Fawn again ...

This evening, I donned ice skates for the second time in my life, on a team outing to Jääpuisto, the Helsinki Icepark in the railway station square, Rautatientori. I had a real feeling of déja vu.

My first ice skating attempt was in 1983, when I was living in Poole, working for a small computer dealership in that English south coast town. Having never even roller skated, I had all the coordination of Bambi in the Walt Disney film from 1942. The girls from the office convinced me to come along and with one on each arm, I made a lap of the rink.

Today was much more successful than 26 years ago. Feeling (and clearly looking) very wobbly, with a blonde on each arm, I eventually managed two circuits of the outdoor rink after a couple of rest stops! I then decided to sit back and watch the rest of my team, most of whom have been skating since they were kids and make it look very easy.

We were sharing the ice with a TV crew, filming for a travel programme. A young couple were skating for the cameras, pretending to be just another pair of skaters out for the evening. But the crew picked the wrong subjects to film. One of my team has figure skated competitively and put everyone else to shame with her effortless and graceful performance. In her normal, modest way she deflected any attempt at compliments from us, almost embarassed by the attention. But watching her skate, you can see that she is literally in her element, at one with the ice in a way that most of us, especially me, can only dream of.

My wife and daughters love the UK TV show, Dancing on Ice; back in 2007 before I moved to Helsinki we saw the live show at Wembley Arena. After today's experience, I am even more in awe of the celebrities and professionals on the show. And determined that it won't be another 26 years until I try it again. Apparently, you can get lessons, even for middle-aged novices!