I have escaped to Bognor Regis with the kids to stay with my parents for half term and avoid living in the building site that is my home. It's a two hour drive to get here, and I usually listen to the radio for company, but this time my husband suggested I plug my iPhone into the iTrip (a gadget for listening to MP3 players through your car radio), and put my iPod on shuffle (no this is not an advert for Apple).
I have quite an extensive music library on my iPhone, but I never listen to it. I can't even remember what's on it; I set it up when I was still living in London and needed entertainment on the journey to and from work. Since I stopped work to look after our children, I have had little chance to listen to my iPod.
Before I could object my husband leaned into the car and plugged my phone into the iTrip. "There you go, all set, call me when you get there!" he grinned as he stood back and waved us off (he is staying behind to "project manage" the work being done on our house).
I was a bit miffed that I would be missing out on my usual fix of radio 2, but it didn't take long for me to get sucked into the music coming out of the car stereo. As each song played I thought, oh great, I love this song! and they just kept coming. The Beatles, Jimmi Hendrix, Daft Punk, Foo Fighters, Span, The Big Bang, Ravi Shanka, Manu Chou, and many more of my favourites, all lifting my mood and clearing my head.
I felt elated as I arrived at my parents. The journey I had just taken was an inspirational trip down memory lane, each song triggering a new thought. I remembered how music can feed your soul and inspire your dreams.
I have always found it easier to write in silence, because it is my time away from the trials of motherhood and silence is most welcome after a busy day. However, I have decided to experiment with listening to different styles of music while writing. After a few years of abstinence I am once again inspired by all my old favourite musicians, and I hope I can use this inspiration to create something wonderful!
