Thursday - pickup day

Well, it's 5.30am and the adrenaline has kicked in! For the organisers, Thursday is really day one of the festival - it's the day we start picking up the stars from the airports and we all begin congregating at the hotel.

Last night Aziza tweeted me a photo of her plane with the message 'I'm on my way!' I've just checked Aziza's flight and it's due in early - 6.50. So I'll drink my tea, jump in the shower and off I go! I warned her I'd take a photo of her coming through arrivals - she's the only person I know who can come off an overnight transatlantic flight looking adorable and I think the world needs to see the cruel truth!

So what did I tell you? Eight hours on a plane overnight from Canada, no sleep at all, and she looks great! Laughing too! We're now back at my place, drinking coffees, stroking my cats and catching up after what seems like years but in fact is just 18 months. So much to share - our time together never seems long enough.

And now it's 12.30 and Orit is due to land at Heathrow any minute, where the taxi I booked yesterday will be picking her up. Kazafy and Prince Kayammer are already here, so that just leaves Dina. Dina's big performance night in Cairo is Thursday so she'll be flying in on Friday. We'll be picking her up at around 2pm and bringing her to the hotel for a rest before joining us all for the Friday night hafla - which is surely going to be the classiest bop ever seen in bellydance circles!

I'll be updating my blog throughout the day for the next four days, so check back regularly or keep an eye on my Facebook updates for all the latest news!

8pm and the question on my mind is 'why does something I think will take an hour always take three?' And why do all the tiniest last minute jobs take an absolute age? Or do I just have to recognise that when you've got a dear friend with you that you only see once a year, you really do need to factor in a year's worth of catch up.

Anyway. We just arrived at the hotel and guess what? The hotel reception staff are Arabic and they're unbearably excited because they've learned that Dina is coming to stay! How cool is that?

And the hotel is chock full of gorgeous looking girls from every corner of the world that just have that bellydancer look about them - you know, long hair, great figure and an unmistakeable hint of last night's glitter and eyelash glue about them.

So, now I'm off to the bar and a chance to see who's up for a chat and a glass of wine. See you all tomorrow at the hafla!!