All Creatures Great And Small (2021) - General Discussion

[cinsays]

48 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

OK, I'll buy that James had other places to go after the Aldersons', and Helen would walk home on her own eventually... but shouldn't she have still been at the farm there when James left? And therefore heard about the TB-infected cow from either her father or James himself?

And then I'll go back to the envelope... I'll buy Mrs. Hall thinking she's being helpful by putting a stamp on the envelope and mailing it, but... was it sealed? Surely she wouldn't think she should mail an unsealed/ unstamped envelope? And if it was sealed... why? Helen is supposed to be a whiz at paperwork (hence why she's doing it); sending off a report that James didn't sign seems like a huge error. Heck, even if it wasn't sealed and she knew James had to sign it, why even fold it and put it in the envelope? Surely most people would leave the unsigned form out of the envelope so that the person who needs to sign it can easily do so. Urgh... so many stupid contrivances of plot manufactured to get to the intended outcome.

So I don't spend all my time complaining, I will say I love how Tristan is clearly jealous/ upset by Siegfried's seeming favoritism of James, yet still doesn't let that cloud his relationship with James. 

And the visual of Tristan frantically working his key off the ring behind his back so he could use the ring while he's literally in the midst of proposing was a small but hilarious moment.

I love book-Tristan, but I love show-Tristan even more. And I despise book-Siegfried but I low-key love show-Siegfried, so good job, show.

it seemed unlikely that Helen would have put the envelop on the table before it was signed and sealed... she's just too organized to have done that

so that's what tristan was doing with his keys? i guess i had not figured that out.......

[iMonrey]

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Heck, even if it wasn't sealed and she knew James had to sign it, why even fold it and put it in the envelope? Surely most people would leave the unsigned form out of the envelope so that the person who needs to sign it can easily do so. Urgh... so many stupid contrivances of plot manufactured to get to the intended outcome.

I'll have to agree, I don't see why she would fold the paper up and put it in the envelope if it still needed signing. I was also frustrated that neither James nor Helen ever got around to explaining to Harcourt that the housekeeper had mistakenly mailed to form prematurely.

Quote

Local families would take in evacuees. Think The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, the four Pevensey children being taken in by a stranger who happened to have a big enough house to accommodate them.

Or Bedknobs and Broomsticks!

[crankcase]

The kindertransport

[Tiggertoo]

As a little boy, my father was moved out of Liverpool to Wales when the war was starting.  He said they were lined up at the train station and they would be chosen by a family.  A lot were looking for farm help, and since my dad was scrawny, he wasn’t picked.  Finally, an elderly couple in the village took him.  His best memory was that each child got a bar of Cadbury chocolate.  That was a huge treat.  Can you even imagine what that must have been like for his mother.  His younger brother had a bad health condition, so my grandmother was allowed to evacuate with him, but they got sent somewhere else.

As for inter-racial couples, I can only tell you that my parents had an inter-faith marriage.  Catholic and Anglican. My dad had to pledge to raise any children as Catholics. I feel like an inter racial marriage would have been a big deal.

I’m so sad that there’s only one more episode left.  I loved Mrs Hall doting on Dash and Siegfried realizing that she needed the dog.  And I love what a fine, upstanding person James is.  

[magdalene]

Even had I not been a long time Siegfried/Mrs Hall shipper when he immediately caved when he saw how sad she was about letting go of the abandoned doggie - I knew how right I was about always seeing them together.  I don't care if I am callow, I want her to become a widow so they can marry eventually. Nobody can tell me the writing is not blatantly shipping them.

[crankcase]

On 2/10/2023 at 9:20 AM, DonnaMae said:

Crankcase, I love your idea of what will happen between Siegfried and Mrs. Hall.  It makes total sense.  Too bad you aren't one of the writers for the series.

I didn't know that Edward was adopted.  Are you sure?

I was referring to Audrey and Siegfried acting in loco parentis with respect to Tristan. 

After Season 2’s Christmas episode, I noted the show’s trope of the hand-on-shoulder for Siegfried/Audrey compared with, in Season 1’s finale, Helen/James and the Chapmans. I considered it another of the very many ways in which the show was signaling the obvious romantic endgame. But there was another aspect to it that I forgot to note. Helen puts her hand on James’s shoulder when he saved Susie’s pup, an effort in which she had helped. Audrey did it while Siegfried was holding the letter from the vet college showing that Tristan had graduated. Siegfried reached back to take Audrey’s hand, as James had done with Helen’s, to acknowledge her role in shepherding their “son” to certification.

I find it curious, but unsurprising, that not a single person (until, as I just noticed, @Tiggertoo and @magdalene, while I was. composing) mentioned Siegfried changing his mind about keeping Dash when he saw Audrey wanted him. Listen, the show didn’t cast an Anna Madeley as a housekeeper, give her the name of “Audrey,” and demonstrate umpteen times the ways in which she was intellectually superior to Siegfried, in order to marry her off to a Gerald. But isn’t she still married? Sure, but her husband’s a drunk and bombs are going to be falling on northwestern British cities. The writers can kill him any time they want, no questions asked.

Edited February 14, 2023 by crankcase

[ofmd]

So much happened in this episode. But  between TB at Alderson's farm, James'  trouble with the Minister of Paperwork, Tristan's dramas with Florence and Siegfried, the war breaking out, and eventually two men volunteering, first things first:

We witnessed the greatest love story of all, that between a human and their dog, or a dog and their human, if you will. Mrs Hall and Dash were lovely. Of course  there was this whole undercurrent of Siegfried going from "we'll have to put him down" (seriously?!) to "he belongs to us," just from seeing how the prospect of losing him affected Mrs Hall. Her code for "thank you so much": "As you wish, Mr Farnon."

I don't think they are in love (yet), at least not consciously, but the strength of their connection was palpable throughout the episode, beginning with Siegfried breaking off his rant about politicians at a mere look of her (and even apologizing!) -- actually, I'd have liked to hear that, but anyway... Then there was that moment  when Tristan wanted to invite Florence, and Siegfried got all, "Sunday is family day! " and again, one look from Audrey made him go "oh, fine" without missing a beat. LOL. And then the handholding of anxiety and mutual comfort  in the end, they were almost clinging to each other. I wonder if there would have been rumors though, in such a small village.

This was definitely an episode for dog lovers. We saw Tricky-Woo again (this time impersonating a wet pillow), Gerald's dog,  and sweet Daisy. The animals and the lighter moments with Florence's family, still-drunk Tris the morning after, and Mrs. Pumphrey's vegetables helped balance the sadder stories.  I learned something new: Depends on the sect!

The Anderson cattle didn't fare quite as well, and James got caught in the middle of all of it, because of course someone would mail that letter! (small eyeroll) Glad Anderson came around and James and Helen could smooth things over with the dreadful minister. The latter is more a caricature than a real character, which is very unusual for this show.

Tristan's ill-timed proposal was both funny and cringe. The poor petunia! I hope that wasn't the end of Tris and Florence. Going to war -- at least in part -- as a way of stepping out of Siegfried's shadow and discovering his true self didn't sit quite well with me, but ok.

As for James, his signing up has been telegraphed for a long time, so I'm glad they didn't drag it out any further. I wonder how Siegfried will manage doing the work of three vets.

Show, please don't kill Mrs. Hall's son. Thanks.

But at least she now has a room, er, a dog of her own! Yay! And she reconnected with Gerald, as just friends... I think. Btw, what happened to... Dorothy, was that her name? Mrs Hall's friend, the widow? Is Siegfried still seeing her? We haven't heard about his love life in a while.

Edited February 14, 2023 by ofmd
grammar stuff

[howiveaddict]

Love that the dog was named after Queen Victoria's dog Dash.  Now I want a dog to name Dash.  Great episode all around.   

[statsgirl]

I thought that this show was going to be my happy place but this season has been very depressing. Realistic, yes, but depressing. (It strikes me all the more because I have been re-reading D.E. Stevenson's Miss Buncle books and even though they take place during WWII with soldiers away and evacuees, there is a lot of more fun in them than this series.)

The idea that people will kill their pets because they cannot afford to feed them is so sad. So is Mr. Alderson possibly losing his farm because he cannot sell milk and thus has no income for a month. James getting into trouble and having to go to MAG. Even poor over-enthusiastic Tristan proposing too soon in order to be an adult. The only bright spot was that Mrs. Hall got to keep Dash.

Mrs. Hall treats Seigfried like an annoying younger brother who she has to manage so I really hope that they don't go down that road.

[AZChristian]

Rewatched a couple of parts of the episode today:

• Regarding Helen's leaving the farm before James' discovery of possible TB in the cow:  Helen and her sister had gone back up to the house, where I assume Helen was going to spend time helping with farm chores before heading home.  James and Helen's father appeared to have gone back to the farmhouse to discuss the test, but no sign of Helen or her sister.  When James offered to do the saliva test, the next scene was him driving back to Skeldale House in the dark.  Kind of a plot hole there.
• Regarding the envelope:  Helen did seal it (unsigned), and put the envelope standing up next to other stacks of work on the table which it appears she was using as a desk.  When Jim confirmed that the TB test was positive, Helen suggested they go tell her Dad and then she would "re-do the paperwork."  By the time they got back to Skeldale, Mrs. Hall had tidied up the table, saw the sealed envelope, put it in her apron pocket and then picked up some mail from Siegfried's desk (while muttering about how he wasn't very tidy).  She posted the letters while out hanging up "lost dog" flyers about Dash.  There was no postage on the letter to the government guy.  When Helen got home and saw that the table had been completely cleared, she even commented "there was no stamp on it" when talking to Mrs. Hall.  Mrs. Hall said, she "were only trying to help."  As a former administrative assistant, I would NEVER have taken anything off a desk that wasn't in an "out" basket.  

[lark37]

 

14 hours ago, Llywela said:

I mean, I routinely walk 4 miles to work and back, and think very little of it. My great-grandfather in the early 1900s was walking five miles cross-country, alone, to get to school and back from the age of six, and his family thought nothing of it, that was normal. I know America is different, doesn't have that kind of pedestrian culture, with cities and communities designed around the idea that everyone will be driving everywhere, but it really isn't like that in the UK. Our towns and cities were not designed around cars in the same way. Walking even long distances is entirely possible and a very normal thing to do even today, never mind the 1930s. Even on those narrow country roads like you see in the show. Someone like Helen wouldn't bat an eyelid at a long walk into town, it would just be part of her regular routine if she didn't have her bike with her.

West coast cities were definitely designed with cars in mind particularly in California.  The older part of America (east of the Mississippi) has cities that were definitely not designed for cars (Boston, NYC, Philadelphia all come to mind). Also, the average American didn’t own a car until after the Great Depression. My parents each grew up prior to the Depression in different parts of America walking everywhere as only the very wealthy could afford cars then. Personally, as long as the weather is decent, I walk or bicycle several miles per day everyday. So, I didn’t think it was odd at all for Helen to walk home from the farm.  

About the misunderstanding with Harcourt, I found that particularly contrived. Siegfried has a telephone.  Why didn’t they call Harcourt’s office and explain that the report was accidentally mailed before James had completed it?  Surely there’s a secretary there that could have intercepted it.  The actress playing Helen did a great job of selling just with her facial expressions a mixture of sadness, fear, and pride while James signed up.  I’m not a fan of overly long seasons of a show, but I do wish they would give us at least 8 episodes each season.  I truly enjoy this show. 

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by lark37
Great Depression and WWII are not the same thing!

[Llywela]

6 hours ago, Tiggertoo said:

As for inter-racial couples, I can only tell you that my parents had an inter-faith marriage.  Catholic and Anglican. My dad had to pledge to raise any children as Catholics. I feel like an inter racial marriage would have been a big deal.

My great-grandmother was excommunicated by her very Catholic family for marrying a Protestant. But at the same time, there were lots of inter-racial marriages in the district where they lived and that was relatively normal, for the area. And it was only her family that cared about her marrying a Protestant, nobody else did.

Like I said, inter-racial marriage would raise eyebrows and receive very mixed reactions from the people around them, but were not unheard of, albeit in some places more than others. They would have been more unusual in Yorkshire than in my hugely multi-cultural city, for instance, but did still happen.

5 hours ago, ofmd said:

 Btw, what happened to... Dorothy, was that her name? Mrs Hall's friend, the widow? Is Siegfried still seeing her? We haven't heard about his love life in a while.

Actress Maimie McCoy got a better job, on the Van Der Valk remake, and its first season was filmed at the same time as S2 of this show, so we haven't seen her since then. Dorothy wasn't a local, anyway, so we only saw her in S1 while she was visiting. Siegfried has had another lady friend since then, whose name I don't remember. I'm not sure when we last saw her, actually. Maybe she wasn't able to film under covid conditions for this season?

[Daff]

11 hours ago, ofmd said:

Siegfried going from "we'll have to put him down" (seriously?!)

I wholeheartedly agree with you, but. There was a government circular in the trash, that apparently Siegfried read, and hastily crushed and threw away (probably in disgust). Audrey pulled it out and read it with obvious disgust. It announced that some enlistees were abandoning their pets as they could find no one to care for them. The flier said something to the effect that for public safety, they should be put down. Siegfried was in the position of following rules or risking sanctions.  He obviously figured out, Who’s to know we didn’t adopt a dog?

[Llywela]

1 hour ago, Daff said:

I wholeheartedly agree with you, but. There was a government circular in the trash, that apparently Siegfried read, and hastily crushed and threw away (probably in disgust). Audrey pulled it out and read it with obvious disgust. It announced that some enlistees were abandoning their pets as they could find no one to care for them. The flier said something to the effect that for public safety, they should be put down. Siegfried was in the position of following rules or risking sanctions.  He obviously figured out, Who’s to know we didn’t adopt a dog?

The other reason Siegfried felt the dog should be put down was because taking him in sets a precedent and the last thing any of them needs is to be inundated with abandoned pets, every single one of whom would be just as deserving of a good home as Dash. For all their love of animals, the household simply cannot afford to become an animal sanctuary.

[Doublemint]

Agree with several prior points - The show is becoming too sad, it could so easily go the other way with some lightness.   The mentioning of Miss Bunkle series is spot on.   I watched again last night and did notice the envelope was posted with no stamp.   As mentioned above it makes no sense for Helen to have folded the form, place it in an envelope and seal it without a signature.   Also, Mrs. Pumpfrey has had a complete makeover.   This version is all practicality.   The Mrs. Pumpfrey I remember would only love Tricki, not be eager to take in a stray dog, cat, etc.   Also, whatever happened to "Uncle Herriot"?   That was quite a relationship!   She didn't seem to care that Tristan was there and not Uncle Herriot.  

[JudyObscure]

15 hours ago, Tiggertoo said:

 I loved Mrs Hall doting on Dash and Siegfried realizing that she needed the dog.  And I love what a fine, upstanding person James is.  

I just watched the Mrs. Hall and Dash story over again and, once again, cried with relief when she got to keep him -- just like I didn't know that already.  Springer Spaniels are one of my favorite breeds -- they have the softest noggins...

[possibilities]

21 hours ago, possibilities said:

Where were all the refugee children going to stay? Did they send them to a central facility? I don't see where that would be in Skeldale. So did they seek volunteers to each take one child? How did that work?

I just realized I called the town Skeldale, but it's Darrowby. Skeldale is the house, not the town. I'm a little curious why it's called Skeldale, and not Farnon House.

Edited February 14, 2023 by possibilities

[Llywela]

19 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I just realized I called the town Skeldale, but it's Darrowby. Skeldale is the house, not the town. I'm a little curious why it's called Skeldale, and not Farnon House.

I imagine the name of the house pre-dates Siegfried's ownership of it.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Agree with several prior points - The show is becoming too sad, it could so easily go the other way with some lightness.

It's hard not to be serious and somewhat sad when all the characters are faced with WWII. I like how they are using actual radio broadcasts announcing the war. It really makes you feel like you're there, and what a sobering thought it is to hear your country is at war with another country. 

Quote

Also, whatever happened to "Uncle Herriot"?   That was quite a relationship!   She didn't seem to care that Tristan was there and not Uncle Herriot.  

Tristan did eventually win over Tricki to become "Uncle Farnon." 

[libgirl2]

25 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

It's hard not to be serious and somewhat sad when all the characters are faced with WWII. I like how they are using actual radio broadcasts announcing the war. It really makes you feel like you're there, and what a sobering thought it is to hear your country is at war with another country. 

Tristan did eventually win over Tricki to become "Uncle Farnon." 

I know, hearing  Neville Chamberlain declaring war was sobering and unsettling when you know what this all means in history and to the people of England (and the world). 

[peacheslatour]

38 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

It's hard not to be serious and somewhat sad when all the characters are faced with WWII. I like how they are using actual radio broadcasts announcing the war. It really makes you feel like you're there, and what a sobering thought it is to hear your country is at war with another country. 

Tristan did eventually win over Tricki to become "Uncle Farnon." 

Trickie seems to favor Siegfried these days.

[Daff]

16 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Trickie seems to favor Siegfried these days.

Left that hamper lid open just for Tricky!

[ML89]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I like how they are using actual radio broadcasts announcing the war. It really makes you feel like you're there, and what a sobering thought it is to hear your country is at war with another country. 

I really liked that - it was very "you are there" as opposed to reading in a book "war was declared." Hearing the back and forth news announcements and the whole household listening was marvelous.

I am perplexed as to how measuring a skin fold is a sign of TB? I guess I need to ask Google on that one.

 

[Driad]

8 minutes ago, ML89 said:

I am perplexed as to how measuring a skin fold is a sign of TB? I guess I need to ask Google on that one.

To test a human, they inject a small amount of fluid (called tuberculin) into the skin of the arm.  After 2-3 days, if the area has a swelling, that is a positive test.  Testing in cattle is similar except they use the skin of the neck. James was measuring whether the cow's skin was swollen.

[ML89]

7 minutes ago, Driad said:

To test a human, they inject a small amount of fluid (called tuberculin) into the skin of the arm.  After 2-3 days, if the area has a swelling, that is a positive test.  Testing in cattle is similar except they use the skin of the neck. James was measuring whether the cow's skin was swollen.

Thank you so much!!

[JudyObscure]

We lived in England for the USAF for three years.  When we returned we were given the usual re-entry tests and one of them was the TB test.  That little prick on my arm shot up like I had a walnut under the skin and also turned red.  

  I thought I was done for and started to make romantic Camille style speeches, but then a nice Filipino man at the base lab told me almost everyone in his home country tested positive. I have to get a chest x-ray every few years, but It can and has been dormant for twenty years now. Glad I wasn't hauled off to the knacker's.

[DonnaMae]

15 hours ago, Llywela said:

Siegfried has had another lady friend since then, whose name I don't remember

That was Diana.  It wasn't a serious relationship, since he's also dated other women besides Diana.

[Anothermi]

14 hours ago, possibilities said:

I just realized I called the town Skeldale, but it's Darrowby. Skeldale is the house, not the town. I'm a little curious why it's called Skeldale, and not Farnon House.

Google search reveals that the name Skeldale House became synonymous with the vet practice because that is what Wight (aka James Harriott) called it in his very popular books. The real Sinclair/ Wight vet practice was located in Thirsk. From what I have read so far, the place officially became called Skeldale House in 2013, after it was bought by new owners and was preserved as a tourist attraction.  https://worldofjamesherriot.com/explore-discover-visitor-attraction/

However, for fans of The Yorkshire Vet:

 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5016662/ 

That show was set in the Thirsk Skeldale Vet Centre. It ran from 2015 - 2022.

(disclaimer: this was a quick search, so feel free to correct anything you find that clarifies or corrects the above.) ☺️

 

 

 

Edited February 15, 2023 by Anothermi
spelling

[OlderThanDirt]

There a good YA book called The War that Saved My Life about being an evacuee. It’s by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. My 6th grade granddaughter loved it and recommended it to me. I was excited to see my love of historical fiction reaching another generation.

[crankcase]

On 2/13/2023 at 4:45 PM, ofmd said:

… I don't think they are in love (yet), at least not consciously, but the strength of their connection was palpable throughout the episode,…

Well, since no one really what “love” really is, either theoretically or functionally, let’s just say there is love and there isn’t, simultaneously, their’s being both alive and dead like Schrödinger’s cat. What I do know for certain is that Siegfried has often been playing a parlour (Br. sp.) word game with Audrey even though be has to cheat to keep up with a mere housekeeper—quite a stretch for a bloke like that—and I also know (because I’ve peeked) that he’s going to give us a brief glimpse of his underlying emotions in the season’s finale. You won’t want to miss it.

[Llywela]

2 minutes ago, OlderThanDirt said:

There a good YA book called The War that Saved My Life about being an evacuee. It’s by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. My 6th grade granddaughter loved it and recommended it to me. I was excited to see my love of historical fiction reaching another generation.

Carrie's War is another really good one, as is The Valley of Lost Secrets. There have been loads of books written about the evacuee experience, in fact.

Later in the war, there were American GIs stationed somewhere around here and my great-grandmother (the mother of teenage sons thankfully not old enough to be called up to fight) used to have some of them over for Sunday dinner because she wanted them to feel welcome and at home. One of them wanted to marry her oldest daughter (my grandmother) but she said no - she was a lifelong penpal to his sister, though, and I met him myself, many many years later, when he re-visited the UK and decided to try to find the people he'd known. Remembering that makes me wonder where James and Tristan will be stationed, if there will be a military base anywhere near Darrowby and if we'll see anything of it as a way of showing the continuing impact of the war on the community.

And just to add, there is nothing 'mere' about being a housekeeper. It is a highly skilled job. And we know that Audrey hasn't always been a housekeeper, she became one to escape her marriage, so it isn't as if she's been in service since childhood and had no opportunity for education. She's an intelligent woman. Why shouldn't she be better at word games than Siegfried? People can be good at different things, that's what makes them individuals.

[crankcase]

6 minutes ago, Llywela said:

And just to add, there is nothing 'mere' about being a housekeeper. It is a highly skilled job. And we know that Audrey hasn't always been a housekeeper, she became one to escape her marriage, so it isn't as if she's been in service since childhood and had no opportunity for education. She's an intelligent woman. Why shouldn't she be better at word games than Siegfried? People can be good at different things, that's what makes them individuals.

Irony, @Liywela, irony, in mocking recognition of all those who reached for the smelling salts when Audrey was allowed to dine with the family.

Edited February 15, 2023 by crankcase

[Llywela]

20 minutes ago, crankcase said:

Irony, @Liywela, irony, in mocking recognition of all those who reached for the smelling salts when Audrey was allowed to dine with the family.

See, this is where text alone fails to convey tone. 'Tis a failing of the medium!

[Haleth]

On 2/13/2023 at 10:55 AM, Llywela said:

Surviving with massively reduced income for a few weeks would be difficult, which is why so many farmers were so resistant to TB testing, but that was just the way things were.

Did they mention just how many weeks the cows would be quarantined?  I know James offered to help financially and I imagine in a close knit community vendors would consider extending credit short term.  I'm curious about how long a farmer would be without an income.

Regarding the letter, just the fact that James started the form with the assurance that the cows were negative would raise suspicion, signed or not.  He should never have put an OK on paper to begin with.

Seeing all those children made me think of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  I wonder what Mrs Pumphrey has in her attic?

We knew it was coming, James' enlistment, and were dreading it.  And Tristan too.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Did they mention just how many weeks the cows would be quarantined?  I know James offered to help financially and I imagine in a close knit community vendors would consider extending credit short term.  I'm curious about how long a farmer would be without an income.

They said a month. But I wonder what happens if they re-test all the herd in a month and find another one positive. Then they get another month? And so on? They could potentially be out of business indefinitely. 

[OlderThanDirt]

What would happen with the TB cow that went to the knacker? Would the meat have been usable or would it be infectious? Would the knacker have facilities to dispose of it?

[Llywela]

2 hours ago, OlderThanDirt said:

What would happen with the TB cow that went to the knacker? Would the meat have been usable or would it be infectious? Would the knacker have facilities to dispose of it?

According to today's standards, all meat from cattle killed due to being infected with bovine TB must have rigorous food safety checks before it is passed as fit for consumption. Therefore, any risk is considered extremely low, regardless of whether or how the meat is cooked.

What the position would have been in the 1930s, I don't know. However, yes, the knacker would be able to dispose of the carcas if it could not be sold for meat. That was, quite literally, his job. He could turn the carcas of a dead animal into all kinds of things - fats, tallow, glue, gelatin, bone meal, bone char, sal ammoniac, soap, bleach and animal feed. All sorts! There would be very little waste from his facility.

[Dowel Jones]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

They said a month. But I wonder what happens if they re-test all the herd in a month and find another one positive. Then they get another month? And so on? They could potentially be out of business indefinitely. 

This is what puzzles me about the reluctance of the farmers to do the testing.  Would you rather lose one cow's income by quarantine now, or possibly lose the entire herd later?  The culling has to be done.

[peacheslatour]

16 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

This is what puzzles me about the reluctance of the farmers to do the testing.  Would you rather lose one cow's income by quarantine now, or possibly lose the entire herd later?  The culling has to be done.

Not only that, they would be putting hundreds if not thousands of people at risk. TB was no joke in those days.

[dargosmydaddy]

16 hours ago, OlderThanDirt said:

There a good YA book called The War that Saved My Life about being an evacuee. It’s by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. My 6th grade granddaughter loved it and recommended it to me. I was excited to see my love of historical fiction reaching another generation.

I adore that book. It has an equally good sequel, too, The War I Finally Won.

[Daff]

For those who are sad, I don’t think the boys are marching off in uniform anytime soon. The original story held off until conscription. Until then, I’m sure they will have a lighter mood for the Christmas episode and there are bound to be lighter moments as we’re shown civil defense and ministry efforts to keep the homeland safe and all those enlisted boys fed. I’m curious whether they sent “land girls” that far north. 

[Cetacean]

29 minutes ago, Daff said:

For those who are sad, I don’t think the boys are marching off in uniform anytime soon.

And we only saw them in line.  They might have been turned down initially.

[iMonrey]

Quote

And we only saw them in line.  They might have been turned down initially.

I wondered that too. Vets apparently had "protected" status, meaning (I assume) they would not be drafted because they were needed at home to keep the farms running. But what if they volunteered? I could imagine the military - at least initially - telling them no, you're needed at home. Maybe later into the war they might be accepted or even drafted if things were going badly for the Allies. 

[Dowel Jones]

24 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Maybe later into the war they might be accepted or even drafted if things were going badly for the Allies. 

Both the British and the Americans made wide use of pack animals in the China Burma India theater.  It wouldn't be a stretch to see a vet shipped off to a base there to keep the animals healthy.

[Zella]

5 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

Both the British and the Americans made wide use of pack animals in the China Burma India theater.  It wouldn't be a stretch to see a vet shipped off to a base there to keep the animals healthy.

Yeah all sides during the war made way more use of animals than we think, particularly horses. Not to the degree of previous wars of course, but there still would have been a need for military vets. It's certainly easy to see all the famous tanks and planes and whatnot and think that there were no more service animals in the military because everything was completely mechanized, but it wasn't, and WWII was their last hurrah really. Not the UK, but the US Army Remount Service (a breeding program that provided military horses from civilian and government horse breeders) still was producing over 10,000 foals anually in the early years of the war and eked out its existence until 1948. 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Zella

[peacheslatour]

Having read the books, I'm dying to put spoilers but suffice to say that in the case of James anyway, he was in the Veterninary Corps and England needed vets during the war because a lot of farmer's, who took care of a surprising number of animal medical treatments were all off fighting. But they have changed things from the books so much on the show, it's hard to know what direction they will take for James and Tris.

[Doublemint]

On 2/16/2023 at 12:52 PM, peacheslatour said:

Having read the books, I'm dying to put spoilers but suffice to say that in the case of James anyway, he was in the Veterninary Corps and England needed vets during the war because a lot of farmer's, who took care of a surprising number of animal medical treatments were all off fighting. But they have changed things from the books so much on the show, it's hard to know what direction they will take for James and Tris.

Yes, I read the books too, we'll just have to wait and see what will happen here.

[Blergh]

Let me say that I REALLY liked how firey and determined Helen was re standing up to her father while acknowledging the very real risk to his livelihood and how she wouldn't let the Pencil Pusher chastise James OR dismiss her as a person! Good for her! Oh, and she wasn't shy about her sharing her POV but even when James finally leveled with her about his intention to serve their nation she gave her support not because she was a mindless lovey-dovey wife but because she admired his desire to want to do right for others (even though she wasn't ignorant of the true risks to his life and person).

Of course, for the first few months the War didn't heat up for the immediate environs of Great Britain and would be termed 'The Phony War' but by the Spring of 1940, it would become all too real.

I have no idea how closely the War years  will follow 'this books' but, no doubt, James and Tristan serving will be a rather daunting challenge for them and their loved ones but thankfully the five of them have a rather unbreakable bond that will help give them the strength to endure.

 

[Doublemint]

Help - got an email from PBS stating Siegfried has to consider "River".   Who is River?   Thanks!

[dleighg]

Don't know about the email, but wasn't River the horse that was acting out a few episodes ago?