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I’ve read and reread the All Creatures series -I bought them years ago. They are some of my favorite books. I haven’t had access to the television version. 

I am dealing with  multiple appliances breaking down. I have honestly thought about an old washer with twin tubs and a wringer. They are really expensive and not too practical for me but I’m tired of appliances breaking down in five years!  In the 40’s I wonder how long appliances lasted on average. 

I know you don’t have a tv and I’m guessing you don’t have an Amazon account? But you can watch the original All Creatures Great and Small on BritBox an Amazon Prime Video Channel. I watched it on my Kindle a couple years ago. I love BritBox! It has all kinds of British Shows many set in the 40’s. It’s $8.99 a month. I subscribe for awhile to watch a series, then I take a break. You could think of it as your going to the movies night.

All Creatures Great and Small is one of my favorites.  I've read the book several times and we watched the original show when it first appeared.  We deliberately did not watch the new version since we liked the actors in that production so much and didn't want to see the new people when we were just fine with the old ones portrayal.

I agree that it is wonderful to just sit in a quiet place and read but finding that quiet place is nearly impossible.  I''m convinced that if people would just try it for a bit they would realize how calming it is.  I often go outside early in the morning just before sunrise and sit on the porch of the potting shed under a big pine tree.  It's so lovely to hear the birds begin to wake up and sing.  This time of day the quietness surrounding our house is wonderful despite being on a fairly busy street near downtown.  There are very few cars passing, no lawn mowers noisily cutting the grass, or aggravating motor cycles roaring around.  This morning there were two skunks visiting, they didn't see me, and spray (thank goodness).  It's a perfect way to start the day----so calm and peaceful. 

I have watched the old and the new series of All Creatures Great and Small, and whilst they are both excellent, I enjoyed the most recent version best, especially with the incredible settings of the 30's and 40's...it's been a joy to watch because my dad was born in 1933, and my mum in 1941, so I imagine their lives back then. Being Australian there were many similarities with our culture and English culture.  

I also have been enjoying the new All Creatures series. Resisted at first because I loved the books and the original series so much but now I just enjoy them all when I want to.  

Before I ever started reading your blog and before I ever heard of "cottage core" I was more or less keeping a vintage home.  Mostly because I could find the furniture and things very inexpensively and they were of quality materials such as real wood.  I have some things from my grandmother that have been in use for near 100 years and sometimes more and still work function perfectly well.  Plus I just find them rather charming and it creates a homey and comfortable atmosphere.  

I don't tend to eat like my grandparents for the most part because they generally ate modern foods as they would come along but in order to save money I have been cooking more like they might have eaten when they were young.  Steamed cabbage is a staple side vegetable in my house - very inexpensive, the uncooked cabbage keeps well, and it is very healthy.  I also use onions, sauteed until quite soft in a bit of olive oil, as a side dish all the time - sometimes with garlic, sometimes with grated ginger, sometimes with a healthy dash of turmeric and sometimes all of the above.  Again, inexpensive even in winter, delicious, and very healthy.  

Always enjoy reading your new blog post!

Indeed, you and Charles have made your home very much like those in All Creatures Great and Small - so very cozy!  :0)  Over time I purchased the "old" series, as I find my husband and I prefer that one to the one that is found on PBS these days.  Not that it isn't good, mind you - just prefer the older one.

Thanks for the recipes and for sharing your studies.  I look forward to each new post from you and love reading the postings in the forum.  I am so glad you decided to start that up.  :0)

Also a fan of All creatures Great and Small. Have a huge book of all 5 books in 1 book published in 1986.

I have watched most episodes on YouTube for free

I think a lot of that peace feeling is having no TV. They weren't around in those days . Houses weren't open plan so the rooms were cosier. People would have others in for a meal.

I'm like Terry C and have an account with BritBox.  I love to watch the shows set in period t times, especially the '30's and'40's.  Also, I just checked YouTube and the audio books are on there as well as some of the shows.  YouTube also listed another channel - www.tv.movie/shows which has all of the original series available.  It appears that a subscription to Amazon Prime or BritBox (which is available thru Amazon Prime) is required to view the series.  

The Yorkshire Dales is a very beautiful part of England and I’ve been there on holiday a couple of times. The older version of All Creatures is very good but I have to say that I do prefer the newer one and not just because it’s got one of my favourite actors in it, Samuel West who plays Siegfried, but also because the house reminds me of my Grandparent’s with many familiar furnishings etc.

Another programme I enjoy is the Darling Buds of May based on the books by HE Bates, it’s set slightly later in the 1950’s but still has a homely feel about it that I enjoy, they did a remake a couple of years back which was no way as good as the original, not sure if it’s available in the US but worth digging out if you can

Good morning, I’m just catching up on your posts. Believe it or not I have never read or watched All Creatures Great and Small but am now going to get this from my library. 

I wish my husband didn’t always have the TV on or his phone in hand. I could do with out the TV all together I believe. For those of you who have spouses on the same page as you with these things, you are fortunate. He does love vintage furniture however, and staying on budget, and doing what we can to lower expenses. And he much prefers eating at home than eating out so for these things I will be grateful. 

Thank you as always for your posts. They are refreshing and encouraging and educational. So much of what I read here reminds me of my parents and grandparents. 

Grandma Donna Wrote, I am enjoying all of the comments and suggestions and so happy to find so many that are familiar with All Creatures Great and Small.  Lanie T, I did find the Darling Buds of May on Youtube so that is an exciting find, thank you.  Life was so much more simple in the past, the hard work that is spoken of so much about the past was true but the modern things of today has made many of us more unhealthy because we have so many devises that do the work for us.  I do enjoy seeing you here in the forum.  Donna

I’ve read all of the James Herriot books and loved the original series.  Except for that minor event call World War II ( yes, I’m being facetious), this has always been my favorite time period whether studying history, watching movies, reading books, etc.  Thank you and Charles for sharing your experiences with us

All Creatures is one of my very favorite shows. We watch it on PBS masterpiece theater which we get through amazon prime for $5.99 a month.  There are some other great shows on there as well.  I loved the new version so tried to watch some of the original but the video quality and color is quite poor in comparison and enjoying the scenery and home settings is half of the reason I enjoy this show so much. As well as the smart dressing styles

You have a high tax rate on eggs! 33cents on $4.17 is I believe about 8% tax. We only pay 2% in our area and no tax if sold from the egg farmer.  

I love your cabinet. I'd enjoy seeing your laundry set up on the other side. Do you still do most by hand? 

Thanks for all you do Grandma Donna. It's such a joy to read your posts.  Be blessed!

Well, Grandma Donna, you have inspired an impulse purchase. I had bought the All Creatures books as a Christmas gift for one of my children a few years ago. But I hadn't heard of the TV series. After your post, I looked it up on Amazon and the DVD version of seasons 1-3 was $9.99 plus a 15% off coupon, making it exactly $9 including tax. I happened to have exactly $9 on a gift card, so I suppose it was meant to be!

Grandma Donna wrote, Katherine S, I do not wash by hand like I used to a few years ago due to surgery I had and I have issues using my left arm but I do hand wash some items.  The main thing is I can do it even though I might be slower.  My preferred method is washing on a slab, I can get clothing cleaner this way.  I soak the clothing for a few hours, remove it and put it on a slab, rub it with laundry soap bar and scrub it with a brush or a mesh, squish and rinse.  

Sarah L, I am happy that you had a gift card to use and what a  nice gift. :)

I've read a children's version of some of Herriot's stories, and they were lovely.  I adore the set of the new tv show; I haven't watched all the episodes, but I do love the way it looks.  I would love to have a house look like that.  I really enjoyed this post, it makes me feel happy.

I'm not sure how I've never heard of the series before GDonna mentioned it, but now we will be checking out the books and TV series. I'm glad its online since we don't have a TV. I really enjoy seeing the pictures of the new layout of items. Seems I'm always moving stuff as well. I prefer smaller homes over these massive ones. We're in 1800 sqft and it's definitely the biggest, but at least we have lots of space for things especially tools and such we have had to buy for building on our property. We have aquired other things to make daily tasks easier such as a deep freezer and a couple extra shelving units for storage. Very handy. I sure wish homes had root cellars and sculleries like the old ones did. There's just something about studying this time period that I can't figure out the calmness of it all. Maybe because the homes were quiet while chaos was around? Maybe everyone was still kind and visited? Who knows...

I almost forgot to add that I made a pie that's apple peach this afternoon using the butter pie crust recipe. I couldn't get it to roll out no matter what I did. No idea what the problem was either. Here's a before and after. Hope it's yummy when we eat it tonight. We had a doe and buck visit this morning. Our yard is the quietest one in the neighborhood and has the most to eat. Others have nothing for animals to eat, but we have lots of wildlife in our yard daily and we just love it. Our neighbors do not though, but we don't care because we're caring for God's creatures and we love them all. Much to be thankful for. 

Grandma Donna Wrote,  Andrea B, I am not sure what might have happened to your pie crust.  Don't give up, keep trying.  Did you use salted or unsalted butter?  You might have needed a bit more water for your elevation, altitude can make a difference.  I went back and checked the recipe, I did not state salted or unsalted, so I added unsalted.  Possibly it was the salt but I don't know because I have used both.  Maybe the water.  Never give up!  But you all never give up anyway so keep it up. (Heart)

Andrea I agree with Donna about adding more water.  Just a little at a time until the dough holds together well before rolling it out.  But it looks as if you managed quite well with the patchwork top crust.  I always say the proof is in the pudding.  If it tastes good that's what matters not so much the presentation.

I can't remember if it was salted or unsalted, but I do remember adding a pinch of salt. I had added more water, but I felt like I added too much so I backed off and then added a small amount of butter thinking the water would make the crust turn out tough. We're only at 500 foot elevation and it was a drier day unlike our mostly humid days. Remember the 1930's pie crust recipe from the other post? I use that often without issues which is odd. Won't give up though.   :)

Yes that's true! It did taste delicious and the peaches/apples were a good combo having never done that before. It never really formed a regular dough ball. Hmm now I'm thinking even more about it.

Grandma Donna Wrote,  Andrea B, go with whatever works for you.  Each time you make one you will get better if you keep trying.  I think that you were very resourceful with you pie crust, sometimes we find something better when things do not turn out.  Maybe dumplings came from failed pie crusts. (Heart)

Thank you. I'm definitely trying my hand at pastries more. I used to be so good at the pie crusts and then since we have moved cross country I can't get the hang of them, but that's alright. I never thought of dumplings like that before. Very good thought. :)

I'm commenting on this post.... 2 posts back as I just read something in my book of All creatures Great and Small that has all James Herriot books in 1 volume.

James had to visit an old man with a poorly dog. It was a place of poverty and his "missus" had died a year before. What stuck out was the old man's dinner..... A fragment of bacon, a few fried potatoes and a cup of tea. James said " this was life on the age old pension" 

This was between the Great Depression and World War 2. It has really changed my thinking. Everywhere no matter where one lives, people are saying how hard life is and for them that's the way they truly feel as all have lived a pretty affluent life no matter how "poor " we think we are or have been. I would hazard a guess that none have lived like that poor old man.  In those days no Food banks. Yorkshire would have been a hard place to veggie garden.... And he was old.

And that brought me to the place of realizing just how brainwashed we have been by the food industry to think we need all these many different foods every day .Packaged snacks have no nutritional value. People don't realize they are actually starving their bodies by eating that rubbish.  

The old man from reading between the lines would probably have had that 1 meal a day and cups of tea throughout the day made with tea leaves and watered down and down until it looked like water.

That brings me to the rationing people had to live with for many years in the 1940s. And before that food would have been hard to purchase with no money in the Great Depression.Trying to stretch what you had to feed a family, a couple must have been a real nightmare when there was more available than people needed in the 1920s.

Personally it has impacted me to stop looking at what we don't have or afford and being grateful for what we do have

Oh, Karen, I couldn't agree with you more.  I remember that episode and I guess I didn't pay close enough attention when I saw it.  I have often thought about how spoiled, brainwashed, and greedy most people are these days.  At least most Americans, I think.  I am 75 and grew up at the beginning of the fast food era.  My mom did not like to cook so we ate a lot of hot dogs, fish sticks and Kraft mac and cheese.  Needless to say, I had very poor eating habits for most of my life.  When I married in 1968, my husband was used to home cooked meals made from scratch!  I had to learn quickly.  His mother and grandmother helped me a lot.  I live alone now and sometimes I fall back into the use of convenience or fast food.  Now that I am living more like the 1940's I am not allowing those worthless foods into my home o my body.  Sometimes we need a wake up call to see how far we have slipped into the " modern way". Thanks so much for sharing.

Weaverbird... I've edited my first post .:-)

You be proud of yourself. You stepped up, did the hard yards learning how to cook from scratch and listened when other more experienced women tried to help you. That is huge.

Thank you for the encouraging words.  My husband's grandmother could not believe I didn't know how to make noodles.  Haha!