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Tres Lunas29th March 2010 – Nassau
Misty
That's it, mommy has a motorbike :-) I can't wait for Michael to go and pick it up from the garage once the registration has been done. It is a small bike and no license is required to drive it in the Bahamas. However, I have never driven one in my life so Michael will have to teach me everything from scratch. I love challenges and I think this one will be really fun.
This album is, for me, linked to the Music VR game. "Misty" was the perfect opportunity to put my biology book aside and have a fly around; I had fun with the dolphins - I just love to give them their rings.
Sometimes, life in the Bahamas is as incredible as the scenery in Music VR.
Last year, we took the boat to a small island in the Exuma Cays and discovered the beauty of nurse sharks. I completely fell in love with these wonderful animals. They are the opposite of how I pictured sharks. I didn't swim with them but, from what I observed, they are highly sociable within their group and are very gentle. Jake and I spent so much time looking at them…
One thing we found out is how much they like being scratched by the rubber end of our boat hook. They took turns to come and rub themselves against it; it was so incredible.
We had such a wonderful time there; it is one day that will stay in my heart forever. It would be great to have some music playing alongside moments like this one, and this track would had been perfect for it. It would have been in complete harmony with the sharks swimming by the side of our boat.
30th March 2010 – Nassau
No Man's Land
Today, our baby declared his love to our dog; it was so sweet to hear him say "I love you, Fluffy" :-)
Eugene and I listened to the track together and then went for a fly in space. We got lost with our skater, until Jake came to our rescue and told us where to go. It is wonderful to see how much the boys love this game.
Everything is peaceful at home… Michael is busy doing some work on the next album, while I am a happy bunny looking after the boys and reading my biology book. Life is good, I could not ask for more.
31st March 2010 – Nassau
Return To The Origin
These last few days, I have felt a real sense of peace within my whole body. It is quite unusual for me to be that calm, I usually battle with myself to be good and reasonable. To be honest I don't recall if I ever felt like this before. I don't know if it is the calm before a storm or if I finally got in touch with spirituality. Maybe it is Michael's music working its magic on me, or the photography. Whatever it is, it feels good and I hope that it will last. Just like the Rebirth Tunnel in Music VR…
This track is wonderful!
The boys had a lot of fun this morning at Lake Cunningham. What seemed like a thousand of these Laughing Gulls were singing and flying around; it was an amazing sight. One of the boys' games, while I was trying to get a decent picture, was to run towards them and create complete chaos, with all of the birds flying in every direction. Boys will be boys :-)
1st April 2010 – Nassau
Landfall
It is incredible how nice it is when you just want nothing; to be content and want nothing more. I have tried for more than a year and finally gave up my dream to work as a trainer for marine mammals… until today. A friend told me that there was an opening in Atlantis and gave me the contact to send my resumé. Of course I sent it immediately, but I can feel the stress nagging me, like it's knocking on the door, because I want this position badly.
Just like the notes on this track, my thoughts keeps going round and round… "What about the boys if I get the job?", "I will probably not get an interview because I am not Bahamian", "Maybe they will offer me an internship", "Be happy with what you already have!"…. And around and around we go!
Luckily, my new metal horse arrived and took my mind away from waiting for a reply.
We got a babysitter to look after the boys and Michael gave me my first lesson around the car park. It was so much fun… I loved it!
2nd April 2010 – Nassau
Today was a tough one!
Our little baby was jumping up and down on the sofa, when he fell off and cut his forehead quiet badly. We ended up in the emergency room after all the screaming, blood and panic.
I have to say that Michael's cool really helped me on that one. The doctor advised us that Eugene needed some stitches, which meant that he had to sedate him. It was so scary! Luckily by the time he came with the syringe and huge needle, Eugene had fallen asleep.
He woke up in a panic with the pain of the injection and quickly after a minute his eyes started rolling back. That was the most difficult part for me, to see him shaking from head to toe because of the drug they had given him, the oxygen mask on his face, his little body unconscious.
It is so strange; I am not catholic, but I pleaded God to make sure that my baby would be ok. Michael took Jake outside and I stayed with Eugene, crying the whole time. I looked at everything the doctor and the nurse were doing, making sure that each sterilized instrument was not being messed with, checking the monitor for my baby's heart beat, and praying. I don't know if the doctor did a good job, only time will tell us…
When Eugene woke up, he was like a drunk little man and he kept saying "I love you mommy". I have nothing in the whole world more precious than my children, and I am sure that Michael feels the same way. It was stressful for all of us but as I am writing Eugene is home, in his cot, safe, and asleep.
When things like that happen, nothing else matters! The fact that I had an argument in the morning with my mother and that I was refused the position as a trainer because I am not Bahamian mean nothing at all! It is all insignificant compared to the well being of my family.
3rd April 2010 – Nassau
Viper
I am going to grow gray hair by the day!
Like a hawk, I am watching our little one and worrying that he might hurt himself again. This morning, he was up on the sofa again practicing his jumping. Michael and I quickly removed the coffee table where he hurt his head but he is already running non stop like a little being on self destruct mode. Ah, parenting is challenging some days! I wish our toddler would move like the snake in Music VR, agile and carefully, to the sound of this track.
Michael made sure that I still took Jake to the Easter egg hunt as he was looking forward to it so much. It was good for me to be away from Eugene for few hours and Jake needed some time with his mommy.
We had a good time together, it was lovely to watch him playing with other children and have fun. But when we got home, I was a toilet roll out of paper that needed to be replaced; completely drained and in real need of some rest. Michael kept the boys quiet, did the shopping and got a take away for dinner. A couple is a real partnership and I am a very lucky woman… My husband's support is precious.
4th April 2010 – Nassau
Turtle Island
This is the kind of track that you listen to in the morning and say, "Yeah, I'm gonna have a good day". From the first time I heard it in the studio, I loved it, and always will. It is light, positive and happy. In this track, I can see so many of the wonderful qualities that Michael has. It is like, in the music, I can see the happy side of my husband, very much like a DNA strand would show a specific gene of the man that so often makes me laugh and makes my life happy.
 
In movies, the girl is always sitting behind her man riding a motorbike and she looks so happy and in love…and la la la… Well for me, it is not reality. Nearly every time Michael took me for a ride, I was petrified and the last thing on my mind was romance. However, today, with Michael's approval that I was now ready to drive outside the car park, he got his bike and we both went for our first motorbike ride together. I have to say, that is romantic!
In the afternoon, we took the boys for a Sunday outing to the playground and to the beach. It was great, mommy taking pictures of the ones she loves so very much, daddy carrying on his shoulders our crazy little toddler and Jake feeding the birds. Life is wonderful again :-)
5th April 2010 – Nassau
To Be Free
To Be Free is a pop song, something for the record company to promote as a single. It does its job, it is what it was created for. But like many tracks that play on the radio now, in my opinion, it doesn't have a soul.
Now, some news from home… Michael is working a lot on the new album and I am making sure I give him all the space he needs to feel free to compose. I really wonder what it is going to sound like; it will be the first album that I will wait for with real anticipation.
How do I keep busy? It is easy with two boys :-)
The tooth fairy will probably be visiting us tonight. Jake has his first baby tooth on the edge of falling out, and he decided that it is as good a reason as any to be on vacation from doing his school work - little rascal :-)
So, instead he did an hour on his computer working with Click N Read http://www.clicknkids.com (he calls it the dog and cat school). It is a great website that teaches children, in a fun environment with animations, phonics and spelling. Then, in the afternoon, we went for an expedition at Atlantis. It is a place full of wonders, sharks, barracudas, dolphins, sea turtles… you name it and they have it.
If there was an Olympic games for toddlers, Eugene would probably be a gold medallist for running the 400m. I don't know how many times he's done it to us, but it must look absolutely hilarious to the people watching us running after our baby in hope of catching him.
He did it again today… He got out of his pushchair, was walking by my side and then, in a split second, he was off. Running fast like he says.
Jake and I had our work cut out trying to catch him as a couple opened the doors and he got inside the casino. What a sight! Jake was running as fast as he could, me sprinting and screaming "Eugene stop", and this crazy toddler with his bandage on his head running in the middle of the slot machines. Oh my God :-) They are a real handful, but I would not have it any other way.
6th April 2010 – Nassau
Firefly
This track stayed in my head all day. It is magical and exciting. It has this thing about it, a "je ne sais quoi", that moves me.
When I saw Michael getting all excited about the old house we visited today, I finally understood what it was about this track that I liked so much. It is a glimpse of his wonderful energy. When something sparks off that little light in him, it is pure magic.
This house needs so much work; it is a big stately home, with a huge staircase, big rooms and high ceilings. It is a place that has a long history, probably a few ghosts and all the kind of things that my husband finds inspiring :-) He loves the idea of getting the place back to its original beauty, like he said, it would be "something to sink his teeth into" for him. I just hope that this excitement won't last too long as I just can't imagine us living there…
How do you choose the right house? Is it a matter of best value for what you get? Love at first sight? A sign, a little something that tells you it is the right one?
7th April 2010 – Nassau
Tres Lunas
"The spirit is watching you, watching you…", hmmm… Michael told me something very similar, which I do not understand. It was something like if you do good in your life, the "great spirit" is aware of it. I do honestly believe that there is something much greater than us. But, if we are indeed the cells of a greater organism, is this organism aware of us? Are we aware of our cells? Today, I learned that each cell has a specific form that enables them to recognize each other. Cell to cell recognition, and everything that happens within our body, is amazing, without us being aware of it unless we study biology. Maybe in the giants' world there are books about us :-)
8th April 2010 – Nassau
Daydream
This track is really peaceful, Michael must have been in a wonderful frame of mind the day he created it. But its true beauty really reveals itself in the Music VR Game.
Jake, Eugene and I went to say "Hi" to the tai chi child. It is wonderful to see our six year old copying the movements of the 3D model which are actually the digitally recorded movements of Michael. And Eugene came out with the perfect word as we flew down the tunnel with our flying saucer: "amazing".
9th April 2010 – Nassau
Thou Art In Heaven
This track on the album is different to what I remember Michael playing during the concert on the Millennium New Year's Eve in Berlin.
Oh, it was so cold that night! I remember it like yesterday, Michael had to have some handwarmers in the pockets of his jacket for the concert. We had heard so much about this incredible fireworks display that was coordinated with this track, but Michael and I saw nothing of it at all. It was a night to remember…
First was Michael sitting on his stage's stool, just before the concert started, rolling his cigarette. There were so many people that night, from where I was standing it looked like an ocean of souls cheering because Michael lit his cigarette. I was more than impressed; it was surreal.
The concert was a real success, the music was incredible and everybody loved it so much. However, our way back to the hotel was long and painful. We were completely surrounded and our car could not get out, so we decided to walk to the hotel with some bodyguards. I have to say, I have never appreciated a glass of champagne as much as the one I had that night when we finally arrived in our hotel room after walking for an hour in the freezing cold.
The Music VR version of this track is very close to my heart. The four galloping horses are virtual models of my old mare Abie. We used a picture of her as the texture for the model and added some stripes to make it more fun. I love the idea that Michael made my horse fly… She is such a wonderful horse and still going strong at 28 years old, keeping my first riding pupil very busy. Thank you Sue and Jazmin for looking after my old girl.
10th April 2010 – Nassau
Sirius
It is unusual, because this track is very nice, but somehow I can't feel Michael's soul in it. I know that during this whole project, his heart and soul was in the Music VR game and it shows in this track.
Talking about soul…One of the first assignment for my Biology course is to write an essay about stem cell research and cloning. It is a fascinating subject. I have only started to read about it and I already felt uneasy to learn that laboratories were using eggs fertilized in vitro to generate embryonic stem cells. But, this new research could be incredible for treating diseases. I don't know… I have still a lot of work to go before I fully understand the subject can really have an opinion about it.
When I asked Michael how he feels about the subject, our conversation led to my discovery that a doctor took a sample of the stem cells from the umbilical cord after Eugene's birth. I was shocked! I asked him if he had to sign anything for it and the answer was no. What have they done with it? What was it for? Did they use my baby's stem cells for research? Or did they culture some stem cells and freeze them for Eugene to use in the future if he needed? I was all upset about it and I immediately emailed my doctor in Mallorca to ask him the details, what and why… I can't wait to receive his reply but the whole idea makes me really uncomfortable.
Jake and I discovered an amazing fleet flying around our marina: five spotted eagle rays. They are so elegant, beautiful and really not interested in the bits of food we were throwing in the water. After some research on the internet, we learned that a good supply of shrimps and clams would be helpful if we have any hopes of becoming their friends.
11th April 2010 – Nassau
Tr3s Lunas
Playing with Music VR is a great way to spend an hour on Sunday morning. With Eugene on my lap and Jake by our side, we once again went dancing with the bats and collecting rings. This game is really ahead of its time, it is magical, inspiring, and I just love it so much. It gives me so much pleasure to share it with my children.
In other news, we now all want to have a pet dragon :-) This afternoon, we took the boys to the cinema to see How To Train Your Dragon. Eugene's first outing to the cinema without fussing or running around; it is a really good movie.
After driving around the port for half an hour, we finally found a local fisherman who sold us some shrimps for our elegant fleet of rays. But they would not have any; they had zero interest in them. We'll just have to try something else…
I enjoyed very much listening to this album, and it is extra special because of the game. They both give us a taste of Michael's imagination, a touch of his spirituality and music… Wow!
We named the ray in the picture "Seeme" (only one spot between the eyes) |
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Join Fanny Oldfield on a journey through her husband's music, set against the backdrop of their life in the Caribbean.
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| Music Of The Spheres |
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| Light + Shade |
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| Tubular Bells 2003 |
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| Tres Lunas |
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| The Millennium Bell |
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| Guitars |
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| Tubular Bells III |
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| Voyager |
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