#summerdreams Series {Fairy Talk}

My favorite time of the year is here and I could well say, in line with last year's daydreaming mantra "Bless Summer", it was about time too! Sparkling summer, has finally arrived. It does mean something very specific for me: family, reunions, sea, words, sand, feelings, pencils, water, photography, senses, ink... A bit of a pot pourri, rich and diverse. The way I like it.

That's the beauty of summer, maximum pleasure, minimum constraints: everyone under the same roof (which may not actually fall under both categories above, bear with me), different interests, different personalities and time to fuel each and every passion, leave hurtful people, negative souls behind - or am I raising the expectations too high?

Whatever it is, it certainly is the unveiling of a new lifestyle, back to my roots where I seem to happily leave the slumber of the colder and darker months behind. Like a bear, I wake up. I forage around for fresh berries, sniff the air and stir. Time to re-engage with the world and its detailed surroundings: what will have changed, a year after? Who will have changed? I have a few ideas, but do intend to go and find out in person. 

Will you follow me in my #summerdreams series ? A new tag, a new season during which I will share my travels, discoveries and newfound energy under a blanket of radiant sky.

Credit: LoveFromGinger (edited by TheDaydreamer)

The Universal Garden: Albert Kahn Garden {Look Around}

Here we sit, in true #summerdreams style, brainstorming where we could take ourselves and the kids on the next blazing week-end. Nobody wants to stay inside! The next thing I hear about is a garden around Paris, the Albert Kahn garden. Fine, I promise myself to jot that down and...forget.

The week after, what do I find in my mailbox? The local newsletter that I usually throw away without having a second thought (too much clutter, not enough storage and time and blahblah...). Only this time, I bring it home.

What's on the cover? A vibrant green picture of a beautiful garden that seems to be rooted in Japan. The title says it all and places the magic spot right where it belongs on the map: The Albert Kahn garden, in Boulogne (near Paris, France). 

It is a sign. Let's read on and organize ourselves then - let's go there, find out why it has been so special over the years.

Who was Albert Kahn? He was first and foremost a banker, with a fortune - some of it inherited and some of it built with his own hands, through hard studies and work as a banker. In 1893 he settles in Boulogne, in the Parisian suburbs where he starts designing and putting together his garden.

Aside from his flourishing business, Albert Kahn is a thinker, a visionnaire deeply interested in and affected by geopolitics during his time. He dedicates himself to the promotion of peace throughout the world by creating several foundations and institutions in fields as varied as biological studies, international travels for bursary teachers and documentary archives. His endeavors are now fully documented in the museum. Beyond simple philanthropy, he is a true builder and his garden is further proof of his incredible entrepreneurial mindset.

The garden itself opens its doors for the first time to the public in 1937, when most of Kahn's property had fallen into the State's hands following the 1929 stock exchange crisis. 

What is so special about it? 

The garden is a mosaic of gardens and landscapes. The visit starts with the Japanese garden: peaceful, balanced and sacred, it shows you that the other side of the world is at your doorstep. Water flows on the river bed stones, whispering haikus in our ears. This sanctuary is only one of the sceneries to be found around this universal garden where Kahn has reproduced his ideal of universal peace. 

It is magic to wander around, cross the bridges over the ponds and into the French garden, along the bamboo then the orchard where apples dot the ground and the winter greenhouse hides vigorous secrets waiting to burst out of the glass roof. From manmade glass and brick constructions to blue and golden forests where visitors sit to try and breathe again under the cruel July heat, the voyage continues far and away through this garden - a true, enchanting microcosm and symbol of an ideal never reached. 

Credit: watercolor by TheDaydreamer

The Profile Picture {Geeky}

Dear readers and listeners, 

For this new post, I decided to document a recent change in The Daydreamer's profile image, after much thought, procrastination and search. This was a much needed change, this had become an imperative even. I am glad to finally share the behind-the-scenes with you. 

Put those headphones on and listen away (you can click on the podcast above or go to my SoundCloud page) as I tell you this new story (podcast duration: about 4 minutes). As always, your feedback will help me find the light and next inspiration, so do not hesitate to drop me a few words in the comment section below or send me a tweet. 

Happy listening to you!

   

Credits: 
1 - DeathToTheStockPhoto (edited by TheDaydreamer)
2 - TheDaydreamer

What makes me feel back home {Fairy Talk}

As much as I love traveling (and hate flying), coming back home is what nourishes me. There is no way I can deny or minimize the feeling of reassurance and belonging that sweetly surges and then sweeps me off my feet once I turn the key and step right back into our apartment. 

Don't be fooled. It is more than four walls we are talking about here. I am using the term "home" in the title of this post intentionally and fully aware of the bliss that going back to my regular life, routine and rhythm with my three partners in crime - or occasionally without them as you shall see -provides.

Sometimes the return pattern changes. Last time I came back from a short Spanish trip, I was alone. I had two days to myself. I had be to back home, I had no choice but to find my way. I did intend to find it, there was no resistance whatsoever at my end. There are tons of texts and millions of words out there about some "down time"-"me time" - "slow time" and so forth. Without even reading one of them, I know how important they are, those times, because they are rare, precious and constructive in their own way.

These are the times when I let inspiration flow again. This is when silence and the sheer feeling of fluttering ideas coming to life one after the other resurfaces. I listen to myself, in utter selfish abandonment. 

I open all the windows, summer is my ally, with its strong light, heavy temperatures and call for the wild currents. Let them all in, draw maybe the white curtain that will dance the whole night away to the sound of the breeze. 

Music takes the form of a NuAfro CD: "A selection of new rare tunes with an afro flavor". Its playlist is all about drums and river flowing: sweet and sour, the only kind of tunes I want to listen to nowadays. The kind of music that releases every muscle, lets me drift peacefully on water. The kind of music that makes me want to travel - again!

Unsurprisingly, my hand reaches the nearest octopus candle and its tentacles release the warm scent, the flickering flame that is joyously swaying and telling me "You are back home", feet solidly on the ground.

How would you define your "home"? What are your first gestures once you are back home? 

Credits: TheDaydreamer

Summer Feasting with Goodreads App {Geeky}

While updating my resume, I decided to be much more specific regarding my type of reads an added the names of a few of my favorite authors: Marco Malvaldi, Haruki Murakami, John Irving, Banana Yoshimoto to name only a few. Narrowing the list down was easy: I know my favorites, I have read a a handful of their books once, sometimes twice (Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto is probably my personal record...).

Hubby argued that it was unnecessary to develop this category so extensively - after all, it is a hobby, right?

Well, no.

It took me less than a split second to know that I was doing the right thing. Why? Because, precisely, it is more than a hobby. What I read, how I read, when I read - that's part of who I am. I cannot envision life without books, stories, plays, poems, articles, posts... words. It would be denying a significant dimension of the world we live in, getting stagnant, shrinking.

So, I left my list right there. Ever since, every single person who has held my resume in their hands commented on my reads. The reactions were either of appreciation or of curiosity, but what truly mattered to me was that there were reactions unlocking new paths and topics.

In the middle of this development, comes my very good friend Z: "Do you know Goodreads?", she asks via Twitter. It took me a couple of minutes to find out about the app - another couple of minutes to download it and there I am, entering another social network. A different one though: this is all about books! Books you have read and want to rate, books others have read and suggest, feedbacks, biographies on authors etc. 

Amazon - who else? - bought Goodreads in 2013, tapping instantly into a social network based on word of mouth for book lovers and avid readers. The move enabled Amazon to outsmart its potential competitors who could have laid their hands on the company, and to encourage readers to share feedback and provide valuable information regarding their reading habits. When we see now Amazon's (much hated) role in the publishing world, we can only assume this was a smart move.

Still, the app is not perfect (what is?): I do love the fact that there is an iPhone version so that I can tap into the recommendations or fire my feedback at a moment's notice - inspiration does not wait, you see - BUT the layout is overcrowded, the navigation too intricate and finding friends a nightmare, at least for someone like me who is allergic to Facebook. The least a social network should enable you to do is finding friends easily, and possibly via more than one (actually two, in this case) channel.

The pages need to be simplified, made clearer to the eyes and the mind - there is too much going on, and some functions are not intuitive at all. The web-based version is going to be your best ally since it features options that are not available at all in the app itself (Profile Editing: changing your name, for example, adding friends using their email address etc.).

To render justice to the app though, it seems that this version is much better than the previous one - and I believe it should be used during summer, and well beyond. If we are fortunate, it will only be all uphill from here. 

Why don't you join me there and let me know what you think? I would LOVE to follow your recommendations and find out about new books to feast on this summer.

Happy reading to you all!

Credits: TheDaydreamer

The Wild Life {Look Around}

We arrive at dusk, when the heat of the summer day is still lingering in the air, caressing all things alive, suspended between the day and night shift. We arrive when the little "bambis" and wallabies are still hopping around, making the leaves tremble in their wake. The brave creatures look at us and at our first movement, dash way. Gone!

The girls scream in childish delight and marvel. They want to see more, and so do we. But for now, let us open the door of our little hut for the next couple of days: the triangle shaped wooden hide away is surrounded by trees and flowers down below. Right in front of our terrace, the island of the siamangs: they greet us jumping, running and climbing with incredible speed and agility. As we settle for the night, crickets start singing and we relish the idea of falling asleep to their lullabies and imagining spending the next two days here, in the green plains and valleys of Normandy, at the Cerza zoopark.

The next morning, the siamangs are swiftly reaching the highest tree in front of the cabin to eat their breakfast and welcome the rising sun. We have already left behind the noise and stress of the city, thrown them as far away as we can... 

The vegetation, water and animals are all that surrounds us - and we are grateful for the invigorating experience. The rest of the day is dedicated to the safari itself: the 60-hectare park is quite widespread for European standards and is very active in the preservation of wildlife - a mission most zoos have now embraced to move away from their first (bad?) reputation and to take part in the current wildlife evolution (or extinction, if you prefer...). 

There are several ways to visit the zoo: we start with the two pedestrians only itineraries, the red and yellow one: they take us at our own rhythm from one continent to the other, from the monkeys, to the aras and buffalos - while we discover brand new animals like the geladas (the last grass-grazing primates) and African bush pigs that have the cutest name in French: "potamochères". What strikes us right away, is the number of births for many of the represented species: the park seems to be extremely active in international breeding programs (among which the EEP). Once tired - but oh so happy! - we decide to take the train that rides through the park, some areas that we have already visited and new ones, only accessible by train.

As we reluctantly leave the green and lively park and our humble and charming hut, the siamangs say goodbye: their  black, agile silhouettes stand out against the sky, as they dangle mindlessly from the tree branch, 30 meters above the ground. Live perfect Chinese shadow puppets they are giving one last show before our departure. 

Credits: TheDaydreamer