plan which The Grey was happy with although there was an 'Mmm..' on looking at where Sandgate is in relation to home. Why Sandgate you must be asking by now? Especially if you've been there. (Sorry, Sandgate.) We were told by Martial (our wedding coordinator) of a wonderful antique shop there and with our conservatory looking very empty except for a couple of deck chairs it was time to find untold treasures to fill it.

First stop was Camber Sands and a stroll along the beach which proved chilly and The Grey's fingers turned blue. To avoid me talking my loafers off (yes, it was that cold) he piggy backed me across the shallow streams that divide the beach. Must ask him if his back's OK today.

The coastal road up to Sandgate (nearly Folkestone) was a bit of an eye-opener for me as I've never been that way before. The Grey turned into a complete snob complained most of the way and we resolved to return inland vie Tenterton.

On reaching Sangate and discovering the beach is pebbly it was 1.30pm and we were starving but there didn't seem to be many places to grab a light lunch.  At last we spotted a Tapas bar which turned out to be serving a carvery! An unsatisfactory meal later the woman at the cafe told us the antique shop wasn't open on Sundays. One thing I've learnt recently is to remain optimistic in the face of adversity.

It was open.

Andree, a 92 year old lady (we think French) (by the way I guessed at her age)  has 3 premises with many floors of wonderful antiques and reproduction furniture and we suantered round for an hour or so delighting in our finds.

And so we returned with 4 items, a coat stand, a station clock, a bamboo ladder and a painted wrought iron tray on a stand. All very useful, I'm sure you'll agree.

Read on or back to http://www.hensdancing.com/

Un-naturally speaking

I've been using Dragon's Naturally Speaking software for about 2 weeks now and I'd just like to say Aghhhhh!


In theory you talk to your computer all day and it does what you tell it (bar pouring you a glass of wine at 6pm on a Friday) - you dictate and the words appear. Mmm. Now I know it seems unrealistic that a piece of computer software might have feelings and be tempremental but my God, this is worse than a menopausal woman having a hot flush in a sauna! Sometimes it works beautifully and othe times it writes complete garbage and spells everything wrong.

You can 'train' it so that it doesn't keep making the same mistakes - in theory. In practice it is stupid and can't even get my name right after 100 plus attempts! I'm either Gel, Jail or Jill.

In theory I am supposed to be more relaxed as I use it which is better for my back muscles. In practice it makes me TENSE!

Then yesterday I discovered that all this talking (and shouting in frustration) leaves you with a sore throat!

So today I've gone back to good old fashioned typing. Gentle ahhhh. That's better.

Read on, or back to http://www.hensdancing.com/

Met Carolyn Woodward of PR Matters for lunch at The Great House today. We sat in the sunny Orangery and sipped Rose wine whilst we discussed the success of hens dancing to date and how we can promote it to grow the membership even further over the coming months.  A lovely way to spend a Friday afternoon.
We met at the Kent 2020 networking event last week and plan to go to the exhibition on 22 April.

http://www.hensdancing.com/

Sunny day!

Today feels like the first day of spring!  There's a real warmth in the sun and I'm wearing a sleeveless top!  I've been up to Sevenoaks to meet up with other business women over lunch and came away motivated to write my blog. 

Now that Hens Dancing headquarters and my home, of course, is based in rural Hawkhurst we have quite a large garden with a greenhouse at the top.  We planted some seeds at the weekend tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, basil and poppies and I've just been up to look and see if any shoots are appearing. Of course it's early days and nothing has come up yet but they did need watering.

Lots of interest today in the inspirational talk happening next Wednesday, 14 April.  I'm always thrilled when  image consultant, Katie Day, agrees to come and talk to us.  She is such a great speaker but also a lovely lady.  You have to make the most of these opportunities - she's very successful and so very busy! Still time to book on if you wish here's a link to more information. 

Read on? Or back to http://www.hensdancing.com/

Do you love your job?

I was reminded last night of how lucky I am. For much of my career I was gainfully employed in jobs I didn’t like.

I worked hard and had great ideas and wasn’t appreciated. Often I had the most ridiculous commutes taking up 3 to 4 hours of each precious day. The longest I ever stayed with one company was 5 years and 1-3 years was more like it. Now I run my own business from my spare room and OK, the highs are very high and the lows are very low but overall I can honestly say, I love my job.

So back to last night. I met a woman who's career profession was chosen by her parents. (I’d just like to add that this woman was great company, intelligent, interesting and looked much younger than she must be.) She perserved with this profession for many years and hated it. Eventually she decided she'd had enough and managed to change her career.However it was still a heavy compromise and her ideal job eludes her.

So this got me thinking and I was driven to write an article. To read it in full click here.

Sleep a feminist issue?

Interesting article on sleep in The Times this weekend. 70% of us have trouble sleeping – I know I do! Looking at the famous I was amazed that the amount of sleep varied from 1 hour: Salvador Dali and 4 hours: Madonna (something to do with her new lover?) to 15 hours: Mariah Carey – apparently necessary to sing the way she wants to.


Penelope Cruz clocks up 12 hours a night in the belief that this helps her to keep her weight down. How wonderful it would be if that was true. Does it work because she has less time to eat?


Apparently sleep is going to become the next big gender issue because women need more sleep than men. This is because they work their brains harder – not sure if that’s a compliment or not?! But what is keeping us awake? A male partner that snores is the most likely reason for a disturbed night.

Back to http://www.hensdancing.com/

Does lateness irrate you?

I read this article in Psychologies Magazine this month and thought you might be interested ...

It was poignant to me as I went to a wedding recently and the bride kept us waiting in Church for over an hour. Better not publish how I felt about that!
Anyway in the mag they say: 'We assume that other people frame choices in the way we do. But for the other person what is at stake is often very different from what we think is at stake. Apparenetly this is down to cultural differences. Also some people have such a deep seated fear of having to wait that they make sure they're late!

Mmm. Interesting. Let me know what you think.

Visit the hens dancing website.

New Year, new website!

I'm really chuffed with the new hens dancing website! Especially the members area which has so much great content with the free legal helpline provided by Helen and Estelle at asb law (planning to phone them myself later!) and 'Life Matters' with some really measured and useful advice from Katie Day - good for people like me that need to apply a little patience to problems sometimes!

We have some brilliant events coming up - perfect for the new is: Re-discover your Sparkle! which is next Wednesday 13 Jan.

Gosh I'm so excited!