Merrily down the stream

When the virus came along, our local movie theatre began to offer streaming movies. Part of the cost of the film went to the theatre.

And oh, what wonders we've seen.

Once Were Brothers - about the band called, well, The Band. Did any of you buy Music From Big Pink? The film was just great. It was narrated by Robbie Robertson with lots of old film and footage. Excellent even if you weren't into the music then.

The Booksellers - about the antiquarian book biz in New York City. Absolutely fascinating. These are passionate folks.

Up From the Streets - about New Orleans music. Perfectly wonderful.

Sometimes Always Never - I think Bill Nighy may just be my favorite actor ever. This is a quiet, moving film that we loved.

Never Too Late - wonderful film about older men and a woman having "happy endings". One of my other favorite actors is in it - Dennis Waterman from The Sweeney, On The Up, New Tricks. He was born the day before I was.

Next up is Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things. So looking forward to this.

Death By Chocolate Cookies

I've had this recipe for ages, and decided to finally make these cookies.

Instead of Baker's chocolate, I used

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Melt half a 12-ounce package of chocolate chips. Set aside the other half.
Stir until melted and smooth.

Stir in:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add and stir well:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Then stir in the half package of chocolate chips.

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 12-13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and feel set to the touch.
Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute and then transfer to cooling rack.

The recipe said it makes 1 1/2 dozen. Mine made 11 cookies. Perfect to split with
our daughter and her family.

They were some of the best cookies I've ever had. Really. They are a little bit like brownies in cookie form!

Making my first contribution to Weekend Cooking since the new "ownership".

An unexpected gift of flowers

Last year I bought six flats of calendula plants, and planted them in our new vegetable garden. I thought it would be nice to have flowers and vegetables growing together.

and a few weeks later

I loved them and made bouquets all summer.

I wrote a note in my calendar to buy them again.

On May 30 this year, we wondered what was that ring of green?

We wanted to leave it because it didn't seem like any weed we had ever seen.

A month later, we saw it was a calendula patch!

I looked it up and calendulas are self-seeding! We considered thinning the patch but then thought we would let them grow as they would.

And what a success they have been!

Today's pictures

So, now I'm wondering will this happen again next year?!

Quote du jour/Albert Einstein

A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the constant pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.

Albert Einstein

Posted today on instagram by Bhaskar Goswami whose yoga classes I do on youtube. You may find them here. I also mentioned him in another posting here.

Farm and Garden Report - July 2, and a quote du jour from Keats

Here are sweet peas, on tip-toe for a flight:
With wings of gentle flush o’er delicate white,
And taper fingers catching at all things,
To bind them all about with tiny rings.

This is a snippet from John Keats' poem called I Stood Tip-Toe Upon A Little Hill.

I've read that he was the first to call Lathyrus odoratus by the name sweet peas. 

In the morning, still in my nightgown, putting on my rubber boots and going out to the garden to pick sweet peas makes me feel like a queen. We've had spotty luck with growing them so this year I bought plants from White Flower Farm. They are doing wonderfully. I've picked bouquet after bouquet. 

And here they are in the garden - in the support, though I think we went overboard. They aren't going to grow that tall!