Since Christmas I've avoided watching Frozen as much as possible, and watched some YouTube videos instead.
One series I watched was Frontier House. I know that to the Americans reading this that this series is pretty dated (filmed in 2001 I think) but I hadn't seen it before and really enjoyed it. The families involved are pretty whiny, and they do grate on me a bit, but over all the series was really interesting and I learnt a fair bit from it. It's hard to believe how far America has come in that short time I think!
One of my all time favourite TV series was the Victorian Kitchen Garden. 12 episodes split into each month show how a walled kitchen garden was grown and managed in the late Victorian time by an old head gardener Harry Dobson. I also have the book that accompanies the series and it's one of my favourite gardening books with so much to learn from it even though it all went out when I was still in primary school.
I've searched on YouTube to see if I could find a link but it's not uploaded on there. There is, however, a later series set in WWII showing how they coped with the war in the large gardens and kitchens of manor houses, I've not watched these yet but if passed performance is anything to go by they'll be great!
So my question to you all is what other series/programmes do you recommend I watch. Obviously most of you will know my interests and although I try to avoid watching too much TV it is nice to watch something interesting when I do!
There was a run of different eras by the team who did Edwardian farm, Tudor farm Wartime Farm although I don't know if they are on you tube, my own personal favorite is the Good Life a bit far fetched but its still great, my daughter got me a complete set of DVD's for christmas.
ReplyDeletement t say as well just latley I have been catching the odd series of Farm King on TV its about a family in USA who grow fruit and veg for the farmers market.
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DeleteHere is a link to info about Farm Kings http://www.freedomfarmspa.com/
DeleteI've watched the victorian farm team in every series, I really enjoy them although think its funny that their Christmas episodes are with trees in leaf!
DeleteFunny you should say about farm kings-started watching that this week! Seems watchable although over dramatic. Cheers Dawn
I've been your silent follower for sometime and do enjoy reading your blog post:) But silent no more, for I think it's my turn to share with you what I think you would enjoy too:)
ReplyDeleteHappy People can be seen on YouTube. Here are the links:
Happy People, Part 1, Spring
Happy People, Part 2, Summer
Happy People, Part 3, Autumn
Happy People, Part 4, Winter
Right I'll have to check these out thank you. And thank you for no longer being silent! I always love having comments.
DeleteJust watched 5mins of these and they're right up my street! Thank you! Saved for later.
DeleteI've got the book of the Wartime Kitchen and Garden.
ReplyDeleteAnother DVD we have is from a series done on local ITV - Wartime Farm Summer and Wartime Farm winter. Presented by Paul Heiney. Prob still available on DVD. Tales of the Green Valley is the very first and best of the Farm series but I think we've talked about this before.
Tales from the Green valley is definitely the best.
DeleteI tend to just g to u tube and type something like "pluck a chicken", Build a stove" which opens up a whole new world through links
I've got the wartime farm book (by the same as the Victorian farm lot) but I've not come across wartime farm summer or winter - I'll have to check those out.
DeleteAs for tales of the green valley I've not watched them so I'll add that to my list as well.
Gill I do the same with links but it's good to have recommendations from like minded people!
Tales from the Green Valley def the best of the lot. I have it on DVD if you want to borrow it kev, also the book which goes with it ( but which is about how the site was built rather than the series itself, but still facinating)
DeleteI found the Frontier House book in a charity shop for a pound just before Christmas. Not got round to reading it yet but it looks interesting
ReplyDeleteLet me know what the book is like! I might be able to get it from ebay!
DeleteMy favourites are: The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Geoff Hamilton's Paradise Gardens, The Victorian Kitchen Garden and many more...
ReplyDeleteTime we had a smallholding and gardening television channel me thinks Kev.
Mum was a big Geoff Hamilton fan, one of the first gardening books she brought me was one of his.
DeleteNot sure about a TV channel as YouTube seems to be so good if you can find it! Let me know what you come across when you're on there.
Hi Kev
ReplyDeleteI really like farm kings and Alaska the last frontier, I don't watch much TV either so when I do I usually watch the past series on Netflix. I will check this evening and see if they have Victorian kitchen....
The farm Kings brothers seem like a good bunch, a strong close family like I like! It's the Victorian kitchen garden if you're looking for it. there was a second series call the Victorian kitchen about cooking ht produce that was also really good.
DeleteWe watched both the Frontier House and as well as the Victory Garden Series. Right now we are enjoying one called Alaska The Last Frontier. Though admittedly the target audience seems to be 13 yr olds and they do way to much Hollywood editing for sensationalism and drama. Far more interesting if they just did it as a documentary and left the drama out.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/alaska-the-last-frontier/
I'll add it to the list. I've started watching the Happy people one mentioned above and I think you'd like that one as well!
DeleteI watch the "urban farming guys" on utube quite a bit for ideas mostly in how to use common items today for small agricultural endeavors. There is another one who goes around the world kinda terra forming small acres who I can't remember the name of but his channel sends me links (which I just deleted ina clean out yesterday or I would link em for ya) I will send ya the next one I get.
ReplyDeleteWhen you remember let me know and I'll check them out and I'll have a look at the Urban farming guy as well. Beats watching regular TV - I might learn a bit more this way!
DeleteThat's kind of out of my orbit. I did see the series about frontier living. I thought it was interesting though I too got tired of the whining and back biting.
ReplyDeleteYeah the in fighting and bitching gets in the way a bit but it was still pretty interesting. I learnt a lot about the pioneers that I never knew and the changing land laws and uses.
DeleteSome interesting watching here, I am off to check them out.
ReplyDeleteI have watched the Victorian and wartime series. I am always on the lookout for more, we don't watch TV hardly at all :) I set my laptop on the kitchen bench and while I am in there working I watch things of interest on youtube. I was watching minimalism clips today :)
I loved the Victorian kitchen garden series, and especially interested as the garden was just a couple of miles away from where I lived before I moved to France. I had the privilege of meeting Harry Dodson, who confessed to me he really didn't understand why the program was so popular! What a sweet and gentle person he was, and such knowledge - he would have been very pleased at the recent revival of interest in gardening, allotment keeping etc.
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