Rosewitch, England was definitely one of my favorite places I have ever visited. My folks took me there when I was 14, and I remember bits and pieces the Crown jewels, walking amongst the Stonehenge stones (roped off now, vandalism), Stratford upon Avon. Time for me to take my own 14YO. Im trying to think how I can get over there for a whole summer, LOL. Dlynn, I could have worked so much more. I didnt really look at night time stuff and there was loads to do. Greece: cant help you, but shoot Yasou a line, she went a few years ago. LOL Annie! Teresa, well go together. I wanted to explore more cooking and food shops/stores but didnt get to. Terri, here is more a link to Pictures of England, a website pointed out to me by Denise. I started it on Bourton on the Water, where we stayed for a few days. Thanks Sharon, I was actually thinking how can I even come close to posting her quality of travel guides, I dont do the pictures she does LOL. We might have sat at the same table in the Cheshire Cheeses dining room! Sawdust still there, but we didnt make it to the cellar. I missed a lot of the British Museum. It has changed.check out the new atrium. I couldnt keep up with DH and DS16. Afternoons, when I planned museums, I crashed. Next time! Pam, lots of people did more than we did per day! Theater every night, more attractions, I cant imagine. Gina heh heh yeah I need another vacation like a hole in my head. Speaking of whichDH has another week off in August. Nooooooooo! Kathleen, DH says he took an average of 200 pictures a day. Yup. Me, I just buy the post cards or Google the images, same thing (DARFC from the photo bugs here) Cathy, thanks for giving me the War and Peace moniker heh heh. Next time I go with CF friends! LindaC, I know. Im still exhausted. Speaking of the V&A, did you know there was a Dale Chihuly chandelier in the entrance room?

I drove 1.5 hours to see it. It was great. They have 40 costumes, both upstairs and downstairs, men and women. There are some video screens with scenes playing. They tie-in how Winterthur was an American DA and display some of their items. It's not a large exhibit but I thought it was very well done. ETA: Being the only person in the world without a GPS, I followed the directions from Mapquest. They directed me to turn left across a busy 2-lane road, not at a light, onto an unmarked country road. I missed the turn. When I backtracked to correct, I stopped at the Post Office to confirm directions. I asked is this small unmarked road behind me route 100? Yes. From there it was another small country lane (something with a T) to connect me to Route 52, the road with the museum. The course correction made me late for my timed admission to see the house decorated for Xmas. I didn't really care about that, I was there for DA. Anyhoo, when I arrived later than my scheduled time I was told I could not tour the house, they were sold out. Really? They had no way to accommodate one visitor? Not a carload, not a bus load but one person, anytime during that day? Okay, I'll just see the DA and other exhibits. So my suggestion is get better directions and don't arrive late of you want to see the Xmas decorations. I would have preferred to take Route 1 directly to Route 52, instead of the perhaps more direct but poorly marked scenic tour. This post was edited by hhireno on Wed, Dec 3, 14 at 10:45

Eliz. McGovern showed up -- live -- Sunday at the local TV studio during a break. She looked younger than she does in the show, and better -- no weird thick, down-drawn eyebrows! And she doesn't speak in a stilted manner like she does on the show, either ... a real improvement. My favourite characters -- Maggie Smith - a real hoot ... love some of the lines she comes out with and the Way She Says Them and how She Looks when she's saying them. There's a scene in which people at the Abbey are talking at once and in loud voices. MS walks into the room and says (something like this) - "No one converses like this -- except in New York!" Being from New York City I totally "got" this remark. O'Brian - the Lady's Maid -- Another "baddie." She provides some vinegar to the goody-goody atmosphere, along w/good old Maggie. Lady Sybil (youngest daughter volunteers as Red Cross nurse) - She's gung-ho about whatever passion she's in the wake of. Love her enthusiasm for Life! Anna & Bates - Good acting, and pretty good character development, I think. Seems as if the writer took more pains w/ them. Basically I think this is just a fancy-dress period soap opera. It's some of the acting, the costumes, the lush sets, grand buildings, and the beeeeautiful scenery I love.

They made it clear during of the course of the series that Darrow was angry and frustrated because he lived in a time and place where his biologically ingrained interests were generally considered about as appealing and welcome as those of Dracula or Jack the Ripper. Don't forget as well - as Lord Grantham reiterated when they were saying their goodbyes out in front of the house - that Thomas saved one of them from a fire. No, what seems a stretch is entrusting someone who was just recently so overwhelmed as to attempt suicide with running the house. Before Carson was forced into retirement I assumed Moseley's departure was gong to be Thomas' salvation. Definitely by the end in particular the show was being written to protray the Granthams as our own special family that had more empathy than might have been the norm - for what was essentially a slave system in many ways. Note for example the scene where his (temporary, as it turns out) new employer harrumphs about Thomas wanting New Year's off. And Thomas promises it's just going to be this one time only. What other purpose would this scene have had than to show how things were actually better at Downton than usual?