For The Win.

One Radley handbag... to the value of £200... for free.......... every month of the year.

That's what my Grandma won a couple of months ago after entering a competition in You magazine. Not everyone's idea of the perfect prize, but the perfect prize for pretty much every woman in the UK who likes her accessories. I wouldn't exactly call myself a "fashionista", and that's a kind way of putting it, but man am I excited. I do own a Radley handbag already, but I'm now promised another by my darling Gran, whom I love dearly, and who, after reading this, will hopefully bump that one handbag up to two... Love you Gran!

This post, however, isn't about handbags.

Last week I won a competition myself: A place for me and a friend at a private dance class with Flavia Cacace, of Strictly Come Dancing fame (once again, this may not excite all of you. I, on the other hand, almost wet myself with excitement. Almost). An old college friend is an ambassador for Maxitone, a sports nutrition company, and advertised the competition on her Facebook page (Thanks Beccy!). I decided to enter, despite knowing that I'd have to get the train to London for the day (and marathon-Greys-Anatomy-watching doesn't pay all that well), that I may not actually be available on the day of the class, and that the guest I had in mind - my best friend Charlotte, also a dance lover! - probably wouldn't be free either. And low and behold... I only went and won the thing.

There were a few hours of slight panic while I tried to organise the trip, and a guest to take along with me, but eventually I wound up on the 9am train to London and made my way to the venue, the downstairs club of Grace Bar near Piccadilly Circus. My excitement turned into nerves as I realised that winning the competition wasn't the end of it, and that now I actually had to dance with Flavia...!

The class was great fun, and Flavia was incredibly lovely. She taught us some salsa steps, which she insisted were basic (!), and for the most part they were, with some more challenging steps at the end of the routine. It was all very relaxed - there were about eight of us, all salsa novices and most of the girls new to dancing altogether. We had a couple of breaks and I got to have a chat with Flavia. She told us about a tour she's about to start with her dance partner Vincent Simone, and how busy her life is, not just during Strictly. I asked her when she started dancing and she told me she began at the age of five. I was secretly hoping she'd say "Oh, I just picked up some classes in my late teens and you know, it just kinda happened..." Alas, my dreams of one day dancing like Flavia Cacace were somewhat shattered.

All in all, an amazing day. Flavia was kind enough to have a photo with me - which unfortunately was lost in a camera mishap - and to sign an autograph for my niece Kate, who was one of my original guests but unfortunately couldn't make it. She even later replied to my "Thank You" message on Twitter, saying that she too had really enjoyed the class.

I had a brilliant time; what with being a big fan of Flavia herself, of Strictly and of dancing in general, it was pretty much the perfect prize! Yes, even more so than twelve Radley handbags! The moral of this story: enter competitions. Especially the free-to-enter ones that you think you'll never stand a chance of winning. But just not the ones I'm entering, 'kay?!

P.s. Flavia... you're a legend. A very talented, very beautiful legend!