Evening Entertainment

Audra McDonald, as Billie Holiday in
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
 Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian

I am drawn to the big screen in this house every night. 

While I sat waiting for everyone else who wanted to watch it to come to the room, I was s filled with gratitude for all the past performances I have watched over the years, mostly watching the big screen at my local theatre.  

A few nights ago I watch Lady Day at Emereson's Bar and Grill with Audra MacDonald. 

When I came upstairs from watching, Rebecca took me to youtube to show me Billie Holiday singing Strange Fruit and Rebecca gave me some background. A review of the musical is written by Michael Billington in The Guardian.<br/>

Brinkhoff & Mogenburg

Tonight Rebecca and I watched the first part of Angels in America, the version that has just been upload into National Theatre.  

She turned the TV off after Par I, saying that she really saw the play alone as I let my eyelids close a number of times.  

That is wholly a function of it being evening and I have a warm blanket around me and have just eaten some delicious Indian food.

I've watched  the Angels in America movie many times. I am sure this will be true of Angels in America, National Theatre style.  Marilyn Stasic, the reviewer of the Variety article says that Kushner allows Prior, with his dying breath, to articulate the scribe’s message of hope "Maybe I am a prophet. Not me, alone, all of us, the ones who’re dying now. Maybe the virus is the prophecy?

I know I will be going back to watch this a number of times in the coming month.

Don’t resist what is …

I zoomed into the Jarvis household today for Valentine's Day.

The heart-felt present to the family was a machine that puts carbonation into water.

A soda streamer of sorts.

This is Catherine’s resistance against people having developed a taste for Perrier water, 3 times a day or so. Catherine had all the flavours, a capful for every liter: apple, peach, peach mango, lemonade, even a flavour called Kool-Aid.

I remember using a machine like this in the 80s at our house. There are all kinds of ways to make water taste just a little bit better.

Ice is one way.

And injecting bubbles into the water is another.

Hebe had spent the morning giving her doll a beautiful new hairdo for church.

Hebe and I talked about the braids on the doll a bit and she showed me the shoes of the doll, which if she taps on the table, lash like those really cool runners.

There's lots of sociability before the our meeting begins, all of us catching up on what's been new in the week.

Eric said is in training to be the editor of a new journal.

That's taking him some time, and effort in a new direction.

George had some reading to do 60 pages in German and then some writing to do. 

Catherine was in the meeting working on the more mundane tasks of the work: folding her wash as she listened in on church.  I think it is OK to bring your washing to church.

We talked a bit about the concept of kindness.  Whenever we do, I am reminded of Lorraine Wright's article, The Kindness of Strangers.  The four- or five-word idea that I take away from that article every time I read it is the phrase 'don't resist what is'. I call that a kindness to self.  If anyone has three or four minutes, and likes to read articles with a personal voice, this one is well worth the read.

Such a loving voice, like having a nice visit with Lorraine Wright. at the end of the meeting.

People seem to be munching on something that looked delicious.

Finally, Kathy Jarvis and I asked what it was.

In a huge bowl on the island were french fries. Now that's a Valentine's Day I would have liked.

I took my hair down to show my braids to Hebe as I was leaving the meeting. I keep them pinned back behind my head because I'm too vain too vain to have people see the hairstyle that I have to use. I still can't reach to the back of my head; I have to do these braids everyday. When I look at myself, I can only think of the words Pippi Longstockings.

Arta

A Cooking Valentine

Photo credit: Moiiya Wood

When I was young my mother had a book that contained songs a person might sing to a five year old.  Even now when my siblings are in their 60's and 70's, if one of them breaks into a song from that book, the rest remember it.  One of the songs was Oh I have made a Valentine / For a little friend of mine / It's red and white and lacey too, / and opens and says I love you.

Moiya changed the words to the song, and sent me this picture of a Valentine pie.  Someone else gets the real pie.  She wrote

I have made a valentine. For a little friend of mine. It’s pie crust, cream cheese filling, And some strawberry purée and strawberries too. When eaten ... It says I love you.

I will take one of the strawberry pies and one of the apple pies.  That will be one each, Moiya.  

Oh how I wish I still lived near you!

Sending virtual valentines to all,

Arta 

 

Snow for a Snow Shovel

 

There is no doubt about it.

Victoria is covered with a blanket of snow.

I woke to the beauty of the falling snow shifting in the wind.  

The updrafts keep the snow in the air so long that I wonder if it will ever hit the ground, picking it up and swirling it heavenward so often.  

But some snow has landed, for the streets, boulevards and sidewalks are covered.

I don't see the tell tale parallel black lines that cars leave on the road. 

No one has ventured out and it is already 9 am.  

Of course, it is a Saturday, and we have a three-day weekend, for it is Family Day on Monday.

This is an intervention from the heavens, since I often imagine that place, at least getting there, to be a white landscape.

Arta

A Valentine from the Southern Stardust Big Band

Hey to all Pilling cousins,

Did you see the gift from the Southern Stardust Big Band: Takin' a chance on love . sung by the lovely Lurene Bates?  

And I saw Tim at the bottom of the screen with his trombone.

I love this kind of valentine.  

Thanks to the band.

Arta

A Hummingbird on our Feeder

This is my hard to see it photo.
Look closely on the lef-hand side
of the dish that holds the water.

There used to be a song called  "There's a bluebird on your windowsill”.

Popular more in my mother's time than mine.  I do remember her singing it.

I've been thinking about the song because Steve has a humming bird on his bird feeder.

The hummingbird stays there for a long time he said, so I went to check it out.

We can see it from the dining room and I decided to see how close I could get with my phone/camera.

... a miracle that I can show you this with my camera ...
... still there on the left hand side of the hummingbird dish ...

The answer is pretty close.

The hummingbird doesn't seem to flutter away when it sees its movement on this side of the glass.

A couple of nights ago all of the water in the hummingbirds dish froze; still it sits there.

Maybe it like us is waiting for spring.

Arta

A Chcolate Attack

David Camps had a chocolate attack and said that he knew if I had been there, I would have been able to help him get through it.

Here is a recipe that will take care of all chocolate attacks in the world.  

What  you will need to have in your home first, is the callebaut chocolate which you can buy at Superstore in the bulk bins.  Just do it.  Have some at home and then make sure you have the other ingredients.  This is what  you do the day before.  Then the day of, follow this recipe, David Camps and you will think that I was there

VELVET TORTE

4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (Oreo-type)
5 T unsalted butter,
10 oz (280 g) semi-sweet chocolate, preferably Callebaut, finely chopped
1 ¼ C (300ml) whipping cream
1 large egg
1 egg yolk

Combine crumbs with the melted butter and press into a tart pan with a removable bottom. Cover sides and bottom of the pan. Bake at 350 for 5 min. Let cool. Makes one 11 in. tart shell.

Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Heat cream in a pot until almost boiling (look for bubbles on the edge of the pot). Immediately pour cream over the chocolate and let sit two minutes, then whisk gently to mix and to ensure that all the chocolate has melted. Lightly beat the egg and egg yolk then stir into the chocolate. Add to cooled tart shell. Bake at 350 for 15 min. Remove from oven – at this point the tart will not appear set or firm. It will set as it cools. Refrigerate to store, serve at room temperature.

NB: a 400 g box or Oreo cookie crumbs = 3 ½ C – this is enough for the shell. Still use 5 T of butter.

A tart pan with a removable bottom (NOT a spring form pan) is needed for this. But BEWARE how you handle the pan – the bottom is not secure. I use a small wooden board to transfer the pan to and from the oven. 

To serve the tart push the bottom of the pan up and place the tart still on the bottom on a nice plate. I usually beat the leftover whipping cream with a little vanilla and wee bit of sugar to dab on the top. Superstore sells the Callebaut chocolate in nice small nuggets in the bulk section. This tart will serve 10 – 12 people. It is very rich- serve very small wedges!