News got you down? Turn to music, television to escape the ‘real’

If the news doesn’t interest you these days, here are a couple of suggestions to pass the time.

My children gave me an Alexa contraption that I can tell what I want to listen to.

I like jazz — Louis Armstrong, Pete Fountain, Ella Fitzgerald , Sarah Vaughn and Miles Davis are some favorites — mixed in with some not so well known artists.

My most wonderful distraction from the news of late are two great PBS programs.

The first is a series called “Mapp and Lucia.” An English novelist E.F. Benson wrote four books that take place in the 1930s about the separate lives of Miss Elizabeth Mapp and Mrs. Emmeline “Lucia” Lucas. These novels take place in an imaginary small Sussex town called Tilling modeled after the charming real English village of Rye. The television series was filmed in Rye, which is a gorgeous gem of a spot with cobblestone streets and very quaint old buildings. The program series was first produced in 1985. There was a redo of the series in 2015-2016. The original series has a real place in my heart because some of the characters remind me of several Blufftonians that are long gone.

Mapp and Lucia share a charming social rivalry. When Lucia , a recent widow, moves to the charming little town of Tilling for the summer that is when the fun begins. Mapp spends quite a bit of her day spying on her neighbors. Lucia wakes up the sleepy little town of Tilling with her fetes and fun soirees. The ladies battle it out for social one-up-manship and what fun it is to watch. Lucia decides to live permanently in Tilling and that could be the final straw for Mapp. You have to really pay attention to their dialogue because at times it is hilarious.

The two, along with the whole cast , share wonderful bon mots and fabulous “pigeon” Italian that both ladies speak to each other and anyone else within earshot. My favorite phrase is a play on the French language when all of them start saying “au reservoir” instead of “goodbye.” The series is available on Amazon and you will be charmed by the whole scenario I feel sure.

My other escape is “The Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher.”

Miss Fisher solves crimes with the help of a wonderful ensemble cast and a lovely, pearl-handled pistol. You can add to that gorgeous costumes, romance galore, suspense, great characters, and a wonderful lead actress who is probably the most stylish lady detective ever. All of this is set in Melbourne, Australia, in the 1920s among classic cars and great old buildings. Oh boy, the whole affair is a delight.

Miss Fisher’s mysteries are based on Kerry Greenwood’s novels which are based in the jazz clubs and side streets that the era in Melbourne.

Both shows can be streamed on Netflix and seen on PBS. But be forewarned — you will be enchanted by both of these offerings and might become addicted like I have to both. There is even a coloring book just published and, for a true Miss Fisher fan, this will be a must have.

Animals make a meal of plants, car

Have any of you ever had a problem with animals tearing up your gardens or munching on your cars?

I recently planted banana trees, a monkey grass border around a small part of the yard and two lemon trees. The whole chore took all day and when I finished it looked very nice.

When I woke the next morning as usual at 5 a.m. and made coffee, I could barely wait until the sun came up so I could look at my handiwork.

When dawn arrived, I went outside and I could hardly believe my eyes. Almost all of the plants had been dug up and a rose bush had vanished. I was horrified and perplexed. I looked all around but no critter was to be seen. I replanted everything at least four times and am hopeful that the culprits have given up.

In the meantime, in the midst of this mayhem, squirrels ate almost $2,000 worth of wires in both of our cars.

The repair man at the Toyota dealership said that insurance would not cover the repairs and told me how sorry he was.

We must have the tastiest non-edible plants , at least to humans, and cars around.

As for me I am looking for a very big cat, maybe a lion or tiger.

This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 5:45 AM with the headline "News got you down? Turn to music, television to escape the ‘real’."