32

Since I didn't get a baby for my birthday, I thought I'd share some birthday pictures as well as some gratuitous spring shots. Enjoy!

Birthday cake, anyone?

Brendan

We went and saw Brendan and the Secret of Kells last Saturday night. Whenever this film comes out in your part of the world, we HIGHLY recommend going to see it! The storyline can have any of a number of allegorical meanings, and the animation and soundtrack are great. This is maybe the first time ever that I found myself watching a movie and thinking, "When this comes out on video, we have to get it!"

Heard This Week II

ME: (folding clothes) Why do I have so many unmatched socks? That really stinks!

ALINA: (trying out a new word) Stink!

ME: (delighted at the accomplishment) Alina, did you say stink?

ALINA: Yeah, stink mama.

ME: Oh, does Mama stink?

ALINA: Yeah. Bath.

I guess I know what I need to do.

At the Park

This bottom pictures is me (obviously) with Joël and Pascale, and their daughter Marjorie. They have been coming to the Bible study and prayer time that we have been having at our house.

Exoudun

Our camera went MIA for a few days, but now that it has surfaced again, I can fulfill my promise: More pictures.

About 3 weeks ago, we had a visit from our friend, Elsa, who lives in Paris. She and I met because we were both teaching music lessons on Wednesdays in the-middle-of-nowhere, France, and took the same train back to Paris every Wednesday evening. We played 3 concerts together before Thomas, Alina, and I packed up and left Paris. We did some sight-seeing while she was here. This is a authentic Neolithic dolmen:

I insist on the "authentic" part because these stones, although reminiscent of Stonehenge, are recent constructions (Elsa's blocking your view of one of them):

Here we're actually on a plateau overlooking the small town of Exoudun. You get a great view of the town up here:

The current mayor of Exoudun is a long-time friend of Thomas's family. Under his encouragement, a lot of work has been done on this plateau, including the erection of a series of Neolithic-like stone patterns and a "Tumulus": a reconstructed, Neolithic burial chamber. That all covers one small part of the plateau. With the rest, he and another friend of ours have started an organization to re-construct a Gaulish encampment. They will have festivals, re-enact battles, and hold other events which would be interesting and hopefully bring tourists into the area. Here is Alina aiding in the construction efforts:

and here is Elsa in an enormous, ancient tree:

Coming here has become one of our favorite outings!

Heard this Week

This afternoon after church:

ME: Thomas, I really liked your sermon this morning.

ALINA: Yeah, me, too.

Yesterday:

ALINA: (after spilling her juice on the table) Oh, Nina! (I never realized how often I say, "Oh, Alina" until now!)

The other day:

ME: Alina, I really don't think we need the music stand in the bathroom with us right now. Could you please take it back to the living room?

Bon Matin

On Saturday, I participated in a traditional music workshop with a group called Bon Matin. Besides being something that interests me (see this post), it was kind of my last fling before the baby's born and I won't be able to take a whole day for myself again for awhile. It was happening in a village of about 200 inhabitants about 45 minutes north of Melle where we live. I carpooled there in the morning and then Thomas came and picked me up when it was over at 6:00pm. I had the option of staying for the dance, but it started at 9:00pm, and I was already pretty tired by 6:00.

I learned 3 new tunes, but what was most interesting to me was to hear the girl leading the workshop play the tunes over and over, ornamenting them differently each time. Then, she took some time to explain some of the ornaments and variants. Notably how some of them come from bagpipers trying to make up for limitations inherant to their instrument!

Another thing that was really fun (or funny) was the older gentlement who was there with his violin-shoe. No, really. He had a home-made violin the body of which was a wooden Dutch-type shoe. He let me play it and, you know, it didn't really sound all that bad. He had a hard time, though, because you can't hold an instrument like that steady with your chin. The body...er...shoe is much to thick and rounded. So, you try and kind of block it against your shoulder or upper arm, but it still moves as you move the bow, and moves even more if you try to do anything quickly with your left hand. But, he didn't mind so much. If he couldn't keep up on his violin, he played the leaf along with us instead. No, that wasn't a typo. When he came in, he had, not only his shoe-violin, but several branches of ivy. He would choose a leaf, then insert it into some sort of little apparatus that presumeably held the leaf and allowed him to change the tension. Then he blew across it. He could actually do some pretty amazing things with it. The sound reminded me of a cross between a bagpipe and a klezmer clarinet.

I learned some things. I saw some things I had never seen before, and I met some new people. It was quite a lot of fun!

ps I feel guilty every time I realize I've done a whole series of posts with no pictures of Alina. I promise to rectify this situation soon.