Downton Abbey anyone

[CMP69]

Or am I just an old gimmer with a period drama fetish

But there would have been no other reason to have a bell in the nursery that rings in the servants' hall, other than for the nanny to summon a (lower) servant, to bring up more fuel for the fire or clear the things after the children's meals etc. One of the housemaids or the 'between maid' (whose job was waiting on the senior servants like the butler, cook, housekeeper, and waiting on table in the servants' hall) would have answered it.

Mrs Hughes appearing instead makes no sense (apart from the writers clearly wanting a trusted figure, not one of the junior maids, to show up and hear Cora's wrath!) Apart from anything else, it would have meant her climbing up several flights of stairs to the nursery floor, and she's no spring chicken, and she appears in feasibly fast!

Merguez I think that's 100% true, unfortunately. Goes along with the new lines of merchandise, featuring inscriptions like 'Kiss me, before I get very cross' (Lady Mary)...

I have to keep reminding myself Fellowes also wrote Gosford Park!

Mary and pamuk wasn't upstairs downstairs nooky. He was the Turkish ambassador. Or worked in the Turkish embassy. He was upstairs.

The nursery is just a bedroom though. The ladies of the house would go there, if they wanted a servant they'd want a bell to ring. Or it's for emergencies. Nanny isn't supposed to expect to be waited on. It's the nursery maids job to do her fetching and carrying.

Yes, I suppose I meant 'unsuitable' really. With him being a foreigner and everything

Even so, I still think that's quite a lot of hormones flying around!

Has Cora had an admirer yet? Isobel had the doctor didn't she?

There's all sorts of Downton stuff you can buy - DVDs, companion books, scripts (personally, I think ours are better), rose-scented unguents and twee necklaces.

I've got a fine bone china Downton Abbey mug. I never use it. I like chunky mugs. I'm common, me.

My DSis has the calendars. I think I'll buy the book this year - the lady who has written it went to the same school as me.

Maybe the nanny will come back and kidnap the heir?

Evil Edna could be in league with her.

And pointless Rose could gormlessly let them in

I noticed that Rose was wearing the same thing twice running - when placing the advert and then picking up the replies.

Very Poor Show.

And I didn't think she was imperious enough when the postmistress asked the nature of the advertisement.

This a Quickly bike

It's one of the many reasons why my mum fell in love with my dad. That and the side car.

Does anyone else sense something OMINOUS about Edith's boyfriend becoming a GERMAN citizen? It's not far off 1939 after all.

Everything is so heralded

'I'll become a GERMAN for you my love'

Then they'll hot foot it off to the Weimar Republic for lots of sexy Cabaret style shenanigans.

yy to Edith becoming Unity Mitford! JF is already gearing up for series 5 or 6 with this little German plot device. It's nothing if not predictable, is it?

I don't understand why on earth Rose is in cahoots with Edna the maid?? And why was Moseley invited to meet Lady Shackleton? [confusing] A most confusing episode.

SorrelForbes - it's Nana in Ballet Shoes who says things will be "...all Sir Garnet Wolsley" - and I expect Noel Streatfield uses the phrase in other books too.

I'd have thought they'd be better reading up on the American divorce laws first, since Edith is actually half American, and I would think an English newspaper editor might do better there...

Definitely bumps and squoosh, though I feel that Edith's lunatic love-rival being euthanised for the good of society may be a step too far for Julian Fellowes.

You're right polkadots.

And lobotomies for troublesome women were all the rage in '20s America.

It was a big pile of brainless poo

... albeit in a few nice dresses.

Won't be watching again

what about Mrs Hughes and L Crawley talking about "reaching out" to that coughy bloke. You 'contacted' 'spoke to' 'got in touch' etc etc but no-one ever used that drivvlely phase until (regretfully) recently

Urghhh..."reaching out"

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius Indeed it is . I think it might be in White Boots too. An excuse to re-read.

I thought Edna got pregnant by one of the visitors of the family who was quite well to do. He wouldn't support her but the parents did. yes he probably did die in the war and they took the baby to live with them.

did she go to work there. can't remember

That was Ethel alemci Edna arrived in the Xmas episode, made a pass at Branson and got the sack (but with a good reference).

No alemci. It was redhead slut-maid Ethel who got in the family way by chinless WW1 officer who sadly copped it in the trenches.

She became the only prostitute in the village before being saved by the chinless parents who'd adopted the fruit of their doomed son's loins.

She's now a maid in their household, sworn never to reveal her true relationship to the young master. That's going to work out so well