Episode #3: Romantic encounters | Cane toads and the night sky

Hello Hellooo...

Goodness Gracious me, I should really write these more often or you'll stop reading them because they're so long..

And I'll stop writing them cos they take so long. Anyway anyway anyway.. onto the news and other distractions..

WHATS NEW PUSSY CAT?

NZSO, A DAMN FINE ORCHESTRA

A few weeks ago I made a trip to Welly to hear the NZSO play 'Legend of the Trojan bird'. They wanted to get a better recording as part of the SOUNZ readings of previously recorded NZ composer's works. I haven't heard it yet, but they did a very thorough job, with over 40 microphones in a dead quiet Michael Fowler centre. It's quite magical to hear the orchestra perform especially for you in an empty theatre. How lucky I am to live in a country small enough to give such experiences to it's young composers!

While I was down there I also got given a private tour of Park Road Post (Peter Jackson's post production facility).. I was blown away by the sheer magnitude of the place.. I hope one day soon I'll get to go there and work on a film and sit in those amazing lazy boy chairs while the sound engineers work their magic.. I sat in Peter Jackson's very own lazy boy.. (no he wasn't in it at the time..)

ART SPACE - LETS GET MUDDY

The band I play with, Toad, had a very special gig at Art space in August. I had asked some string playing buddies of mine to play with us and I arranged 9 songs for us to play with the usual band line up. So, 'the swamp orchestra' was born. We enjoyed ourselves, and so did the packed audience. We're looking to record some of the elaborate string arrangements I created in mid-Nov.

These will hopefully go on our first EP release in the new year. This is pretty exciting stuff. One of my favourite songs that we premiered at this gig was called 'Spinning around the bend'. This is a beautifully crafted song with two distinctly different parts to it - including a semi-confessional repetitive chorus, and a more story telling verse structure. What I like about it is how it has meaning on several levels. Some of it is inspired by the plight of the cane toad in Australia..and some of it is about falling crazily in love with someone.. hence the title has a double meaning too..

GONE COUNTRY: BABY ANIMAL CUTENESS OVERLOAD

My sister Emma moved back to NZ this year and took a job with the Koanga Institute, currently located near Havelock North, but soon to be on the move. Koanga have a very special heritage seed collection which they sell to shops and members throughout NZ. I went on a roadtrip down there with her, stopping off at a few op shops (or twenty) on the way. I stayed in her caravan and we did farmy stuff like milking the cow, playing with the 2 day old bull calf, and watching lambs learn to walk. I saw a lamb try to stand up on a steep incline and did two roly polys down the hill before it could stop itself.

I was inspired by my sister's chicken coop to build my own one at my flat in Grey Lynn. Me and my flatmates have cordoned off a quarter of the garden for them to roam about in, and made a nice red nesting box.

In a few weeks it'll be omlette central! whoop!

THE STARS IN YOUR EYES TONIGHT

Recently I have signed up to receive the 'grabone.co.nz' daily offers of half price things.

A few weeks ago, entry to the Auckland Stardome observatory came up at half price..so we did a flat trip there. We went to the late show after work and lying down on the mega reclining airline style seats to look at the light display was pretty tempting to get a few winks in. However the chill of the cold night air soon woke us up when we went out to look at the moon and jupiter through telescopes. One of my flatmates Anna told us in the car on the way home that the presenter of the tour had tried to chat her up with an offer of his card and ''anytime you want to know more about the stars, here's my email address'.. We of course elaborated on this and by the end of the night his pick up line was ''If you want to learn more about celestial bodies, here's my number.." not to mention extended metaphors about private telescope viewings..planetary alignment etc...

TAP AWAY YOUR RAINY DAYS

I've started doing tap dancing lessons. I'm not very good, in fact I'm pretty darn un-coordinated still but I can make a good tap noise on a woodenfloor. I picked up some second hand shoes for ten bucks in an op shop in pukekohe, couldn't believe my luck! Just my size too. City dance on queen st is pretty cool as you can start any time and they also have lunch time classes. To see what inspired me to learn, watch this awesome routine.

S.O.B.I

Sobi is trucking along nicely, and it's getting into nice weather for evening drinks at rakinos and gelato at lunch times..

A few nice spaces have come up for grabs if you're looking for somewhere to do what it is that you do. $50-100a week. email 35highst@gmail.com if you're keen.

The Society of Brilliant Ideas is opening their studios for the public during Auckland art week! www.artweek.co.nz

We'll have sneak peeks at artists at work, an exhibition and music in Rakinos, and craft stalls galore. Come along. Fun starts at 6.30. Goes till 8.30.

SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION

I GOT A FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Claire-Cowan-Composer/149353471766300?ref=...

I know, it's a bit wanky, but it at least stops the random friend requests from people who've heard my music and want to paw through all my photos..If you want to follow what i'm up to (more often than these sporadic updates), click 'like' on the page.

Every click boosts my sense of self worth a little bit yay! haha.. I'm kidding. No, really I am. I'm sure most of you are fans already right?

A RECIPE TO SETTLE ANY DISPUTE

S t r a w b e r r y F a n t a s y

At the Grey Lynn farmers market, (Sundays 9-12) they have started selling strawberries really cheap! like $2 a punnet! This is quite amazing but they are usually very ripe and ready for eating. No problem! Here's a recipe that'll have your tastebuds spazzing out.

1-Take 1 punnet of strawbs.

2-Mash it up good so it looks like guts.

3-Add a squeeze of lemon.

4-Add a few spoons of sugar if you want.

5-Take 2 egg whites, whip them up really well in another bowl.

6-Take a bottle of cream. Whip it good but not too much in yet another bowl.

7-Add the egg whites to the strawberry guts. Mix it up nicely.

8-Then add the cream.

9-Stir it until smooth.

Now what I like to do it the ultimate presentation -

1.Get some little paper cupcake cases.

2.Get some good quality baking/melting chocolate. Cheap stuff wont work. Tried it.

3.Put about 2 squares of chocolate in each patty case and put in microwave for 90 secs.

4.Quick! get a knife and while the chocolate is hot and melty stir it all around the paper so it coats it quite thickly.

5.Then stick it in the fridge for about 15minutes. When they're cool and hard you can peel off the paper quite easy if you've made them thick enough. If you've been stingy with your chocolate application this part will be a nightmare. Might want to do a few tests first.

6.THEN.. get the strawberry fantasia and put a few spoons in each chocolate cup. Garnish with fresh strawberry slice and peppermint leaf.

7.Serve this up for dessert and watch your dinner guests taste-buds seizure in palatery pleasure.

WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON?

A whole lot of things on the boiler which I won't talk about in detail but include recording projects for various people, A couple of film and theatre soundtracks, a tele-movie score, and a cool project in the Auckland Festival. Summer is looking epic and I hope to get some time to laze on the beach.

CLAIRE'S GOLD STARS

Le Garde Manger, Queen St, for the Coq du Vin

Cocos cantina, K'rd for the spagetti and meatballs

Len Brown, for winning by no small margin

A.A. Bondy for writing the song 'Oh my Vampyre'

Jane Dunlop for her Vege Lasagne

Brandy Snaps for just being themselves really

Pictionary for providing hours of fun

Rose Rowan for writing 'The Hair Song' and for giving me her 42nd st ticket

My Flatties for helping build the chicken coop

My Grandma for miraculously walking almost 50metres without sitting down.

Max Richter for producing 'the Blue notebooks' album.

Don McGlashen for being cool in more ways than one

CLAIRE'S DIS LIST

That's right, I've got a dis list, so you better be nice to me.

This week I'm dissing the apple store in newmarket.. I went in there with my old workhorse ipod, that is 7 years old. The battery crapped out or something so I took it in to get looked at. I was informed it wasn't worth saving, as they dont stock parts anymore for those 'ancient models'.. I was advised to buy a new ipod for $450. I said no thankyou very much. I went to trademe, bought a new battery for $12, installed it myself with a plastic screwdriver and the help of a youtube tutorial, and hey presto, good as new.

I'm also dissing the SOBI elevator shaft which makes very unsettling loud creaking noises whenever it goes up and down. Apparently it's going to need a complete rebuild and be out for a week. Nooo! Six flights of stairs just to go outside!

Jim Beam also gets a big dis. Do me a favour and don't drink it.

CONGRATULATIONS

You got to the end of the email! (Unless you just skipped ahead, if so, go back and read it properly you lazy bones!)..

To Claim your prize, simply hit reply with your latest news, a photo of your new pet chinchilla, and your best cocktail recipe in anticipation of those lovely long summer evenings...

Until next time, take it easy..

Claire

Photos are:

Strawberry Fantasy in Teacups

Fiasco the bull calf and emma

Our chicken hutch

A windy day at Koanga

A new arrival and mama sheep

--

Claire Cowan

Level 6,

35 High st

Auckland

09 550-8035

021 519 666

___________________

www.clairesmusic.com