Movies & Books Into Movies

[Dana]

Just back to say the The Broken wood Mysteries" gets better and better.  Now at season 5, I think they must have different script writers.  The characters are really developed nicely, the stories are interesting and the humour is off beat.  There are only 6 seasons. 4 stories/season. Pity.

[rosemarykaye]

A friend put me on to what must be the best-worst thing I have seen this year - Shades of Love, which is based on the novel September by Rosamund Pilcher.

It has a star cast of people like Charles Dance, Harriet Walter and even Eileen Atkins. Heaven only knows how they got mixed up in this, or what they thought of the results.  I see that the actress who plays Laura (Dance's character's youngest daughter - or is she?) has actually deleted all mention of this escapade from her bio - yes, it's that bad.

Dance plays an extremely rich hedge fund manager who has bought an enormous castle in the Scottish Highlands. There is a loch on the doorstep. But we then see one of the women popping down to the local village shops - which I thought looked familiar, and turned our to be in St Abb's, a fishing village in the Borders, near Berwick-on-Tweed, ie hundreds of miles from the Highlands. (If they wanted to pretend it was somewhere else, they perhaps should have asked the local cafe to change its sign...). The castle has so many uniformed staff that they are clearly trying to play to the Downton market, but this is in fact set in the present day (made in 2013 I think.) The weekend entertainment is a ceilidh worthy of Balmoral, for obviously that is just how we live in the Highlands, dusting down our tiaras every Saturday night and cracking open several thousand gallons of champers. After all, what else is there to do up there (no-one is ever seen watching TV...)?

The first episode opens with the family being photographed on the lawns for some smart lifestyle magazine - this is then seen by a (rich, need I say?) American (Michael Brandon, not bad) when he has time to kill at the airport. He recognises the youngest daughter and realises that he, not Dance, must be her father. Instead of getting on the plane, he goes over to see his also extremely wealthy landowning friend, who just happens to be Dance's lifelong friend and close neighbour.  Neighbour also has a very complicated family.

Meanwhile, daughter who is not Dance's daughter starts at Oxford, because she is, of course - how could we doubt it? - a Genius as well as Ravishingly Beautiful. She is immediately propositioned by her tutor because isn't that just what happens at Oxford? (It certainly did not happen to me or any of my friends, thank goodness, and we were at Cambridge a long time ago when things were far less PC - even then the teaching staff were more concerned about their jobs than anything else..) Rejecting him, she falls for an undergraduate she bumps into in a cafe. He looks about 12 and has probably only just graduated to long trousers, never mind adulthood...this guy is played by Freddie Fox, who my daughters say still looks like a child. The two of them embark on a passionate and TOTALLY unconvincing affair. And when she leaves Oxford without taking her degree, she immediately, and with no experience whatsoever, lands a plum job in a publishing firm, where someone reads the first novel she has banged out in her spare time and pronounces it a masterpiece. Of course.

And meanwhile....Dance's son-in-law manages to get himself made chairman of the family company by blackmailing Dance's wife, who persuades Dance to choose him instead of their own son. The chances of a hard-headed businessman ever making a decision based on his wife's opinion seem to me to be less than zero, but what do I know?  Son-in-law is in fact the only well-written and well-acted character in the whole sorry thing - he is played by Adrian Lukis and is an excellent villain.

And of course there are lots of other sub-plots, all played out against a backdrop of money and property. Deaths, more children whose parents turn out to be not who they thought, unintended pregnancies, boardroom shenanigans, car crashes, secrets....And it's all utterly ridiculous.

The series was made in conjunction with a German TV company (presumably the Germans think we all live like this...) so quite a few of the actors are German. Although everyone is clearly speaking English, I think they must have been dubbed into German and back again, as their mouths are not in sync with their voices, and they sound like they are just reading their words from a card - perhaps they had to do voiceovers after filming was complete. It is truly dire but I was addicted. Luckily there are only 4 episodes!

I have not read Pilcher's book (she also wrote The Shell Seekers), but she was a respected author, and people who have read it and have reviewed the film say the latter is a travesty (surely not?!)

If anyone actually wants to try it after all of that, it's available on Prime (but I had to search for it, they're definitely not pushing it as one of their top recommendations...!)

[ginny]

hahaha ROSEMARY! How good to see you again!!

 You must forward this review to the Guardian, they need you on staff.  This, alone, He recognises the youngest daughter and realises that he, not Dance, must be her father made me howl with laughter,  and it gets worse, doesn't it? hahaha

Oh my word Charles Dance and Eileen Atkins! In a real stinker! I must look at it at least 10 minutes, you've  painted an indelible picture.

"The weekend entertainment is a ceilidh worthy of Balmoral, for obviously that is just how we live in the Highlands, dusting down our tiaras every Saturday night and cracking open several thousand gallons of champers. After all, what else is there to do up there (no-one is ever seen watching TV...)?"

hahahhaaaaaaaaaaa  You disappoint me, do you mean this not how EVERYBODY lives in Scotland? hahahaha

And why does the cliche of the Rich American seem to reverberate everywhere but in America?

I was surprised in reading Nigel Hawthorne's biography that he did not mention Mapp and Lucia which I thought he was fabulous in. I think I know why, now, but he was wonderful in the part.

How on earth did you hear of this thing?

SOOO good to have you back!

(Still having Breakfast With Michael, only watching while my minimal breakfast lasts, it's like a virtual trip every morning, grounding, and a reminder of what I hope we haven't lost forever.  I really miss travel).

Also watching Rick Steves each night on PBS, who irritates me no end, that "day bag" of his slung over his shoulder, looking like it weighs 20  pounds, for starters is ridiculous,  but I think he  means well.  But I like the bloopers at the end of the thing. At no time has he stated the fact that he has to check that stupid huge bulky  thing wherever he goes. No museum (these tapes were done in 2012), and not anywhere else like Pompeii will allow bags like that inside anymore.

[ginny]

Rosemary, do you happen to know the location for the castle which features in Shades of Love? It's a pretty thing.

And don't Charles  Dance and Eileen Atkins look wonderful?!!?  That was 10 years ago. I nearly fell over when he called her "Mother," they are 12 years apart and in that one she looks his age. hahhahaha

And yes, it's....awful. So much talent on the stage. It's like the Barcelona FC, all that talent on the field, the 6 time and current Ballon D'Or winner  in the world (Messi) playing and megamillion talent on the rest of the team, and  still not one trophy this year to show for it. Even Dance and Atkins can't overcome this one but they are a delight to look at anyway. For a minute, then you're overcome with feeling sorry for them.

[BarbStAubrey]

At the time I liked Pilcher - preferred reading Shell Seekers to the movie - if I remember the story was early and maybe the start of the older women genre - preferred her early work and thought it got strange when her son picked up on her later story and finished them - did not follow him and somehow the magic for me in her later books was just not there.

[rosemarykaye]

Ginny - I have found this:

https://www.filmedinburgh.org/Filmed-Here/Shades-of-Love#:~:text=German%20TV%20drama%20of%20a,Abbs%2C%20Manderston%20and%20Duns%20Castle.

'German TV drama of a Rosamund Pilcher adaptation starring Clare Waugh and Charles Dance. Filmed at Newbattle Abbey College, St Abbs, Manderston and Duns Castle.'

I think Charles Dance's house in the series must be either Manderston or Newbattle Abbey College, but I've looked at both on Google images and I can't decide which one it is.

St Abbs is the fishing village I mentioned. It's a very popular tourist destination - in his latest book The Nature of Summer my favourite nature writer Jim Crumley gets very exercised about how overrun it is and how bad that is for the bird population.

[rosemarykaye]

Last night I watched a BBC programme about the Bruderhof Community (Inside the Bruderhof.) I had never heard of it before, but the British settlement is in fact near Robertsbridge in Sussex, not that far from Rye. The people are committed to living communally, and follow the Bible quite strictly, with the women wearing long skirts and headscarves. No-one owns anything, not even their own food or clothes, but the community runs a very successful children's furniture company, in which many of the adults work. The children are educated within the community, and have no access to TV, the internet or mobile phones.

In some ways it reminded me of the Rudolph Steiner communities here on Deeside, and the Steiner School that my youngest daughter Madeleine attended in Edinburgh (though the school is much more in the 'real world' than Bruderhof). However, the communities here do not require any particular form of dress, and the only rule at the school was that the pupils should not wear anything with logos, which I thought a very good idea.

The Bruderhof children cannot apply for full membership of their community until they are 21, and at 18 they are encouraged to live 'outside' for at least a year. The programme featured one girl who was going to live in London and work in a project for disadvantaged teenagers - I must say she was far from brainwashed, and keen to explore other options, though in the end she wanted to return to the community.

I am not sure I could live anywhere like this, as apart from anything else I like my own space far too much to cope with communal living (the families share houses, but each does have its own bedrooms and sitting room - the kitchen is communal.) The entire community eats together once a day, the rest of the meals are taken in their own homes. Also most of the women were engaged on very 'female' tasks like cooking and sewing, though they all said they were happy with this.

The interviewer asked if all decisions were made communally, and they said absolutely NOT, that would take far too long, and that everything was organised elsewhere, but it was not entirely clear where that was or who made the rules.

I know there has been some controversy about Bruderhof (as there always is about Steiner for that matter) - the BBC put up a statement to this effect at the end of the credits, but I have not yet looked it up to see what that's all about.

It was an interesting programme about something I'd never even heard of. Occasionally the BBC does still produce something unusual!

[Tomereader1]

Rosemary, when I see your post, I always think of a lovely movie I saw back in 2012: "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen".  Is this one you've seen?  I know I totally enjoyed it.  Don't have any idea if it is available on any of the streaming channels, but it is worth a look!  (BTW, this post is totally unrelated to the Bruderhof post, lol)

[BarbStAubrey]

Rosemary your description of the Bruderhof members reminds me of the Amish

[ginny]

Thank you, Rosemary, for finding that information  on the castle featured in the movie. It looks to me as if they filmed at both?

I think Manderston must be the exterior of their house.  Those glorious gardens and the front do match, although I can't tell from the Abbey photos.

But I thought the Abbey had to be that frontage on the night of the ball because the windows were different. I have now...er... skimmed..... the first 2 episodes, fast forwarding and stopping only for Charles Dance or the gardens. The rising and falling of the volume  of the  romantic music versus the quiet delivery of Dance  is really irritating. I have to constantly fiddle with the volume so as not to blast anybody else here out of the house.  The dialogue is ....it's just not good, you are right. The one review of the movie I saw hit the nail on the head for me, but this is not my type of movie in the first place.

I am now on fire to see Manderston and am disappointed to note that it's really (perhaps those are only coronavirus months when open) not open at the time of  year when I am able to come.  Those magnificent gardens and all the delights it promises!  I'll add it to my increasingly long list of  "some day, Ida," along with going back to Abbottsford, and finally seeing Hever Castle, Castle Howard, Ephesus, and the Roman cities of the North African coast. 

[Dana]

well I must say I did enjoy Shades of Love and I did not go to sleep AT ALL.  (This is high praise !)
It was fun reading all the awful reviews and then gleefully agreeing with them.  And I did think that Laura's mouth was really weird and Virginia had been dubbed etc etc.
 Glamorous people and beautiful scenery are always nice to rest one's eyes on.
 Charles Dance reminds me of that other actor Ian Richardson, both I think a very English type of man, pale eyes, grey hair, slim, distinguished, the type of man Margaret Thatcher was said to like to surround herself with.....

If you come across another series Rosemary, be sure to let me know about it!

(Did you ever watch The Good Wife.....a few years back, I think I have that right,.......and then of-course I was hooked on Desperate Housewives for ages)..... I've always felt sorry I missed Dynasty.....  I wonder if you can still get it and if it would be terribly out of date....

A lot of BBC stuff makes me nod off I'm afraid....not Line of Duty of-course, or the one about Jeremy Thorpe, that was great, but I find most of their series really sleep inducing. Its quite strange really.  I can't figure out why.
Oh, I did like Happy Valley and The Fall a while ago.....

[ginny]

I've one foot out the door but if you liked the Good Wife, it's worth a free trial of  CBS Access to see The Good Fight with Christine Baransky and Delroy Lindo, the sequel. Absolutely smashing! That first episode is a classic.

  Isn't Charles Dance something, though?

[rosemarykaye]

So glad you enjoyed it Dana!  It's great looking for all the faults sometimes, isn't it? And this was just FULL of them! I'll definitely tell you if I find any like it. I do have the DVD of The Shell Seekers - in fact I seem to have two, each with a different cast - but the one I have watched is nowhere near as bad as Shades.

I love Line of Duty too, and I also enjoyed the Jeremy Thorpe series and was really surprised at how well Hugh Grant played that part, he really was Thorpe, wasn't he? I try not to fall asleep in front of the TV, but some nights it just seems to happen, whereas on others I am still avidly watching at midnight.

Yes Ginny, Charles Dance is indeed 'something' - I think I've been in love with him ever since he played Guy in The Jewel in the Crown.

Can you believe it, I decided that (as my husband is away) I would go back to working my way through my numerous recorded episodes of Doc Martin last night. I think, as tends to be my wont, I started in the wrong place, as Stephanie Cole had clearly been written out, and in her place we had none other than Eileen Atkins - who played the mother in Shades of Love. Life is full of coincidences.

I have not (yet) seen The Good Wife, but I am working my way through the box set of Desperate Housewives - love it. I did watch some of Dynasty when it was first aired, but I can hardly remember a thing about it, so I bought the DVDs in a charity shop. I haven't watched them yet, as our DVD player is currently still in Edinburgh, but I have asked my husband to bring it back when he comes up in a couple of weeks. I also bought (also in a charity shop of course!) the box set of Dallas, which I did see at the time but quite fancy revisiting.

Oh my goodness, the wind is really whipping itself up outside this evening - so nice to be inside on a day like today.

Rosemary

[Dana]

Charles Dance and Ian Richardson both remind me of my husband so I like them both for that reason.

[rosemarykaye]

That's lovely!

I told my daughter the other day that we had been re-watching The Blues Brothers and that Dan Ackroyd reminded me so much of her lovely boyfriend. 'Which one is he?' she replied 'I hope you don't mean the short fat one!' (I didn't, I meant the cool tall one - she was happy with that )

[ginny]

 Yes, he's a very attractive man, to me, too. But  have a feeling he would be very difficult to live with. He's had quite a romantic past, too.

I think he was miscast in The Crown. Yes he's a dead ringer for Mountbatten but he'd have been a perfect Prince Philip for the end or present time of the series because he's got that look in his eye. Apparently they are only going two more years in the series but he'd have been perfect for Philip at 70, in my opinion. And as much as I love (and I do) Jonathan Pryce, especially having stood next to him in line at the Globe while we both waited to get in for Shylock, he to act, me to admire his acting and I did, he's kind and sweet and soft spoken. Perhaps he can transform self.


The Good Fight is on Amazon Prime, season 1. I never saw The Good Wife but the first  episode of The Good Fight just blasted me out of the chair. I had no idea we had that level of programming on TV, no joke. Strongly recommend that if anybody gets a chance they watch the first episode. It's really something.

[Dana]

I didn't know there was a sequel to The Good Wife!  It's definitely on my list.......

I've got half an eye on the Republican convention because I want to see Melania and I must say they're putting on a powerful performance.

[ginny]

Who is that nighttime comic, was it Stephen Colbert, who started his show by being under his desk, cowering, and saying "Has the loud lady gone?" hahaha Dear me. I  am not watching the entire conventions but individual speeches and I must admit even  3 seconds of Ms. Guilfoyle's screaming the first night, demented SHRIEKING, was WAY WAY  too much.

I will also admit to being surprised by the McCloskeys having been  invited to speak the first night. I have read in the British  press  that they don't limit their pointing of guns only at protestors, but at  neighbors, too.

I think everybody has made up their minds on how they are going to vote. I just hope they do.

[BarbStAubrey]

Dana, Melania blew me away - and I noticed even Ron Emanuel had nothing but praise for her speech - I loved that there was not a negative or mention of the competition. 

Fun fun fun - one of the many Mexican TV stations here shows American movies that were dubbed with Mexican Spanish voices - however - the fun part is that my TV translates everything or if in English everything has subtitles - great for me since sometimes my hearing is not all that it could be but the automatic translation of these American Films that were dubbed makes me smile - so last night I saw Hopscotch a hilarious spy movie with Walter Matthau, and Glenda Jackson, spoken in Spanish but subtitled in English...

With the convention and everyone's opinion all over the TV I had an alternative because as you say Ginny most have made up their mind the way they want the direction of the country to go...

Evidently a Russell Crow movie will be the first new movie to be released since everything closed down last winter. I've enjoyed some of his early work but of late his films are not my cup of tea - Did y'all see where Tom Hanks and his wife have moved to Greece - I wonder if the move is suggesting a lessor Hollywood career... Well it appears with the shut down we will probably not see any kind of blockbuster over the Holiday season - the Oscars will be strange - will there even be enough in the 2020 season to pick winners?

[bellamarie]

Dana, I am glued to the TV watching the RNC, the past two nights.  Melania did a powerful speech last night, from sharing with us her journey to coming to America, and becoming a legalized citizen, to showing such compassion in her trips around the world embracing the children, for the "Be Best" program, to showing compassion and empathy to the "Moms" who are dealing with this virus, she can and does relate, and shares our same fears.  I loved how she refused to go negative against the other party, and pointed out the strengths of, "My Husband." "In fact, if you tell him [it] cannot be done, he just works harder. ... The White House Rose garden she has renovated, which has not been done in sixty years, was a perfect spot to hold her speech. 

Barb, like you mentioned Rohm Emmanuel had nothing but praise for Melania, as did Juan Williams.  She is a shining light of grace, elegance, intelligence (fluently speaks five languages, Slovenian, English, French, Italian, and German ), love of country and compassion. I love how she pointed out we are not a perfect nation, and we still have work to do where racism is concerned, inequality, etc. I also have to mention the Attorney General Daniel Cameron from Kentucky.  This guy has a huge political future ahead of him.  The opening prayers and videos just grabbed at my heartstrings, brought tears to my eyes, and reminds me as the song title says, America The Beautiful.  We are dealing with so much unrest, the virus, divisiveness in this country, we tend to sometimes forget, we are the greatest, free nation in the world.

Ginny, I agree, Kimberly Guilfoyle's voice can be a bit grating. Yes, most people have already made up their minds, and these conventions are more for the party base.  But for me personally, I loved all the patriotism, the stories of successes of your every day people, like Jason Joyce, the lobster man from Maine, the Mom whose child had special needs and school choice made it possible for his needs to be met, for the five immigrants who become naturalized citizens, and so many more.  No matter what your party, patriotism and love of country is always moving, when you hear these real life stories.

Okay enough of that....I have finally gotten a Roku, and my granddaughter's boyfriend has graciously allowed me to sign into his Netflix account for free.  I guess you are allowed to have five different names to one account.  So, now I feel like a deer in headlights.  I was ordering a coffee pot for them, and clicked the 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime.  I seriously have NO idea if, or what I need this for.  Any help is much appreciated.  Who of you have Amazon Prime, do you use it, and what do you use it for?  Is it worth the cost per month?  I noticed in my Roku channels for free, I am able to watch many movies. I was excited to see Netflix has the movie, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  I can't wait to watch that, I loved the book! 

Like I said, any help will be much appreciated.  I am a newbie, to all of this.

[Tomereader1]

I have Amazon Prime and have had it for years, even before "streaming" became a "thing".  It is worth it, to me, when I purchase something, free shipping.  I think in one year the amount you save in shipping costs pays for yearly fee.  The cost has gone up over the years, but if you like to order "books" especially, you save a bundle in shipping costs. 

[BarbStAubrey]

agree Tomereader - I also have had it for years - and now Prime Now delivers my groceries for no fee but there is a tip for the driver that they collect - as you say the free shipping is worth it and then all the free movies and free Kindle books as a Prime Member - I actually need to double check - after a certain age it is free and I have not changed that - forgot the age but at this point I seem to be older than dirt.

What channel are you finding the entire convention evening - only an hour on the majors and where PBS says they are going to show it instead it is their reporters sharing their opinion for 2 hours and then they also at 9: central show an hour of the convention. Last week I could tune in to the entire Dem Convention which I did two nights even though all the speeches were canned with no audiance - so why the difference that the Pub Convention is not getting equal time?

[bellamarie]

Barb, I have Direct TV, and on channel 360 Fox News Channel, they have done a great job covering the RNC, with little break in for their commentary.  I'm not sure if any channel covers it non stop, in it's entirety.  I was hoping to go on youtube and try to see if I can see all four nights without any breaking in.  Probably not. 

Thanks for the input as far as Amazon Prime is concerned.  You all watch shows that I couldn't get without the Roku, Netflix or Amazon, and they sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try.  I will give it 30 days to see if it's something I feel I will use enough to pay for.  I mean I am getting Netflix for free, so what's a fee for Amazon. lol

[PatH]

Barb, if you find out the age for free Prime, let me know.  If you're older than dirt, so am I, since I've now caught up to you again.

I'm pretty sure I'm still ahead just from the shipping, though.

[Tomereader1]

BellaMarie, the Prime fee is roughly $100 yearly.  Mine renewed late last year, so I've forgotten.  I was not aware that they had an "age related fee".  That would be very nice.  I'm 81.  Let me know what you find out, Barb, about the age thingy!
Hugs to all you SeniorLearners out there.  Some days, you are the only thing keeping me afloat (sanity-wise). This is exactly the time we would need to have a SeniorNet/SeniorLearn "Bash" to get us all together, have some fun, singing, dancing (if we still can) enjoying conversations with people we "know" yet "don't know".
It was my plan, way back then, to attend the New York Bash, which I think was the last one occuring. But life got in the way, and I was unable to sign up for it.

[Frybabe]

Bellamarie, these days I practically live on Amazon Prime. Aside from my shopping (I use Subscribe and Save, mostly for cat supplies and food), I use the Lending Library feature that allows you to borrow any number of Ebooks for free and no time limit, and the once a month borrow Prime Reading, I think) which does need to be returned before borrowing another. Also, you get to download a free book each month that will be debuting as an Ebook the following month. They give you six choices there. While I don't often watch Prime Video, there are lots of programs that are free to watch. They have added links to subscription services like Nefflix, Great Courses, Curiosity Stream, etc. Lots of these subscription services have links in your Roku offerings too. I used to have a Roku and really liked it, but when I got the new SmartTV, I found that Comcast has links to Prime Video and YouTube. Those two apps are what I use the most. Anyway, there are a bunch of other things you can do in Prime that I don't use, so I cannot comment on them.

I didn't know about the age related fee either. Will have to look into it.

Past my bedtime. Catch you all tomorrow.

PS: Barb, hope you will not have to deal with the Hurricane Laura. or the worst of it, Stay safe.

[rosemarykaye]

I have had Prime for some time and I agree, it's well worth it for the free postage (though NB that only applies to things supplied by Amazon or certain third parties who supply through them - most things from third party sellers do still have postage on top, but with books and DVDs, they are often so cheap that they still only cost you around £3 including postage.)

Lately I have been investigating the other things that I seem to have included in my membership but have never used:

Prime TV app - now we have a Smart TV I have found quite a lot to watch on Prime, it is good for films and for some other TV series that the other catch-up apps do not seem to have;

Prime photo storage - I've only just set this up as I was getting so fed up with Dropbox constantly telling me my free storage was full up and wouldn't I like to pay for extra? I am sure they were reducing the capacity each month. Prime gives you unlimited photo storage for free and you can access your photos on any linked device (phone, laptop, i-Pad, etc). I was amazed at how easy it turned out to be to set up, even I managed it, and it works really well so far.

Ebooks- as has already been said, you get the offer of a free book each month, and there are lots of other free ones. I have subscribed (free of course!) to something called Bookbub; this sends you a daily email list of books that are free or cut price on Amazon and other providers. Many are not what I want but there are usually a few worth trying every week; you simply click on their link and it takes you through to the appropriate Amazon without you having to trawl through it all.

Prime Music - they have lots and lots of playlists, I often try one when I am cooking or cleaning - all sorts of genres, and unlike the radio no interruptions for depressing news bulletins or adverts.

The only issue for me with Amazon is that my younger daughter is highly critical of the way it treats its employees, and I know she is not alone in this, they are notoriously bad employers and I know I should have the moral gumption to avoid them - but they are just so good at what they do, it's a hard one!

Rosemary

[Dana]

I'm a prime fan too, for books and all sorts of orders for all sorts of different things, stuff I don't want to go searching in stores for. And they come so quickly it's so convenient,unbelievable really.  I have a friend who won't use it because of the way they have taken away business from regular retail....but....what can I say.....its the way is.....

Also their music through Alexa (new for me) is super and recently I've been watching all my tv series through prime to the extent I cancelled netflix because I was not using it at all.  Amazon prime has several add ons for a few $$ more like acorn and britbox and PBS and HBO all of which I have not tried.

And they have tons of free or almost free books to download, but I don't tend to read too much on my phone except when I fly which I am not doing now, or in waiting rooms which I hope not to be in too much!  And you could get them read to you with audible.....but that is a sure fire way to put me to sleep, and I have a nice meditation app for that instead.

[ginny]

We have a huge Amazon warehouse thingy here and we hear both sides of the story.  Our PostMistress was telling me her son loved it, he was in the management level though a young man and left to finish college and they offered to help him with that education if he'd return to work for them. At the same time there appears to be a lot of stress on the floor. I think Jeff Bezos is a decent man who will fix things as he is informed of them. I could be wrong.

You can't beat the speed, and I mean they can deliver  a book the next day (as they did with the  Ethan Canin Tuesday ...that could be that big warehouse....and they can get books quickly that most people don't even stock. And free shipping. That alone is worth it. If you live out by the time you've expended gas to get TO the store and gone through the hassle of not finding this or that item, only to return after 3 stores  and frustrated, when with a tap of the finger you have it the next day...there's not much competition.

If ANY of you find out anything about reduced prices for  Prime for Seniors, please let me know!

Tomereader, I loved that post and am very sorry you didn't get to NYC either, it was truly a wonderful time. One for the Books.

I am so jealous of those of you with those Smart TV's. I did not buy one as I saw  no need. I now have this giant  non Smart TV in the pantry here which I wish I could see some of those Prime movies on, but I take heart in that the computer screen I AM looking at is  huge also it's longer than my arm,  and it's so close (poor eyesight) that it seems as big as the other one to watch Prime. I also have that Fire thing which would allow me to  put Prime on it but I'm good as it is, am about to enter the land of Over Dosed on Technology.

I have really enjoyed reading about all the advantages of Prime I did not  know about, too! That was a good question and good answers.

[BarbStAubrey]

Interesting is how larger retail establishments have had the same reputation for closing small business and not treating their employees well since as far back as I can remember - in the late 40s it was the super markets that closed up the local grocery, butcher, bakery, etc. the big saving grace was when the Butcher was hired by the large super market - but then we heard how he no longer cut meat to order to satisfy this or that homemaker's particular cooking needs and how he no longer could give away the bones that actually had meant on them to customers asking for bones for the dog and actually using the bones to make soups - all the individual attention was gone - he had to wear a hat and gloves - there was no longer a barrel of sauerkraut at the end of the meat counter and he became an employee with set hours and no tipping for getting in a certain type or cut of meat...

Then it was Walmart and Kmart that many would not shop in rebellion because they too put out of business local small businesses and they paid their workers pittance and used elders as greeters who were rude and were paid even less - however compared to Amazon there was still the personal attention among the employees as well as floor staff to interface with customers compared to Amazon.

As to Amazon's work expected work ethic - two things - remember back in the 30s and early 40s those movies that were displacing personal and the office space was being redesigned because they had these what were called bean counters - checking the work output - later no one was supposed to use work time for personal business and still later you were not supposed to spend time on the internet communicating with friends or ordering products to be delivered to your home or flowers for your mother for mother's day etc.

Well my guess is that Amazon took all that data so that an employee is there to work and work hard - what does not help is the average young worker did not have an after school job from the time they were 14 where they learned how to work hard and so that is probably affecting how they see their job - unless you are brought up on a farm or ranch most young people do not know hard physical work - and for sure high school does not prepare you to buckle down, put your head down and do the work. I say this because if the work was as horrid as some complain the company would have no workers and be out of business -

And so my conclusion is the bigger the retail company the more distant the employees became to each other and to the individual wants of the consumer - we are compensated with lower prices, faster service and more variety - certainly super markets had more variety than our local small grocer as did the price of goods and variety at the big box stores that none can compare to Amazon that if y'all remember started out simply selling books.

After being through three of these major changes in retail shopping I'm ready to accept change brings good and bad, positive and negative, we loose something and gain something - there is just no perfection and as long as the work is past what was typical up to the 1930s in which the caliber of sweat shop labor in filthy surroundings was typical with child labor the norm seems to me we've come a long way...     

[bellamarie]

WOW!  Thank you all for helping me out with Amazon Prime.  My hubby was asking me how much it will be after the 30 day free trial and I told him $12.99 per month.  Then I went on to explain what all it provides, (your input was so eye opening).  He seems to be okay with the added expense.  He is a movie buff, who loves wartime movies.  I'd also be interested in knowing the senior discount and at what age it begins. 

Ginny, my big screen TV is quite old, we purchased it with the rebate President Bush gave to everyone back in 2008.  It has all the capabilities for Roku, streaming, etc.  So maybe your new TV only needs the fire stick or roku plugged into it.  These do NOT have a monthly cost.  I did feel a bit overwhelmed the past few days getting the Roku, Amazon Prime and Netflix all at one time, but it seems today was a success in getting all the accounts set up, and working!  For someone who began a technology/computer lab back in 1984, I don't know why I let myself feel so defeated with all these new devices.  My nine year old granddaughter takes my cell phone and sets up things for me.  Ughhh... is it I just feel burned out like you mentioned?

Tomereader, I think you are on to something.....I would LOVE for our book club to attempt a virtual SeniorNet/SeniorLearn "Bash"  Wouldn't it be so fun to put a face to these posts!  I mean if you like, we could even dance!

Barb, as always, you put everything in such logical common sense, in explaining how we have gone from one era, to another in how we shop and adjust to the ways of the world. As much as I would not feel comfortable knowing a company mistreats their employees, I must say, you make an excellent point in how this generation has not learned hard work at a young age, and to add to it, my son points out that he hires for his company, and the work ethics of these straight out of college young people are much to be desired.  My other son who is a distributor for a major soft drink company, also was just telling us how their company can not keep workers, due to their lack of commitment, and refusing to show up on their scheduled times, and complete what is expected of them.  So, not trying to excuse any company for not treating their employees with respect and dignity, we have to understand this goes both ways.

Again, thank you all for your help.  Now to go check on those free books ya'll mentioned from Amazon.

[jane]

Barb: Your area was very fortunate if " tipping for getting in a certain type or cut of meat..." there was happening in your local Mom and Pop store and "the big saving grace was when the Butcher was hired by the large super market."  My  father was the owner of a small grocery/ meat market.  NONE of the local small stores owners  there in my town in my school days were hired by the large supermarkets.  My Dad certainly wasn't.  It sounds good, and I hope it happened some places, but it sure didn't happen in midcentral Ohio in the 50s and 60s.

[BarbStAubrey]

You're right Jane - not every butcher was hired - they only needed a few as compared to the many who had to close up shop but that was the saving grace we all felt when a few of our regulars got hired  - did you father have a shop with sawdust on the floor - that is what I most remembered and also the big barrel of sauerkraut - I remember saving my allowance and doling out a nickel twice a week so that on my way home from school I walked past the butcher shop and got a nickles worth of sauerkraut - always ate it before I got home - not sure if my mother would approve but I loved it as my treat. The other 15 cents was 12 cents for the Saturday movie and 2 cents for candy while attending the movie... and a penny saved towards Christmas - such were the days... 

Just remembered, my very best adult friend who passed now, her father was a Butcher but instead of losing because of the super markets he lost because the depression finally took its toil - he would allow folks to charge as most did back then - problem was most customers never caught up to be able to pay him what they owed and finally he went through all his resources and there just was not enough to keep going so he had to close - never did work after that - Charlotte's mother took care of people's houses for income and within a few short years her father died - now we would say he died a broken man - drink took over...

Change can be as painful as it brings a new way of life... I know I often say, if only and know what I wish for is gone...

[jane]

Barb...No, sawdust on the floor as that would have been frowned upon by the Health Dept.  This was in the 50s and early 60s.  No sauerkraut in an open barrel.  But, yes, on the credit Dad ran for customers.  Many paid regularly, and, of course, there were those who didn't.  Dad threw those unpaid accounts into the burn barrel when he retired and closed the store.

jane

[PatH]

Jane, I'll give your father a posthumous salute for the good his credit did.  My mother in law was a widow, supporting her family with her salary as a schoolteacher.  She could never quite make the money last through the salaryless summer, and the credit was a lifesaver.  She always paid back in the fall, though.

[bellamarie]

Oh gosh being reminded of the little market on the corner, where my mother sent us kids with a list of groceries to buy, brings back so many good memories.  The name of the store was Nick Castell's.  He was an Italian, who allowed families to run a credit up, and pay at the end of the month.  I would go back to the back of the store, where the fresh meat was, hand the butcher the list, and he would begin chopping and slicing, and wrapping the meat into the brown paper, with the labels of what it was and how many pounds, along with a price.  I was so amazed as a young child, to go shopping so often in that store and never see my Mom hand them cash at the checkout counter, or give us cash when she sent us with our list.  But then one day I went with her, she had two overflowing baskets of groceries (I was horrified and embarrassed to be pushing the second basket behind her, because a boy I had a crush on, stopped me and said Hi, then said, "That's a lot of food!")  But, as the checkout lady rang up the final purchase, she told my Mom the amount, and I watched her take out a handful of bills, and handed them to the check out woman.  She said, "Put this toward last month's balance, and the rest pays for this."  The first time in my life I realized there was such a thing as buying on "credit". 

Barb, sauerkraut as a treat.  How funny!  Nope, like Jane mentioned, not sure the health dept. would have allowed an open barrel, or sawdust on the floor.   

[jane]

Right you are, Pat...and the steel workers who were on strike and had no money to pay for groceries and Dad carried them through that.  I'm sure, however, I wasn't the only one who, back in those days, heard at home, "We can't afford that." 

jane

[ginny]

How lovely it is to hear about these unsung acts of charity.  It was that kind of world, once. Hats off to all those men and women who showed us what America really is, and should be.

I tell you what, I'm kind of proud of us oldsters, we've really been through a great deal, seen great changes,  endured great challenges,  and here we are in a technology age, still hanging in by the skin of our teeth maybe. hahaha Maybe not. Certainly we'd never have met the people here,  sitting in our own homes, and my motto is all you can do is all you can do, and all you can do (with honest effort), (and it has to be honest),   is enough.

I was watching Michael Portillo this morning and his visit to the oldest Welsh choir. Their stories and their singing was glorious and I found a tear running down my face to my surprise. I mean it's this little church and these old men prima facie. But it was revealed to be so much more.  It seems lately there seem to be a lot of those unexpected  tears, at the strangest times. Either I am going dotty or the coronavirus stress is showing itself subtly. At any rate it was wonderfully uplifting  and they are tears of joy.

I was watching a documentary last night and early this morning on youtube about the Royal Family and the tension between the Queen Mother and Prince Philip. Apparently anybody can call themselves anything on the Internet and they can produce professional slick looking "documentaries," or teach a subject with no foundation whatsoever or credentials.  It's somewhat of a fantasy world,  the internet, isn't it?  Just make yourself up and go for it.

 I found the commentary from viewers on the bottom of the movie very enlightening about both. I think the comments sometimes, the checks and balances, whether it's modern political speeches or this dated thing about the Queen Mother and Prince Philip whose backgrounds  were actually the reverse of what the Palace declared in the films, are very enlightening. Of course one has to have enough sense  and knowledge to analyze the comments, too, especially on the internet which is more fantasy than reality.    "Consider the Source", good motto for all times.

[bellamarie]

Ginny, "It seems lately there seem to be a lot of those unexpected  tears, at the strangest times."

Well, your post did bring a tear to my eye.  I too am finding myself being a tad bit more emotional these past few weeks.  I know many of us do not share the same political views, and that's okay, but I must say, while watching the four nights of the RNC convention, the videos, invocations, real testimonies from people of all walks of life how their lives began with so little hope, and then some how they are now standing on a convention stage telling how their lives are now successful, and filled with hope, had me crying like a baby. 

We all want the same things in life, we want that American dream, we want to live our faith no matter which one it is, and even if we have none, we want to have safe neighborhoods, good schools for our children, equality for all races, color and creeds, food on our tables, and to be able to choose which ever life style, and not be bullied, harassed, intimidated or threatened.  We want fair paying jobs, healthcare, and we want dignity and respect for all human life, at all stages, especially for those who can not speak for themselves, be it inside the womb, or the elderly who can no longer communicate their desires due to debilitating diseases or aging.  We want to pursue all our possibilities without being hampered.

My tears were at times tears of joy, tears of sadness, tears of hope, tears of patriotism, and yes...tears of loss, seeing our America being destroyed, statues tumbling to the ground that represents our history, good or bad, and tears for all those who have lost their lives to not only these rioters/protestors/anarchists what ever the media deems appropriate to label them, but my tears were also for those who we have lost to this deadly virus, and yes, those unjustly killed be it at the hands of a rogue policeman, or a raged rioter. I am a person of strong faith, but I will say, my faith has surely been tested these past few months.

I have a very intelligent, beautiful, all inspiring black friend, her name is Barbara Neal Roose. Barb travels all over the country giving uplifting, motivational speeches.  She is an author, does virtual chats with other authors, for anyone who needs inspirational information or support,  and she has a blog page.  She posted yesterday, it being the 57th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech.

I read MLK Jr.'s speech in its entirety for the first time yesterday. Barb asks at the end of her blog:  What part of Dr. King’s speech inspires you the most? 

This was my reply:

Marie on August 28, 2020 at 3:32 pm
Thank you Barb for sharing MLK Jr.’s speech with us. This is the first time for me as well, to read it in it’s entirety. Comparing it to today’s protests, rioting, burning buildings, destroying businesses and people’s life long dreams, murdering, tearing down statues and looting, the part that rings out for me is this:

“We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

We are better than what is happening. We need a MLK Jr. today. I pray daily for God to guide us to be better, and to heed the words of this great man. We can not and must not cancel culture, erase history, and silence the voices of those who came before us. In doing so….MLK Jr.’s words are no longer meaningful. Let us join together, sisters in Christ, and be an example of “one nation under God.”


This is the link to her blog.  I recommend all her books.

https://barbroose.com/still-dreaming-the-57th-anniversary-of-mlk-jrs-i-have-a-dream-speech/?fbclid=IwAR1aNO78BYxHkwc6aNnCpCICRP6pi-7fQeI0RU5toxvrDYOmvDYNDTYECX4

Now, today, when I think of shedding tears, what comes to my mind is this...

America, America, God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

[Tomereader1]

"Unexpected tears" -- well, for me, maybe not.  I cry at our National Anthem, I cry at a song, or songs, that have lyrics that touch my heart, I cry listening to a beautiful piece of music, symphonic or operatic, I cry looking at a painting in a museum (I've not been to many), or a display of artworks from times past that make me wonder "how can someone manage to create something this awesome?"  I cry at a dance performance, ballet or contemporary, a skating program that simply reaches into your heart and mind and turns your mundane world inside out.  I have cried at early newcasts, at the onset of Covid, showing the many, many patients and caregivers and first responders, and hearing the awful numbers being tolled like dirge bells. 'Tis a wonder I, or you, have any tears left.  But deep down, somewhere inside, there is a tiny spark of joy - -Hope-- that things can and will get better.  I try, daily, to fan that tiny spark, and not let the tears extinguish it.
Joanne