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These two series are different on the face of it but share the same idyllic and charming ethos. Gerald Durrell's Corfu trilogy about five years he lived with his family in Greece starting when he was ten. I love all three books and have read them many times, but the first, My Family and Other Animals, is dearest to me and the answer if I'm ever asked about my favorite book. There are no life lessons or transcendent moments, honestly. But as remembered nostalgically through Gerald's eyes, the books always transport me to a place of tranquil loveliness and humor. I feel kinder after reading them. The same can be said of the James Herriot books about his life as a Yorkshire vet, starting with All Creatures Great and Small. I know every story by heart and love the animals and owners as fondly described by the author. The author's basic goodness and humanity shines through and the books a balm for me.

Yes, yes. Lorraine and Nancy have very different palates. No need to beat us over the head with the eye rolling and exasperated sighs. To the judges -- please try to be adults about simple differences of opinion. None of the contestants stood out, although they all seem pleasant. The 21-year-old with her own bakery makes me wonder if it was a family business that she took over, or family money. (Eh, I looked it up -- mother and daughter deal.) All the food looked tasty enough. The decorating was OTT on a lot of the bundts, though. Dial it back, folks. No reason to use those fancy pans and then cover up the designs. I've never had or made a bundt with filling so that was interesting. I really wanted to taste Patty's with the pink ribbon -- it was either "very not sweet" or had a "cloying sweetness." Jeez.

Another Trump sobriquet: the butternut turd. I have to say, liberals are much better at this. After HRC has won, I'd love to see a NY Times bestseller compendium of his nicknames and derogatory memes. Just to browse through and chuckle, because we know how much he hates being mocked.

This is from Deadspin, composed mostly of personal opinion and tea leaves, but it may be comforting to see the points laid out. Donald Trump is going to get his ass kicked on Tuesday.

This occurred to me because of all the election nonsense from the religious right, but even though Trevor is a committed Christian himself, he doesn't make that a part of the show and I appreciate it.

Is it because labor costs to collect the change were too high? It seems absurd to have 25 cent credit card charges but I guess that's the economy now.

Have we discussed yet how closely Trump follows the Fair Game doctrine of Scientology? I'm rewatching Going Clear and the similarities are eerie. Fair Game says that individuals or groups seen as threats should be punished and harassed by any means possible, including legal actions, private investigations and public character assassination. Anyone who speaks out in opposition is automatically characterized as an antisocial personality out to destroy and is fair game for retaliation. L. Ron Hubbard's philosophy was: Don't ever defend. Always attack. Find or manufacture enough threat against them to cause them to sue for peace. "If people attack Scientology, I never forget it. I always even the score." Former Scientology spokesman Mike Rinder on 60 Minutes about answering the press: "My position as the spokesperson was to evade the question or sleaze around some way..."

From the article cited above by David Frum in The Atlantic: "This country is not so broken as to allow a President Trump to arrest opponents or silence the media." Wonder who Frum believes would stop him?

She was bemoaning the fact that she'd been put out to pasture but when asked to act in Elizabeth's absence, she demurred and hared off to Scotland. Needed some peace and quiet! Bought herself a castle! It's good to be the monarch, apparently, since everyone misses it and Margaret wants it. Must be the obeisances. And having servants undress you.

Will Churchill just die already? Gah. I kept skipping ahead to get to a scene without him, but there weren't many. I gather he didn't like his stupid portrait. I don't care.

They're all in cahoots, I tells ya!

The Eco Flower site has, as of now, 14 bouquet styles, 16 home décor items, and 3 sizes of a monthly subscription "surprise" box. I refuse to believe that those measly skus have brought in $2.8M in sales over 18 months. REFUSE! Not that I even dislike the pieces, but that's a lot of sales for bouquets that can't be customized and home goods that are no more appealing than a vastly more varied selection of tchotkes found at any number of crafts and home furnishing stores.

I was glad to see that Elizabeth made Philip kneel to her. I'll accept the karmic deductions for my pettiness. Elizabeth either needs to (1) stop making hasty promises she can't keep, or (2) stop letting others talk her out of following through.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but broadcast TV is still free, right? Then why do the networks require people to sign in online with "your TV provider login" in order to watch shows? CBS goes so far as to ask you to pay for their programming (All Access!) if you missed it on air. It's not about revenue from commercials, either, because the ads are unskippable when streaming. I blame the cable networks somewhat less because their programming isn't free, but it still bugs.

When I look at the post counts for the HRC vs Trump threads, I'm reminded of how reports of bad customer service reach twice as many ears as praise for a good service. At any rate I'm grateful to have this space to, frankly, release my venom and take comfort in the like-minded bile of others.

THE ONLY THOUGHT IS FOR THEIR CONTINUED POLITICAL VIABILITY. Need to toady up to a sniveling shitstain? Okey dokey!

That was news to me, as well! That she was eight months pregnant and the "remains of the baby" being found in the wreck is horrific to contemplate. I'm about the same age as Prince Charles but didn't really pay much attention to the royal family until Charles and Diana's wedding, which was primarily curiosity about them as celebrities. Just from growing up with Elizabeth as queen and her being in the news as background noise, I guess I absorbed more of her history than I thought, because most of the story is familiar to me.

I can only imagine so much time was devoted to the snitty tantrums and selfish venality of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor because letters and other source material was available. Otherwise he was kind of an ancillary figure to Elizabeth as queen (although by many accounts she really did blame him for her father's early death). I think the show intended him to be shown as petulant and delusional, but I found it a bit tiresome to watch.

Even thought I find the real Prince Philip distasteful, I would perhaps have felt some sympathy for the character except that HE SHITTING KNEW HIS WIFE WAS GOING TO BE QUEEN. Even if he assumed it wouldn't be for another 30 years, that's the bargain he made when he married her. Was that even done for love on his part, or pragmatic expediency? I assume that every personal conversation on the show is pure fiction. Many of the ancillary royals are now deceased, certainly Elizabeth and Philip aren't blabbing, household staff sign confidentiality agreements, etc. Still, the characterization of Elizabeth and Philip's marriage doesn't seem far off the mark to me, with the latter acting out of opportunistic duty rather than any great feelings of love for his wife.

Jiffy Pop is still being made! I should try it again and see if it holds up to my childhood adoration. Uh -- really twisting to find a peeve here -- it's not available at my local grocery. The Con Agra site tells me I'd need to drive more than 5 miles. ;)

That's a little disappointing, but the show was always a stretch for broadcast TV and ratings were never good. Silver lining is that the show won't have a chance to devolve or become boringly one note. The recent episode amusingly reminded us that it isn't all about Kenny being gay ... except it kind of is? Every episode has its B subplots, but trying to make the show into a more ensemble cast family comedy is probably too late at this point. Some viewers are already tired of Eileen and Pat's storylines.

It looks like the only question is whether or not CBS will let the season play out or cancel early. Predictions from TV By the Numbers: "Pure Genius premiered to a 1.0 rating in adults 18-49 last week. That is … not good. Here’s how not-good it was: That’s the lowest premiere for a CBS drama since Battle Creek in March 2015. That show never got above 1.0 on its way to being canceled after 13 episodes. Even last season’s Rush Hour opened at a 1.1."

Let me assure everyone who is not asking that I dislike 'shipping as a general rule. For the movie, though? I will be heartily pissed if Phryne and Jack still don't make it to bed.

Historical sidebars, post-war British politics, show inaccuracies or questions, etc.

The show sure enjoys its sweeping orchestral soundtrack. Who needs dialog when we can watch people move languidly from one spot to another while listing to music.