As mentioned above, Season 1 is available for streaming at pbs.org, at least for a little while longer. It is also available streaming on Netflix. As an aside, why is it that all the shows we like in our household are on Sunday night? I can only Tivo two at one time, and Downton unfortunately didn't make the cut. I'll have to see if I can find another time that it is shown.

And what happened to those babies? Last week the nanny got fired and then then babies just disappeared? It's starting to feel like an English soap opera for me now as opposed to the story of the family with some plot development. Too many characters flipping in/out each week. But that's just my take. There's lots to love about the show. I just hope they turn it around a bit and slow it back down to it's original flavor. Love the worktable in the kitchen and as someone else noted, the introduction of various electrical appliances. Mrs Patmore is hilarious. I think this season is getting on towards end of the '20's judging by the costumes, speak-easys, and the ominous pull of Germany for Edith's boyfriend to get his divorce. My prediction is that he'll get stuck there when Hitler rises...or something to that effect.

I have no real favorites. I like the cowboys, but don't like the mom and son duo. They get on my last nerve. Is it true they've done this three times? Why? I know he has a disability but she treats him like a baby and he acts like one. I'm probably the only one who likes Rachel and Brendon. I've watched her on BB, and she won that. She's whiny but they are both very smart and well educated and not mean.

Season 3 in 2013?? Why these long waits? Maire, I was talking about this just last night with my friend Christine, who's from Cornwall. I told her I had no problem understanding most of the British accents, but the Downton Abbey kitchen conversations had me rewinding. Now, tell me how you keep yourself from watching episode after episode without a break?? I wouldn't have the willpower! Well, my TV watching habits are probably a bit odd by most standards. For one thing, I enjoy anticipation and like to savor things and make them last. I have a lot of good shows on my Netflix Instant Queue, and some of them have a relatively small number of episodes. I'm careful to space them out so I can enjoy them over a longer period of time. (That's why I posted recently about whether or not Netflix will pull some of these shows unexpectedly.) The other thing is my rather limited attention span. I think it's probably the result of watching no TV at all for many years. Now that I have it (and love it!), I'm not comfortable watching for long stretches. After about 20 minutes I feel the need to get up and do something. I will come back to the show, but it stretches out the time it takes to watch the whole thing. Midsomer Murders is my longest show at 100 minutes. I have to start early in the evening if I want to watch that one. As for a movie, forget it . . . it takes several days. LOL (But I'm not exaggerating.) If I'm doing rug hooking with the TV on, that's different. But I do that only with shows like Law & Order or (sometimes) Brothers & Sisters, where I'm familiar with all the voices and actually look at the screen only occasionally. With a show like Downton Abbey, I'd want to pay attention and take it all in.