Le chant du cygne

Evitons tout de suite les malentendus, Paolo Conte va bien, merci. Ce n'est pas son chant du cygne qui s'étale ici, mais plutôt celui totalement psychologique d'un 31 août qui, pour toute férue d'été caniculaire (n'ayons pas peur des mots), de crèmes solaires et de grains de sable collants représente une fin abrupte avec des relents de rentrée chaussée - horreur suprême. Voici donc un bref billet d'humeur toute météorologique comme je ne les favorise point, loin de là. Une fois n'est pas coutume... Et puis, pour me sauver du naufrage automnal tout annoncé, il y sa voix à lui, ce grand chanteur aux sons rauques tantôt traînants, tantôt sautillants comme autant de moteurs qui s'emballent et avalent les notes de jazz à cinq mille tours.

Rien que du bonheur musical un peu désuet et donc avec un charme certain et convaincant - on en fait plus de ces belles machines chromées ! Peu importe le calendrier et les facéties du mercure tristement bas : l'été est encore là, dans ces chansons chaleureuses aux vagues enveloppantes et aux soubresauts surprenants. C'est l'essentiel.

Friendly Fire

This is the second of Alaa al Aswani books that I read in the past couple of months and even though I am not a short story lover, I have enjoyed to the core this new trip around the roads and cities of Egypt, despite the harsh and painful human landscape it depicts. The author is the one who could readily be accused of firing towards its own people, but as you make progress through the stories, you do realize that unfortunately it is the people itself who is shooting blindly in all directions, hurting everyone.

Treachery, violence, extremism, corruption and lies all lurk dangerously beneath the smiling surface and the ever tricky cover of traditions. The short stories often start in a casual way but, little by little, the real and tyrannic aspect of a day to day life made of compromises shows its grin on the characters' faces. Humiliation, fear, defeat crush lives and provide a fertile ground for revenge and rage.

Thankfully, there are short-lived episodes of hope and kindness, but they are weak compared to the disastrous effects of inequality and pain combined. A must-read to fight off ignorance - only then will friendly fire have positive effects and bring about a form of healing.

Playing hard to get...

The pleasure of snorkeling around just cannot be described provided you do get to see the live little (better not be too big, indeed) beings that animate the underworld. The bottom of the Adriatic is certainly not the Seychelle's (I talk out of ignorance, unfortunately), but luckily at every bubbly turn there is something moving, shining in the filtered sun.

Schools of fish are alive and kicking and graze on green prairies of algae only mildly disturbed or scared by the presence of the unelegant intruder (that would be me). Maybe I can redeem myself from swimming clumsiness by saying that I am a very, very peaceful explorer of the bottom of the sea: I do not touch, only look (any Dutch readers here? You get my drift...) and relish in true Epicurean style. It would only be unfair to myself to mention here that I am also a true sissy girl who gets scared by the bubbles shooting out of my own snorkle.

However, it so happens that this cautious tactique of mine is fully rewarded every time we see and admire from a good distance those funny black balls that are nestled in the nooks and crannies of the rocks at the bottom of the sea... Meet the spiky sea urchins! These rock-style black beauties in their masochistic attire behave like true stars: they like to be admired from afar.

This being said, I have a confession to make: freshly caught sea urchins are unbeatable. If you are lucky enough to have someone plunge head first, catch them and split them open for you, call me. You will taste that joyous coral flesh and its sea juices with a lovely piece of bread to find again paradise lost. It cannot be any fresher than that.

In an attempt at tasting the succulent flesh of local sea urchins, we attended a typical fair (sagra del riccio) in their honor in Porto Badisco - the real fisherman's cove... Only high tide and strong sea that day prevented the fishermen from going out at sea (sissies!), so we had mussels instead. Not a sea urchin in sight on the long wooden tables that evening. The little spiky things were playing hard to get. And they won:

Sea urchins: 1 - The Daydreamer: 0

Luckily, the city girl that I am has a ready-made solution to the drama: try sea urchins and safran paste blissfully discovered during one of my urban whereabouts here. Paired with organic De Cecco pasta, it is just heaven. All right, I may be missing the Mediterranean scenery, the gritty sand in my teeth, but at least I get a distant flavor, a reminiscence...

We will meet next year, little urchins!

Credit: unknown

Il Coperchio del Mare

Mari goes back to her roots, her home town and decides to open a small business selling grated ice flavored with traditional syrups. She's joined by a girl who will unexpectedly become a precious ally, a true friend.

The sea, the summer season and their rhythm and balance soon become the symbolic bond between the two girls, a bond they will only progressively share, step by step, carefully. There are many beings under the sea, many shades to its waters to discover, to marvel at and to learn from. The book is one of those Banana Yoshimoto's intimate stories that feels like soft strands of delicate algae swaying under the blue surface of our days. What lies beneath is true and unconditional friendship and understanding, made stronger by hope for a better, smoother life and a future where everyone would have their spot in the sun.

The two girl friends help each other and despite the end of the prodigal summer and of their ritual and healing swimming session across the canal, they know they will be there for each other. They have made progess, becoming richer, fuller human beings.

If you like Banana Yoshimoto's writing, this new ode to feelings and plain truths will please you every step of the way on the soft beach sand. It will leave a footprint that you can compare with yours, right before the tide erases it.

Care for a kite-surf ride? Hop on!

To whomever is telling you that summer is ending, tell them they are wrong and that you got some more sunny goodies in stash (!) under the Play button of the movie I pasted here for your daily shot of happiness. If you are in for clear and warm water, a bit of adrenaline and fun, this video is for you. In the meantime, I daydream of the day I can too take you on one of my little rides and meet my little friends the fish around our favorite spots, it would be like a discovery snorkeling tour. I wonder if they already make cameras for amateurs* (yes, 'cause that's what I am quite happy to be) of underwater strolls...?

Long live summer and water sports of all sorts (and above all kite-surf as hubby would say)!

*Read: unexpensive and ready-to-fit equipment

Credits: Hubby

I am listening to...

Preferably, at this time of the year, what I like to listen to is...cicadas! Nothing beats them with their regular high-pitched tune acting like a lullaby on all-year-round stressed out neurones. There are exceptions, mind you. Tunes that are soft and harmoniously insignificant - yes, because all that you want to do is linger by the pool and...linger by the beach would be the only acceptable alternative. If you are lucky enough, you may even do so around the birth place of the Café del Mar label, Ibiza. This is one of those youth myths, setting foot in the famous lounge music temple after having listened to their musical production for years. One day, maybe the Café del Mar sunset will be mine for that short lapse of time...

This CD is one of those soothing moments when you just realize how lovely it is to have longer days, shorter nights and walking barefoot all day, wearing your favorite sandals too. This CD is an invitation to supreme idling non-activities such as chosing the right cocktail for the day. The choice is yours: some songs do have lyrics, others just easy-listening electronic melodies... They were designed to please the summer crowd - and it works beautifully.

Cuban hopes

The holidays can only get better when out of the planned exhibition you get…TWO! The Otranto castle is fully enjoying its rebirth after a season of refurbishing work and years in silent search for a new cultural destiny overlooking the seaside town blessed by the gods in these years of peace. Its cool walls are covered by the most caliente pictures permeated with the quintessence of Cuban life thanks to the art of 9 photographers, all Cubans but one (Italian). They present their work, pictures of Cubans, items of their daily life, their DIY miracles, rituals and festivities.

Smiles and inquisitive looks stand out as lights in the night. But sadness is to be sensed behind the veil and is embodied by the quiet and discreet presence of the occasional policeman on the lookout. I feel that these pictures need to be looked at more than once: a first time to grasp their spontaneous message of life and enjoyment; a second time to read between the smiles and dances that match so well the stereotypes of the Island and the « idyllic » way of life of its inhabitants. And while this double reading captivated me, part of my brain was singing Aznavour's wise words: "Il semble que la misère serait moins pénible au soleil"*. Exactly.

A dual world that should be only richer for it…one hopes.

(*It seems that poverty would be less of a burden under the sun)

Disco fever!

The famous disco heaven is built up high on a rocky hill overlooking a little deep bay – its high stone walls surprise you just around the bend!

Soft and languorous music pours out of every opening (set the audio up when checking their site too) in the fortress, harmoniously accompanied by the voice of the live female singer. This is recognized as the temple of outdoor discos in the country, so I am told. After having heard about it for a lifetime of summer holidays in the deep Mediterranean south, I get to meet the idol of club aficionados in person. What an honor and excitement is in the air after years of dancing abstinence!

The road trip to reach the sacred spot of night life is long and winding, offering plenty of occasions to get lost along the way thanks to missing or erroneous signs - keep smiling, this is the test of your summer happiness. Still, the journey is worth it and I should like to think that it should be even more enjoyable in the daytime, once all the elderly people who are now sitting outside to bask in the night darkness are behind the blinds and the fierce sun looks down on every being with its harsh rays.

In the night, shads and angles are smoother and softer.

I am ready to enjoy crazy dance floor activity as the sound pumps up, the rhythm increases and we are drawn to where the music tension is palpable, the air thick with anticipation and seduction.

The dance floor is crowded and sweaty, but with patience and little dance steps, you are immensely rewarded: the outdoor dance floor takes you under the fabulously starry sky. Look up! Jump up and down, breathe in to store the crisp salty sea air in your lungs and engrave the joyful and thoughtless moment in your memory. That is what a disco night should be all about.

Credits: Gibo'

Ma petite appli à moi

Ah, les amis ! Ils sont toujours là pour vous donner de brillantes idées : les restaurants, les voyages, la décoration et, tout dernièrement, les sites Internet et les applications. C’est fantastique ! La petite application du moment ne m’a pas été suggérée comme telle car tout est parti d’un lien gentiment envoyé pour me donner de folles envies de Paris où que je sois. Le site My Little Paris est un petit bijou bien ficelé qui sait se rendre attachant et efficace. Pour commencer, les illustrations de Kanako sont autant de friandises délicates avec l’occasionnel clin d’œil et elles viennent flatter une mise en page simple, aérée et conviviale.

J’avoue me promener essentiellement entre les pages des Bons Plans : ces petits papiers doivent être dégustés comme autant de perles rigolotes et les adresses conservées pour toute future séance de découverte et de divertissement sous le soleil du moment. Certaines adresses sont plus plausibles que d’autres, en fonctions des goûts (et du courage) de chacun. Du site au téléchargement de l’application sur l’iPhone il n’y a qu’un pas car le premier est déjà très bien conçu pour être consulté rapidement entre un grand jus de fruit frais et la pêche bien mûre du midi à croquer sauvagement à la plage. Alors, forcément, le format était tout indiqué pour passer à l’application sympathique qui me suit partout, même lorsque je suis absente... La rentrée, ça se prépare dans les détails !

Quote

"Dans notre désarroi et notre impuissance, certains d'entre nous ont laissé pousser la barbe pour affirmer leur identité et se distinguer des femmes, comme si quelques poils collés au menton par la nature pouvaient prouver une quelconque supériorité ! (...) Dans toutes les sociétés perturbées, les mâles qui ont perdu toutes les guerres laissent pousser leur barbe."

Extrait de Les Lumières de Nejma

--Moncef Ben M'rad

Vie de château sous les palmiers

Un château sous les palmiers ? Autant dire unir l'utile à l'agréable, surtout si les hauts murs du château aragonais d'Otrante ont le bon goût d'accueillir des expositions. Je ne me priverais pas d'un verre bien glacé de thé parfumé avec la menthe du patio, alors une virée chez Picasso, ses eaux-fortes et céramiques, vous pensez !

Le château modeste et imposant en est d'autant plus beau : la vue sur le petit port - de plaisance à présent - est suggestive et incite à jeter le regard loin, très loin au large pour voir si les Sarrasins flottent et menacent au large. Non, tout est calme en cette matinée ponctuée de moutons dans le ciel. Le climat parfait pour se laisser entraîner vers les eaux-fortes de la corrida, une source d'inspiration pour Picasso qui en quelques traits retranscrits l'adrénaline, les cris, les applaudissements, la souffrance et le sang. Tout en noir et pourtant si coloré. La foule et ses expressions résonnent entre ces murs anciens aux salles voûtées, silencieuses et mystérieuses, habitées par une douce brise qui s'engouffre par les fenêtres grandes ouvertes et les portes tout aussi accueillantes. Un musée improvisé ou simplement un musée à part, une invitation au voyage, certainement...

Picasso était aussi céramiste, donnant forme et matière à ses idées : plats, assiettes et surtout vases aux formes originales. Ceux en forme de chouette sont un régal d'humour qui ajoutent une corde à son arc créatif pour mon grand émerveillement et divertissement.

Pièces poétique entre toutes à mes yeux, le plat tout blanc, opaque et pourtant si lumineux d'un visage rond, symbole d'une pleine lune si familière sous ces cieux nocturnes.

Photos: TheDaydreamer (via iPhone)

I am reading...

La tradition estivale que j’ai moi-même créée (on n’est jamais aussi bien servis que par soi-même), veut que dès mon arrivée au village je visite religieusement le bar tabac du coin. Ici, ce type de magasin fait tout, vend tout : crèmes solaires (forcément), journeaux, vases en porcelaine (une façon élégante de faire référence aux souvenirs de rigueur), magazines et livres. Des livres en tout genre où je trouve mes lectures préférées qui m’attendent patiemment d’une année sur l’autre. Nos retrouvailles sont prévues, mais toujours suprenantes : Banana Yoshimoto me tend la main, Andrea Camilleri lance un juron en sicilien pour me faire sourire instantanément, tandis que Gianrico Carofiglio s’envole dans l’une de ses tirades cérébrales qui me fasinent et m’entraînent au plus profond de son personnage, l’attachant avocat Guido Guerrieri. Un vrai guerrier que ce Guido, effectivement : il mène l’air de rien les enquêtes au lieu de plaider au barreau, se découvre un nouveau talent d’investigateur tout en essayant de recoller les morceaux d’une vie sentimentale agitée dont les souvenirs le hantent. Par moments, une éclaircie déchire le ciel et là, sa petite philosophie de la vie et de ses moments parfaits brise la cuirasse et nous est présentée telle une vérité incontournable. Certes, ces moments de perfection sont fugaces et provisoires, mais ils sont là. La langue s’articule avec aisance, les mises en abîme se suivent et donnent accès aux méandres de ses réflexions et découvertes. Me voilà comblée et en bonne compagnie sur ma serviette de plage !

True Life

The overhead fan spins like a giant coloport flying over the Mediterranean canopy and surrounded by the numerous psychedelic yellow butterflies that inhabit the coast. With its huge wings, it moves the air around, the warm air, giving only the faintest idea of relief in the summer heat. A few moments later, it is time for our silent walk on the cliff is blessed by true sun, Bright blue skies and the humming of the insects of all sorts that escort us to the tiny « conchiglia » (shell-shaped) beach. There are no shells here, only gold dust like sand that feels like sheer silk under your feet. All around, the coast echoes with the cicada anthem almost like a never ending prayer. The sun rays filter under the clear water and we enter a new dimension where fishes swim unbothered, their striped sides shining in the sun like silver discs of high value. Their shapes are long, large, flat… Their colors black, white, blue, green in a festival of soft hues that capture the eye and effortlessly lead you to thinking that this is just true life and it shold be so forever.

Credit: Sophie Tramier