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I suppose my love of England first started when I was very young. I was raised on books from the classic British authors, such as the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Also, I have very fond memories of my step-mother watching "Masterpiece Theater" on Sunday nights, and "Mystery!" with Dame Diana Rigg on Thursday nights. I can remember sitting on the floor by the couch on which she sat, propped up with one of those reading pillows humming along to the opening themes of these two shows. It was one of the only times when we actually got along. These two things, classic literature and British television, more than anything else, introduced me to the wonders of this tiny island country. How could such a small place be so cultured? So powerful? So deeply historical? And, have such endless beauty? The rolling hills, the craggy, chalky cliffs, the endless moors. I was fascinated. And, it wasn't just England. I was also very intrigued by Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It seemed the stuff of fairy tales. My fairy tales. As I have gotten older, the fascination has grown. Something about these two tiny islands evokes a great sense of comfort in me. Perhaps, it's remembering the novels I read as a child, or the fond memories of bonding with my step-mother through British telly, I don't know. I do know, however, that I feel more connected with the U.K., than I do the states. Does this make sense?! Well, no, it doesn't. But, when have I ever "made sense"?! I'm just going on gut feelings here.....intuition, so to say. Hopefully, someday I'll be in a position to visit frequently and with long duration. Until then, I suppose Jane Austen and "Inspector Morse" will have to do...

Poirot...

For as long as I can remember, I've found great comfort in Classic Films and British Telly. Comfort that has gotten me through some of the hardest of times. Now, I don't fancy just any British telly. Mostly Classic Britcom's from the 70's, 80's and early 90's, and British Mysteries. You can imaging, then, the excitement I felt when finding out a couple of years ago that the powers that be, were creating more Poirot episodes! ITV aired "Cat Among the Pigeons" , "Third Girl" and "Mrs. McGinty's Dead" in September of 2008. I simply could not wait to get them here in the states! I was so incredibly excited! Back in the day, when A&E was worth a damn, we used to get tons of British Mysteries throughout the month, including old and new Poirot's. But then, as all the other channels starting airing "Reality Television", and less and less quality material, A&E, in order to compete, I suppose, cut their "Mysteries to Die For", thus leaving the British Mysteries strictly to PBS. Much to my dismay, however, PBS' Mystery!, was soon cut from the roster, and eventually incorporated into Masterpiece Theater. Gone were the days of Edward Gorey and Diana Rigg. Gone were my Thursday night escapes into "Inspector Morse", "Sherlock Holmes", "Miss Marple", "Lord Peter Wimsey", and "Poirot" (to name a few). When Exxon pulled it's funding of Masterpiece Theater, it too suffered. Everything had to be scaled down, and there simply wasn't enough money to buy the rights to many British television series. Many Sunday nights were spent watching re-runs of shows aired the season before. Now, Masterpiece Theater is broken up into three parts: Classic, Mystery! and Contemporary. Masterpiece Classic's are aired in the winter and spring. Masterpiece Mystery's are aired in the summer. And, Contemporary's are aired in the fall. Last summer we were promised the new Poirot's and the new Miss Marple's, starring Julia McKenzie. However, unfortunately this did not come to pass. After many letters and e-mails to the Program Director of Masterpiece, we were told that they would air the new Mysteries in the summer of 2009. I have now waited two years for the fruition of my Agatha Christie Mysteries!!! And, at last on June 21, 2009, at 8:00 pm CST, PBS' Masterpiece Mystery! will air Agatha Christie's : "Poirot: Cat Among the Pigeons". To the loyal fans, "our little grey cells" will finally be given the chance to flourish. To those of you who have not yet experienced the joys of Christie, brew a cuppa tea, turn off the lights, grab a cuddly blanket and dig in on June 21. You will not be disappointed, mon ami!