Summer Project: Step 2 (and other news)

Step 2: Find a teacher

I tried two teachers. Being a teacher myself, my standards are quite high. It's great to be proficient cellist who plays in local orchestras, but if you can't teach (esp. beginners), then you're not much use to me.

Here's what I need:
someone who…. is organized;
                      ….understands how a beginner approaches the instrument;
                      …. structures the lesson in a variety of ways;
                      …. is encouraging;
                      …. communicates well;
                      … gives homework.

My teacher is Marion Arthur and she is fabulous! In addition to all the above qualities I listed, she is relaxed and has a beautiful speaking voice.

In other news: Simon ran a race. His time? Coincidentally captured on camera:

20.19 for a 5 km. Not bad… He came in 2nd (out of 150?)

Margot and Simon spending some quality time on Father's Day:

Summer Project: Step 1

My Summer Project: Learning the cello.

Step 1: Rent a cello.

Step 2: Find a teacher.

Step 3: Practice.

Here it is: the cello (a.k.a. le violoncelle)

Margot took a liking to it right away. She's a little too eager to play on it and I have to admit that I am afraid that she will harm it. Despite its size, the cello is a fragile instrument.

I keep it in its case to protect it [from Margot], as it is recommended.*

For your enjoyment:

Next time, you'll see me and the cello ;)

* Note: Margot is capable of unzipping the case, taking out the cello and the bow, and playing it with the cello on the floor.

Saturday Morning

Autumn has shown its true colours. Woke up to a windy, grey and chilly (10C) morning.
Margot allowed us to sleep in until 8am, although Simon woke up at 7:30 and did a morning yoga practice. Very impressed by his dedication to do yoga twice a week (his week begins on Sunday; therefore, he needed to squeeze his second practice before the end of the day).

I like having a low-key weekend day. Nothing planned on the agenda. Those days are necessary, especially when one's week is "go go go" sprinkled with early wake-ups!

Saturday morning pleasures: classical music on the radio, pot of tea, curled up in the red chair with a book.

I also completed a pair of green arm warmers.

A Year in Reading

I enjoy reading. I'm not a fast reader and not as avid as Bex who devours books (and from her writing style, it is quite obvious that she is a bibliophile). Did you know that someone who devours words is a verbiphage? And someone who loves words is a logophile? I wish I had the ability to write and speak splendidly, like so many of you fine readers and friends. What an eloquent quality you possess!

Back to the topic: A Year in Reading.

So, as all (or most) of you know, I started 2011 with a Year in Reading*. Have I stayed on track? Well... It started strongly, but then by April, there was a slight re-organizing of books.
I like having a plan, but I'm not married to it. I approach life that way: I'm adaptable when it comes to switching. I guess I approach change with acceptance.

Here's how it's going so far:

January: Woman's World - check!
February: Atonement - check!
March: The Help - check!
April: The Turning (short stories by Australian Tim Winton) - hum... Wanted something lighter, so went with Les hommes qui n'aimaient pas les femmes (my July pick)
May: Middlesex - hum... didn't want a lengthy read, so decided on The Birth House , not a "Reading List"original pick, but a suggestion from Erin's list.
June: Tempest Tost - back on track - check!
July: A Room with a View (Sept. read)

The books in order. Missing: A Room with a View.

*Year in Reading: In December 2010, I asked a few friends for a list of 12 fiction books they would recommend and associate those with months. I chose 12 picks (trying to stick to the recommended months/seasons) and created my reading list for 2011.

The following pic is for Owen (perhaps they should start a Canada/France house cleaning business!)

Knit & Purl

My 2011 New Year's project was to explore a new hobby. I chose knitting for the following reasons:

-My sweet belle-soeur, Nathalie, knits beautifully and has given me over the years, for b-days and xmas, a few knitted items. The scarf that she made me has been a staple of my winter wardrobe since March 2008 and I wear it everyday in the wintertime (and in the fall and spring!) . I always receive so many compliments! I absolutely adore that scarf.

-I love wool. In general, I tend to gravitate towards knitting clothes.
-I like the idea of creating something with my hands. From the first stitch to the last one.
-I find a meditative quality to knitting. A slowing down. An opportunity to be in the present, one stitch at a time.

This weekend, I had a Knitting Club meeting. I always learn so much and feel so inspired afterward, wanting to knit more projects! I really do need guidance and encouragement as this field is very new to me, and I'm very grateful for the help I am getting. I also signed up on ww.ravelry.com, an online knitting community where one can cehck out patterns, read reviews, post current and past projects,etc. It's opened up a whole new world to me!

Here are my 4 creations:

Rikke Hat - my latest project. A floppy, super comfy passe-partout hat for spring and fall weather.

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Bec's Baby Blessing Shawl. Made with Love.

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Neige Hat for those cold winter days. Super cozy and warm.

WhamBamThankYouLamb! neck warmer - my first project. Super easy to make.

"Every woman needs a sanctuary"

This quote is from my May book*, The Birth House  by Ami McKay.

Whenever I think of women having a space to create/reflect/dream, I'm drawn back to Virginia Woolf's  A Room of One's Own  in which she states:  "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction".

In my case, my "sanctuary" isn't to write fiction, but to practice yoga.

I have my own yoga space in my house. Everything I need is there: my dvd's, my props, my candle, a window, even my yoga clothes. I use it daily, whether for a 90-minute weekend practice or a 15-minute evening meditation.

                                                                                                            

Sometimes I wish it was more of a "sacred space", away from the kitchen sounds and from the high/mid-traffic area of our house. But that's not the reality. And since it's such a part of who I am, I didn't want to have my yoga room tucked away in our darkened basement or our cluttered office upstairs. This is really the best spot for it. I'm the only one who uses it as a yoga room, but Margot passes through  many times a day, grabbing a few dvd's she can throw around, chewing on my purple block, dropping a few slices of cheese or blueberries. Thanks for the presents and the mess, little one ;)

 

 * my 2011 Monthly Reading List. Stay tuned for future posts.