Violin lesson, swimming and song

Sitting on cold marble tiled floor out of the reach of the sun’s hot steamy rays this day. No-one to teach today – hooray, a proper weekend!

And I did the usual walk down to Mikros Mourtias a little later than usual having ignored our cat Moaner’s plaintive cries to be fed at 6.30am and slept in for another 2 hours...

Despite my late arrival, there was no-one there. Spiros and I had the place to ourselves for a whole hour. I swam gently over to the quay remembering what I had learnt in my violin lesson with Angela.

Angela comes here every year with her daughter and busks in the evenings. It turns out she knew our cello player on the teachers course, and they hadn’t seen each other since the Royal Academy days x years ago. (That is not unusual on this island for old connections to be discovered. Our busking guitarist Akis turns out to be a friend of a friend living in Lamia.)

Anyway, I have a desire to learn the violin. It’s good for the brain apparently to learn an instrument, and I have always loved it. I had a go at 16 and got on very well – twinkle twinkle little star- but let it lapse. So I treated myself to 2 lessons with Angela, and discovered the essence of non-doing, how the bow will play the violin all by itself if I let it. I learnt with joy of my wings and the balance of the bow. I allowed myself to move, my arm to flow through space and lo and behold beautiful music came from the instrument! Very very Alexandrian approach, although Angela has only has 20 lessons in the Technique herself yet her teaching is the very essence of FM’s work, not end-gaining, and sticking to the means-whereby.

And as I swam this morning I heard Angela telling me gently ‘You’re doing too much’ and I effortlessly moved in the water till I arrived at the quay. So violin lessons can improve your swimming it seems!

During Chi Kung I sang. No-one was there so I could quietly sing Bach-type fugues affirming my bones as strong and dense and flexible, a singing meditation to keep my poor old bones healthy.

After Chi Kung I lazed on the beach as others gathered and dipped in and out of the cool clear waters, before heading back up the path continuing this sense of non-doing. Although always a huff and puff particularly in the heat of the day, yet I was walking as easily as I could, taking my time and enjoying the fragrance of the pine and herbs, playing with being present, staring at my clumps of thoughts as they arose....Some of the thoughts were more songs.

On the first workshop we experimented with singing as a way of helping us up the steep path, setting up a rhythm – as many armies do. I began with The Grand Old Duke of York, which was universally deplored, and then we began musical theatre scores.

Today I found myself singing ‘When we go big bug hunting , when we go big bug hunting, when we go big bug hunting, With a gun and a spray and hip hooray! When we go big bug hunting!’

This popped up from nowhere – but was a song from a Cap and Bells Puppet Theatre show I did in the winter of 1978 with Violet Philpott for her tour of Bandicoot stories. We toured junior schools and Mervyn (where are you now?) was the Lion and I did the voice and hand operations for Monkey. Monkey and Lion got up to all sorts of tricks with Bandicoot and each other when Violet and the children weren’t looking.

Funny how the brain works and remembers and associates. I hope I don’t have that banal song on my brain every time I tread the path now!

I am dipping into a very interesting book entitled the Mind and the Brain by Sharon Begley and Jeffery M Shwartz, in particular about quantum theory and how our attention affects things, and can change the hardware. It’s the sort of book that is fascinating for a small amount of time and then my personal quantum brain can’t take any more and needs to check out. To take another choice in the alternative universe of possibility. And now I choose to stop writing and sing my way out of the door.

PS I am teaching a terrific singer of Greek traditional songs. He did a concert at the bus stop last week. I took a video of him and we looked at it together discussing his pull down, and how much is needed for the style and how possible it might be to stay ‘up’ and not pull the head back when singing. I am delighted that he intends to continue the lessons in Athens on his return.

Clearing the Space

Hot here in Alonnisos. I have spent most early evenings getting the teaching space ready. Still not ready yet. Dug out the cloths for table and shade, took them to my dear German friend Heidrun for washing, dug out my wobble cushion, the head rests, the anti-slip mat, the floor mats.

It is much pleasanter to be pruning ivy and honeysuckle and sweeping it all up and tying back the bourganvillea, etc than just hoovering and dusting the space in London! It is very pretty at the moment with my lambada bush hosting lots of tortoiseshell butterflies.

I have been walking down to Mikros Mourtias every morning with Spiros, having a swim and practising my chi kung on the quay. I get there about 9, so I have about an hour before an English couple join me and head for the quay. At which point I slip on my goggles and all hot from the sun, slip quietly into the cool water and head for my towel on the beach. I was very proud of myself yesterday as I saw an ‘ear’ shell, a tiny rainbow amid the sand and rocks below and actually managed to dive for it and pick it up on the second go. It lay there quite deep.

I can tell my swimming has improved too, as I want to swim further and get into a nice Shaw Method rhythm in my breast stroke, eyes leading me into the clear waters below, up to the blue sky above....

Today as I stood there in Wu wei I saw tiny fish circling near the surface of the sparkling water and I thought how in my brain were thoughts that I could fish for, then like that Australian fisherman, Ray..? I could kiss them and put them back so they swim away. Like Buddhists suggest to stare at the thoughts to dissipate them. I was surprised how few clumps of thought I had. Mostly it is repeats going round in my head. Anyway, this imagery really worked and helped me find a quieter mind.

I went to a flea market today in the village and bought a couple of rugs which may be useful to use in the teaching space. The vendor enquired after lessons and I suggested they have a lesson with me in return for the rugs....we shall see if they take me up on the offer.

I also met Julia who was here last year and swapped lessons for clearing up and preparing the little house next door for visitors. She is happy to do the same – although she talked of swapping massage in return for the lessons. This is not so useful for me! I don’t always like massage. Depends how it is done. I am an AT sensitive!

I am reading The Plastic Brain which I highly recommend, where neuroscientists and the Dalai Lama meet to exchange views and information about the brain. I am reading about the recent experiments demonstrating neurplasticity - we grow new neurons as well as forge new connections all our lives which I find exciting and a relief!

Three people arriving in Friday for the first workshop. Need to photocopy some papers for them and finish preparing the space. I’m sure it didn’t take so long last year. I am being thorough- a messy area I curtain off is being cleared this time. Clear the space, clear the brain, start afresh, beginner’s mind.

Alexander Swimming

I went swimming this morning at the Ironmnoger Row Baths nearby. I intend to go two or three times a week but sadly this doesn't always happen. So I made sure today. I love practising Shaw Method there. My crawl is no longer the frantic thrashing and I have learnt that backstroke is more like sidestroke, or crawl upside down. Both much improved. And my breast stroke ......well, this is more of a challenge, to remember to really duck under and up and it's most enjoyable when I seem to find the flow, but it is a little haphazard. Today I found it by the end, and really felt my head leading rather than my arms. It felt more contained and powerful, using the water well. I do enjoy floating along, but...without end-gaining - I really would like to go a bit faster! Sigh. if you want to find out more about Shaw Method Swimming you can go to www.artofswimming.com

Today there were hordes of little girls in the changing room with their frazzled teacher 'Put your socks on last Veronica, otherwise they will get soggy'......and the girls squeak like little guinea pigs as they rush through the rather cool shower. It will be lovely when they have done the place up, but I shall sure miss it for the 2 years it wil be closed....

Of course swimming in Alonnisos is the best as the photo shows.....that was at Steni Vala last year.

Tonight I was at my Chi Kung class with Master Lamb. I did metal, water and fire positions. The chap next to me was shaking again. It was a very chatty session - Master Lam is insistent we don't try to quieten the mind as we are all beginners and need more to relax. I found it very useful this evening to relax my eyes ....zzzzz