Coudray

In case you haven't noticed, I haven't posted in a little while. There's a very simple reason for this. Things have been a bit hectic because my parents were here for 3 weeks! The trip to visit us is slightly longer and more complicated than when we lived a 30 minute RER ride from the airport, but we assured them that the improved accomodations were worth the extra 3 hours of train. Fortunately, they agreed. No more sleeping on a futon in our living room, they actually had their own bedroom the whole time they were here! We enjoyed having them here so much, and also enjoyed the chance to play tourist a bit in our own region. Of course, Thomas knows the region pretty well, and I'm starting to, but there are always things to see! While they were here, Alina developed a new sign in her own original sign language. A sign for camera. This was incredibly important as Grandma and Grandpa were trying to take enough pictures to make up for lost time!

The next few posts are going to be playing catch-up a little, sharing with you what we did to keep them from getting bored while they were here. I will make no attempt to pretend to put enough pictures on this blog to do justice to what we saw and did. If you want to know more, you just have to come see it for yourself! (Hint, hint!) The topic of this present post is our visit to the Medieval castle of Coudray-Salbart . It was so cool. Once you paid your way into the grounds, you pretty much just had free run of the place. You could walk around the castle from the outside, then go in and walk down dark passageways, climb REALLY steep spiral staircases, look out tower windows, and even see the Medieval version of a toilet. Here are some picts (not of the toilet):

A view from the outside

"Um...I don't know. How would YOU beseige it?"

A view from the inside (the table is not original).

My Dad shows his true colors!

Popping bubbles

Since I wrote this post, I have had 2 friends over to play music and have met another mom who seems open to building a friendship. Plus, Thomas, Alina and I have had dinner with the family from the Assemblies of God church, then they with another lady came over tonight for a time of sharing, prayer, and fellowship. What an encouragement!

Situation Box

I'm trying to figure out ways to encourage my students to improvise. I had this idea to have a "situation box", a little jar or box with pieces of paper on which are written different situations or emotions. The idea being that the student picks a piece of paper and then improvises a music to fit that emotion or situation. So far, I have:

A party
Anger
A thunderstorm
A baby sleeping in his mother's arms
Joy
Sadness
A knight charging off to battle
The sea
Birds picking at food

I could use some more. Any ideas?

J Crew

We spent Saturday afternoon with a couple of good friends, Jean-Yves and Mathilde who, by the way, are expecting for the end of the month. Jean-Yves has a pretty good eye for photography, and this is what he captured:

We were thinking of submitting it to J Crew for their next catalogue. Except most J Crew models probably don't draw on themselves with marker.

Music School Video

Someone put my students and me on YouTube! To see a couple of renaissance pieces we played in a concert in June, click here.

Bubbles

I've felt recently like I've been operating in a bubble. Or, in a vacuum, if you prefer. I think this happens a lot to mothers of toddlers. I feel like personally, spiritually, and musically, I've been trying to grow and go forward, but without very much in the way of outside input.

On a spiritual level, Thomas and I often feel somewhat isolated. Our church could use a good revival, along with an infusion of new people. We don't really know many people who are geographically close with whom we could also develop spiritual closeness. For me, this is linked to the fact that I'm still in the process of developing the close friendships I'd like to have here. Friendship-building takes time anywhere, but maybe more time in France than in America.

Musically speaking, I'm putting out a lot, in terms of teaching, but I'm not getting much input. I'm not currently taking lessons myself, nor do I have anyone, group or individual, to make music with. I can be motivated to practice all on my own, but I'm afraid that lately I've been kind of stagnating. I need someone else's perspective, and the added possibilities that another instrument and set of hands would add to my music.

I shared these frustrations with Thomas this week, and prayed about them.

Last night, we had a family over for dinner who are members of the Assemblies of God church in Niort. We may have some doctrinal differences, but they're the first people I've talked to in a long time who actually talk about God as if He were real and doing things in their lives. What's more, they're interested, since their church is kind of far away, in having a sort of prayer/Bible study/sharing group a bit closer to home. Like, in our living room, for example.

Tonight was the Fête de la Musique. Every June 21, on the shortest night of the year, France suspends its anti-noise laws and anyone who wants to can play music out in the street as late as they want. We know a couple who is really into Medieval music, and they, with another girl were playing music in a small park here. We went to hear them and the first thing they said was, "Where's your violin?" Thomas went home and got it and came back, and we played. The girl who was with them plays a small harp and is very good. I played some traditional sorts of Irish and American pieces that I could remember, she made up an accompaniment, and Alain and his wife joined in on the drum and tambourine. It was really fun, and the girl and I exchanged numbers to maybe get together and play more later.

Thanks, God.

More Alina

Alina loves hats!

I didn't force her into this. Honest!