Spending My Time Wisely When Sick

Over the last few weeks I've been fuzzy-headed, coughing, and congested with a long bout of sinusitis. Not being able to concentrate most of that time, I spent my non-working hours watching a lot of TV and reading a few books. Here are the ones I enjoyed, you should check them out.

TV* 

Difficult People a Hulu Original Series

Lark Rise to Candleford

Playing House (USA)

Odd Mom Out (BravoTV)

Agatha Christie's Marple - loving this one, 23 episodes!

Music

The Civil Wars = which I listen to in large doses before the dark imagery and atmosphere gets to me and I must seek out something fun and happy.




To experience the dark side of southern love, you can also check out their Civil Wars, Barton Hollow, and The Civil Wars: Unplugged on VH1. It's amazing to believe this duo met, gained fame, and crashed in less than four years, 2009-2012.

Books

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (also a motion picture with Charlize Theron)

In The Woods by Tana French (part of the Dublin Murder Squad series)

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (also a BBC series)

* Streamed through Hulu

Worth Checking Out: Dates

I don't know why the CW decided to air "Dates," a series that originally aired in Britain two years ago, but I'm glad they did. This is a brilliant and entertaining show that I think could only survive in the US on cable. It just has that feel.

The show was created by Bryan Elsley and aired earlier this summer but is still available to watch HERE on CW's website in full. The nine episodes depict men and women meeting for the first time as arranged by an online dating service. The show utilizes great British, Scottish, and Irish actors such as Gemma Chan (Humans), Andrew Scott (Sherlock's Moriarty, Spectre), Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones, Crimson Field), Greg McHugh (Fresh Meat), and Neil Maskell (Humans) among others.

You should really check this out:



Behind the scenes of Episode 1: David & Mia

More TV...And A Confession

Here's a (not-so) secret about me...

I like pretty things and pretty people.

Shocking right!?

Well, I also love PBS and almost any British production the network airs. However, one show I didn't watch, let alone even give a chance, was Inspector Morse. The story of a lonely police inspector solving murder cases in England did not appeal to me and I am a die hard Hercule Poirot fan from age 12. Curious.

A few years ago, I did start watching Inspector Lewis (it's successor) and loved it. I now suspect that was because of dishy Laurence Fox (whose father, Edward, I had a crush on in his younger days) I guess I am shallow like that. Despite that, when Endeavour, the back-story and early life of  the same Inspector Morse aired last year I still wasn't interested, no offense to actor Shaun Evans' good looks.

Last Sunday, I sat down and watched my first Endeavour episode (the new series is airing on PBS channels nationally now, check at PBS.org to see airing times in your area) when it followed Last Tango in Halifax (check it out too if you can!) and found myself intrigued. I became truly hooked; however, in the second half when stunning Black nurse Monica (Shvorne Marks) from across the hall arrived on the scene. The possibility of an interacial relationship between the two of them in 1966 Oxford England ramped my interest up sky high. I'm now officially along for the ride. Strangely, actor Shaun Evans also became twice as attractive instantly! Hmmm, interesting...

Another show worth checking out:

Tyrant on FX - it is only on it's third episode but I like the story and the pacing. It is the story of the Americanized son of a dictatorial ruler of a small country who finds himself (and his very American family) pulled back into the family business and must get his hands dirty.

Update: I know I mention a lot of the British TV productions I watch, but I keep forgetting to mention the helpful website The British TV Place, which keeps me up-to-date on what British (and Australian, Swedish, etc.) productions can be viewed online or on TV by American viewers. Please check them out, they do an awesome job tracking down all the possible viewing sources.

The Great British Sewing Bee!

Makower London Collection Icons

Okay, has everyone been watching the Great British Sewing Bee on BBC Two? I have and I love it. I know there has been some controversy on other blogs about certain aspects but I'd rather not get into that.* The most important point is that there is a TV program/programme about sewing where technique and knowledge are paramount and ornamentation is second. The show is very unlike the Project Runway franchise where the contestants are meant to be more focused on design and flash instead of quality of construction.

• What I like about GBSB is that the challenge projects were selected by an actual professional sewer, Claire-Louise Hardie of The Thrifty Stitcher. She also timed all of the projects to make sure that the time limits were do-able. She is currently writing on her blog about the GBSB: from the preparations made before filming to episode commentary once the latest episode has aired. 
• I love the fact that they acknowledged the many types of sewing; dressmaking, menswear, alteration of ready-to-wear, home decorative arts, and costume. One doesn't have to be able to drafting their own patterns to be considered skilled in the art. 
• The sewing history bits were great and informative. How many people outside of Great Britain knew about all the sewing-related street names that exist in England?
• Love that it focuses on details we might not be as aware of now, such as menswear's traditional rules, while ready-to-wear womenswear has become less strict, ex. the direction of men's flys and shirt button plackets.

Having seen the episode 3 semi-finals, it is clearly down to Ann and Lauren for the win. I adore and respect Ann Rowley, administrator of the Stitchers Guild forum on Artisan Square, and would love to hang out in her sewing room and pick her memories. I am also increasingly impressed by Lauren Guthrie, now the owner of fabric shop Guthrie & Ghani. She is great news for the future of personal sewing. Though very young, she is knowledgeable and technically proficient in the art and has a great attention to detail. She understand the patience it takes to create a quality product. Those rouleau ties she constructed were amazing! I absolutely hate turning fabric tubes inside out and I can't believe she was able to turn those incredibly teeny ones. Impressive, indeed.

If you are in the US, the official show website will not allow you to view full episodes. Instead, they can be viewed on YouTube: Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3. Here is Episode 4 - The Final.

*The show does have problems: the judging format and those silly sewing project segments. Seriously, if they are meant for beginning sewers/sewists, then the instructions are given too fast and are far too vague to actually help.

Something to Look Forward to...on PBS

The advantage of reading blogs from around the world is that you become aware of things outside of your environment that you might have missed otherwise.

I just found out about this British series - Dancing on the Edge - currently running on BBC Two that takes place in the 1930s. Um, don't they all?  The series depicts life around a black Jazz ensemble, the Louis Lester Band, in London. Now, that's something different from BBC, right? It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew Goode, Angel Coulby, Janet Montgomery, John Goodman, and Jacqueline Bisset. Luckily, due to the immense popularity of Downton Abbey on this side of the pond, I have great hopes that this one will also come over and play on our TVs.

For the best look at the costumes of  Dancing..., I'm sending you to the web site portfolio of the series' costume designer, Lindsay Pugh. This costume slide show is amazing. Try not to drool all over your keyboard!


Click on this photo to see the slide show.

She was also responsible for this fabulous 100 Years of Style - East London commercial that was all over the internet a few years back.