Traveling Through England

I don't own a TV. You know that by now, because I mention it all the time. I'm not looking down my nose at you folks who DO watch TV, it's just not for me.

I do, however, watch shows on Hulu and Netflix when I'm not cuddled near the fire with my Kindle (last book I read was yesterday, Janet Evanovich's book 19 of the Plum series).

There is a good selection of programs I can watch on my computer, including some current ones. I recently tried to watch a new show called Revolution. Mostly I was curious because it sounded a lot like Jeremiah, the post-apocalyptic series that starred Luke Perry from 2002 to 2004. In Revolution civilization came to a screeching halt when electricity ceased to function. Slightly different premise, but with similar after effects. The first year of Jeremiah had been interesting, seeing what issues the writers imagined.

I only managed to watch Revolution a couple of times. I also tried Grimm and Once Upon a Time. All of these programs have some interesting aspects, but I have the same problem with all of them. Danger lurks everywhere, there is torture and murder, constant stress and danger, too much violence for my delicate nature. Grimm is especially... well ... grim. The producers pride themselves on grossly brutal murders. Yuck.

For a while I settled for old shows. Mary Tyler Moore, for example. And I watched all of the Dog Whisperer.

A couple of months ago my former boss, Linda, told me I should watch Doc Martin on Netflix. It's a series about a grumpy doctor in a small English village. At first it was hard to follow the dialogue, but that became easier once I was familiar with the characters and my ear became attuned. I loved Doc Martin. It only took 2 weeks to watch all 5 seasons of it. The plots are simple, but fun. The characters seem like real people, at least they look like real people. On American shows half the characters are 20 year old starlets with big lips and no talent.

My favorite part of Doc Martin was the scenes of the Cornish countryside.

The fictitious village of Port Wenn

The people on the show lived in real houses, mostly old houses, that have the same sort of problems I have with my old house. People in the countryside had chickens and pigs and sheep. I loved the little town and the farms and farm houses.

Here is something I was surprised to see. People who were born or raised near Sloughhouse might recognize the plants growing up a trellis in the background in this scene. Do the rest of you know what they are?

When I'd finished Doc Martin, I discovered another British series, Rosemary & Thyme. It's about two middle aged ladies who are skilled gardeners and also solve murder mysteries. One of them reminds me of Martha Stewart. Unlike Grimm, there are no gory scenes. If I ever get shot in the head or fall from a cliff, I want my corpse to look like the ones on Rosemary & Thyme, very peaceful and lovely, with just a tasteful smudge of blood on one temple.

Rosemary & Thyme is not very well written, nor is it well acted. By the time they figure out who the murderer is in each episode, I don't really care because I've so enjoyed the scenes of English countryside and the beautiful gardens.

I've watched these shows, and also enjoyed the many photos that my English blog buddies have posted when they're out and about. I have gained a real appreciation for England. Perhaps it has places that aren't so photogenic and quaint. I don't need to know about that. I prefer the scenes of the peaceful, beautiful place that are planted in my mind.