Season 5 Discussion Thread

[anna0852]

3 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

Something I noticed was that gas rationing must not apply to them or they get far more than the average person. There was no mention of it despite all of the traveling by car they still seem to be doing, so maybe they get more than normal people because they are in a reserved occupation doing what the government sees as vital war work.

Yes, as vets within a farming community they would have received extra petrol rations.

[possibilities]

I watch with captions on, and the captions are terrible. Most of the time, I get more than the captioner does. It annoys me. The industry needs to take captions more seriously and not just delegate it to AI and not care if they're any good or not.

[JudyObscure]

Did babies wear hats all the time?  Do they still?  I can't remember my son even owning one.  It just seems odd to me to see a Jimmy indoors with one on.  I hope he takes it off for a bath or something so I can see him a little better.

I always like seeing Helen and Jenny together, the casting was great for those two, when they get talking together  it's like the battle of the dimples.

[howiveaddict]

Has anyone seen/read the Cranford series? There was a cow in the series who lost his hair in an accident , can't remember if it was fire or explosion.  Someone made a pair of pajamas for the cow to wear.  Maybe they could make pajamas for the cows on here to make them more visible.  But you wouldn't think they'd want the cows so visible that they could be seen with enemy aircraft.

Edited Tuesday at 01:01 AM by howiveaddict

[j5cochran]

39 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

Did babies wear hats all the time?  Do they still?  I can't remember my son even owning one.  It just seems odd to me to see a Jimmy indoors with one on.  I hope he takes it off for a bath or something so I can see him a little better.

I suspect they didn't have anything approaching central heating at Skeldale House (or pretty much anywhere in England at that time). Babies aren't good at regulating their body temperature, so a hat in coolish weather is a must. 

[Orcinus orca]

20 minutes ago, j5cochran said:

I suspect they didn't have anything approaching central heating at Skeldale House (or pretty much anywhere in England at that time). Babies aren't good at regulating their body temperature, so a hat in coolish weather is a must. 

I think a lot of it is the fact that they are using a doll in a lot of the scenes.  The hat is a way to disguise that.

[anna0852]

1 hour ago, j5cochran said:

I suspect they didn't have anything approaching central heating at Skeldale House (or pretty much anywhere in England at that time). Babies aren't good at regulating their body temperature, so a hat in coolish weather is a must. 

That plus coal would’ve been severely rationed as part of the war effort therefore, what heating they have is being used pretty sparingly. 

[Calvada]

Jimmy just wants to fit in with the rest of them wearing their knitted stuff, all the cardigans, vests, scarves, etc. 

3 hours ago, howiveaddict said:

Has anyone seen/read the Cranford series? There was a cow in the series who lost his hair in an accident , can't remember if it was fire or explosion.  

The cow in Cranford fell into a lime pit which burned off the hair. 

Vets would have been given extra petrol rations, but they could only use it for official business. If found using it for non-vet work, they could get in a lot of trouble. I was glad to see them mention victory gardens in the first episode since that became part of daily life on the home front. The history geek in me wishes they mentioned other things that were rationed such as clothing, soap, and food.  (I thought it was odd that Carmody was giving the dog cheese as a reward for performing a trick, since cheese was rationed.)  Postwar studies showed that food rationing had unexpected health benefits because people ate much less fat and sugar and a lot more vegetables.  

[Dowel Jones]

I have to admit that my first thought when the farmer was painting his cow was "invasion stripes"?  You've got a few years there yet, sir.

[YorkshireLass]

Skeldale House would have been dependent on coal &/or wood for heat.  The main living room & kitchen (when the stove was in use) would probably have been quite comfortable, but the rest of the house not so much. If you were fortunate to have a bedroom where the chimney breast went through, you would have got a little warmth from that.  My grandparents had a house that was newer than Skeldale and that was converted to natural gas for the fireplaces & cooking.  I made the mistake of visiting them one Christmas and I don't think I've even been so cold in my entire life (and I live in Canada).  There is a dampness to the cold that is indescribable.  Taking a bath (no showers back then) and getting in and out of bed were bone chilling experiences.  The only place I truly felt warm was on the sofa that was about 3 ft away from the fireplace & in the tiny kitchen when the stove was lit.  Little Jimmy is still very young and I totally understand why he is bundled up all the time.  I think we'll finally get to see him without his hat as soon as the weather warms up which, according to the preview for the next episode, should be soon 😄. 

To this day, I laugh when I visit England.  For many, central heat means turning the radiator on in the room you're going to be in about 20 mins before you're going to be in it and turning it off when you leave.  We've had visitors from the UK and they find our house stifling in the winter LOL.  Guess it all depends on what you're used to.....

[ofmd]

On 1/20/2025 at 4:06 AM, possibilities said:

Ep 2

I got serious girlfriend vibes from Helen's sister and her friend, until the friend went gaga over Carmody.

 

I remember I felt the same! But also assumed this show would never go there.

[Lovecat]

15 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Did babies wear hats all the time?  Do they still?  I can't remember my son even owning one.  It just seems odd to me to see a Jimmy indoors with one on.  I hope he takes it off for a bath or something so I can see him a little better.

I always like seeing Helen and Jenny together, the casting was great for those two, when they get talking together  it's like the battle of the dimples.

To quote Toby Ziegler from The West Wing..."Babies come with hats."

I about fell over when I saw how grown up Imogen Clawson (the actress who plays Jenny) is now!  She and Rachel Shenton are remarkably well cast as sisters.

[iMonrey]

I needed a rewatch with captions because I didn't get who Doris was supposed to be or what her deal is. I had never heard of the Women's Land Army before. For anyone else in the dark about that, during WWI and WWII women volunteered and were also conscripted to work on farms to boost the food supply. So Doris from Leeds is supposed to be one such woman working on a neighboring farm. There was some brief dialogue about her being in the WLA that went right over my head. Also explains what Jenny meant later when she said she was meeting all sorts of people - no doubt other women in the WLA at neighboring farms.

15 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

I think a lot of it is the fact that they are using a doll in a lot of the scenes.  The hat is a way to disguise that.

You can tell it's not a real baby whenever they are holding it. It is way too stiff - especially when it's meant to be awake.

12 hours ago, Calvada said:

The history geek in me wishes they mentioned other things that were rationed such as clothing, soap, and food. 

I too wondered about food rationing. But since they are out in farming country they probably have more access to food than people living in crowded cities. Apparently, prior to the war most food in England was imported, but that wouldn't have been the case with farmers.

[Dowel Jones]

There is a fairly detailed article on WWII rationing in the US on Wikipedia.  I was surprised at the amount of things rationed (typewriters!) and who got priority for gasoline stamps (the clergy, among others).  My mother told me there was a thriving black market for stamps if you knew who and when.

[Sarah 103]

3 hours ago, Lovecat said:

To quote Toby Ziegler from The West Wing..."Babies come with hats."

This is the reason I loved your comment. I'm a huge West Wing fan. 

[Quilt Fairy]

Did anyone else find this episode incredibly boring?  In a 6 episode season, this one was totally wasted, IMO. 

[anna0852]

19 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I too wondered about food rationing. But since they are out in farming country they probably have more access to food than people living in crowded cities. Apparently, prior to the war most food in England was imported, but that wouldn't have been the case with farmers.

Well, the farmers certainly had a bit more access to food and a slightly more varied diet. But rationing was quite strict and even in farm country everyone felt the pinch. The ration books issued to farmers took into account that they had access to food that folks in the city didn’t and their allotment of what could be purchased in the store was reduced accordingly. There were also food inspectors who went from farm to farm to see what the harvest was going to be and determined how much of what was deemed to be excess had to be turned over to the Ministry of Food for redistribution. There was a real push in regards to rationing to not just ensure that no one starved, but also to see equitable distribution of the available resources. Farmers could generally get away with hiding a bit, but no one was living the highlife. Not even Mrs. Pumphrey.

Fresh fruits and vegetables were never officially rationed. However, access to them came down to what could be grown in Great Britain and how much transport capacity would be allotted to move those items around. Pretty much everything else was on the ration: canned goods, meat, sugar, eggs, grains & cereals, dairy, products, tea, anything that had to be imported from overseas, etc… 

Edited Yest. at 01:11 PM by anna0852

[PhoneCop]

1 hour ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Did anyone else find this episode incredibly boring?  In a 6 episode season, this one was totally wasted, IMO. 

Um...well... [raises hand halfway reluctantly] Give us Tristan.

[j5cochran]

There's a fascinating documentary series called Wartime Farm (from the folks who brought us Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm, and Tudor Monastery Farm) that talks about how the British government dealt with the interruption of imported food. They were planting on the shoulder of roads!

I'm glad that they showed the victory gardens, but that was just a small part of the work to feed the country.

[Orcinus orca]

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan is an interesting look at wartime rations and how the women had to adjust accordingly.  So far, the shortages don't seem to have affected Skeldale House. 

I did gasp when that plane went over, hoping it wasn't going to end up with a tragedy.  Hopefully they will not end up being bombed at some point.

[Calvada]

My grandparents farmed so my mom said they had plenty of food.  My grandma always had a huge garden so they would have food throughout the winter; the war didn't change that.  Beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet corn, cabbage, carrots, asparagus, onions, asparagus, berries, apples.  Whatever you could grow in Wisconsin!  My mom said the worst thing was sugar rationing and rubber rationing.  Gas rationing (and lowered speed limits) meant a lot less driving which helped with the lack of tires, since the only non-military vehicles that could get tires were police, fire, buses, food transportation, etc.  

One thing I found amusing in what I read about rationing in England is that beer was not rationed.  It was deemed a necessity!  I think other types of alcohol were much more scarce though.

[peacheslatour]

22 minutes ago, Calvada said:

My grandparents farmed so my mom said they had plenty of food.  My grandma always had a huge garden so they would have food throughout the winter; the war didn't change that.  Beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet corn, cabbage, carrots, asparagus, onions, asparagus, berries, apples.  Whatever you could grow in Wisconsin!  My mom said the worst thing was sugar rationing and rubber rationing.  Gas rationing (and lowered speed limits) meant a lot less driving which helped with the lack of tires, since the only non-military vehicles that could get tires were police, fire, buses, food transportation, etc.  

One thing I found amusing in what I read about rationing in England is that beer was not rationed.  It was deemed a necessity!  I think other types of alcohol were much more scarce though.

I've been watching The Waltons and during the war years, sugar rationing was a real bitch.

[Jodithgrace]

Re possible Jenny/Doris romance-I was wondering if they would really go there. Guess not. 
It’s hard after 50+ years of car seats to see a baby basket just loose in the backseat. But babies did manage to survive those wild unfettered years. 
I’m definitely getting Siegfried and Audrey vibes. Of course that didn’t happen in the books or in real life, but then again in the books, the housekeeper was a nonentity. These show characters have taken on lives of their own. Who know what will happen?

I notice that the folks at Skeldale house weren’t eating large roasts, but a pie, which would have been  shepard’s or cottage pie, made with probably more vegetables than meat. 

Edited Yest. at 03:30 AM by Jodithgrace
My post didn’t print

[iMonrey]

My favorite bit was when Audrey and Siegfried were putting the painted cow back in its yard, and Audrey said "I've had my fill of stubborn beasts for the day." Siegfried: "Now that's just rude."

Quote

Um...well... [raises hand halfway reluctantly] Give us Tristan.

Yeah, I'm impatient for that after reading he'd be back this season. When? I wonder what's going on with the actor, does anyone know? Was he doing something else when they filmed last season and when they started this one?

Edited 23 hours ago by iMonrey

[laredhead]

With regard to the rationing, my mother's parents had a small dairy farm, so they had ample supplies of milk, and butter (they churned it), and my grandfather would hunt for rabbit and squirrels.  They also had chickens for eggs, and my grandmother was a champion chicken and dumplings maker.  My mother did talk about gasoline and sugar being rationed, and I have the wartime edition of The American Woman's Cookbook which has recipes modified for using less sugar.

[possibilities]

Serious question: do you all buy sugar all the time? I haven't bought any in at least a decade. I don't really understand why a sugar shortage is any kind of hardship, but it's the main thing people always talk about when they mention war rationing.

 

 

[Orcinus orca]

3 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Serious question: do you all buy sugar all the time? I haven't bought any in at least a decade. I don't really understand why a sugar shortage is any kind of hardship, but it's the main thing people always talk about when they mention war rationing.

Don't forget that, back then. boxed mixes were not in existence - the first boxed cake mix was not introduced until 1947.  Woman made baked goods from scratch and things like cakes, brownies, cookies, even some bread all contain sugar in some form.

[anna0852]

8 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Serious question: do you all buy sugar all the time? I haven't bought any in at least a decade. I don't really understand why a sugar shortage is any kind of hardship, but it's the main thing people always talk about when they mention war rationing.

 

 

Sugar was an integral part of food preservation. Jams, jellies, fruit preserves, all required a fairly substantial amount of sugar even for sweet fruits. The British Isles were able to produce excellent fruit crops, but had to preserve them to make them useful year-round.
 

Plus, England runs on tea and a sweetened cup of heavily caffeinated tea was an excellent and fairly inexpensive energy boost, particularly among the poor, who had a very limited grocery budgets.

[possibilities]

5 minutes ago, Orcinus orca said:

Don't forget that, back then. boxed mixes were not in existence - the first boxed cake mix was not introduced until 1947.  Woman made baked goods from scratch and things like cakes, brownies, cookies, even some bread all contain sugar in some form.

I don't buy any of that stuff, either! I'd be struggling without fruit, but I really don't need the rest of the dessert menu. I also have made bread without sugar. I think putting sugar in everything is bizarre. 

I used to bake a lot of cakes and other dessert stuff-- I love to cook! But I always regarded it as a hobby, not an essential, and I always went long periods without it. So I guess for me, it's fairly shockling the way everyone seems to regard sugar as an essential.

3 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

Sugar was an integral part of food preservation.

That strikes me as more of a valid concern, though why they didn't dry things (dried fruit is delicious!) I don't know. Maybe it would be too hard to do that in the damp climate, without fuel, and I know there were fuel shortages, also. 

[anna0852]

20 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I don't buy any of that stuff, either! I'd be struggling without fruit, but I really don't need the rest of the dessert menu. I also have made bread without sugar. I think putting sugar in everything is bizarre. 

I used to bake a lot of cakes and other dessert stuff-- I love to cook! But I always regarded it as a hobby, not an essential, and I always went long periods without it. So I guess for me, it's fairly shockling the way everyone seems to regard sugar as an essential.

That strikes me as more of a valid concern, though why they didn't dry things (dried fruit is delicious!) I don't know. Maybe it would be too hard to do that in the damp climate, without fuel, and I know there were fuel shortages, also. 

You’re correct about the climate not being conducive to large scale fruit drying. Whole England certainly can have lovely and sunny days during the summer the fruit harvest tends to coincide with those days vanishing so drying fruit would require ovens and the fuel to run them. Which was also in short supply. Plus, the British culture of the time just didn’t tend towards drying fruit versus jarred and canned preserves. A great deal of the food preservation was going on not just in commercial factories, but in home kitchens as well. There was already the culture in place that the ministry of food could tap into.

[Driad]

Would sugar beets grow well in Britain?  A quick lookup says they do best with moderate temperatures and consistent moisture, so maybe.

[anna0852]

18 minutes ago, Driad said:

Would sugar beets grow well in Britain?  A quick lookup says they do best with moderate temperatures and consistent moisture, so maybe.

If I recall correctly, sugar beets could be raised to an extent but processing them is more difficult than processing sugarcane which requires a tropical climate. It doesn’t result in the same amount of usable sugar. So it could produce some sugar but not nearly enough to make up for what was no longer being imported.

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, anna0852 said:

If I recall correctly, sugar beets could be raised to an extent but processing them is more difficult than processing sugarcane which requires a tropical climate. It doesn’t result in the same amount of usable sugar. So it could produce some sugar but not nearly enough to make up for what was no longer being imported.

You probably could substitute honey in some things but even that would be fairly limited.

[JudyObscure]

We lived in England for three years while my USAF husband was stationed at one of their Royal Air Force bases.  I loved their beautiful country, but was very disappointed in the food, particular their pastries and other desserts which were never half sweet enough for my American grown taste buds.  

Do I buy big 5 lb bags of sugar?  Not when I'm on a no-sugar diet like I have been for the past five months, but I can feel myself getting ready to come up for air and then it will be like a confectioners- bakery around here for a while.

{Poor little English toddlers with cold heads and no cookies...}