Monday, May 19, 2014

A quick visit and a finale.

Call the Midwife ended last night.  I know I have not talked about this season much...the seasons are so short and the stories are usually very dramatic and sad.  Last night was no exception.  Jenny Lee has left now, for good....and the show will go on without her.  Jenny's voice is the voice over...I wonder what they will do about that.  Interestingly Jenny goes on to work in hospice work and leaves the Midwife life.
I think I would like to read the books as I love the gentle, wise, dreamy voice overs and I wonder if those words are real words of Jenny.  They are always my favorite part....well...along with the music and clothes.

Did you watch this season?
What did you think?




Scenes from a weekend.

One


Our girl. The pose.

Saturday had bird eggs and baseball.


Shopping in the little girl's department. #boughtthevest

Then a drive to Chicago to be with Emma.
She has a new apartment...all to herself.  It is one block from the L and a great little bagel shop.

Beans & Bagels #lincolnsquare

Her apartment is also next door to her best friend, Whitney.
 (Best friend is a tier...as Mindy would say.)

It is just perfect.

upload


“What they don't know is that I went over the edge years ago, and lived to tell the tale.” 
~Rebecca Wells


“Some women pray for their daughters to marry good husbands. I pray that my girls will find girlfriends half as loyal and true as the Ya-Yas.” 
~Rebecca Wells


“Of all the secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood the most divine was humor.” 
~Rebecca Wells




Encourage one another,
Donna



30 comments:

  1. I have loved Call the Midwife. It did end sad/happy like most of the episodes this season. I was wondering if it would go on or not. I'm glad to have you confirm that it will, but I am still unsure how that will happen without Jenny!

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  2. Amy J in WI10:25 AM

    I read the book but have never seen the show. Someday, I will watch.

    You look like you had a very fun weekend. I am dealing with an empty nest...Emily in Israel, Andrew left today for TeenPact in TN, and Carrie leaves for Seattle on Friday with her girls' choir. Sigh....they are getting older. But they still come home, so that makes it all good :).

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  3. Donna, I just had a delightful time Googling "best friend is a tier." That phrase—completely new to me—resonates down to my DNA with me.

    I had a brain failure, equating "Mindy" with "Melinda." What a wise daughter-in-law Donna has, I thought. :)

    I haven't seen CtM finale, but I'm braced for sadness. I just got the three books (bound in one) to read. And I hear the fourth book about end-of-life care is VERY good.

    Emma in the red shell and denim sleeveless jacket? Magnificent!

    It's good to visit adult children. I was just this morning mourning (for a minute) the fact that my dad never once came to see me in the twelve years between when I left home and when he died. There were factors (geography, uneasy relationship between his wife and me) but it represents a lost opportunity. So Mamas be good to your daughters and sons....

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    1. Carol... The Mindy Prifecf is brilliantly written. I have been binge watching season one for a week. The 'friend tier' was good and funny! I'm surprised you found it! Good googling you!

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  4. Donna, I was downtown Saturday afternoon and Sunday a.m. - my daughter goes to the Brown Line Vineyard in Lincoln Square, and after church we brunched at Marmalade! So near and yet so far. I am going to watch Midwife while traveling back to Munich this evening; it's downloaded to my kindle. I love this show so much.

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    1. We drove by Marmalade on Sunday around 12:30... had made a quick stop at the Montrose starbucks before heading to stroll through the square. Crazy close!

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    2. We were inside chowing down!! Yikes!

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    3. I am like a toddler in the car in Chicago. Totally clueless.

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    4. Amazing near connection!

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    5. Yes, amazing! Donna, my daughter kept telling me to drive with more oomph ... I tend to be overly cautious because there is too much to pay attention to!!

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  5. I remember my 20's-30's living in Chicago ... the "L" to/from work (Edgewater and Uptown areas which were "good" at the time); friends out afterwards; Lake Michigan beaches and biking all around; museums; fun restaurants; shopping; quiet Sunday mornings reading the paper in the park after church ... good, good memories and lots of fun times ;-)

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  6. I love Call the Midwife. Every episode left me smiling through tears. Such a lovely story. The books are more graphic than I like (not in the deliveries - I don't want to give the books away so I'll just put that little warning out there), but it's true to the life Jenny entered into when she moved to the docks. Vanessa Redgrave will still do the voice overs as a mature Jenny - she will still be in contact with Nonnatus House is the explanation they give.

    Your Emma is beautiful inside and out from what I read here and at her place.

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  7. Anonymous12:28 PM

    I so enjoy Call the Midwife! I'm not sure how it will go without Jenny, but we will see. And I'm so glad Vanessa Redgrave will still do the voice overs -- I love her voice speaking those gentle words. I've read the books and they are wonderful, though "gritty" in places as she described life back then.

    Beautiful photos, as usual :)

    Krista in Missouri

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  8. Anonymous12:37 PM

    I have watched season 1 of Call the Midwife and I've been recording and watching this season. I haven't watched last night's episode yet. I just love CTM! From the comments, it sounds like I need to read the books.
    Oh, how cool is that for Emma to live next door to her bff? Fun times!
    Love the Rebecca Wells quotes.

    Back to work, the weekends are too short.
    Sarah P. from Iowa

    Safe travels, Susan!! : )

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    1. I love CTM, too, but have not jumped in to this current season. Will watch online soon.

      Happy travels home, dear Susan,
      Di

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    2. Anonymous6:39 AM

      Praying "Traveling Mercies" for you our sweet Susan!
      love and prayers, jep

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    3. Jep, what is the rest of the quote....traveling mercies...I looked for it on google and couldn't find the extra part that you say.

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    4. Home safe and sound, weary and grateful for a good night/day of travel. Thanks friends!

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  9. I enjoyed this season of Call the Midwife, but not as much as the previous seasons. They've run out of Jenny's original material (based on her 3 books about midwifery), so they are creating their own stuff. The stories just seem more abrupt...miracle cures in too little time happening too often. But I do like the show and love the characters that are based on Jenny's books: herself, Trixie, Cynthia, Chummy, Fred, the nuns, and many of the patients in S1 & S2.

    Here's an article about next season: http://t.co/xXJiCPffEJ and the voice overs. Jenny stayed in touch with the nuns throughout her life, so they're using that as the reason to maintain the voice overs in "her voice."

    Jenny's books are very worth reading, but are more grim and at times more distressing than the show, which changes most stories to have a more cheerful ending. The books can be depressing, because they are reality-based about a part of London that was poor and still struggling to recover from devastating bombings during WWII. At times the books are graphic in detail...for example the story of the Irish girl lured in to prostitution. I recommend the books, but prepare to laugh, cry, and be sick to your stomach at times. I've not read Jenny's fourth book about her work as an end-of-life nurse.

    Missy


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  10. Vanessa Redgrave's talent shines bright in those Call The Midwife voice-overs at the beginning and end of each episode, and the writing is superb as well. It's time for me to read the book(s), I think.

    I'm so glad I read your blogpost today. I didn't realize the season was running. Now to check if TiVo has done its job.

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  11. I loved the finale. I just finished reading Jennifer Worth's book In the midst of life about her work as a hospice nurse and I really enjoyed it.

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    1. I was glad to read In the Midst of Life too ...

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  12. Anonymous2:21 PM

    I haven't seen the Call the Midwife finale yet, but I love the show!

    So glad you had a weekend of softball, robin's eggs and a nice visit with Emma. Enjoy the new apartment, Emma! Living next door to a bestie should be so much fun. :)

    Mary Z

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  13. Anonymous10:55 PM

    Oh, that breathtaking robin's egg blue contrasted with the grass nest. God's perfect creation displayed. Thank you for the lovely photo.

    Debbie Z.

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  14. I agree with Carol. Love the red and blue on sweet Emma. Come to think of it, though, I have not ever seen a color on her that is not terrific (-:

    That nest! Near you?

    Love,
    DI

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  15. Definitely read the books. There is a trilogy and many of the stories seen on the series were in the books. They are uplifting, sad, and wonderful. The series deviated a lot from the books, making Chummy more of a main character, but most of the characters in the series are in the books as well! I read them before I had ever seen the first show and I LOVE both!

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  16. Just watched the finale. So so so special. I just adore this show. Lots of tears, but lots of hope. A poignant one for me with two of the situations - don't want to give any spoilers - but two life experiences I've also experienced portrayed on screen just gave me the weeps. Love it.

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    1. Smetimes weeps are good. Bless you Steph

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  17. I just finished the 3rd book a couple of days ago and I enjoyed them very much. While I couldn't tell you if the voiceovers are directly from the book (nothing struck me, but I haven't thought to compare), the spirit of the show has struck me as very true. The casting is excellent, and I feel like the characters and relationships between them are really spot on.

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