A Day in the Life of Mona-Lia (soundscape)
We normally get up around 10 am, sometimes earlier sometimes later. Until I here this sound, I do not consider myself to be awake:
After coffee and a doggie poo walk we open up our comfortable, air-conditioned Partners in Rhyme headquarters. We have an old fashioned manual security grate which sounds like this when opened:
I play with my puppy:
Sometimes Mark’s dog, Haka growls because she can:
It is Sunday. Someone on our street is practicing violin, a carpenter adds percussion:
Quixote and I set out on my bicycle, destination Ciutadella Park. On our way we encounter a group of people celebrating. The people of Barcelona sure do know how to have fun.:
We continue on down the bike lane, past Arc de Triomf, to Ciutadella Park. It is a hot day, about 28 degrees. Ciutadella is busy on Sundays, but I know where to head for quiet. On the way there, we pass lots of little happenings, like this salsa/swing happening under a park parapet:
We keep going until we get to my special little quiet corner, quiet except for the noisy birds:
Ciutadella is such a sumptuous park. It never ceases to amaze me.
We ride past some jugglers:
We pedal home. Quixote trots alongside my bike until we hit a congested or dangerous spot, where I scoop him up and put him in my basket. He is my perfect companion, athletic, handsome, courageous and tiny.
Once home I find Mark in the studio, recording some gypsies who live on our street. Mark started working with the Gypsies (Gitanos) because Tonì, a slightly retarded but sweet paraplegic Gitano who lives on our block kept asking him to record a CD of him singing his songs. He pestered Mark just about everyday until Mark finally asked him to sing one of his songs for him and it wasn’t bad. Mark brought him in to do some test recordings and they went well so they recorded two songs of Tonì in the studio. It was a quick project, after which Mark gave Toní a CD.
As they were working on these the other Gitanos on our block got interested and a bit envious and started asking about the studio and bragging to Mark about their music. Lolò finally came in one day and almost demanded to be recorded so Mark did. Loló has an angelic voice. A few days later his friend Ramòn came with him and they played together. That was really fun as they have a great dynamic between the two of them.
Now they get together once a week and just mess around and also try to record flamenco guitar loops for a possible collection. Sometimes I am asked to add a keyboard part, but this is mostly Mark’s project.
Today I come home and Mark is in the middle of a recording session with Lolò and Ramón. I sit quietly for a bit. They are laughing a lot and singing. Seeing as I have come fresh from a bike ride with my NAGRA in hand, I record them all in the act of recording:
I leave them to it and go home (next door) and play some more with my puppy, give him a chew toy:
I think my day is over. It is evening. I take Quixote for a quick walk to Plaça Tauet (down the treet from me) and am surprised to find a full symphony with a woman conductor performing Ravel. How magical is that?!?! I didn’t have my NAGRA on me, but was able to take a few snapshots with my trusty iPhone.
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