35) Fly A Trapeze

I thought the reaction from people was bad enough when I said I was climbing Ben Nevis, but when I told people I was attempting to learn how to fly the trapeze, most of my friends wanted me committed.

I've no idea why I added this one to my list. I can remember watching circus performances as a little girl and the trapeze artists always seem so death defying and highly glamorous in their sparkly outfits. Unfortunately for this particular 'Aerial Workshop' held in the Yorkshire Dance Company in Leeds, there was no sign of any sparkly outfits just jogging bottoms and t-shirts.

A fabulous teacher who immediately put everyone at ease and talked you through each move thoroughly ran the class. There was no pressure to do any of the moves, especially for me with a very dodgy back. I personally didn't fancy damaging a disc this close to my moving date for my new house, so the teacher helped work around this and where as others were trying the 'Archangel' or the 'Spider', I was happy just with the fact that I could get up on the trapeze and do the odd move that wouldn't risk my back.

The trapeze itself was about 6ft from the floor. There were no harnesses just a safety mat to lad on, but it was really weird, as you felt incredibly safe once you were on it.

The whole session lasted 2 hours, which was more than enough time to sufficiently practice the moves. At the end of the class I was completely shattered. The energy you require just to get on the trapeze is unbelievable and the day after I feel very battered and bruised.

Would I do this again? Definitely! I do need to lose some weight first though and get a lot fitter and then hopefully I can work my way through all the grades from beginner to experienced. So you never know, I may just run away to join the circus after all.