Here's one for Priscilla:



And now we can all smell like Lady Mary, Lady Edith or even the Dowager - M&S are doing a range of Downton Abbey toiletries for Christmas. If I wasn't too old for ironic statements, I'd buy a big plastic bottle (with tassle) of DA Shower Foam or whatever it is.





Tesco Finest (Lord knows what the Tesco Grossest range is like) is offering us plebs a Downton Abbey Christmas Pudding:

Why We Love It

Lady Mary wouldn't dream of hosting a holiday dinner without our Downton Abbey Luxury Christmas Pudding. Nor should you! Our authentic recipe includes the finest fruits and spices, and would make Mrs. Patmore most proud. Pour on a little rum or brandy and set it aflame for an extravagant presentation.

They should remove the dog's arse from the branding promo they run at the start of each episode before they embark on Christmas puds. Though perhaps if it's a Tesco thing it might be apt.

Thanks for the Downton Abbey NIts notion, Temp but I have yet to finish a book oof "Knit Your Own Royal Family" ideas. Much posher - it includes a crown, v. large ear warmers,  a grouch gag and a right Royal Fry up breakfast...... that has been fun, esp the fried eggs and bacon.  The Downton  flat chested  look lacks appeal. must avoid that pudding at all costs - far too many people in their kitchen stirring it all up, for starters. I may knit one, however; this may need an unravelled dirty jumper with a road kil stuffing.

Perhaps the above knitted vest (or whatever it is) could be used to cover up the fat dog's bottom. It looks like something a posh dog could wear and it would add a bit of cheer at shooting parties.

I wonder if anyone actually knitted these matching garments? I bet someone did.

I think the garments depicted are crochet work, Temperance.  I always found crochet grew much faster than knitting, but any clothes I made either way ended up a size or two too large for me so I had to try to remember to do a size or two smaller than my "real" size.  That said, I haven't done either crochet or knitting for a while now.  I guess back in the times when most ladies gave up their jobs to be housewives (if they married) these magum opuses (or magna opi????) were undertaken and maybe it used to be cheaper to make things at home then (not that the nobs who owned Downton Abbey would worry about financial savings). 

As for the dog's derriere, it may not be a thing of beauty, but wouldn't covering it cause problems if Fido wanted to be excused?

The matching dog clothes are still around Temp, not only can one knit or crochet stuff but also sew matching outfits...........



I wonder if they have them for cats too.....

The lady wearing the knitted garment has misunderstood its purpose and its intended recipient. Isis, being a lady dog must be protected from the rapacious behaviour of lower class canines (and from yielding to the appetites demonstrated by some of the human Downton ladies) so the garment in question is, in fact, a rather fancy bitchy chastity belt.

Don't laugh, they do exist
t 

Barbour - who make hunting, shooting and fishing coats for really posh people - also make them for their dogs.





This one looks as though he's being given a hard time by the local mutts - not surprising as he does look ridiculous in his posh coat.



Actually the Barbour dog coats aren't that expensive - they cost about £36. Not expensive, that is, compared to Mulberry canine garments - one of their "doggy parkas" will knock you back £140 (and it's reduced from £175 - picture won't copy).

It's a mad world, my masters.

Got one to copy. This bit of nylon was originally priced at £175.

I thought it was bad enough when I went swimming with my kids to the baths and saw mothers and daughters dressed in the same patterned togs.

A friend here went to her child's wedding in America, and her job was to find the clothing for the couple's dog.  She said it wasn't difficult - there were pet clothing businesses all round the place!  NZers don't seem to go in for this sort of thing - still vestiges of expecting dogs to be working sheep dogs perhaps - so we will all rather amazed.  Another aspect of the madness of modern weddings.

I suppose your friend must have seen the dog bakeries in the US too Caro? Yep, bakeries that make cakes and biscuits just for dogs. The world has gone mad, and no wonder there are now dog psychologists or 'animal behaviourists' as they are called, what with all the confused pets around.

The Downton cast for Season 4's Christmas Special;

Spot the problem:

I've got three of them in my fridge - genuine French ones, too. I shall take them to "The Antiques Road Show". They might be worth a few bob.

Temperance wrote:

I've got three of them in my fridge - genuine French ones, too. I shall take them to "The Antiques Road Show". They might be worth a few bob.

Que ???? 

 I thought that was a plastic bottle on the mantelpiece.

Triceratops wrote:

Temperance wrote:

I've got three of them in my fridge - genuine French ones, too. I shall take them to "The Antiques Road Show". They might be worth a few bob.

Que ???? 

 I thought that was a plastic bottle on the mantelpiece.

Sorry, Trike; it wasn't a very good joke.  

I thought it was a very good joke, Temp!

I can't believe this is publicity for series FIVE! How on earth is that fellow Fellowes getting away with it? Must be something in the water ...

Well, who's succumbed to Sunday night brain smothering again? I swore I wouldn't but............

We have (yes Himself watches it too ) but not on Sunday night. We've only seen the first episode and our immersion in the mind numbing 2nd episode will commence tomorrow afternoon probably.

Julian has skipped a couple of years from the end of the last season and Maggie Smith seems different somehow.

As I speak my husband is watching the fourth series.  I saw it while I was in Britain, but he didn't and now wants to catch up before the new series starts here soon.  I am within earshot and could do without all the business over Anna's rape again.  He doesn't care about quality television, just entertainment, but I doubt if he finds that particular story-line very entertaining.

Poor Isis - it's really tight on the poor dog. She didn't choose her name:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2808389/Is-ITV-kill-Lord-Grantham-s-dog-goes-unfortunate-Isis.html

Watch - or listen out - for this bit tonight:

Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham, is seen looking at a morose-looking pet splayed on the ground and remarks: 'She’s terribly listless. I don’t know that she hasn’t picked up a germ.'

Lady Mary Crawley adds: 'She’ll have eaten a dead squirrel or something equally foul'.

Dear lord, that's up there with persecuting paediatricians.

It's really such tripe but Homeland and then Downtown on ITV+1 makes for a rather enjoyable Sunday evening.

Downton, episode by episode, linked to articles reflecting some of the issues in the story as reported in the New York Times. They've just started series 5 in the US but it's being updated week by week.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/12/31/arts/television/12312015_DowntonAbbey-timeline.html#/#time357_10705

The negotiations for the showing of Wolf Hall on American TV have begun. US executives have seen the BBC series, and have decided it's good - more than good, in fact. The verdict:

"It's right up there with Downton Abbey."

I am past despair these days. But it could have been worse. At least the pronouncement was not: "It's right up there with Downton Abbey and The Other Boleyn Girl."

ferval wrote:

Well, who's succumbed to Sunday night brain smothering again? I swore I wouldn't but............

Here we go again - Lord, what complete and utter tripe it is. Why do we all watch it?


http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/21/downton-abbey-review-thank-heaven-theres-not-much-more-of-this-tedium


The longest, most drawn-out storyline in soap history – Bates, Anna, the murder of Green the valet, whodunnit, he dunnit, no, she dunnit – may actually have reached its ending, and another happy one. Someone else dunnit, and has confessed. It’s not all happy though; no miscarriage of justice any more but actual miscarriage – Anna’s – and all the injustice of that. And I’m not happy that it looks as though I’m never going to see Bates swing, which has been pretty much all I’ve been excited about since series two. I haven’t entirely given up, sudden and unexpected U-turns aren’t entirely unknown at Downton Abbey. #HangBates  



And apparently the Chinese love it.

Why do we watch it? For the same reason I find myself shamefacedly buying a bag of Twirl Bites; I know its manufactured, sugary rubbish and entirely without nutritional benefit but it gives me a short-term endorphin boost when 80% single plantation chocolate just wouldn't do it.

ferval wrote:

Why do we watch it? For the same reason I find myself shamefacedly buying a bag of Twirl Bites; I know its manufactured, sugary rubbish and entirely without nutritional benefit but it gives me a short-term endorphin boost when 80% single plantation chocolate just wouldn't do it.

I get no endorphin boost at all from Downton Abbey - quite the opposite. My serotonin levels are seriously depleted after watching it. It really does depress me. Game of Thrones had the same effect, although I couldn't stop watching it. Worrying. Apparently these TV things do work on the brain, like any other addictive activity. Watching crap - especially binge-watching crap - is really bad for us. And we are all doing it these days.

I'm not watching any more Downton Abbey, and even if Jonathan Pryce is in Season 5 of GofT, I'm not getting the DVD when it comes out. Enough is enough.


PS Irony is, of course, that posting here and looking at posts is addictive too!

Aged 8 and finding the library has the latest Blyton Five adventure; a comfortable read with a chocolate bar to hand, the formula consistence and the characters unchanging - or aging. Thus some us now get to watch the latest Abbey fantasy.
It's not quite the same with following posts here, these being often uncomfortable, no chocolate without guilt. no formula and everyone aging.

Priscilla, I too was an expert on Enid Blyton and Cadbury's Fruit and Nut.

Sorry, but Downton Abbey can't compare.

Mrs. Patmore quizzing Carson about his expectations for future joy in the marital bed, and Mrs. Hughes's anxieties about the same (the rites mysterious of connubial love and all that), followed by her most unfortunate quotation from Cromwell (Oliver), was ludicrous beyond belief.

I've never seen Dafton but I think it's true one does like something undemanding at times. I have watched reruns of 'The Bill' on the Drama channel recently. I think a critic said  it  was more like 'Fun  Hill' than 'Sun Hill' but I've had it on - though I am getting  over an early autumn chill. And I was always  more of an  'NCIS'  or 'CSI'  girl than a 'Mad Men' or 'Sopranos'  fan. I suppose the showrunners of "Mad Men" must have done their  homework  but in the earlier part of the 60s when I wasn't wearing my horrid school uniform I recall wearing shift dresses  and  slacks rather  than those sticky out flowery  things. In the late 60s of  course  the mini-skirt reigned supreme. I think I managed 2 episodes of one of  the first series of 'Mad  Men'  and gave up.  Still that's  two more episodes than I've  watched of Dafton.

I must be the only person in the Western world who hasn't watched Mad Men. I've just ordered the first DVD.

Temperance wrote:

I must be the only person in the Western world who hasn't watched Mad Men. I've just ordered the first DVD.

Oh dear ... then I think I must be an absolute hermit.

I've never seen any Mad Men, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, nor Game of Thrones ... err, and no Downton Abbey either, nor any Strictly Come Dancing nor Celebrity Bake Off, or whatever it's called. For all our sins (compulsory crap TV was presumably included in the 1815 Treaty of Paris) we seem in France to get exactly all the same English pap as you ... they get syndicated onto French TV almost as soon as you've choked on it all. And yet I have to admit that I've never actually watched any of them in French either. And now I think about it, I've never watched a single episode of Coronation Street in England (that must be a record!), nor the incredibly popular, Midsomer Murders, (en France il s'appel 'Inspecteur Barnaby', c'est aussi vachement populaire) ... and surely both of those are de rigeur, for a modern, educated, well-rounded individual, non?

P'raps I'm just odd?

Not necessarily odd. I've never watched Coronation Street either, or Eastenders  for that matter. And I'm always years behind everyone else with the boxed sets - I haven't got Sky TV.

The Sopranos was good and Breaking Bad very good - after the first few episodes. Game of Thrones is crap, but very, very polished crap. The acting is excellent and the script cleverly done, but, like all junk food, leaves you completely unsatisfied.

Anne Boleyn from The Tudors is in it too, which is silly - also Thomas More out of Wolf Hall. Can't remember the actors' real names, or who they are in GoT. No Mark Rylance though - unless he shows up in the next season as a dragon-slayer or tamer or something. I've still got the last season to watch - I bet I end up buying the DVD, no matter what I say.

Not odd at all, I haven't seen Breaking Bad, The Wire and only half of one episode of GOT.  No soaps for many years, The Archers was the last to go but I did watch The Sopranos. The occasional one of Mad Men but I didn't get hooked even though I do remember wearing paper nylon petticoats in the late 50s to get the proper sticky-out effect. Shifts were more 1962-5 ish.
I blame Temp for my Downton habit, it was reading her posts that got me started on the class A stuff.

I'm going to watch High Noon now - brilliant film. 1954! It was on the other day and I'd forgotten I'd recorded it.

ferval now you mention it I did have a 'can-can' petticoat circa 1960 though I was not  really fashion conscious then. I was slightly more fashion conscious from around 1963 around when I turned 14 and I recall having a shift then. I've always liked an A line skirt and still like 'em now.

I occasionally watch the odd episode of EE or Corrie when I chance upon them though one can watch an episode and  then  not watch for another several months  and  it feels like  one  has missed nothing.  Temperance are the GOT actors you are thinking of Natalie Dormer and Anton Lesser? Like I say I've recently seen some reruns of 'The Bill' and that got very 'soapy' when it started to air more than once a week.  I like 'High Noon' too. I don't have Sky either though from what I can judge it is showing a lot of Starz and Showtime [USA or Canadian cable networks not sure which]. Some of  those channels'  fare aired some of the terrestrial channels prior to going exclusively  with Sky in  the UK and let's  say I wasn't  impressed  that much (example 'Camelot' - mind you Chibbers and Mikey Hearst had something  to do with that so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that 'Morte d'Arthur' it wasn't). Sorry that my spacing here is quirky but my laptop keyboard is faulty and when I plug  in a separate [supposedly generic plug and play] keyboard despite  downloading  the relevant  software I get  a message "Windows  does not  recognise  USB device" or similar  wording.

Lady Mary - on being told about the stupid historical inaccuracies in Downturn Abbey.

And Edith's reaction to the same news ...

Temperance wrote:

I'm going to watch High Noon now - brilliant film. 1954! It was on the other day and I'd forgotten I'd recorded it.

Director Fred Zinnemann's view of the film:

"I saw it as a great movie yarn, full of enormously interesting people... only later did it dawn on me that this was not a regular Western myth. There was something timely -- and timeless -- about it, something that had a direct bearing on life today. To me it was the story of a man who must make a decision according to his conscience. His town -- symbol of a democracy gone soft -- faces a horrendous threat to its people's way of life. Determined to resist, and in deep trouble, he moves all over the place looking for support but finding that there is nobody who will help him; each has a reason of his own for not getting involved. In the end, he must meet his chosen fate all by himself, his town's doors and windows firmly locked against him. It is a story that still happens everywhere, every day."

Two men who didn't like it were John Wayne and John Ford. They viewed High Noon as being un-American due to it's alleged criticism of McCarthyism and Wayne helped in having writer Carl Foreman blacklisted.  The two of them made Rio Bravo as a response to High Noon.

The screenplay by Carl Foreman is excellent. The man knew his Aristotle: High Noon adheres to the unities of time, place and action with brilliant effect.

Please, who was the Greek tyrant mentioned by the cynical realist, Judge Mettrick (who deserts the Marshall, like everyone else)? Was it Hippias?

Judge Mettrick: In the 5th century B.C., the citizens of Athens, having suffered grievously under a tyrant, managed to depose and banish him. However when he returned some years later, with an army of mercenaries, those same citizens not only opened the gates for him, but stood by while he executed members of the League of Government. A similar thing happened about eight years ago in a town called Indian Falls. I escaped death only through the intercession of a lady of somewhat dubious reputation - and uh, the cost of a very handsome ring which once belonged to my mother. Unfortunately, I have no more rings.

This bod might fit the bill, Temp;

from wiki:

"Peisistratus was forced to leave Attica entirely. During his nearly ten-year exile, he created an alliance with powerful allies and accumulated great wealth. With his powerful personal army, he marched to Marathon and from there to Athens. His popularity soared and many locals supported him. Thus, in 546 BC, he began his third and final tyranny."

Though there is no mention of him carrying out any executions and he seems to have been a very popular Tyrant.

The only Indian Falls I can find are in New York state ( unlikely ) and California ( population 54 ) the whole speech sounds like it is the creation of the screenwriter.

Could well be Hippias ... although wasn't his return to Athens forced on them by a league between the Spartans and Persians, both of whom wanted to nip Athenean democracy in the bud by re-imposing Hippias' tyrannical rule. And so while Athenians may have opened the gates for him and stood by while he executed their elected government ... they weren't exactly cheering whilst doing so. And wasn't it Hippias, years later but still in the pay of the Persians, who encouraged Darius to directly attack Athens (Hippias had a prophetic dream or something like that, or is that just Herodotus's spin?) .. only of course for the Persian invasion to be decisively stopped at Marathon (and no wonder the Spartans hesitated in supporting the Athenians ... they'd secretly wanted them to lose all along).

Crossed posts with Trike.

Thanks, Trike and MM. I haven't a clue about this period of history!

I had a conversation at the checkout at Morrison's yesterday. The lady in front of me had some Mrs. Patmore Yorkshire Puddings in her pile of groceries. I commented on this, and we had a very friendly and interesting exchange about how ridiculous it all was. We both were highly amused by the assurance on the packet of her puds that the buying of this product meant she and her family would be enjoying "a Downton Abbey dinner". The purchaser of these posh comestibles said they were, until recently, marketed simply as "Aunt Bessie's" Yorkshire Puddings. Who, one wonders, is or was the ousted Aunt Bessie?

It's Cider With Rosie tonight. The latest BBC Drama productions, shown at the same time as ITV's Downturn  Abbey, have failed to compete in the viewing ratings. Sigh. All the BBC offerings have all been superb, despite D.H. Lawrence (Lady Chatterley began the series). Last week's The Go-Between was the best thing I have seen for ages on TV. It was magical. That little Jack Hollington, who played Leo, is one to watch.

I didn't think anything could compete with the Christie/Bates/Pinter version from years ago, but this BBC production was so good it hurt to watch it. I won't be deleting it.

Why ever are you (plural you, not just Temp) buying ready made Yorkshire puddings ... they're about the simplest things to make from the simplest and most basic of ingedients, and with very little chance for much to go wrong.

But that said they do actually sell them here in France, not usually called Yorkshire puds, although I have seen individual pre-prepared English import puds in some touristy places, next to the Birds' Custard and Heinz beans. But actually the French do really like "les puddings yorkshire" ... but usually only when they don't realise that it is in fact English, or alternatively when it is disguised and given the French name (of equally long peasant heritage): "clafoutis", which is again just a very simple baked batter cake, which can be sweet (see the 'Dish of the Day') ... or savoury. I usually do mine, toute simple à la yorkshire, but with just a teeny-tiny bit of morille or cep/porcini mushroom for a boost. And then delight in telling the French gastronomes that it is a very old traditional English recipe that my mother regularly cooked. Mon Dieu, c'est Anglais, mais quelle horreur!

I wasn't buying frozen Yorkshire puds, MM. How dare you, sir? It was the woman in front of me in the queue at Morrison's.

I am sitting here, quietly sipping my favourite wine, waiting for the Supermoon to rise over my field. No sign of it yet, and moonrise, Exeter, UK,  this evening was 18.47pm. There is a big hill and a wood in the way so, no doubt, something will happen soon.

Well I'm trying to digest the remains of my pumpkin and chestnut crumble ... which, let us just say, wasn't a total success . Though my civet de sanglier seemed to go down a treat.

But now we too are awaiting some lunar action ... things start here about 2:00 local time but reach a climax at about 4:00 ... which is a bit of a bugger when I need to start getting criossants baked at 7:00. The two astronomers have actually gone off for a wee sleep .... I think I may well do the same, and leave the washing up until 4 o'clock tomorrow morning.

deleted - posted twice

A really big moon did eventually appear over the hill, as expected.

Gosh, four and a half hours to go before it goes super though. A snooze does seem a good idea. See you at 3.00am (4.00am for you and your guests), MM!

The Guardian: How well did you know Downton Abbey?

Apparently it's ending soon (thought it already had, to be honest). This light-hearted quiz will test how much attention you've been paying. I have paid none and I still scored a decent innings.

Tip: Coitus Karkas is not a Turkish diplomat's name - more what one might read on his death certificate. And instant coffee appeared in the 50s, whereas Perrier plastic mineral water bottles are indeed Edwardian mantelpiece adornments.