Downton Abbey - Season 5, Episode 5

What Happened (A Very Short Summary)
This was another action packed episode!  Rose met cute with a handsome banker named Atticus Aldridge, as she carried baked goods in the rain.  He is from a Russian family of Jewish heritage, and faced an unkind reception from some of the Russian refugees.  Simon Bricker slinked into Cora's bedroom only to be confronted with Robert, where they had a full-fledged fight rolling on the floor and making quite a racket.  Edith brought Rosamund to meet Marigold, and later Rosamund and the Dowager Countess told Edith that they decided to send Marigold to school in France.  It sounds like Edith has other plans, though.  Charles and Mary planned to foist Gillingham back off to Mabel Lane Fox.  Thomas is not well.  Anna was questioned by Scotland Yard about Green's death.  Most important of all - Sarah Bunting finally left the village!
 
Character Of the Week
Cora finally got a central storyline when she was pursued by art historian/would-be lothario Simon Bricker.  Robert was jealous and mad.  Cora tried to make nice with Robert, but he was having none of it.  I like Cora, and she generally is treated as a secondary character at Downton, so I will give her character of the week.
 
Most Striking Visual
Rose's charming meeting with Atticus, walking in the rain with umbrellas, was my favorite visual this week.
 
"Oh My" Moment
Robert rolled around on the floor fighting with Simon Bricker.
 
What I Hope Will Happen Next (All Speculation - No Spoilers!)
I don't want to be too greedy with wishes, since I finally got my great wish -- Sarah Bunting has departed.  That said, I hope that Robert will be nicer to Cora.  I hope that we will see some resolution with Mary and Tony.  I hope that the endless Anna/Bates in trouble storyline will end.  I hope that Edith will finally find a way to parent her daughter.

What did you think of this week's show?  What would you like to see happen next?   I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Book Spotlight - The Settling Earth by Rebecca Burns

The Settling Earth is a Collection of Short Stories by Rebecca Burns.

Marriage transplants Sarah thousands of miles from home; a failed love affair forces Phoebe to make drastic choices in a new environment; a sudden, shocking discovery brings Mrs Ellis to reconsider her life as an emigrant - The Settling Earth is a collection of ten, interlinked stories, focusing on the British settler experience in colonial New Zealand, and the settlers' attempts to make sense of life in a strange new land.

Sacrifices, conflict, a growing love for the landscape, a recognition of the succour offered by New Zealand to Maori and settler communities - these are themes explored in the book. The final story in the collection, written by Shelly Davies of the Ngātiwai tribe, adds a Maori perspective to the experience of British settlement in their land.

Amazon Links:

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Settling-Earth-Rebecca-Burns/dp/1922200166/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422646537&sr=1-1&keywords=the+settling+earth&pebp=1422646541426&peasin=1922200166

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Settling-Earth-Rebecca-Burns/dp/1922200166/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

The author's website: www.rebecca.burns.co.uk

Throwback Thursday: Aprons

When people learn that I sell vintage treasures, they often ask what I collect.  The answer, truly, is "not much."  The longer I work with vintage items, it seems the less I actually collect myself.  However, there are a few things that will always catch my eye, little vintage treasures that I have to bring home.

Aprons are one of my vintage favorites.  I love them.  They remind me of spending time with my Granny in her kitchen, seeing my Mom wear pretty hostess aprons while entertaining, and making aprons in home economics class.  My mother gave me this little piece about aprons;  it brings back a lot of memories for me.

Grandma's Apron

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath.  Because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears…

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.

After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men-folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

* * * * *

Vintage aprons make me happy.  I especially like aprons that are red and white (for my red and white cherry kitchen), Christmas aprons, and aprons with dog motifs.   Here are a few from my house:

Hand appliqued cherries:

Christmas - I love this Mid-Century print:

An embroidered chef carries food in on a tray (is that a plum pudding?):

Cocker Spaniels sit in baskets in this cheerful red print:

One of my personal favorites - cute little pink gingham dogs and rick rack trim:

A red and white Valentine theme apron - how could I possibly resist?

Do you remember aprons from your childhood?  Do you ever still wear an apron?  I would love to hear from you in the comments, below:

Music Monday - "Blue Rondo à la Turk" by The Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959)

Dave Brubeck is my favorite jazz musician, and Time Out is one of my all time favorite albums (of any genre).   "Blue Rondo a la Turk" appeared on the album Time Out in 1959.  Dave Brubeck was inspired by an unusual song he heard some Turkish street musicians playing.  He asked one of the men about the rhythm, and the musician replied "This rhythm is to us what the blues is to you."  Hence the song title.

This video is fun!  The Dave Brubeck Quartet plays the song on a magic carpet as they fly above a Los Angeles freeway.   Stick around for the motorcycle cop at the end of the video.  This was filmed for "The Lively Ones" television show first broadcast July 25, 1962.   Enjoy!

Downton Abbey: Season 5, Episode 4

What Happened (A Very Short Summary)

This episode highlighted relationships between men and women.  Rose's father came to Downton with news of his upcoming divorce.  Tension built between Robert, Cora, and Simon Bricker, as Bricker continued to flirt with Cora.  Violet looked for her Russian Prince's lost wife.  Edith worried about Michael's disappearance after he was bullied by brownshirts in Germany.  Isabelle received a proposal from Lord Merton, which she is considering.  Mary flirted with Charles just before she tried to turn down Tony's proposal.  Tony refused to accept her rejection.

In other news, Barrow took a mysterious drug, as Baxter worried about him.  Anna visited Piccadilly, where John Green was killed.  Robert had problems with modernization, including a discussion with Tom and Mary about building houses on the property and a conflict with Sarah Bunting.  During the dinner conflict, he called Daisy and Mrs. Patmore to the dining room to quiz Daisy about Sarah's tutoring.

On a happy note, Isis appeared in several scenes.  Downton needs more Isis scenes!
  
Character Of the Week

I am not a great fan of Robert -- I find him stodgy and stubborn.  But he was the focus of a lot of attention and conflict this week, so I will give him the Character of the Week title.

Line of the Week

As part of her search for the lost Russian princess, the Dowager Countess learns that many Russians moved to Hong Kong and worked as servants, taxi drivers, milliners, or prostitutes.  Violet sniffed, “I will not suggest which of those callings the Princess Kuragin was most suited.”

Most Striking Visual

Mary chose a statue of Peter Pan in the park as a meeting place to break off her engagement to Tony.  The juxtaposition of the happy childhood statue and their conversation was striking.

"Oh My" Moment

Tony's refusal to accept Mary's rejection surprised me.  He has been such a little puppy dog with her up to this point.  

What I Hope Will Happen Next (All Speculation - No Spoilers!)

I hope Daisy will continue her education (go, Daisy!).  I hope that Mary will continue to flirt with Charles -- they have great chemistry!   I hope Tom will stay at Downton and turn away from Sarah.  I hope Edith will stop moping and tell the truth about Marigold.

How about you?  What did you think of this episode?   What should happen next?