Mt Eden, New Zealand

The steady trickle of hazy rain seemed quite normal to me. After all, it was the middle of winter and I was in the huddle of shops in Auckland called Mt Eden, snuggled at the base of the ancient volcanic peak with the same name. In Maori it is called 'Mangawhau' which means 'hill of the whau tree'.

A whau tree in flower Mt Eden/Mangawhau volcanic peak, Auckland, New Zealand

 

I often used to pass through Mt Eden village when I worked in Auckland some years ago. It was nice, and charming, and what I expected from a lovely suburb. But in 2012 I have to say that it is gorgeous, and delightful, and quirky, and full of Really Interesting Shops! I was so impressed.

These are the four stand outs for me:

1. Black Sheep Books (formerly Dymocks). It has become an independent bookseller with the former staff and the same location, but now it has added a bit more space, has increased the range of goodies for the kids, and has an enormous black sheep sitting in the window. Really Enormous (left over from the Rugby World Cup). I could have stayed there all day. www.blacksheepbooks.co.nz 

2. Dream of Italy (Exquisite Pieces of Italy). In fact the goodies are in four main categories: firstly glass treasures from Murano (an island's jump from Venice) where a particular style of glass treasures have been made for centuries; secondly, gorgeous Venetian masks (think 'masquerade balls'), thirdly, a wide range of Italian ceramics, and fourthly, particularly lovely paper products. I can still see the bridge where I bought some Italian stationery in 1993 and have longed to have again. Well, here it is in Mt Eden! www.dreamofitaly.co.nz

3. Mozaik Caffé. Corner location, sophisticated contemporary decor, a tasty array of snacky treats and more, glasses of water on the table without asking, great coffee and hot chocolates (for the kids - including a smiley face design on the frothy top and marshmallows), and Excellent Attentive Service! The owner/manager arrived while we were there and warmly embraced his staff, and he then showered us with personal thanks for coming to his café. Nice. It seems there are other Mozaik cafés around NZ - Mairangi Bay, New Lynn, Takapuna, Orewa, Parnell, Grafton and Hamilton. www.mozaik.co.nz

4. The Hospice Shop ('turning second hand goods into first class care'). I LOVE second hand shops. Highlights here were good prices (you can find a bargain), clean (washed (spit?)-polished), nicely displayed ceramics, glassware and trinkets, colour-coordinated clothing hung on uncluttered racks around the shop, and a tea trolley of special bargains on the pavement at the front door where I found some glass tea light holders for our candle-dining hosts here ($4 NZ - total!). The little place was buzzing with activity and browsers, and I was really happy to drop my coinage in Hospice donation box. All funds from the shop support the Mercy Hospice Auckland in the care of their patients. 453 Mt Eden Road, Mt Eden.

Music for kids in France

We went to a free concert last night at the Cultural Centre in Ramonville St-Agne, France. It was an evening’s entertainment where various young and progressively older keyboardists, bass players, drummers, electric guitarists, singers, trumpeters and saxophonists had a chance to perform in a band and do their thang, all in front of a real live, incredibly appreciative, vocally lively and spontaneously engaged audience. It was IMPRESSIVE, and almost as good as the percussion group STRIKE from New Zealand www.strike.co.nz.

The evening started with a crowd of parents, friends, aunts, uncles, kids, brothers, sisters, grannies and grandpas at the doors waiting to enter the theatre. We found our seats (saving nine other seats for soon-to-arrive friends), and took a quiet breath or two when we saw the images on the stage screen displayed for the amusement/enjoyment of the waiting audience: a naked man, appendages swinging, running along a path with his body leaning on a curiously back-angled slant. All in the name of art and no one blinked an eye. Would this be acceptable in New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, UK???? I think not! But art is waaaay more open here. It was a great way to start and it just got better!

Our son’s friend, Arthur, drummed to Cold Play (The Scientist), once he realised that his band was on stage and waiting for him (he was still sitting next to us in the seats), his brother, Felix, gamely electric-guitared to another song, while Pierre, another friend, electric-guitared his heart out to two other songs, including the finale Aretha Franklin’s Think (Freedom). 

Finale - Think (Freedom)

The musicians all took turns playing in various combinations, and some of the results where simply stunning. Let’s just especially mention Carol, who drummed and sang to ACDC (Back in Black) and rocked the house down. We were All Screaming For More. Apparently the young fellas of Ramonville St-Agne quite like learning music here because Carol learns music too. In the words of Jemaine Clement from the Flight of the Conchords’ song Business Time, “Well, I’m not surprised.” She’s hot! 

Carol the singer/drummer and the Andy Warhol-hair bassist

Carol (ACDC Back in Black)

And then there was keyboardist Chloe who was an all-out rocking chick, a tall, smooth bassist (Nathan?), a brass section wearing makeup and doing the cool moves, a quartet of singers including a wheelchair-bound girl who was having the time of her life, an awesome looking albino bassist with Andy Warhol hair, etc, etc. The teachers - a woman and two men - were clearly extremely talented, and performed along with the kids, encouraging and aiding where necessary.

Chloe and her teacher

I wish my kids wanted to learn music but they like sport. I learnt piano when I was young. The most I had to look forward to were exams, which I hated. I think it’s so great that these kids get to play with other musicians, they play music that rocks, and they have a great time with an audience to cheer them on.

Yay to the Cultural Centre of Ramonville St-Agne and the amazing teachers. Yay to the kids who are learning music and loving it. And yay for a great evening!

Guitar teacher, punk bassist and Felix

Arthur, Cold Play's The Scientist

 

Pierre!

Now in English and French!

There are now two language versions of my book available.

English version : Waking up in France and surviving with a smile by Sara Crompton Meade

  

Paperback version available here at my Amazon Createspace e-store.

French version : Se reveiller en France et survivre le sourire aux levres par Sara Crompton Meade

Paperback version available here at my Amazon Createspace e-store.

The ebook and paperback versions (French and English) are available to order from all Amazon sites.

Happy reading ! Bonne lecture !

Hip hop and Bach in Toulouse

This weekend it was the increasingly successful annual event of Passe Ton Bach D’Abord in Toulouse. This means that all around Toulouse in beautiful locations hither and thither, short events involving the music of Bach in some form is presented to audiences - outside, inside, all manner of dances, soloists, discussions, lectures, films, choral and orchestral performances, etc, etc.

We were lucky enough to attend a choral and orchestral performance in a grand theatre at the University of Toulouse 1. The Ensemble Baroque de Toulouse performed one of Bach’s masses (F major) with score sung by the Choeur Baroque de Toulouse (directed by Michel Brun) with three soloists; a bass, soprano and counter-tenor, which is a man singing like a lady and which is very confusing for a 9 year old girl. It was a difficult piece but it was beautifully performed and they had obviously worked hard on it (since January I’m told). Gorgeous.

Choeur Baroque de Toulouse

 

We then lingered in the foyer chatting, when a kindly Passe Ton Bach D’Abord-yellow-t-shirt-clad usher told us that we really must stay and watch the next event - four young students (playing the harpsichord, two flutes and a violin) who would accompany a troupe of HIP HOP DANCERS! To Bach! The children were amazed: 400 year old music and hip hop dancing - but how can this be?!

It was extraordinary. They were really good dancers - agile, free, strong, graceful and yet with all the raw street-cred of the genre. They were called the Danseurs de Trayectos, accompanied by the Ensemble de Musique de Chambre du CRR. Superb. Although we left the event wondering just which century we were in.

Danseurs de Trayectos at a street performance in Tournefeuille, Toulouse

The final concert of the weekend was at the Cathédrale St-Etienne; a Bach Cantata (BWV 75) sans filet which translates to mean without a safety-net, which really means that you turn up to the rehearsal on the Sunday afternoon, you practice like billy-oh for 90 minutes, you pause to catch your breath, and then you perform to a full audience, without rehearsals other than the one you just had. Next year I’m going to join in, as can anyone. And if I’m not mistaken, the audience can sing along too. 

Cathedral St Etienne, Toulouse

 

Well done them all, and thank you to the city of Toulouse and the Ensemble de Baroque de Toulouse for allowing and organising another fantastic weekend of music to entertain us.

A dinner party in France

Saturday night was a lovely, intimate evening at a friend’s house to help celebrate her 40-mumble birthday of the day before. There were only seven guests (plus children).

The evening was balmy, still and pleasant, with enough warmth for us to sit outside for hours enjoying crudités and an assortment of dips (a homemade tapenade, spicy guacamole, and a broad bean/mint/lemon juice dip). For drinks, we started with an unlabelled white wine direct from Monsieur Host’s home town of Nantes that he stores in his cave (a special cool room under the house) where he has a pretty exciting number of bottles ready to be enjoyed. We moved on to Champagne once (most of) the guests had arrived, and the merriment began in earnest. I must say, that tapenade was better than salty chips and a cold beer on a hot day in Hong Kong, and it kept us happy for the hours it took until the coals were thrown on the two Weber barbecues at about 9.30pm. Monsieur Host entertained us all using an electric heat gun (like a hairdryer but much more lethal) to fire the barbecues to a roaring heat. The aroma of the Toulouse sausages was a little unsettlingly good, so we tucked some more into the tapenade instead and continued our bilingual banter on all manner of subjects (with my slowly getting better French and their practically perfected school days English - oh well - good practice).

The children were astonishingly well-behaved and self-managed. They ranged in age from 8 - 11 years, a mixture of boys and girls. The adults completely entertained themselves while the children completely entertained themselves; jumping on the trampoline or popping over to the local school for some kick-a-ball-around play and then popping back to refuel with drinks and nibbles (no, not nipples as my Swedish friend once misheard with alarm/delight). There were no fights or furies, and they were a pleasure to have around. And yes, they all proffered their youthful cheeks for un bisou (French double-cheek kiss greeting) from all the adults as they arrived.

Finally, dinner was ready and we all sat down at a long table inside the house with a few more bottles of this and that to enjoy (rose, red and more white). The wine just kept appearing (courtesy of M. Host and his careful ambles downstairs to find more supplies). I figured someone was drinking it because the bottles kept emptying. I don’t think it was me, but I’m not sure. We were all quite merry (sometimes shrieking laughter from the girls, usually directed at Madame Hostesses charades-like-punctuated stories, and booming guffaws from the blokes: and yes, that's right, the topics were probably shopping (girls) and football (boys), of course…).

Now, something interesting to note: if you are invited to arrive to a party at 7pm, feel free to take that liberally, and arrive anytime between 7.15 - 11pm, that’s no problem at all! The final guests arrived at about 10.30pm and sat down to a late-ish (you think?!) meal which included a delicious tabouleh, roasted skinned peppers, a Greek salad, plus the divine Toulouse sausages). Yum and yum some more!

The children were still impeccably behaved. The mademoiselle of the house had fallen asleep on her bed, while my daughter propped herself up on my shoulder. She came to life when it was time for dessert (11.45pm), and she lit the 40-mumble candles that she had decorated our homemade chocolate cake with. It was an inferno I tell you and I thought the plate might melt. Madame Hostess gamely blew them out, or tried to, as they were mostly trick re-lighting candles. She just thought that at 40-mumble her puff was not was it used to be…

So, after homemade berry cheesecake, homemade mousse and homemade slightly singed chocolate birthday cake, plus a dash more wine, we headed home at just after midnight. That was my family anyway. The rest stayed, possibly to the early hours (knowing their capacity and durability). And yes the wine was still flowing.

It was great fun: lovely, memorable, relaxed French dinner party. Thank you Clare and Hervé.