Z is for Zero Interest

Here we have it - the final A to Z challenge post.  I've made no secret that this year's challenge has been a real pain.  The last time I participated, bloggers signed up and listed their blog category by adding initials after their blog name - LI for lifestyle, AC for adult content, crafts (CR), fashion (FA), and travel (TR) among many other categories.  I loved being able to zoom in on blogs that were like my own - lifestyle, a smattering of crafts, fashion, and travel.  I knew from the beginning of the challenge that I had no interest in adult content, gaming, science fiction, and others.  Perhaps that might seem a bit narrow-minded but honestly, with only so many hours in the day, and (in 2015) 1508 bloggers signed up, there was no way I was going to get through them all.  I wanted to focus on bloggers who had the same interests as I do, and I'm happy to say that I met some bloggers that I still follow today.

Fast forward to 2017 and there is no sign up list, no categories.  Instead, every day each blogger goes to the A to Z site and posts a link in the comments to their blog post for the letter of the day.  Every day, there are between 150 and 250 comments and you have no idea of the blog category.  I gave up.  I found a few bloggers early on that shared my interests, several of them were followers of another meme and we had all talked about the challenge.  I made up a blog list and those were the blogs I read.  I did visit some of the bloggers who left comments on my posts but after finding several that I had no interest in whatsoever, I gave up on that too.

I hope that the A to Z admin revisit their policies and bring back the blog categories.  It's a fun challenge but this year, it was really quite a chore.

And that brings me to my final A to Z post and that falls right in with everything above - Zero Interest.  I have hesitated to participate in reading challenges because you are usually asked to read from a variety of genres and I just can't get through some of them.  I've had this problem since sixth grade when I had to read a Newberry Award-winning book and just struggled to get through every page.  I have zero interest in science fiction (although I see that Outlander is listed as time travel which is a sub-category of science fiction) but I think you know the kind of science fiction I mean, the really futuristic stuff, space, extra-terrestrials.  Not for me.  I'm firmly stuck in the genres that make reading such a pleasure and although I may dip my toe in others at times, I usually don't stay for long.

Y is for Yearbook

Another treasured item on my bookshelves is my high school yearbook from my seventh grade year in Belgium.  It's the only yearbook I own as we moved from Belgium to England for the remainder of my high school years and they don't have yearbooks (or at least they didn't have then).

This is the cover of Le Lion '73 - those are the Gilles of the Carnival of Binche which takes place on the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday.

The centrepiece of the carnival's proceedings are clown-like performers known as Gilles. Appearing, for the most part, on Shrove Tuesday, the Gilles are characterised by their vibrant dress, wax masks and wooden footwear. They number up to 1,000 at any given time, range in age from 3 to 60 years old, and are customarily male. The honour of being a Gille at the carnival is something that is aspired to by local men. From dawn on the morning of the carnival's final day, Gilles appear in the centre of Binche, to dance to the sound of drums and ward off evil spirits with sticks. Later during the day, they don large hats adorned with ostrich plumes, which can cost more than $300 to rent, and march through the town with baskets of oranges. These oranges are thrown to, and sometimes at, members of the crowd gathered to view the procession. The vigour and longevity of the orange-throwing event has in past caused damage to property – some residents choose to seal windows to prevent this. The oranges are considered good luck because they are a gift from the Gilles and it is an insult to throw them back. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

April Rudolph Day Recap

I realized today that I completely forgot to put up my April Rudolph Day recap.  To start with, I popped Deck the Halls into the DVD player.

The movie is a bit corny, but fun all the same.  

Then I tackled the April project:  Plan Holiday Crafts.  I'm not feeling too crafty these days but I do have one craft project that I'm working on - the ornaments for the Christmas in July Ornament Swap over at the Magical Holiday Home Forums.  I can't post a photo here since a couple of my swap partners might be reading but just imagine Christmas paper, popsicle sticks, glitter stars, a dowel, and some Modge Podge.  Photos will be up after the big reveal in July.  Apart from that, my Plan Holiday Crafts activity consisted of scrolling through all of the crafts I have pinned on Pinterest and deciding which ones I am going to order for my tree because I'll never be able to recreate them one tenth as good as the originals.  I did see a lot of Scrabble tile art that I think I might be able to manage - if I was a garage sale fan, I'd look for old games just for the tiles but since I'm not, and I'm sure you can buy a bag of tiles at a craft store, I'll do that.

This is a cute one and Amanda from Crafts by Amanda has graciously given us the instructions.  I'll think I'll pass this one on to Sophia as well - do you think kindergartners could manage this?

I did some updating in my Christmas planner as well - I have a whole blog post in the works about  my Christmas planner but the planner is not quite photo-ready yet.  Hopefully soon.  I will share my clips from Cherry Blossom in the Market Square Etsy shop - Kayleigh does the most beautiful work.  Here's my collection so far:

The elf marks Elf on the Shelf planner section, initial stockings for family member gift lists, tree for décor lists, and Santa's Helper for other lists - I'll be looking for some new Christmas clips for a couple of other sections.

Also on the April to-list, updating the holiday letter - not so much for me but plenty of travel for Vic - keeping up with the gift closet (one item in there so far), and looking for frugal finds in the Easter Clearance (does 50% off Easter eggs at the British food store count?).

I also spent a good part of the day going through the Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments Dream Book.  I've narrowed down my selection (from give me one of everything to a little more budget-friendly choice!) and I've decided to wait until they come to the Marine Corps Exchange.  The Navy Exchange is an American Greetings store but the Marines are fully behind Hallmark.  That means discounted prices and no sales tax - win, win.  I'll still go to the ornament premiere at my local Hallmark store but I'll be window shopping only.  Here are the key dates if you haven't received your Dream Book yet:

July 15-23 Ornament Premiere Event

October 7-15 Ornament Debut Event

November 3-10 Holiday Open House Event

December 1-2 Gift of Memories Weekend Event

How was your April Rudolph Day?

X is for X-tra Special

My Dad retired from the Army in 1973 while we were stationed at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe  (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium.  He worked for the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Operations, a German general with a staff from Germany, the United States, United Kingdom, and Turkey.  As a retirement gift, my Dad received this book, Great Military Battles, signed by everyone in the department.

I love books that are inscribed - it's lovely to go back and read through notes left to mark special occasions.  Do you have any X-tra Special books like this on your bookshelves?

W is for Laura Ingalls Wilder

I love my collection of Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder with illustrations by Garth Williams.

While doing some research for this post, I found this site, Little House, full of great resources.

V is for Village Life

If I had an unlimited supply of time and money, I'd take this next book and travel from village to village.

The British Automobile Association (AA) has some wonderful publications - published in 1980, AA's Book of British Villages is only available now from third-party sellers but if you can find a copy, it's a wonderful guide to 700 of the most interesting and attractive villages in Britain.

It has my old favorite:

As well as a village that's been featured in my Tuesday feature, If this is Tuesday, it must be England (or, in this case, Scotland):

AA's Book of British Villages is among my treasured possessions - Reader's Digest really offered some great books and they continue to have great titles available.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 305

1.  April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes.  Has your April been filled with showers?  Do you carry an umbrella, wear a slicker, or make a run for it?  Besides rain, what else has filled your April?

We've had a few showers here in Virginia but where I really want to be - the Seattle area of the Pacific Northwest - there has been record rainfall - 44.67 inches since October 1st.  Wettest October to April on record.  That's my kind of weather!  A slicker is the signature item of clothing for any Pacific Northwesterner - often too windy for an umbrella, a rain jacket with a hood is a must.

2.  What's something you could give a 30-minute presentation on at a moment's notice and with zero preparation?

Christmas planning, Henry VIII and his six wives, the goings-on in the fictional county of Midsomer.

3.  Share with us a favorite food memory from childhood.

HP sauce (the British version of an A1-type sauce) and French bread.  My parents, British aunt, and younger sister (she was 5, I was 11) went from our caravan on the beach (where we spent every weekend on the Belgian coast April through October) into town to pick up some French bread and supplies from the British food store.  Bread and supplies in hand, and after walking what seemed like miles, it started to rain so we decided to duck into a theater and take in a movie while we relaxed and waited for the rain to pass.  The movie was the animated Jungle Book.  We were enjoying the movie but getting a little hungry, so my Mum tore off chunks of French bread and splashed a little HP sauce onto the chunks - delicious!  The movie played on and the sound was soon joined by gentle snores coming from the adults in our group - out of the rain, warm, relaxed, and tummies full, they had all nodded off!  My sister and I continued to enjoy the movie; when it ended and the lights came on, the three adults, covered in French bread crumbs, laughed out loud at their crazy antics.  I cannot look at French bread or HP sauce, or see anything to do with the Jungle Book, without thinking about this day!

4.  What's a song you thought you knew the lyrics to, but later discovered you were wrong?

I modified the first line of Brahm's Lullaby and Goodnight when we sang it to Sophia when she was a baby.  Instead of "Lullaby and goodnight, with roses bedight", we sang "Lullaby and goodnight, now the baby is sleepy".  For some reason, whenever Sophia sang it when she was a bit older, she always sang "Lullaby and goodnight, shorts the baby is sleepy".  We have no idea where the "shorts" part came from!

5.  According to one travel website, the most overrated tourists attractions in America are - Niagara Falls (NY), Hollywood Walk of Fame (California), Times Square (NYC), Epcot (FL), Seattle Space Needle (WA), and Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (Boston).  How many of these have you seen in person?  Did you feel like a tourist?  Did you care?  Tell us about a place (not on the list) you've visited that might be considered a tourist trap, but you love it anyway.

I've visited all but the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Yes, I suppose I felt like a tourist; you're surrounded by crowds, all speaking different languages, all trying to get the best camera angle, all wading through pages of brochures, maps, and guidebooks.  No, I didn't care - I don't think you could really experience these sites without the masses.  Granted, less masses are always a good thing but part of the experience is seeing how others react to it.

I've heard that Pier 39 in San Francisco is considered a tourist trap but we've always had a lot of fun there.

6.  Your signature clothing item?

This long-sleeves, lightweight top from Chadwick's of Boston.  It's so comfortable and goes with anything - I have it in five different colors.

7.  What's an experience you've had you think everyone should experience at least once?  Why?

Really taking a leap of faith - I put my household goods into storage, packed up the rest of my life into four suitcases, and jetted off from California to Guam to take a job with Guam Cable TV.  I knew no-one (other than the head of the company who interviewed me in San Francisco three weeks earlier) and had never traveled to that part of the world.  It was an interesting experience but what I got from it was amazing.  I came back to the States four years later, a Navy wife and mother of a toddler.  It was the beginning of a great adventure, one that is still going strong.  You never know what you're going to end up with when you just step out there and do something out of your comfort zone.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I am still having problems with the comments I leave on other bloggers' post going through to their email.  I get email notifications when any of you leave a comment for me but as soon as I leave a comment on most blogs (oddily, there are a few that get through), I immediately get an error message saying that my message could not be delivered.  It's got something to do with DMARC and a domain owner policy restriction.  I am still trying to get this resolved.  So, bottom line, I will be visiting your Hodgepodges, but you probably won't know it unless you look at the comments under your post.  I am so frustrated!

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #63

I'm wrapping up my British telly series of posts with two more favorite shows. As Time Goes By and Midsomer Murders.

Once upon a time, a dashing young British Army officer and a lovely student nurse fell deeply, magically in love.  Then he was shipped off to Korea and they never heard from one another.  Forty years later, fate brings them together again...with hilarious results.  Judi Dench is marvellous as Jean Pargetter, Geoffrey Palmer the crusty Lionel Hardcastle, and they are joined by Jean's daughter Judith, her friend Sandy, and Lionel's publisher Alistair.  A great cast, terrific show.

The county of Midsomer is a dangerous place to live.  There may be garden shows, fêtes, amateur dramatic societies, book clubs, cricket matches, church bazaars, and ladies who lunch, but there are also some absolute scoundrels.  Initially led by DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles, left above) and then his cousin, DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon, right) plus a parade of dishy Sergeants, there's never a dull moment in Midsomer.

U is for Under the Tuscan Sun

A great book and a wonderful movie.

T is for Tea Time

Tea Time magazine is my favorite magazine - we love all things afternoon tea in this house - and I have all of my back issues filed in acrylic cases for easy reference.  Full of gorgeous table settings and menus for all sorts of teas, plus a calendar of tea events across the country and sources for tea supplies, Tea Time magazine is a must-have for any tea enthusiast.

April Rudolph Day is Coming

Tomorrow is April Rudolph Day!  March Rudolph Day zoomed right by me so I'm not going to miss out on this month's fun.

If you want to join in the fun, the April Rudolph Day movie is Deck the Halls.

What's Rudolph Day? Here is the definition according to Organized Christmas:

A few years ago, members of our Christmas community began to observe "Rudolph Day" on the 25th of each month.

On that day, we take a few moments to plan some simple tasks for the month ahead, in order to get ready for Christmas Day with plenty of time to spare. By starting early--and working a bit at a time on each month's Rudolph Day--it's easy to prepare for Christmas, save money on gifts, and cut holiday stress.

Here's the annual line-up with the sub-theme (if there is one) in parentheses:

January - Tie Up Loose Ends (gather ideas and organize your Christmas notebook)

February - Begin a Holiday Letter

March - Birthday Gift-Buying Strategy (party planning for the holiday season)

April - Plan Holiday Crafts 

May - Catalog Shopping Tips

June - Recipe Round Up

July - Choose a Holiday Plan (Christmas in July celebration)

August - Craft Control (thinking ahead to Elf on the Shelf)

September - Prepare for Holiday Gifts and Giving

October - Plan Holiday Meals

November - Write Holiday Letter

The bottom line is...prepare for Christmas by doing something every month and make the 25th of each month a Rudolph Day by doing something Christmasy!

This is the year I plan for Rudolph Day each month - I have a planner, there's no excuse not to get organized!

Check back on the evening of April 25th to see how I celebrated Rudolph Day.

Happy Homemaker Monday 4/24/2017

It's time for another Happy Homemaker Monday with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  Click here if you'd like to join in .

The weather:::
Cool and raining - love it!  Higher temperatures forecast for the rest of the week but I'll take this today.

On my reading pile:::
Moved on to A Harvest of Hope, Book 2 in the Song of Blessing series and still going through the May/June issue of Tea Time magazine on my Kindle.

On my TV:::
Call the Midwife
Home Fires
Reign
Bomb Girls

Vic and I subscribed to STARZ so we're watching Black Sails over there.

On the menu for this week:::
Have to pick up a few things for me for a few days and then make menus and do a bigger shop later in the week so sorry, nothing for you here right now.

On my to-do list:::

• Volunteer shift at the gift shop on Thursday followed by doctor's appointment
• We have tickets to the Virginia International Tattoo this weekend

The Virginia International Tattoo summons more than 1,000 performers including fife and drum corps, bagpipers, military bands, precision drill teams, and performing ensembles ranging from step dancers to motorcycle stunt drivers

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Finishing up my A to Z posts, working on ornaments for the Christmas in July ornament swap, making plans for April Rudolph Day tomorrow, continuing on with scrapbooking, and finishing up the photo album project for our MOPS reunion.

Looking around the house:::
Tidy, just one load of laundry to finish up.

From the camera:::
Nothing this week, I'm afraid.

Something fun to share:::

Saw this Netflix trailer for Cable Girls coming Friday, April 28 which looks interesting.  It's in Spanish but when I watched it, I was able to change the language to English and there are subtitles as well.

What I'm wearing today:::
Black capris, blue/white/black tunic top, white sandals.

Bible Verse, Devotional, Quote:::
I am fond only of what comes from the heart - Martha Dandridge Custis Washington

S is for Susans

Two wonderful authors, Susan Branch and Susan Allen Toth, have written delightful traveler's memoirs about England.

Susan Branch's A Fine Romance:  Falling in love with the English Countryside is beautifully illustrated with her exquisite drawings. It's a diary of her and her husband's 25th anniversary trip across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 and their adventures through Kent, London, the Peak District, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and the Cotswolds, definitely the most picturesque places in England.  The book is wonderful.

Susan Allen Toth's My Love Affair with England is her travel memoir and it was followed by England As You Like It and England for All Seasons, an excellent trio chock full of adventures throughout the English countryside and cities.  Although somewhat dated (the three books were published in 1994, 1996, and 1997), they are nevertheless wonderful resources as a quick Internet search would give you the most up to date information on the sites she mentions.

Charming books for anyone interested in actually visiting or just reading about traveling in England.

Happy Birthday

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 91st birthday today.

R is for Red River of the North

The Red River of the North series by Lauraine Snelling takes up an entire shelf of one of my bookcases.

The Red River of the North is actually the name given to the first six books about Ingeborg Bjorklund and Kaaren Knutson, their husbands, and children, and their journey from Norway to Dakota Territory.  The tales of the town of Blessing continue in the three books of the next series, Return to Red River, and in the four books of Daughters of Blessing.  Then came grandchildren and Home to Blessing (three books) and Song of Blessing (four books).  Lauraine Snelling also wrote a prequel, An Untamed Heart.

Christian Historical Fiction is the genre and the books (all twenty-one of them) are a delightful read.

Q is for Quiz Books

My go-to quiz books are the Dollar Store Word Search books - love them!  Crosswords are not really my thing and I haven't been able to master Sudoku at all.  There are also some logic quiz books that can be fun, or mind-rattling!  You know, this sort of thing found at BrainBashers:

At the recent inter-departmental jam making contest, four lucky candidates took part to make the juiciest strawberry jam.

The ages of the contestants were 14, 17, 20 and 22.

As it happens the person who came last was the oldest, whereas Stuart was three years older than the person who came second.

James was neither the oldest nor the youngest and Kev finished ahead of the 17 year old, but didn't win.

John was also unlucky this time and didn't win either.

Can you determine who finished where and how old they are?

Last Christmas, I stumbled across these holiday quiz books at Barnes and Noble.  I thought they would make great stocking stuffers or something I could keep in my purse to work on while I waited for an appointment.  My favorite, of course, is WORD Roundup.

These and a lot more choices are available here.

P is for Beatrix Potter

I love Beatrix Potter's stories of Peter Rabbit and friends.  I read them to Sophia as a child and delight in all things Beatrix Potter.

When my parents lived in England, they visited the shop at The World of Beatrix Potter, an amazing store full of all sorts of wonderful baby and gift items. 

Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's home in Cumbria, is on my list of places to visit and I loved the movie Miss Potter.  When I found this book, The Making of Miss Potter, I knew I had to add it to my library.

The Making of Miss Potter is a wonderful companion to the movie with beautiful photographs and lots of information about the locations, the cast and crew, and the story of how history was recreated.  A must-have for any movie, and Beatrix Potter, fan!

Wednesday Hodgepodge Volume 304

It's Wednesday and I'm joining Joyce for another Hodgepodge.

1.  Tell us about a time you felt like you were 'flying by the seat of your pants'.

That would probably be our trip to the Lost Colony in Manteo, North Carolina in the summer of 2014.

In 1587, 117 English men, women, and children came ashore on Roanoke Island to establish a permanent English settlement in the New World. Just three years later in 1590, when English ships returned to bring supplies, they found the island deserted with no sign of the colonists.  After nearly 450 years, the mystery of what happened to the colonists remains unsolved. - The Lost Colony

I had wanted to attend the outdoor performance of the story of the Lost Colony and I happened to look up the schedule one Saturday and realized that day was the last opportunity we would have to attend between Vic's travel schedule and our move to Washington.  Vic is not the most spontaneous person so when I said "Let's drop the dog at the kennels and go", he was a little rattled but we hit the road and had the most amazing day out.  We ate seafood by the water, signed up for the behind the scenes tour, and really enjoyed the performance.  Definitely a flying by the seat of your pants adventure.

2.  When and where would you most like to be a 'fly on the wall'?

I once said that I'd love to attend a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace.  Since it's doubtful that an invitation will be forthcoming, I'll be content with being a fly on the wall instead.

3.  'Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.'-Henry David Thoreau

Would you agree?  Why or why not?

No, I really don't agree.  I think we are, in large part, responsible for making our own happiness.  We makes choices and decisions to be happy (or not).  The people, events, and activities in our lives are key factors in our happiness and we have a lot of control over those factors.

4.  Share a favorite movie, book, or song with flying in it's title, lyrics, or theme somewhere.

I love airplanes - I don't really like to fly but I love airplanes, so any movie involving an airplane would be my favorite.  I'm a sucker for an oldie but goodie so I'd choose the original Airport movie.  Helen Hayes was an absolute gem!

5.  What is one task or chore you tend to do 'on the fly'?  Is this something that really needs to be done another way?

I had to look this one up - on the fly = while in motion or progress.  I pretty much have a routine for chores so I guess it would have to be picking up Vic's clutter as I go about the regular household chores.  He seems to have a real problem with "a place for everything, and everything in it's place"!  LOL, I could follow his progress through the house just by following the trail of things he's left where they don't belong!

6.  What was happening the last time you thought to yourself or said aloud, 'Wow, time flies when you're having fun', and you meant it.

This last weekend as we whizzed through Lexington, Staunton, and Charlottesville to see as many sites as we could!

7.  This Thursday is National Garlic Day.  Will you add garlic to your menu on Thursday?  Do you like garlic?  What is your favorite dish made with garlic?

We LOVE garlic.  Barely a day goes by when there isn't garlic in something or other which is surprising because we never had garlic when I was growing up.  There will be garlic in the marinade for the steak we are having for dinner on Thursday.  My favorite dish is one that I had as an appetizer at a restaurant - Brie cheese with roasted garlic squeezed over the top and served with French bread and apple dippers - amazing!  Dracula, beware!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Retirement - it's on our minds.  We have some choices to make in the next 18 months so this is really the start of the five year plan.  Not sure if I'm happy or terrified!

10th Tea Cup & Mug Exchange Reveal

Thank you, Stephanie, for hosting such a fun exchange.  212 participants - that's amazing!

I received my tea cup and extra goodies from the lovely Barbara over at Lady B's Time for Tea.  Barbara hasn't been posting recently as she is writing a book about afternoon tea but I loved reading her past posts about her visit to England and seeing pictures of all of her lovely china.  Barbara sent me the most amazing package, geared to my loves of England, tea, and royalty.

A beautiful cup and saucer to commemorate the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, a lovely footed tea strainer, two cute pins (you can just make out the US/UK flags on the left side of the strainer and the crown is easier to see on the right side), and a lovely small plate to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977.  Thank you so much, Barbara, everything is wonderful!

My package went off to the lovely Kris from Lavender Quilts and Other Fineries.  I won't post the details yet; I'll let her share with you first.

What a wonderful exchange - there will be lots of fun goodies in the reveal post (coming at 7:00am Mountain Time today) so I encourage you to check it out - there will be a link if you'd like to join us next time.

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #62

Two more British telly favorites - Poldark and The Pallisers.

I watched the original Poldark (1975) based on the novels of Winston Graham with Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees and didn't think anything would be able to compare to it.  Poldark is the story of Ross Poldark, returning from the American War of Independence to his home in Cornwall to find his father dead, his fiancée betrothed to another (his cousin!), and the state of Cornish mining in dire straits not to mention his old nemesis, George Warleggan, lurking in the shadows.  Enter the raggedy urchin, Demelza, and you have a cast of characters that, set across the glorious landscapes and seascapes of Cornwall, are enthralling.

Along comes 2015 and Poldark is remade with Aidan Turner starring in the leading role.  I thought I would never warm to him, thinking him somewhat too modern and flashy for the earthy Ross but oh my, when the shirt comes off, be still my heart.  I had to admit at that point that Turner really had something magical.  I'm definitely coming around.  I'll let you tune in and judge for yourself but beware, a shirtless Turner is quite the sight!

The Pallisers is the 1974 adaptation of Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels.  The story revolves around the forced marriage of the Lady Glencora to crusty Plantaganet Palliser, set across the backdrop of mid-Victorian British politics and the social system in place at that time.  Fans of British television will recognize several well-known names in the cast among them Sir Derek Jacobi, Penelope Keith, Anthony Andrews, and Jeremy Irons.

Another period piece not to be missed - stunning locations, amazing costumes, history, humorous at times, an all-around great series.