CD Review: Buddy de Franco and Oscar Peterson Play George Gershwin

I bought this CD from a street vendor on La Rambla in Barcelona. It was packaged with two others and I had no way of knowing if it was any good - except for some key factors: it was published by Verve Records; Oscar Peterson is a legend and I'm sure he would only play with the best; and Gershwin's music is gorgeous and has infinite scope for interpretation.

When I finally got home to my CD player, I knew I had been on to a good thing the moment the music reached my ears. The men are supported by a vibrant orchestra, and each piece is rich and satisfying. Whether intense and mournful (I Wants to Stay Here), light and joyous (I Was Doing All Right) or bright and furious (Strike Up The Band) - this CD is a joy to experience and if you come across it you really should buy it. Oscar's fingers run across the keys so fast I have trouble imagining it, and Buddy's clarinet just seems to sing. Perfect for a lazy afternoon.

Warbirds Over Wanaka Wows

Yes, we braved the school holiday/Easter rush and went down to Wanaka for the Warbirds air show. The first obstacle to get over was the flight itself. Fog struck Auckland and we sat in our plane on the tarmac for 2 and 3/4 hours. So it took us 5 hours to get to Queenstown, instead of 1 3/4. We rushed over the hill to Wanaka, gobbled down some lunch and headed to the airport. No sooner had we parked and trekked through to the viewing area, than a plane swooshed past us like thunder. The aircraft were having their practice day, and we would learn that the plane in question was the F1-11, the fastest aircraft currently in military operation. Austrlia has dozens of them, and was lending this one to show off.

Anyway, I won't give a play-by-play of the whole weekend. Suffice to say the weather was mostly fine, if a little chilly sometimes. The entertainments were well organised and varied. There was non-stop action in the air. Hubby was in his element. On the ground, there was a market and various other stalls selling associated wares, hot food and a bouncy castle. And of course, all the vintage aircraft lined up next to each other at the end of the day. My only complaint would be the amount of dust and standing involved. And the queues to get there on the Saturday morning were horrendous. And the PA system was a bit rickety. But overall, a fun experience. Hubby is dying to go back for 2008. We'll see.

It is finished!

My novel is printed, and it is now on its way to the publisher with letter and synopsis in tow. It's going to take me a while to get used to not having that nagging guilt in the back of my mind all the time: "Should be working on my story".

Of course, if I feel like doing some more writing once I've had a break, I do already have 3,000 words written in various bits and pieces for my next novel. And they say that you shouldn't wait to hear back from publishers, that you should start working on something else straight away. However, I am sure I will spend at least a few months just kicking back and relaxing in my spare time. Starting this weekend - Warbirds over Wanaka, here I come!

Easter or bust

Meaning, it is my goal to submit my novel to #1 publisher on the list by Easter. I'm feverishly working on it at the moment, still changing out all the words I like to use all the time. Believe it or not, it's exhausting work. What I have got printed out and ready to go are: my letter, my synopsis and my title page. Yep, I'm very good at procrastinating with the fluffy stuff.

Better get back to it. One week to go!

Sailing off into the ...drizzle

We piled on down to Princes Wharf on Sunday night and hung over the railing next to White, in order to gawk at the Diamond Princess and she departed for her last NZ tour. I've never been on a cruise, and you can put up some pretty good arguments against it: tiny cabins, lurching seas, hidden costs everywhere, only a few hours in each port... but when you see such a grand vessel leaving the wharf in a flurry of waving, trumpet fanfare, and shouted goodbyes, you do think it could be kinda cool. If one had the money for a half-decent cabin, that is. Which one currently doesn't.

So, have you been on a cruise? What was it like? Would you recommend it?