A Haven for Vee

Monday, January 4, 2016

Where Did They Go, Et Cetera, Etc.

I was shocked one morning a couple of weeks ago by what was going on at the bottom of my blog page. I went to bed one evening with over 500 Friends and woke the next morning with 480. Oh no! I wondered what I had done wrong to offend so many so quickly! Apparently, nothing. This is something that Google is doing. You can find a message on your Blogger Design Page about it in the Overview tab. (If you ever wondered in the first place. Did you?) I am happy to see the number ticking back up ever so slowly. Thank you to my new Friends. Perhaps some of the same Friends I lost. Not sure.

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Oh aren't we off to a delicious start with Season 6 of Downton Abbey?! So pleasant, after all this time, to watch Downton Abbey once again. No big spoilers here today (nor in comments please), though I did love the way Lord Grantham dispatched a certain troublesome witchy woman. That man is wiser than I gave him credit for. Oh and I did love Violet's question to Mrs. Crawford: Does it ever get cold on the moral high ground?

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A little off topic, but did you happen to see the Downton Abbey float at The Tournament of Roses Parade? Now that was beautiful. Wanda of Got a Minute or Two is showing some close-up shots of the floats, including the Downton Abbey one on this post. Wanda is revealing a couple of secrets about the float, too. ☺


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Off to dismantle a bit more Christmas. I am playing a game. If I am caught taking down Christmas, I lose. How good that John is not the most observant man. Slowly is the name of the game. No more than five trips up and down stairs a day carrying a tray of treasures. In the mornings I pack those away and start over. Perhaps the tree will be all down and packed away by the weekend or perhaps I shall decide that we need a winter tree with lights only to cheer us for another while. After all, I decorate seasonally all year through and winter is the current season. 


51 comments:

  1. Enjoyed the hour of Downton and the hour before and after on our PBS channel with special revealings...not sure everyone was able to see it, but I sat from 8-11 watching tv. That's the most in years. : - )

    I like your idea of going about de-Christmas-ing slowly. Hope you win the game. : - )

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    1. Yes, me, too, Michele! And that first hour of programming is where we were promised that we would be pleased and that all our questions would be answered in this final season. Loved that! (And, of course, a BIG question was answered last night.) It's going to be delicious...

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  2. I too take down Christmas slowly and it is finally finished. There's something I really love about the house when all that is put away. I wasn't so enthusiastic for season 6 but they certainly hooked us with amazing twists and turns. I read that every character will have a story line this season. And thank you for posting Violet's pithy comment--my favorite line of the evening, but I could not recall it completely. I really should write them down this year!

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  3. It was a wonderful debut of the last season wasn't it? Oh how I wish it would go on and on....I shall miss the fashion, the dialogue and the beauty of the countryside. It has been such a gift from them all. I can so relate to taking little Christmas collectibles up and down the stairs....oh well...good exercise, right? Have a wonderful week Vee.

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  4. That must have been a shock about the missing followers!
    I wish you and yours a very happy new year, Vee.
    Looking forward to the DA shows.
    Have a nice Monday.

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  5. Good morning! Believe it or not I did not know that Downton was starting last night but we have the TV set to record it so we will watch tonight! Soo exciting....Christmas comes down as quickly as we can do it over here as I do have hubby's help these days. Goodness knows for years and years and YEARS I was on my own, and I did it quickly then too, lol. I wish I could be more relaxed about it, lol, after all it certainly isn't going anywhere, but it just isn't in my nature I guess. How strange about the friend thing. I never notice but I am off to check that out now. Have a good week Vee!

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  6. Yes it was fun to have Downton back again. JF better tie up all those loose ends in a satisfactory manner. I'm sick of seeing Anna Bates downcast or crying in every scene. (She must be sick of it too.) I wish we could see her new movie, Dark Angel. I'm taking down our Christmas decorations after our daughter leaves for Texas, Wednesday. BTW I had the same thing happen with GFC. It was too many, I thought, to actually be people who decided they'd had it with my foolishness... so I googled it and found what you did. Have a wonderful week, Vee.

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  7. I enjoy your etc. thoughts, always. And very often they shine with some good ole pearls of wisdom! :)

    Happy New Year Vee!

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  8. Now, listen, I love Mrs. Crawford---those two, just love the bantering back and forth. I really do not like Mary--never have. I also love Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes, just so lovely.

    All the Christmas stuff is put away-and rearranging of rooms is done...many Happy Mondays to you sweet friend. Oh, and Blogger, their not showing updated posts on my feed or my sep. page either.

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  9. slow and steady (with the Christmas decor..) :)
    downton ... such a wonderful program. will miss
    it plenty but i have my imagination to create how
    their lives continue and ebb to and fro.

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  10. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that I lost 5 followers overnight, but I have nowhere near the following of you. Then I read that notice and thought they prophecied that for later in January, but I guess not. Still not packing away. Have a good week.

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  11. I lost 10 but thought folks totally gave up on me! I will have to check out their reasoning. I like your idea of dismantling a little bit at a time. I also like the idea of a winter tree.

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  12. It was so nice to have Downton back on last evening, Vee. I do hope poor Anna stops with the drama soon...she really must be tired of all the tears. The Rose Parade was missed in our home this year, so thanks to your friend for showing the DA float.
    Good luck with the taking down of Christmas decor. We did most of ours over the weekend and only have some wreaths and a flag to take down. Whew...three people working makes the task go faster. ♥

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  13. All my Christmas decor is in the basement but today I need to pack it all away in an orderly manner and plan to make decisions about which items no longer need to be kept.

    Your idea of keeping the tree up with just the lights -- that's a cheerful thought!

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  14. I enjoyed Downton as well. Trying to savor every second of it, since this is the last season. Our decorations are down as of this weekend, but the corner looked so empty where the tree was standing that I went out and bought a palm tree to replace it!

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  15. I did lose 2 followers overnight, but 20 at once? Wow! I bet that really left you wondering...glad you found out why and have shared it with us. Both of the shows, before and after the Downton episode were so great. It seems so strange for me to see them interviewed or as the actors that they truly are. I want the characters to be real people...lol! The interactions/scenes between Carson, Mrs. Patmore and Mrs. Hughes was the highlight of this episode for me.
    I got all of my undecorating accomplished over the weekend and the house seems so bare...oh well...

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  16. Ha! As soon as Violet said that line I said to Katie quote of the night! It was so delightful to be sitting and watching the series again. That's funny about your putting Christmas away game. Christmas was tucked away on Saturdayd at this old house. My niece went to the float viewing event they have after the parade and took a nice photo of the Downton float. She said it was so beautiful. Hope you have a wonderful week.

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  17. I am not going to read any of your comments since I have not watched DA yet. Will watch it today. Hate to see it go. What a fun little game you are playing with your decorations. Here, too, no one would miss anything.

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  18. I was so excited to see Downton again! Of course the ridiculous hour of count down on our local pbs station left Earl and I rolling our eyes, "you are 32 minutes away from the final season of Downton Abby". All Christmas is down now, although I left up a few snowmen and other winter themed items. It made me glad I went minimalist this year!

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  19. I still haven't touched any of my decorations. Maybe in a day or two I'll start to dismantle. Thanks for sharing the video of the float because I didn't get to watch the parade and haven't watched last night's new season of Dowton yet.

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  20. I haven't started yet taking down the Christmas things. It's always a bit sad to put away the "pretties". Glad you explained about the GFC drop outs. I had 4 all at once and thought that it must have been the lack of participation on my part during my busy time that caused them to give up on me. Have a nice week.

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  21. I always aim for Twelfth Night ~ the Epiphany ~ before taking Christmas down. I love my Christmas "stuff" and don't look forward to packing it all up for another 11 months. Being retired gives me time, too. When I worked I always wanted it "done" earlier rather than later.
    The "moral high ground" line was my favorite of the evening! I texted it to my daughter the moment it was out of her mouth!! She said she was about to do the same to me. I am so happy it is back on.....so sad it is the last season.

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  22. It's hard to lose friends even if it was not you.
    I read that google was going to do other things to us bloggers
    like our friends have to have a blog to read blogs.
    That will leave out some of my family.

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    1. What? That is shocking! And so unnecessary. I hope that they change their minds. It doesn't even sound legal.

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  23. My blog lost about 10 "friends" and I thought Blogger was just cleaning house. There where a bunch of people following my blog that are no longer on Blogger. I'd just as soon have them erased from the Follow Me board.
    Downton Abbey was wonderful! Extremely happy for the Bates'. They are my favorite couple. I went ahead and put in an advance order for the Season 6 DVD from Amazon. That way we'll have all 6 Season's by the end of the show. [happy dance] ~:)

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    1. Well I love Typepad blogs and Wordpress blogs as well as Blogger blogs. Is that what you mean?

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  24. Didn't notice my followers but I'll go take a look. I don't even know how many I have.
    Rushing home from church last night so we could watch Downton Abby we got stopped by the police. I'll blog about it later today.
    My decorations are all down and put away. Don't put all that much up though so it is pretty easy to put it all away.
    Have a happy day. : )

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  25. I loved watching the Downton Abbey last night! It's sort of a soap opera, but we feel we know these people by now, and how beautiful the setting and costumes and manners are....I am slowly putting away my Christmas decorations and was interested in your ideas about your tree....

    Here in northeast Ohio we had the first real winter wonderland today, sadly also the first day the kids are all back in school! But they had fun over the vacation, just not outside fun.

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    1. You might or might not be surprised to know that the creator and producer also describe Downton Abbey as a soap opera.

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  26. I love the idea of slowly dismantling Christmas, I tend to do it all in one go on twelfth night and then need a week to get over it.

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  27. I personally like the idea of a winter tree although my tree is down. The decorations are not. I am thrilled to say that I feel the need to leave the snowmen up a little longer. Maybe Feb. they will find their way back to the attic

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  28. Glad to hear that you are enjoying Downton. Not a spoiler, but it gets better and better! xx

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  29. Having already seen the whole of season 6 I shall not even whisper a hint of spoiler! I want to buy the whole series so I can watch it whenever I want too! I hope in the future that they might do a movie or two, so we can keep up with them!

    Our Christmas decor is coming down bit by bit. Indoor garlands today, and silver trees. The real trees is not a bit dried out, so it will stay for the rest of the week at least! I like the way things look in January with the Christmas decor gone, though I adore my Christmas decor! It's fun to change with the seasons. I have a little tree that I may leave up it just has a small bit of lights and a white metal star garland.

    Deanna

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  30. So happy to have our inside decorations down and packed, just waiting for warmer weather(yes it finally turned cold,very cold)! to place on shelves in garage! Aiming to have outside taken down by this weekend! I am waiting to get the dvds of DA, I am thinking I am probably the only person here in blogland that hasn't seen it!
    Enjoy your evening!.
    I like the idea of having a seasonal tree!

    Sue

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  31. HI Vee. I love your new header photo. I guess I'm going to have to start watching DA on Netflix to catch up. Maybe I'll be caught up to this final season when it comes on later in the year. I think I've only seen 2 or 3 seasons. How many are there in all anyway. I have our tree down and trimmings too although I have left a lot of the Christmas decor out as it had a winter theme to it. Smart eh?? :) I also keep a small tree in the dining room for the next month or so with white lights and crocheted snowflakes on it. Just a little cheer for the long evenings. And, I kept some white and coloured lights around the window in the family room downstairs where we watch TV. Makes it cozy. Are you under this cold snap the next few days? Brrr.

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    1. Yes, it is brrrrrisk. There are six seasons of Downton Abbey total. I don't believe that you'll find it on Netflix.

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  32. We had the parade on and we DID catch the float! It was beautiful with the lovely Cora in the car. And what a treat to watch Downton Abbey last night. We'll want to watch it again before next weeks episode. Come on over and we'll watch it together. Hugs, Diane

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  33. Weird about your friends (I only have a few so hadn't noticed any change??). Our decorations were mostly put away on Saturday - earlier than any other year I think. I like how you are doing it slowly and secretly. We can't get DA out here in the boonies but have been purchasing the seasons on DVD as they come out - can't wait to start watching #6.

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  34. I love your game!! :) As for us, we dismantled most of it today...before Ron returns to work tomorrow. We have so many things on the horizon, we thought we'd better not delay.

    We were so excited about the new season of Downton Abbey last night! It didn't disappoint! It is only bittersweet because it's the last season. Winter Sunday evenings won't be the same...

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  35. Hi sweet Vee! Happy New Year! I'm praying for a wonderful new year for us all. I've missed you and wanted to stop by to say hello. I've not noticed much on my blog but I don't really look anymore. I've enjoyed not worrying so much about readers but just posting when I feel like it and sharing what I feel is enjoyable. Funny how I've changed over all these years! It will be nine years blogging in February for me, that's so hard to believe. I loved Downton Abbey and have actually watched the entire season already, even the Christmas special on a neat UK blog that posts the episodes a day after they air over there. But no matter, I'm watching it all over again here too, I just can't get enough! I've not cleared away our Christmas yet but I will soon. I hope you and John are doing so very good!!! hugs and love, Dawn

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  36. I loved Downton Abbey!!! Sunday night found me too tired to watch it so I recorded the program and enjoyed it yesterday afternoon! When it's all over I intend to go back to season 1 episode 1 and start all over!!
    Good for you in not rushing around like a mad woman with her hair on fire taking down all the decorations!! I find this makes the husbands rather nervous and skitty!! Better to be a bit secretive about it all!! That's how I'm doing it too!

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  37. Oh, I had to laugh at the thought of un-decorating with stealth. I can just imagine the tiptoeing and quiet movements! I cleared things up a bit earlier this year because of going back to work. But there are still some lights up that ease the darkness of January. This is a lovely season for Downton Abbey, isn't it?

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  38. You made me smile and I have been out of the loop and I did not even know the season had started! I do miss all my decorations as everything looked so plain! Have a good week and I think you should put up another little something to bring some cheer in the long month ahead of us! Blessings and I love your header!
    Roxy

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  39. I was glued to the TV Sunday night, too. What a great show - I love it! Sad that it's coming to end, but isn't that what always happens to good things?? Maybe we'll find something just as good when it's gone!

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  40. I'll have to check the followers on my blog, Vee. I guess I just haven't noticed.
    I did enjoy Downton Abbey and what a sweet episode ending.
    It takes me awhile to take down Christmas. In fact, I'm still at it! Hope you win the game!

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  41. Your header is beautiful! Sure is cold here today. Our wood furnace has been going overtime. I haven't experienced the "loss of friends" phenomenon you mention -- maybe because I have far less than you. (Less than 80.) Or not. Who knows what Blogger will do, or why?

    I take Christmas down v-e-r-y slowly indeed. And I tend to leave up lighted trees, snowmen, snowflakes, icicles -- anything gleaming, glittery, or sparkling. Just seem to need that to see me through winter.

    You mentioned over on my blog about looking for a tutorial for the foldable baskets. You can find a link to a tutorial of sorts for them in December 11's post on "small projects for your Christmas fabric stash, part 1". In that post, the link is directly above the picture of the foldable basket. There's probably a better tutorial out there in cyberspace somewhere, but this is just a simple one I wrote up. It's a fun project!

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  42. I can not believe that I missed the first episode of Downton Abbey! I do see it is being shown again in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow so only one more day until I can view it-thank goodness...
    I love your new fence header, Vee. I'm a real sucker for rustic gray wood. Our tree was taken down as soon the grands left and all put away. Now I'm de-cluttering again. It's a never ending job around here!
    Belated Happy New Year-Kim

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  43. So fun to hear about the different ways we all approach dismantling Christmas. It seems like we were all just talking about getting it all out. I like the game you are playing. You'll have to keep us posted as to whether John catches on.
    I got behind on DA a few seasons ago. Meant to catch up and never did. Now I feel so out of it. Perhaps one day I'll sit down and see what I have missed.

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  44. My Christmas is down and packed away too. But I simplified more this year and it made it a little easier. Happy New Year Vee! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  45. Hi Vee,

    I loved the Downton Abbey Season 6 premier, too!! Yes, I thought Violet's remark about the moral high ground to Isabel was perfect; Isabel can be too much at times. I told my husband that night that I will really miss these people when the show is over -- it makes me sad. It sure has been a good run, and I feel like I've learned a lot too.

    Your method sounds like a good way to take down the Christmas decorations. Since I won't start until this weekend, I'll probably try to do all mine in a couple of days. Not sure how that will go. ;)

    Have a great week, my friend!

    Hugs,

    Denise at Forest Manor

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