Settle down…nobody’s havin’ a baby at Camellia’s Cottage …we don’t know nothin’ bout birthin’ babies and less than nothin ‘ bout midwives but what we do know is…
Alabama Public Television has been offering up some wonderful programming for many years. I was late findin’ out about Downton Abbey but truly loved the seasons I did watch. In the meantime, I began watching other programming such as ‘Mr. Selfridge’, ‘Home Fires’, and ‘Call the Midwife’ . They have become such a breath of fresh air in television programming, such anticipated Sunday night favorites, that I researched ‘Mr. Selfridge’, bought the book ‘Jambusters’ which inspired the series- ‘Home Fires’ and loved author Jennifer Worth’s ‘Call the Midwife’ so much I ordered the series of 3 memoirs and they are page turners! The setting is in England for all of these dramas but ‘Call the Midwife’ is set in the late ’50s, early ’60s and I can remember many of the medical discoveries, the fears of infectious diseases and for sure can recall that in rural Alabama there was a lack of adequate medical care. I’ve known people who were delivered at home and heard of the high infant mortality rates . The music and clothes, the makeup and hairstyles are amazingly accurate in ‘Call the Midwife ‘ as well. You won’t read many television reviews here but these are worth checking out. We are long time supporters of public television and radio, with programming that just gets better all the time. ‘Call the Midwife’ does have mature subject matter simply because it’s about ‘birthin’ babies but even that is expertly filmed in a discreet manner. And if you’re looking for a few good reads I can highly recommend Jennifer Worth’s memoirs . Also the DVDs for the others are highly popular. Support public broadcasting, a national treasure! tell me what PBS programming y’all like!
Well… we’re excited about this too- Camellia’s Cottage is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate Program, an affiliate program which is designed to provide a means for sites like this to earn advertising fees by providing our readers with links to Amazon.com. Click on those links below to check out PBS programming and more! It helps us keep the lights on! And while you’re shopping with Amazon, go through to the Amazon Smile program, designate your favorite charity- ours is YWCA Central Alabama- and a portion of all of your purchases will support these charities! Have a wonderful week!
Love y’all, Camellia
Call the Midwife http://amzn.to/1VvOoEH
Author Jennifer Worth http://amzn.to/1Sm2TpB
Home fires http://amzn.to/1U1iiy2
Mr.Selfridge http://amzn.to/1VvOxGM
Downton Abbey http://amzn.to/1VcwUfoh
or we can yield to the Savior who has breathed the Breath of Life into us while we are bound by our circumstances… We can struggle and thrive like the Stalwart Pear or we can merely survive like the New York Swamp Oaks. When I saw the Quickened Stalwart Pear, it gave me so much hope amidst all the sadness. So, hear this-
”When we have suffered the losses that life brings… We know by experience to look for signs. Our instinct whispers in the small things, the gentle rain, a rainbow, a breeze warmed by the sun. The earth welcomes the seed which will sprout, the first tender leaves push up through the garden soil. Our souls begin to stir, knowing the seasons are turning again. Remembering the harsh lessons of winter; knowing full well that nothing on this earth lasts forever. Leaves wither, grass turns brown, and plants die down. Snow blankets the jeweled leaves of autumn -the soil is enriched. The earth is changing ever so quietly, as the days lengthen. We know, as sure as there is springtime -everything can begin again- a fresh start, bright, beautiful and new again. ‘With God all things are possible’.
Hello darlin’, sorry I haven’t called lately, it’s been like the Dew Drop Inn around here! The painter was here for the front door, some teenagers came by takin’ up mission trip money to witness to some folks up in Mentone, the carpenter stopped by and said yes, the screen porch is in bad shape, he’s going to try to work us in between jobs, you know how it is with an old house~ on and on…
Allie Mac
Hi, my name is Camellia, a fictional character who is an Alabama girl born and bred. Brenda Wyatt created me as a composite of the finest ladies from her home state who will share good things about life in the south. Alabama is a place where we love our folks, our friends, our homes, humor and hospitality. My name comes from the state flower, the Camellia. You might call it a shrub, but if you live here you either call it a bush or just say- ‘Would you look at that Camellia’. Like Brenda told me, ‘Darlin’ your name is gonna be Camellia; it’s the epitome of a southern lady- but like me, it blooms in the dead of winter’. Shh…don’t tell it- Brenda is of a ‘certain age’, but she’s decided to flourish later in life and learn some technology! At some point I hope to introduce you to my fictional friend (what other kind would I have?) named Allie Mac, a play on Camellia spelled backwards. 
Brenda was conflicted as to which character would be the main one. Thank the Lord, I’m the one who won out, Allie Mac is always telling me I need to update and I’m the one telling her we need to do things like we’ve always done. That’s how things are in Alabama- embracing the future and hangin’ on to what’s good about our upbringing. We were taught to write a thank you note, not an email or a post on social media but a real thank you note on real paper written with a real pen, put in an envelope with a real stamp from the US Post Office. It’s just the right thing to do.
Camellia's Cottage 