Lark Rise to Candleford: My One Weakness

Dear Friends

The past week has been filled with a sniffly nose, nasty cough, and a sore throat. This week is a new beginning, filled with much of the same and pink eye. Joy, joy. Throughout this week of sickness, I have channeled my inner child and taken part in the traditional activity that I engaged in when home sick from school when I was younger--I watched TV! Growing up without cable television, my siblings and I did not watch exceptional amounts of television. We were limited to PBS and the occasional family movie on ABC. We watched a million Disney movies and episodes of Rescue Heroes and That's So Raven. PBS has always been a fond favorite of mine (I'm still voting for Romney even if he cuts PBS and sends it back to the state government...) and in recent years, I have been taken in by a variety of the BBC dramas shown on PBS. 

My current favorite is Downton Abbey, a costume drama set in pre-World War I England that juxtaposes the rich, upper-class Granthams with their hired help who live downstairs. It is absolutely enrapturing, romantic,  heart-felt, heated, and hilarious. Fans of Jane Austen, Sherlock, soap operas, and witty humor will love Downton Abbey. The cast includes a variety of well-known British actors, including Maggie Smith (or Professor McGonagall for you Potterheads out there!). Check out these Top 10 "Maggie Moments" from Season One!

Downton Abbey is shown approximately four months after it airs in London. The third season is currently showing across the ocean right now and us Americans are anxiously awaiting the premiere of Season Three in January. To satiate my appetite for exquisite British dramas, my Mom has introduced me to another excellent BBC drama, "Lark Rise to Candleford."

Lark Rise is based on a literary trilogy of the same name by Flora Thompson, and tells the story of a country hamlet, Lark Rise, and a neighboring city, Candleford, which contains people of greater class and fortune, setting the stage for an excellent drama about class warfare, changing times, rights, and, of course, romance. The story is told through the eyes of Laura Timmins, a sixteen-year old girl from Lark Rise who is given a job in the post office of Candleford. The post office is run by a Dorcas Lane, a woman; a business run by a woman was quite a shock in those days. Dorcas is a kindred spirit, an intelligent businesswoman, can match any man's attempts to outwit her, and has a tendency to have a weakness or two-check out this video to see what I mean.

I find that I relate and aspire to Dorcas, who is a strong, independent woman with progressive ideas and a huge mouth. I love her ambition, pride, heart, and care for others. She does not define herself by a man and believes that women have always been equal to men. She is not afraid to speak her mind and desires to help everyone around her, even if that means crossing boundaries and meddling in others' affairs. If you love Downton Abbey, or any BBC drama for that matter, check out Lark Rise to Candleford. It has easily become my one weakness.

Words Truly,

Maggie