Musical Harbor {On the Turntable}

After school activities in the fall or in wintercan be a challenge: kids are tired, not to mention exhausted, it may be raining, forcing you to stay inside limiting any chances of outdoorsy outbursts of freewill and wild jumps…

Today is one of those days: you need to go straight home under buckets of persistent water, every young individual forming your lovable family team is grumpy - yet no teenagers in sight - and unwilling to say “yes” to pretty much any idea you put forth, no matter how big your smile and how tenacious your goodwill. 

How can you save your kids from implosion and yourself from explosion? I’m giving you a couple of tips - they worked for us, so I might as well share the good medicine for once that I seem to have found the right elixir. 

At the girls’ school, I have met with one of the teachers who mentioned that she loves music, all types of music, and that parents can freely access the classroom to check what the kids are currently listening to. How brilliant is this? As a mother who’s very rarely been allowed into her children’s classroom, this comes as big news, especially if you’re kind of curious, verging on nosy…! Attending a new school can be stressful for all, but this seems to be one of the perks for us right now…

Her method, if I may call it so, is working beautifully: my eldest came home just a few days ago mentioning that she likes Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). The moment she spoke, I went straight to our CD collection and picked up our own Tchaikovsky playlist and put it on, starting with piano and orchestra concert n° 1. At the same time, I displayed a stack of sheets of paper and pencils of a thousand colors on the floor - that’s where all our creative activities take place, sometimes on a paper tablecloth (the cheap kind you can get at Monoprix or Hema, they’re surprisingly resistent). Needless to say the music+drawing wonder kit is transportable and perfectly suited to be packed in any suitcase: think iTunes, MusicMe, SoundCloud, Spotify or any MP3 reader for that matter…).

The combination rhythmically worked its magic: each girl picked her favorite creative hobby; they both quieted down to the soft music of Tchaikovsky,  at quite a low volume so as not to distract them and induce further uncontrollable outbursts of energy. A few minutes later, the  youngest one was coloring away and humming along… Classical music is actually the only one I can listen to when working - all other types of music are way too distracting as I tend to then sing along… The only exceptions I have noticed so far pertain to natural sounds, the ones mother nature makes and unless you forget your mind has been formatted by urban jungle noise, you’ll never learn to allow into the farthest corners of your soul. 

Another soothing option suited for introspection and daydreaming while drawing and colouring away is Agnes Obel: her crystal-like voice rises towards the sun, unchaining us from heavy, earthly ties. Can her style be called classical? I would call it celestial… Songs like Familiar and It’s Happening Again throw a reconciliation blanket on my daughters’ excessive and unexpected mood swings at the end of a strenuous day. It is a harmonious balm capable of leading even the most restless children into a safe and peaceful harbor where they can express themselves freely thanks to mindful focus. 

Tell me, how do you bring your children to a safe haven where they can focus and create? What is their safe haven?

Credits: Love From Ginger (edited by The Daydreamer)

Grit in the Water {Get Moving}

Far away from the (beloved) body pump floor, I have been encouraged to jump in the water and try a new activity: aquabike. Not the kind of sports lesson where you’re on your own in a cabin filled to the brim with water with one single bike you need to work like crazy, all alone, like a lost polar bear…

This type of lesson would not be for me: I need loud music, rhythm and the energy and drive you can only get in group lessons, tuning in to the efficiency of collaborative workout. A friend of mine invited me to a test lesson in my brand new city; I thought that joining the course, aside from having very positive effects on my mental and physical health, would be a lovely way to meet new people too.

The lessons are provided by a professional coach, Nathalie. She just moved to Bordeaux and is launching her freelance activity. She’s used to training high level sportsmen and is now opening up her intensive lessons to all of us out there. The swimming pool is small, which means that it can welcome a maximum of 9 people she can easily monitor for the best results possible. Not too few, not too many participants - perfect to chit chat before and after the course for some much needed networking, to share the pain and the happiness of the collective effort. Nathalie is a fantastic motivator: she’s self assured, encouraging and precise in her technical explanations, making sure we’re adopting the right posture before sprinting and splashing in the water. She’s talkative and friendly to make sure we never get bored and open up to the sports and to our fellow participants!

Each lesson lasts 45 minutes and the pleasure of it all starts with the lovely warm temperature of the swimming pool water, a comforting 30 °C where you know you are going to feel welcome. To add charm to the experience, the pool is located under the vaulted ceiling of a typical, ancient Bordeaux building made of local stone. The serene environment lets positive energy vibes sink in to the rhythm of the music played by Nathalie’s iPod. After a three-week session to the same tunes and choreography, our coach shifts to a new playlist so that we can re-energize and refuel our motivation - as well as learn new lyrics, you bet.

The sport combines the grit of RPM or cycling to my favorite element - water. The feeling is one of high efficiency complemented by a back-to-the-womb embrace. The workout is smoother  - after all you only feel 1/3 of your body weight in the water - and perfect to get back in shape avoiding shocks, injuries, muscle or articular pain. Think slow self-indulgence allied to muscular strength and cardio.

Are you ready to jump into the water with me and pedal like there’s no tomorrow?

Credits: OpiaDesigns (edited by TheDaydreamer)

The Stallion at the Library {Drive-in}

The DVD case cover featured a horse silhouette on a purplish background. Its title was the welcome line for us all: “The Black Stallion”. Appreciation for horses runs high in the family, so we knew “The Black Stallion” was going to be on our list of borrowed resources that day the moment we stepped into the hall of the children section at the Mériadeck Library in Bordeaux. 

The idea to pay a visit to the temple of books and culture at Mériadeck stemmed from a friend who had previously registered at the library to take her kids there once a week; they can borrow books and media supports for up to 4 weeks, bring them back there or in any other public library around the city. I jumped on the wagon, bringing the rest of the family along for a cultural and fun treat. 

The library is actually more of a media library and the children section is a dream come true. Comparing it to the libraries I used to go to when I was younger (hem…), this is a new galaxy altogether with limitless possibilities. Come to think of it, the wealth of activities and tools at our disposal may even be a bit overwhelming at first: books, comics, newspapers, journals, photography, video game room, tablets, headphones, DVDs, blue rays and so forth. Can you tell my head is spinning with joy?!

The space is welcoming, spacious and well kept. The kids can feel instantly at ease since most of the shelves are quite low, allowing them to grab all they fancy with their small hands. I could literally see them thinking that this may well be the one place on earth where mom is not even saying “Don’t touch!”. The floor is dotted with comfy and colorful cushions and blankets, while small tables and chairs for children are available around the room for more formal activities. We spotted a lovely table where the kids started drawing and colouring - quite surprisingly, they started using the supplies we had brought from home. Were they finding the novelty and numerous resources available to them too daunting? Maybe. But with time, they will feel more at ease and start exploring.

My youngest daughter and I stepped into a baby area. She left shyness at the door: running here and there, she grabbed quite a few books and toys, imitating toddlers around her. Parents were reading and playing with kids, crawling after them around the area, without having to say “Sorry” for their babies’ laughter or occasional shrieks. Is this freedom? It certainly felt like it. We could finally just follow our intuition and act as we pleased in this world of endless discoveries. We may well have read three books, each more than once of course, before starting to play with an abacus in what seemed to be an incredibly retro moment.

Going back to the main area, I took the time to walk through the various sections and picked books in Italian (yes, yes!) and a couple of other books on topics such as: the storm, why thunders and lightnings should not scare us, friendship and…horses. Which all too naturally led us back to the entrance where I asked to rent “The Black Stallion” DVD. The movie was our week-end treat as we all watched it (twice, may I add). Produced by Francis Ford Coppola, its photography is breathtakingly spectacular - especially during the first part of the movie picturing the idyllic life in inhabited natural territory. It is about friendship, loss, courage, efforts and dreams come true. 

The main characters are a smart and introvert young boy named Alec and a gorgeous black Arabian. They meet in dramatic circumstances during a fateful trip off the African coast: they are both embarked on a doomed ship. They will face tragedy together, followed by a new life; they will get to know and trust each other far away from any kind of other human contamination once they reach the shore of an ideal island - the scenes were actually shot on Sardinia. They meet new challenges and face new opportunities as one, growing stronger together. They each bring out the best in the other. This is the kind of lesson I would love to be able to pass on to my children. The second half of the movie is more traditional and familiar as the two heroes are thrown back into the “civilized” world. We know this world and the contrast between wilderness and civilization is therefore even more striking. I admit having been totally carried away by the beauty and mesmerizing strength and intimacy of nature… This is a memorable experience, setting the movie apart from others of the same kind.

During my next library visit - I plan on going at least once a week - I will venture around the other sections of the venue, including the one dedicated to music. I will return “The Black Stallion”, trusting that his honesty, bravery and energy will stay with us for a long time. I will take the children with me: this is a space where they can explore, make their own choices, grasp bits of reality, feed their imagination and learn independently. 

Credits: Unsplash

L'apprentissage de Goshu {Drive-in}

Pour une première, c’était une belle première : j’ai pu accompagner la classe de maternelle de ma fille pendant la sortie culturelle organisée par sa maîtresse ! C’est tellement rare et d’autant plus précieux que je n’en ai pas dormi la veille. Je sais, j’aurais mieux fait de dormir, je sais…

Au programme, un projet Ecole et Cinéma et notamment le premier volet de celui-ci qui allait nous emmener dans la salle obscure d’un intéressant cinéma bordelais, l’Utopia  Situé en plein cœur de la ville, cet endroit qui remonterait au 15e siècle m'est d’abord apparu comme un bar au style décalé avec ses vitraux et sa bâtisse rappelant vaguement une église. Il s’agit aussi d’un cinéma avec un adorable jardin caché en son centre. C’est l'un de ces bâtiments qui ont traversé les siècles et revêtu différentes fonctions ; église, salpêtrière, usine, garage… ce brassage de sacré et païen me fascine, cette façon de communiquer tant de messages différents mais d'être toujours une passerelle des savoirs et interprétations, un miroir de son temps, me rappelle tellement les Pays-Bas et leur propension à donner une deuxième chance à des lieux comme les églises (Nieuwe Kerk, par exemple, haut lieu d’expositions photographiques) ou les entrepôts de l’ancien port. Il s’agit pour moi de l’expression d’une grande flexibilité et capacité d’adaptation tout en préservant la culture reçue en héritage. 

Revenons à nos bambins, car je m’égare. Le projet cinématographique en cours comporte trois séances de cinéma et la première a été pour moi une délicate découverte : “Goshu le violoncelliste” (1981) est un film d’animation en couleurs de Takahata Isao  réalisateur japonais.

Sur fond d’aquarelles délicates où la nature joue un rôle plus que prépondérant et n'a de cesse d'évoluer à l'image de l'eau omniprésente, le film retrace le parcours d’un adulte, le violoncelliste  Goshu, sûr de lui et peu enclin à accepter la critique ou les conseils des autres. Il fait partie de l’orchestre qui accompagne la projection de films dans le Japon d’avant-guerre. Un grand concert attend l’orchestre et Goshu se fait reprendre sévèrement par le directeur d’orchestre qui estime que son interprétation manque de vérité, de sentiments et d'expression et qu’il ne sera pas prêt pour le grand jour. 

De retour chez lui, notre violoncelliste sera successivement interrompu lors de ses répétitions nocturnes pas d’étranges rencontres qui ouvrent la porte à la magie : des animaux, un chat, un coucou etc. viennent lui rendre visite de façon inopportune et lui demander de jouer ou de les faire jouer. Chacun d’eux semble avoir besoin de son aide, chacun à sa façon. Progressivement, Goshu apprend à jouer autrement, à se libérer, à s’exprimer tel qu’il est. Chaque animal lui permet d’ajouter une nouvelle dimension à son apprentissage musical et à sa personnalité. Grâce aux visites aussi inattendues que surprenantes de ces animaux, un véritable échange s’instaure avec Goshu, parallèlement à un voyage d’introspection et initiatique pour le musicien. A la clé, la patience, la persévérance, l’écoute et la découverte de soi et des autres.

Je ne vous en dis pas plus concernant l’histoire.

Les couleurs sont douces, les traits vivaces et nets et les animations tellement typiques des dessins animés des années 1980. On peut discuter les bouches de travers, les yeux aux traits simplifiés et les expressions déformées (héritage des masques du kabuki ?), mais la variation des points de vue, la dimension magique et le souci du détail naturel ainsi qu’un accompagnement musical omniprésent dépeignent un environnent holistique qui nous accueille, entraîne et fascine. 

Ce film peut être vu et revus à tous les âges ; à chaque fois, nous y découvrirons, j’en suis certaine, un nouveau détail, une nouvelle facette, pour une aventure et un apprentissage à chaque fois différent et enrichissant.

N'oubliez pas : que la création soit avec vous.

Image : DVD

Healing Horses {Discover}

Journalist Jules Howard imagined a world without animals for a piece he wrote for The Guardian. For more than one reason, this would lead to hell on earth. For me, it would even be impossible to imagine such as thing, let alone then write about it. I long for the presence of animals and have even befriended a lovely blue cat, dubbed “BigBlue” by the family, in our new neighborhood. Every morning I marvel in Snow White style at the robin redbreast singing at the top of the pine tree in the neighbor’s backyard. Should I even bother to mention our beloved Mr. O or my father’s love for horses passed on to me by genes it seems? Well, you get the picture.

I  have always loved the honest company of animals and lately I have been craving for the company of horses more than ever, which could also be translated as the increasing need of honesty in my life, whatever… Last time I had the opportunity to go for a trotting ride, we went through the Landes forest, the largest one in France. An extended stretch of pine and fern forest once covered by marshes, is now wearing the warming colors of Fall, from pale pink to dark brown, all shifting under the lightest breeze. The perfect seasonal rainbow under the perfect setting sun. It was just us, the horses reassuring breath and rhythm, and our joint effort to move on.

They say the behaviour of a horse mirrors yours. I cannot tell you whether this is true or not, the only thing I know is that when going horse riding, I need to leverage my self-confidence - what’s left of it - and willpower, and that I need to install a different channel of communication to reach mutual trust. Horses’ smell, skin, and eyes are soothing to me and the moment I see a horse, I need to talk, touch, ride and communicate in every possible way. Better if during a lovely ride in the beating heart of nature; better if along the way we spot a deer, hidden in the tall ferns, its dark head and ears the only part of its body sticking out, a fine outline etched on the golden background. Our smell being covered by that of the horses, the deer did not flinch and leisurely watched us passing by. 

Via Twitter, I’ve had the opportunity to briefly mention my growing interest in equitherapy. As of now, I am not sure where this interest will lead me, but I find myself being living proof that animals, and horses in this case, have some sort of healing power on our psyche: they do not judge, they ask for respect, they listen (well, most of the time at least!) and are open to communication and exchange. Now, how many times does this happen to us in a day?

The power of animals, I tell you.

The power of horses.

Credits: drawing by TheDaydreamer