I'm Still Here! 2016 Round-up

Jenna Coleman and Rufus Sewell in Victoria on PBS/ITV

Sorry I haven't been posting lately but my day job has been demanding too much time. So I have a bit of catching up to do. And thanks to Rabia, a concerned reader who wanted to make sure I was ok as my blog had gone quiet. So sweet and thoughtful of you Rabia. This post is for you!

I hope you all have been enjoying Victoria either on PBS or when it came out last year on ITV in the UK. I know they spiced up the Victoria/Lord Melbourne relationship a bit but when Rufus Sewell is playing Lord M...I am all for it! Jenna Coleman (Dr. Who, Death Comes to Pemberley) is adorable as the young Victoria. We'll never know what Victoria was really like but it seems there was enough material from her copious diaries for writer Daisy Goodwin to fill in the juicy bits.

Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes in Victoria on PBS/ITV

And the appearance of Tom Hughes as a rather hunky Prince Albert is not bad at all either. Yes, we know they were none of them this attractive, but at least they don't all have blow-dried hair like in The Tudors! :)

The Crown on Netflix

At least as splendiferous is The Crown on Netflix. When Victoria is over, I am going to go back and watch this again. My husband (known as The Squire on this blog) started binge watching this while I was away for the weekend and I had to catch up 3 episodes when I got back. So it has some universal appeal especially for a history buff. It is fascinating to take a peek behind the curtain of the lives of royals who are either still living (Clair Foy as QEII and Matt Smith as Prince Philip) or are in recent memory (Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret and Victoria Hamilton as The Queen Mum). John Lithgow is pretty amazing as Winston Churchill...I love the bath spilling episode!

Now, a quick catch up on other films I have enjoyed since last posting! Hidden Figures...just wonderful. Again, this is one my hubby really enjoyed as well. The audience was cheering and jeering at the screen. Awesome! 3 ladies with fabulous scientific minds that we should know about and an entertaining film to boot. I want to read the book as well. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.  How is that for a book title?

I know, 1986 does not really qualify for a historical period film but LION is great. I was sobbing at the end...in a really great way. The little guy who plays Saroo as a boy (Sunny Pawar) is heart-breakingly adorable. The story of a lost child in India, adopted to Tasmania, Australia by a loving couple who subsequently finds his way back as an adult via Google Earth. Dev Patel as adult Saroo was fab as was Nicole Kidman as his Australian mum. I am not a big Nicole Kidman fan but she really did a great job with this one. And this one also is adapted from a book, again a true story, A Long Way Home.

Again, Sci-Fi is not my usual genre, and yet Arrival is one that I believe my readers would truly enjoy. It is about communication with aliens and will have you on the edge of your seat. No explosions and car chases, but lots of really different drama. Good different!

Sing Street is a real gem about a teenager in 1980s Ireland who starts a band to impress a girl. We caught this one on Netflix and both of my twenty-something sons sat down and watched it with us. "Where did you find out about this film Mom?"... Enough said.

Ron Howard's The Beatles: Eight Days a Week is a fabulous film. Only if you are a Beatles fan, but if you are this one is great!

Florence Foster Jenkins! I absolutely loved this one! Meryl Streep disappears into this over the top character and gives a really fun and yet tender portrayal of a fascinating lady. Hugh Grant shows some real acting chops and Simon Helberg (from Big Bang Theory) steals the show as her bewildered accompanist.

A few others worth mentioning were The Man Who Knew Infinity with Dev Patel as an Indian Mathematician in 1914 who makes his way to Cambridge England. You don't have to be an academic to appreciate this one but it is a well told and interesting story. On Netflix.

Shetland is a classic British murder mystery television series set in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. Not for everyone as it can be gruesome, but this one gripped me. Also on Netflix.

The Detectorists is a much lighter, quirky British show about metal detectorists in England. You have to like quirky for this one so of course I loved it!

On PBS, The Durrells in Corfu and Grantchester are both really good, and I have to catch up on Poldark as I haven't seen all of those. I still enjoy Call the Midwife, and there is a new season of Homefires coming to PBS along with To Walk Invisible about the Bronte Sisters.

There are many more that I want to see (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jackie, Fences, Queen of Katwe).

Anyway, I better post this or it will be another month before I get back to the blog! Thanks again to Rabia for checking up on me! :)

The World of Mr Selfridge Book Giveaway!

The final season of Mr. Selfridge is now airing on PBS and if any of you would like the chance to win one of 2 gorgeous companion books, The World of Mr. Selfridge, jammed with sumptuous photos, all you need to do is leave a comment with your contact info (and your favourite character or aspect of the show if you like) and I will choose the winners on the night of the finale (Sunday May 27th on PBS). Retweeting one of my twitter or facebook posts about the draw will also get  you another entry!

Season four of Mr. Selfridge, based on the book Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge (which I also adored) is running on PBS right now. If you need to catch up on the new episodes, US residents can watch it on the PBS website and the first three seasons are on Netflix.

Please forgive my terrible photos of the book as I was getting reflections off of the glossy pages. The new season does not feature my fave character from the show, long suffering Rose Selfridge played by the amazing Frances O'Connor but she does play a big part in the first two seasons. Jeremy Piven is a good choice for Harry Selfridge as he is fascinating to watch but none too likeable, much like the real man himself.

The early seasons follow Agnes Towler, an adorable sales clerk played by the luminous Aisling Loftus (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and War and Peace) who gives us the perspective of the working-class girls who made Selfridges run smoothly. At a time when women were just getting used to the freedom of shopping as well as working in retail it is an amazing peek into their world.

With many peripheral characters like Kitty, Mr. Crabb, Miss Mardle, Mr. Grove and Agnes' love interests Henri LeClair and Victor Colleano there is plenty of plot to keep this show rolling through four seasons.

Lady Mae Loxley

Friends and especially love interests of Harry Selfridge wander in and out of the plot with infuriating regularity. Was the man really this much of a player? And if you know anything about the real Harry Selfridge, you know which direction the last season is going. A little hint...things are not rosy after the demise of the lovely Rose.

I had forgotten that Samuel West plays newspaper man Frank Edwards whose friendship with Harry hits some rough spots along the way. If you haven't had a chance to check out Sam West's parents on Great Canal Journeys (actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales) it is well worth checking out on YouTube.

It is lovely to think of tea (the most perfect the world produces) being a mere tuppence a cup and half scone or jam tart a mere penny each. However considering the wages of the times, that was probably not considered inexpensive for afternoon tea at the Palm Court Restaurant.

Again, forgive my horrid photography of the book, but views of the props like these hat pins and fans are absolutely breathtaking!

And in this US election year (our Canadian national election was last year) just remember that even the makers of this book and the Mr. Selfridge series want to remind you that your vote was hard won by your ancestors so please ladies and gentlemen, exercise your right to vote!

Now feel free to add a comment and your contact info below to win a copy of this brilliant book.

Cheers!

Later edit-I have chosen the winners:

Sheila Majczan
Jenna Oksanen

Congrats and I will be contacting you to get shipping info. Thanks to all who entered here and on Twitter!

Downton Abbey Season 6 FINAL EPISODE Best Lines

I can't believe this is the end! There is some talk of a Downton film in the future and there were also rumors of Julian Fellowes penning a prequel to Downton Abbey. A story of young Cora as a "Buccaneer"- a debutante from America with money wishing to marry into the English aristocracy. Now THAT would be worth watching!

Well, after finishing the brilliant final episode and wiping away a few tears (from the last few episodes actually) here are some of the best lines. Feel free to comment below and add any fave lines I might have missed.

Lord Grantham: You'd be happy to live alone?
Lady Edith:  I'll have Marigold. Anyway, I'm a spinster, aren't I? And spinsters live alone.

Isobel: I know (Dickie) went with them to London but I haven't heard a squeak since.
Lady Violet: Well, that settles it. You must beard him in his den.
Isobel: Won't that encourage him?
Lady Violet: Your feelings do you credit, my dear, but never let tenderness be a bar to a bit of snooping!

Thomas: That's enough love talk, Andy.

Daisy: Love talk?!
Mrs. Patmore: He's nice. You could do worse.
Daisy: I could do a lot better, an' all.

Lady Edith: Your tips on how to keep your husband happy have gone down particularly well. And you wrote so well about dressing for town and country in autumn. Could we have a little more of that?
Spratt: Oh, I'm full of ideas when it comes to combining comfort and elegance m'lady.

Henry Talbot: Hang on, Spratt is your agony aunt?
Lady Edith: You must promise to keep it secret.
Henry Talbot: (chuckling) Won't your grandmother be furious?
Lady Edith: If she finds out.

Bertie Pelham: I want you back.
Lady Edith: Nothing's changed.
Bertie: I've changed.
Lady Edith: Well if  you have, you haven't said a word to me about it.
Bertie: Would you believe me if I said I can't live without you?
Lady Edith: You've done a pretty good job of living without me lately.
Bertie: I've done a very bad job.

Bertie: I want you to marry me.
Lady Edith: There could be gossip. Are you ready for it?
Bertie: Well, I hope to avoid it, but I'm ready if we can't. The only thing I'm not ready for is a life without you.

Lady Violet: Why wouldn't you (burst into tears on hearing that Lord Merton has pernicious anemia), when you're in love with him?
Isobel: Am I? That phrase conjures up for me dance cards and stolen kisses and mama waiting below in the carriage. Not two old fuddy-duddies who can barely manage the stairs.
Lady Violet: It's good to be in love, whatever age.
Isobel: After Prince Kuragin, did you ever fall in love again?
Lady Violet: You must know by now I never answer any question more incriminating than whether or not I need a rug.

Mrs. Patmore: Do you know your problem?
Daisy: I bet I soon will.
Mrs. Patmore: You despise anyone who thinks well of you. You were soft on Alfred, mad for him when he only had eyes for Ivy. But when he made a play for you, you'd have nothing to do with him.
Daisy: That's different.
Mrs. Patmore: How?

This season, the best advice is dispensed by Mrs. Patmore, Spratt and the Dowager Countess Violet! And Tom Branson of course.

Lord Grantham: It reminds me of when she ran the house as a convalescent home during the war.

Lady Rose: You have a wonderful marriage, and with my parents, I should know. Don't spoil it now by asking her to choose. Please.

Tom: We'll set up a dealership for new cars and in time, we'll go into production. There's nothing wrong with being married to Mr. Rolls or Mr. Royce.


Henry: A new baby, a new business. I suppose I must have been as happy as this but I can't imagine when.
Lady Mary: Honestly! Shhh! And remind me never to tell you a secret again.

Lady Rosamund: We didn't always think there would be a happy ending for Edith.
Lady Violet: Well, there's a lot at risk, but with any luck, they'll be happy enough. Which is the English version of a happy ending.
Lady Rosamund:  What do you think makes the English the way we are?
Lady Violet:  I don't know. Opinions differ. Some say our history, but I blame the weather.

Bertie Pelham, Marquess of Hexham: What a wonderful life we're going to have!

Lady Violet:  Makes me smile the way every year we drink to the future, whatever it may bring.
Isobel:  Well, what else can we drink to? We're going forward to the future not back into the past.
Lady Violet:  If only we had the choice!


On that note, a final Cheers! and good night to all.

Downton Abbey Season 6 Episode 5 Best Lines

Carson: Are these done enough? This plate is cold...which is a pity. Bubble and squeak as a vegetable with lamb? This knife could do with sharpening. It's been a while since she played with her patty pans.

Good grief Mr. Carson! What has happened to the happiest man alive!

As Mrs. Patmore says: Men and sigh!!!!

Mr. Mason: It does me good to see a friendly woman bustling about the kitchen!

Back off Daisy! I smell another senior romance here. And has anyone else noticed that the lovely Cockney footman has more than a passing interest in Daisy? Another romance amongst the pigs. Mmmmm.

Tom: We were evenly matched Sybil and I. She was strong in her beliefs, so was I. We were a marriage of equals. We were very happy.

Lady Mary: I think we see that now, the family I mean. Not at first you're right, but now.

Good for you Tom! Giving Mary advice on affairs of the heart. Someone should point her in the right direction and you are the only one she trusts I think!

Tom: Long live our own Queen Mary!

Henry Talbot: La Belle Dame sans Merci.

Lady Edith: Victorian women growing into modern women.
New Lady Editor: And the price they paid...

Great episode for Lady Edith. She hires a helper, gets a kiss and plans a future away from Downton. Now if only Lady Mary wasn't sniffing around about Marigold. Look out!

Denker to Dr Clarkson: She's been running this village since you've been eating porridge in the glen with your mammy!
Lady Violet: You have read too many novels! You have seen too many moving pictures!

Oh this was a bit of fun to see Dame Maggie Smith wind up to fever pitch about Denker disgracing her. And always fun to see the sparring between Denker and Septimus Spratt!

Lord Grantham: If this is it, just know I have loved you very very much.
Lady Cora: This isn't it. We won't let this be it.

It was hard to find a photo that wasn't too graphic for the burst ulcer scene. If  you would like to see the GIF which plays it over and over, the link is here to Vanity Fair's Downton Gore Page.

Let's hope next week has less blood and more great lines!

Cheers!

Home Fires on ITV and PBS

Home Fires on ITV and PBS

If you haven't yet been taken under the spell of the WWII drama Home Fires, then here is my whole hearted recommendation to check it out.

Opening in the late summer of 1939 as England prepared itself for the second time in a generation for war, the WI (Women's Institute) considers shutting down for the duration of the war. After all, what use is jam making and tea parties during wartime?

Actually, as the women of the WI in the rural Cheshire community of Great Paxford dig in and get to work (picking blackberries for fundraising jam here) the WI gives the ladies purpose and support and gives us a ton of enjoyment watching them. And the female battle between two local spitfires Joyce Cameron (Francesca Annis) and Frances Barden (Samantha Bond) starts the series off with some fireworks.

Although the stories of women at the home front may sound rather dull, Home Fires is anything but! Young love with dashing fighter pilots, a handsome doctor whose wife thinks she can practice medicine too and a conscientious objector who gets ostracized for his beliefs are among the many absorbing story lines.

Just don't get too attached to the male characters because during war you never know who is coming home and who isn't. And it is that dark cloud over Great Paxford which keeps you on the edge of your seat.

You will see lots of familiar faces such as Francesca Annis (Cranford), Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey) and Ruth Gemmell (Fever Pitch) in this series as well as some very talented new ones. I am thrilled that ITV have picked it up for another season so we get catapulted into the Battle of Britain next year.



Running currently on Sunday nights at 8pm on PBS, you can catch up on episodes on the PBS website here.

Off I go to watch it all again!!!

Cheers!

Call the Midwife Season 3 and Mr. Selfridge Season 2!

Chummy is back on Sunday March 30! I just previewed the first episode of Call The Midwife Season 3 and it was fabulous as usual. And lots of Chummy in this one so you know it will be good. And a (shhh) Royal Visit (shhhh).

Check local listings but in my area this one airs at 8pm as the lead in for Mr. Selfridge. Harrumph! Call the Midwife should be the main feature methinks.

Mr. Selfridge Season 2 starts next Sunday as well on PBS stations everywhere. I think 9 pm but check local listings!!!

I like this show (if I can remember back that far) but I haven't heard any buzz on the new season. I also haven't had a chance to preview the season opener yet so I can't give you any info yet.

I do love Frances O'Connor so high hopes!

Let me know what you think of these new seasons!

P.S. After watching the whole season opener of Mr. Selfridge on Sunday night, I am sort of on the fence about it. Absolutely gorgeous to look at, no doubt about that. And Frances O'Connor as Rose Selfridge is sticking up for herself and letting Jeremy Piven's big boss know where he can take his loving husband routine. Go Rose! But there is still something lacking in this series. I will continue to watch, ever hopeful that the plot will live up to the production values. I'd love to know what you think. Please comment below.

Still loving Chummy and The Midwives! xoxo

Cheers!

Call The Midwife Holiday Special Dec 29 2013

I was lucky enough to be able to preview the new Call The Midwife Holiday Special today. As much as I enjoyed last year's Christmas Special, I am happy to report that this year's was every bit as good. Prepare to cry. Maybe not as many tears as last year but still a few.

We find Sister Bernadette no longer a nun (and now going by her real name Shelagh), and preparing for her wedding to the good doctor. Speaking of Dr. Turner, he is trying to get all the children of Poplar vaccinated against polio before another outbreak. And we see lots of Chummy in this special, enjoying life as a new mother to baby Freddy, and still a Cub Scout leader!

Jenny has a new very handsome beau, and has stopped pining over that married creep. Finally! We also learn a bit about Trixie and her home life as a child.

There is a crisis in the form of an unexploded bomb from the Blitz which was discovered in the rebuilding effort in the East End of London. The neighbourhood of Nonnatus House is evacuated to a community hall, and all just before Christmas!

So what will come of Nonnatus House and our favourite nuns? Tune in to PBS on Sunday Dec 29th at 7:30 pm and find out. I think I will watch it again with you then!

Cheers!