Okay, let’s get it over with (I’m a little upset, don’t mind me), but first a warning. I’m about to blatantly talk about Season 6, Episode 4 of Downton Abbey. Shield thyself if thee wishes to remain clueless. MUSICA And for you who are new to this Blog, looking around and deciding it is a Downton Abbey Blog, that isn’t all it is . . . just for now, because so many of us are watching the series with avid uncontrollable interest, especially me, so I just have to talk about it! Click on some of the icons at the top of the blog, and you’ll go lots of other interesting places. So, what has me so upset?  WELL!!! 

It starts out okay. Love the dress and the gloves, they go so well with the fireplace and the ornaments on the mantle. Tom looks happy, but then . . . who walks in?

Eeek! It’s the dream shatterer. (Mary’s dream isn’t shattered, it’s my dream that’s the problem.)

Henry Talbot, the frivolous egocentric race car driver has returned. So nice to be able to talk about someone so badly and know that he isn’t real! I’m sorry, but he is just not my cup of tea. I see him as a problem to the future happiness of Tom and Mary. If she goes with him, they are only half of what they could be. Not him. Her. He could never be as good with children as Tom is. Can you see him as Lord of Downton Abbey? Might as well flush it down the drain. Good thing I’m not Lady Mary’s butinski Mother, I would have to nip this in the bud immediately and send her to Siberia or something.

Maybe Tom did eat an extra hot dog or two when he was in Boston, is that so wrong? Mary still seems to love “her brother”(how could she say that? Oh, you mean because it’s almost true?) as much as ever and is perfectly willing to share her Downton Duties with him. The connection remains. But the flirting between them . . . not so good.

Even Henry’s aunt, Lady Prudence Shackleton (visiting mostly to irritate Violet), says Hanks’s prospects are “adequate but not overwhelming.” Hmmm. I just don’t like him. Race car drivers are playboys, everyone knows that. Please God make Julian just be throwing us (me) off the trail.

She tells the playboy how completely uninterested she is in cars and that, as far as she’s concerned, it’s the same as collecting guinea pigs in Peru. He tells her that’s because she wasn’t “taught properly” about “cars” and acts as if he would be the perfect teacher. Please. Am I the only one who notices that he has a very narrow head?

The restaurant they went to was wonderful. Look at the carpet.

Just gorgeous. I want to go there for dinner!

Henry is impressed that Mary works (Tom thinks it’s normal). That’s because he never will. I think he will soon turn sexist on us, which I don’t think Mary will put up with . . . but for now,

They are flirting, grrr. Must Learn To Accept. It’s only a tv show, it’s only a tv show. My favorite line from Mary this week, “All we were taught was French, prejudice, and dawnce steps.”  

This episode, down seems to be up and up seems to be down and everyone is rethinking their lives, as in “why am I here?” Mary, Daisy, Tom and Barrow all said it. The only person who didn’t of course was the Dowager Countess because a. she already knows, and or b. she doesn’t care. Almost a food fight at the table over the hospital. And Donk “drank too much port.” Hurry up ladies, join the 20th century, we are going to need that hospital!

The Dowager takes her passport and goes to the kitchen for the “first time in twenty years” and doesn’t even leave a trail of crumbs to find her way back. Brave woman. But the whole upstairs had to go downstairs to join the jolly group in welcoming home Carson and Mrs. Hughes, who now, as Mrs. Patmore says, “knows the mysteries of life,” and despite that is keeping her maiden name to solve the problem of two Carson’s in the house, leaving everyone to exhale in relief that they don’t have to remember what to call her. The newlyweds looked happy, and out came my favorite white bunting again!

The other people who seem to know where they’re going are Edith and Lady Rosamund. How Lucky Edith is to have her, and did you notice, Edith drives! Of course she does, thoroughly modern millie. Look at the size of that steering wheel.

 Love these two together. Sense and Sensibility. You all probably know that Rosamund is Robert’s sister and the daughter of the Dowager. She is just such an interesting character.

Love this dress. Love the glass. Love the sparkle. Love the swinging earrings. Love the whole thing. 

Love these two together too. Baby on board. At least one, but two would be better. Hint-hint dear Julian.

Mary also expressed not knowing where she is going or what she is doing with her life, but note dismay and instant rescue mode she went into when she saw her best friend Anna was in pain. She wasted not one moment, hasn’t got a drop of dilly-dally blood in her entire body . . .

Boom! Get the car Tom while I lie to my parents and Bates, and OFF they go to York. Mary gets her doctor to get up in the middle of the night and he stitches that baby right back in there, and voila!

Happiness that shows in a million dollar smile. I ask you, if you were going down on the Titanic and you had a choice of getting into Mary’s boat or getting into Edith’s boat, which would you choose? 

I would not get into this boat ever. Another person fretting that he doesn’t know where he is going, but Barrow seems unable to stop himself from doing evil deeds despite admitting that he does care what other people think of him. He shows it by “outing” the charming ex-house maid at luncheon, which hurts no one but himself. As Miss Baxter (who has her own problems, which I am certain Mr. Moseley, aka Dudley Do-Right, will solve, then marry her) said to Barrow, “You are your own worst enemy.” How true. Who said the butler is supposed to talk to the guests? I didn’t hear anyone ask his opinion. I think in real life a butler could get fired for this. If there was a real life anywhere around here.

Anna with her baby glow on, loves Gwen, and we do too: a. for her good works with Hillcroft College, but b. because she gives all the credit for her success in life to Sybil, endearing her to the Crawley’s forever. Was especially happy to know she was married when I saw how much Tom liked her!!! Whew!

I think we came this I→I far from losing Daisy this week.

Everyone was freaking out when she took off her apron and went upstairs to confront Cora, better known as Her Ladyship, to get her just deserts re: Mr. Mason and Yew Tree Farm. She almost ruined everything with her unwillingness to put up with even one more second of perceived unfairness, and was about to attack Cora for promising the farm to Mr. Mason and then reneging. Which we all know she didn’t do.

 But thanks to darling (but ill, soon to be well, we are sure, not to worry) Robert, who intervened and spilled the beans just in time . . .  

 Daisy dodged that bullet, and now her Mr. Mason has the farm!!! Another pair of happy people! You Go Girl! I hope they open a Country Bed and Breakfast.

Then Daisy and that cute footman, Andy, made twinkle eyes at each other . . . Andy, who pointedly said,

“Country life is what I’m after.” This is looking good.

They can raise daisies! They can name their daughters Petunia, Delphinium, and Bluebell.

Sad part came at the end when Mr Carson went to say goodbye to his room . . .

His bachelor bedroom, where I guess he probably lived for 30 or 40 years. I wonder what he is thinking? Life, going too quickly?

But I loved how he

kept his little name tag. This is a very sweet man. Mary would even do better marrying him than that playboy. Except Carson already has a wife. Oh well, we’ll just have to see what happens next Sunday!

But speaking of real life.

We had the most gorgeous blizzard here a couple of days ago . . . because, guess what?  It’s winter!  And that’s what we do!

It’s still beautiful but now it’s sunny and white! You need sunglasses to look at the rooftops!

And here we are, where we always are these days in our studio working away. I have such a terrible deadline with the printer (three weeks!!!!) . . . which I have to make, if I’m going to get to all these book signing events and meet you!  Check it out . . . More events have been added, and there are still more to come. It just gets better all the time!

But I have the kitties and I have Joe. He feeds me, and he surprised me with those roses. Perfect counter action to a blizzard. And I have the story in my book which I love more all the time. Our book. It really is. The roses, by the way, were congratulatory because I heard again from the movie people who are requesting an option on the new book for a movie or a TV series! They sent a contract! So it’s still on a burner somewhere out there. As the nominees for the Academy Awards always say, in the category of Impossible Dreams, “it’s an honor to be nominated.” I realized the other day that the actress that would play me would probably be about three years old right now, with the speed these things go. So no one should hold their breath! But it is wonderful to know that you are on my side! ♥

Off I go to the dream factory. Hope you all have a fantabulous day! Downton Abbey Forever! XOXO