Put a little love in your heart.....please!

The Golden Rule - most of us have heard of it, some of us practice it, even people without religion in their lives have to admit it's a simple blueprint for getting along in this world.  So what has happened to it?  Where has the concept of live and let live gone?

I've been thinking about this lately as I see things on the internet, largely on Facebook.  Social media and the anonymity of the virtual world has given the world a platform for expressing the most heartless, sometimes shocking, often cruel thoughts that enter their collective heads.  Proudly proclaiming their disdain for what they call 'political correctness', they spew their dark side without a care for what they are saying or who they may be hurting.

"The term political correctness (adjectivally: politically correct; commonly abbreviated to PC,^... P.C., or p.c.) in modern usage, is used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to particular groups in society."  ~Wikipedia    

The idea of being politically correct has become a negative thing - perhaps due to some people taking it to a ridiculous extreme.  In my mind, however, being p.c. is just an extension of the Golden Rule.  Do Unto Others...  It's not that hard and if anyone took a moment to apply it to their lives, this world would be a happier, kinder place.   Plain old-fashioned courtesy, respect - things you learned in Kindergarten!  Just because you think it, doesn't mean you should say it. 

I've seen a lot of posts on Facebook about what a crappy year 2016 was and how they are glad to see it go.  I can't say it was great for me personally, but I don't have much hope for 2017 to be better.  With the election of an mentally unstable person to our highest office and his choice of cabinet members, I am very concerned about my future, as well as the whole nations.  What concerns me most are the probable loss of affordable health care for thousands of my fellow Americans, cuts to social security - without it, I'll be homeless, the Twitter-in-chief getting us into a world war, and the most pervasive side effect I've ever seen, that being the demise of the Golden Rule particularly at a time when the world needs it most.

 Let There be Peace on Earth and Let it Begin With Me

 

Poldark - season 2 finale

The weeks just went to fast for season 2 of Poldark!  I'm looking for ward to getting a copy of the DVD with the uncut version.

Overall, I was pleased with the progress of the story and how it stayed close to the books in most areas.  I did feel there was something missing though, which was inevitable due to the story line.  That being affection between Ross and Demelza - you know the hand-holding, hugs, easy banter, etc.  Even before the extreme lapse of marriage vows,  there was a lot of angst what with the trial, the death of Francis, the troubles at the mine.  Now I'm not forgetting the lovely, sexy stocking scene or the bath, (was wishing I was Demelza for those! lol)  It's just the little everyday signs that say 'I love you, value you, want to be with you'.   I missed seeing that.

I had a lot of anxiety watching this last episode, especially when Ross dons his uniform - I know from the books he does not go off to war, but wasn't sure if the script would reflect that.  Happily it did and even more happily we got to see Ross in his army duds and luckily I didn't keel over from that vision.

Also I was wanting, as I'm sure most viewers were, to see some sort of reconciliation between Ross and Demelza and was forced to wait until the final five minutes!  That should not surprise me, but I was worried it might not happen and I'd have to wait until next season.

Really, Ross can be such a dumbbell.  There were a number of times when he and D verbally sparred over his affair, where she expressed her feelings of inadequacy, that Elizabeth was his ideal, that she could never be as good as her and he never once gave argument or denied that was not true. It wasn't until she was packing her bags that he FINALLY tells her that his true; real; abiding love is for her and her alone.   That simple statement went a long way towards healing their breach.  What took him so long??  Oh yeah, the writer.... had to keep us on the edge of our seats.

I was happy to see Dr. Enys and Caroline get back together.  George was his usual weaselly self and Aunt Agatha drops a bomb on Elizabeth when she suggests the baby might come sooner than March.  Oh-Oh!  We vets of the soap opera world know that any time there is illicit sex, a baby comes along, so no surprise there.  What will George do when his son arrives looking a lot like Ross?  Ha!  I hope we'll find out before the series ends.

Sigh.... a long wait for season three.............

  

Just shoot the bastard...... please !

(all pictures are screen prints from episode 9)

Poldark episode 7, PBS Detoit

I held off commenting on last Sunday's airing of episode 7 of the Poldark series here on PBS.  I wanted to think about it for a bit and I wanted to find out what was cut from the final scenes first.

 

Having read the books, I knew that at some point, Elizabeth would agree to marry the upstart George Warleggan and that Ross would have a melt down and take his anger out in a most unbecoming way. 

In an earlier post about the book, I was really hoping Debbie Horsfield would not make Ross look like a rapist and yet, after the show was over, I was thinking that was too much the other way.  The look of desire on Elizabeth's face practically challenged Ross to take her. She didn't seem to fight him off all that much while in the book she clearly says No and even slaps him before he carries off to bed.  That had me wondering what was cut.  

I posted on facebook about it and one of my fellow fans posted a link to You Tube showing the scene and I have to say, it was much more forceful, more in line with the book.  I have to wonder why our area PBS felt it they had to show the watered down version (with a viewer discretion warning at the beginning)  Maybe because of the time slot at 9 p.m.?  Over here, racier things are usually shown at 10 p.m.  - I'm talking about network TV not cable, where anything goes.  At any rate, I can remember seeing more shocking things on I, Claudius years ago than what was in this episode!  Go figure.

Was it rape or not?  This has been heavily debated all over the net and basically, it's up to the reader/viewer to decide if it is or not.  For a lot of us, No means No, however Elizabeth's protests, which at first seemed sincere, died quickly and she was clearly wanting him as much as he wants her. 

Does that make it OK? Of course not as we see when Demelza knocks him on his butt when he comes home the next morning.  

So Ross has fallen from grace.  Can he get back his self-respect and his true love?  Well, I know since I have read all the books, but for those who haven't - my mips are smealed.  LOL

Here is a link to the uncut scene for those who want to watch it.:

Can You Offer Me Anything Else?

 

One last thought, even if Ross would leave Demelza for Elizabeth, would she have been happy being penniless?  I don't think so.  Demelza came from nothing and knows how to survive hard times.  Elizabeth is used to a certain standard of living.  Ross could not give this to her - George could, and even more.  So even though she denies it, George's money has to be a large part of her decision to marry him.  I don't really fault her for this, but I do for keeping Ross dangling on the edge of her feelings instead of cutting him loose completely.  If she can't have him, then nobody else should.  I hate that.

Looking for Kindness in a Nation gone wild...

It's been a rough week for many us and a joyous one for others.  The results of the election are horrifying to me, but I'm hoping my fears will be wrong.  I will happily eat humble pie if they are.  My biggest problem right now is the backlash on social media, Facebook being the one I use daily.

I had hoped once the circus was over, it would get back to a place I liked to be.  Don't get me wrong, I've found myself hitting the reply button and sharing certain things that speak to the way I think.  I have decided that I need to stop doing this.  I need to remember the words that I can so clearly hear my mother saying  - "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything".  Trust me, this will be a challenge for me and one I will hope to fulfill.

Currently the hateful memes and comments just keep coming from both sides.  I feel the people who create these memes have hate in their hearts and everyone who shares them becomes complicit in that hate. I'm asking, begging actually, that my family and friends stopped sharing them.  Just. Stop.  It hurts my heart to see you being used as an instrument in hate-mongering.

I want to know how you are doing. I want to see your photos from that event you attended or those adorable shots of the kids, grand-kids, pets.  I want to share, virtually, in your joys and your sorrows. I want to congratulate your accomplishments.  It's up to each of us to bring back the sense of community in this little space on the web and I'm hoping we can all find peace in our hearts and get back to kindness

"Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me"  listen to this beautiful and meaningful song here:  Let There Be Peace on Earth

As always, you are free to agree or disagree and your comments on the topic are welcome.  Any political comments will be deleted. 

Poldark, Season 2, Episode 4

Poldark on PBS

Good show last night!

Having read the books, I knew Francis was going to get in deep trouble at some point this season and last night's episode was it.   It was especially heartbreaking because he had finally come to realize how manipulative and horrible George really is and had forged a new bond with Ross.  I really liked the opening scenes with Francis and Ross running along the beach.  I had a hard time watching as he froze and drowned in the dark waters of the mine.

Earlier in the episode we see Elizabeth telling Ross she may have made a mistake in marrying Francis and that she will always have a little of Ross in her heart.  I have some sympathy for the two of them and what happened, but what good is it to bring it up?  Elizabeth was finally seeing her husband as he should have been all along and she is not content with that?  I understood her frustration when Francis was whoring and gambling away all their money, but things are looking up for them at this point.  Anyway, Demelza was giving both a look that said 'what's going on with y'all?' even while she was conversing with Captain McNeil and it's good she didn't know.

Also, we see an even darker side of George when he calls Aunt Agatha an old crone and hopes the next time he sees her, she's six feet under.  lol  Mind you, Aggie isn't know for being a sweet old lady, but neither Francis or Ross would like hearing that.  As for me, I'm thinking the upstart will regret antagonizing her!

Back to Francis, overall my favorite scene of the episode was his heartfelt conversation with Demelza, made shortly before his tragic fall in the mine.  "You must do away with the notion that
someone has done you a favor by letting you into this family" - that was so sweet as well as good advice for poor Demelza.

Kyle Soller as Francis

One last thought.... does anyone else wish the bath tub scene was a tad longer??

Ooh-la-la !

Poldark - PBS season 2, here at last!

photo credit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/programs/series/poldark-s2/

Like an astronomical number of ladies (and gents too) here in America, I have been anxiously waiting for season 2 of Poldark to premiere and this past Sunday, Sept. 25th was the big day.   I had my PBS station on all day just to make sure I didn't forget to put it on.  I turned my phone off, after warning family and friends I was going to do that. 

I got a little thrill hearing that opening bar of beautiful music and the breath-taking view of Cornwall as the show began.   As expected, it opened with Ross being hauled off by the law, then launched right into the days before the trial and the trial itself.  This was a 2 hour episode, so it covered a lot of the story featured in the book Jeremy Poldark.

Now, I read the book way back in December of last year and as many of you know, I'm often memory challenged by what I read, especially when I read too fast!  However, I'm pretty sure it followed the story very well.  One thing I don't remember is Elizabeth being at the trial, so those of you who are experts on the story can remind me by commenting below!  Also, I'm quite certain Ross did not hire Jud and Prudy back, but I won't swear on the Bible about that. lol  One other thing was the appearance of Demelza's father showing up in court - I don't remember that in the book either.  Feel free to set me straight! 

I found myself really feeling for Francis in this episode.  He has come to realize what a big mistake he made in trusting George and I got the impression he really wants to turn his life around.  I felt bad for him when he came to Elizabeth with a desire to be with her as husband and wife would be and she turned him down flat.  I know he made his bed with all his gambling and whoring, but I still felt sorry for him.  I also was wondering if he had come right out and said 'I'm sorry' when he had the opportunity to in a couple scenes, would Ross have relented a little in his feelings towards his cousin?   The good thing is, he finally stands up to George and tells him what a weasel he is.

It was heartbreaking to watch Demelza putting roses and petals on Julia's bed, but I was very happy Debbie acknowledged that sense of loss that never really goes away.  The scene with Ross and Demelza where they are talking about their grief was very touching.  It's always satisfying to see the two of them together, especially with love in their eyes.  Aidan and Eleanor bring these characters to life so well, it's no wonder so many of us have become addicts of this show!

I think the casting department did very well (as usual) with Caroline Penvenon.  Ms Wilde plays well with Luke Norris and I'm looking forward to their scenes together. Her costumes are so lovely, I think to myself  I wish I designed and made them!

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/programs/series/poldark-s2/

The trial scenes were tense, as they should be, and I cheered a little when Ross crumpled up the speech he was supposed to say and spoke from his heart.  I mean, we all knew he wasn't going to hang, right?  It was fun to see George practically spitting nails at the verdict.  That evil Upstart!! Overall I know it's going to be a great season.  I don't know if I will blog after every episode (there's 9 of 'em) but I'm sure at the conclusion, I'll have something to say.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/programs/series/poldark-s2/

Pringles are my Krptonite

I say that because, once I succumb to buying them and then opening them, I'm POWERLESS to stop eating them !!  Seriously - it doesn't matter if they are loaded with salt and fat and assorted chemicals.  I always take a small stack and think, this will do - and it does for about half an hour or so and then I find myself wandering towards the kitchen again, looking for those restructured taters that taste like they've already been chewed.  I fight the good fight by NOT buying them very often, but I always linger over the display at the store, imaging that salty crunch in my mouth.  I have a small list of foods I find hard to resist and Pringles are right up at the top.

Another one is the crack cocaine of cookies - Snicker-doodles !  I love them more than any other cookie, even the perennial favorite, Chocolate Chips.  If you've never had one, you can find them at Walmart or bake some yourself.   Once the package is open, I'm a goner.

Enough about food.  It's making me hungry and I've really been trying to lose weight, as hard as that is to believe. lol

I was thinking about feeling powerless the other day and what an uncomfortable sensation that is.  It's not often that I feel that way.  Usually there is something one can do to make a situation better.  Take the upcoming election.  I am truly terrified that the reality show/business mogul will actually win.  I see him as a neo-Hitler; a dangerous man (sub-human actually)! Even more terrifying is the number of people who think he is the answer to our country's problems.  I truly believe if he wins, he will lead us into a world war.  I just don't understand why my fellow Americans see him as a good choice to lead our country.

One common thing I've heard on the TV and the net is "He speaks his mind".   So does Kanye West and Rosie O'Donnell - would you vote for them?  "He will make American great again"  Just how will he do that?  He has yet to tell us his plan.  I would seriously like to know what it is.  I'm not an expert in politics, but it's clear to me this person is not qualified for the most important position in our government.  Yet, thousands of  people don't seem to think that matters.

Some people are thinking about voting for him because they hate the opponent, the democrats, the bleeding-heart liberals, etc.  I get that.  I'm usually on the fence about most issues, though I tend to lean to the left a bit more than the right.  I have voted Republican at times, Democrat at other times.  I have even voted for the what I believed was the lesser of two evils.

This election, the Republican party is supporting a person of questionable sanity to represent their party.  A person who thinks Putin is a good 'ole boy.  A person who doesn't know the meaning of the word sacrifice.  A person who wants to know why we don't use our nukes.  I have to wonder.... why? 

Do I think Hillary will make a good president?  I'm not sure, but I feel certain she will be 1000 times better than the other guy.  I have also not ruled out a third party candidate.  I have some time to make up my mind, but I would write in Donald Duck before I'd vote for that hate-filled sorry excuse for a human being. 

Interesting segue from junk food to junk candidate, eh?  I only hope and pray that everyone who sees the danger in this man will vote appropriately to prevent him from taking office, even if it means voting for what they see as the lesser of two evils.  I may not have the power to make this happen, but I do have the power to vote in a way that will allow me to sleep at night.

At Long Last..the end! Book 12, Poldark Saga

It took me awhile to get it from the library, but finally, last week I got the notice it was waiting for me to pick up.   I'm going to say right out that I was pleasantly surprised by this story and feel it is one of my favorites of the series.   I think because there is not so much history in it.   Don't get me wrong, I like the historical aspect of all the stories, but I have on occasion, rushed through passages of it in my haste to move the story along. lol  So less is more in this case and I like that.

 
Things are still going well for Ross in terms of the mines and having money to keep his family and lands very well.  He and Demelza are still in love, though there are moments when their easy camaraderie goes awry - especially when it comes to his relationship with Valentine.  Add to that an attraction to Harriet Warleggan! I was actually irritated with Ross when he started coming on to her (much like Demelza was).  I'm talking to the book.... 'don't do that Ross !!  Just don't!"  Thankfully it did not move beyond overt flirting.  

Clowance is still trying to learn to live with the loss of Stephan.  It is hard for her because she loved him so much, but she also was so angry that he married her knowing very well he was already married to another women.  He was such an ass-hat!  I was glad when he ended up in the bone yard.  Now, she finds herself being courted by a handsome officer name Phillip Prideaux, who is suffering from what we would call PTSD today.  At the same time, a former suitor, Lord Edward has come back into her life asking her to marry him.  She cares for both of them and gives careful thought to who she says 'yes' to.

Little Bella is now a young woman and is still in love with Christopher.  He asks her parents for permission to marry her, but they are reluctant because she is still quite young.  Bella's singing voice is exceptional and after some fast-talking from her love, Christopher, Ross and Demelza agree to let her go to London for voice lessons.  Her dream is to be on the stage!  She is well-received by more than one vocal teacher.  While in London, she meets Maurice, a Frenchman who is enthralled with her beauty and her vocal ability.  He tries to horn in on Christopher's territory and is successful in getting her to run away with him to France to star in an opera he is producing called The Barber of Seville.   He then seduces her.  What a cad!  However, she is a willing partner.  She is a huge success in the Opera.  Ross, shows up unexpectedly and is amazed at her performance and proud too.  He is not too happy about her involvement with Maurice.  

Meanwhile, back in Cornwall there is a serial killer roaming the dark pathways!!  Demelza finds herself out one evening heading home when she is attacked - she narrowly escapes.  She does not tell Ross about what happened.  Early on, it's easy to think Phillip is the killer as he has 'episodes' of anger.  But as the story progresses another suspect comes forward and you have to wonder is it him or Phillip or someone else??  

 Bella comes back from France. Her relationship with Christopher is shaky but not over.  She is not feeling well and soon it is apparent she is seriously ill with the Morbid Throat!!  Her sister, Julia, died from this very disease and Demelza and Ross are out of the minds with worry over her.  Clowance comes to stay with them to help nurse her back to health.  She survives, but her ability to sing is diminished.  She is heartbroken over this.  

Back to the killer - we find out who is the culprit when he corners Demelza in her home one night when she is there alone.  He calmly tells her his feelings about women and how he is going to kill her just as he killed the others!  Demelza is terrified and Ross is nowhere nearby to stop this from happening when suddenly Phillip saves the day and puts him out of commission with a blow to the head. 

By far the most interesting part of this story to me is a fleshing out of the character Valentine Warleggan, in particular his relationship with Ross.  He truly hates George and Ross steps in to be the father he needed and still needs.  George, though still a nasty little dick at heart, has actually mellowed a little.  However, his feelings towards Valentine have not changed.  He is not even that moved at the birth of his grandson, George, at least at first.  He still harbors that fear that Valentine is not his son, therefore, George is not his grandson.  Things change though when Val's wife leaves him for schtupping a mentally disabled young women, Agneta Treneglos, daughter of Ruth and John.  Though he has dallied many times before, this time, the poor girl ended up dead at the hands of the mysterious killer stalking the area.  It was the last straw for Selina and she packs up little Georgie and leaves him.  She eventually turns to big George for financial help and he helps her on the condition that he will take on little George's upbringing. 

Valentine is still a libertine and a rake by any standards, however we get to see another side to him.  He is often describe as 'just like Ross' father' - getting himself into hot water with his antics.  Ross tries to give him guidance and you can see that in his heart, he believes Valentine is his son.  After his heartbreaking loss of Jeremy, this wild child of Elizabeth's strikes a cord in him.  He has to do what he can to help him, yet still keep enough distance to keep both Demelza and George from fretting about it.

The oddest aspect of the story is the introduction of a great ape, Butto.  Yes, I said great ape, a baboon I think given the size, but maybe it's a chimp.  Anyway, here is where we see a side of Valentine that warms the cockles of our collective hearts when he rescues the ape from a cruel owner and a life of misery; tenderly caring for him and giving him a good home.  I found Butto to be a weird addition to the story, however he has his role to play.  He starts a fire at Valentine's home and inadvertently causes the death of not only himself, but his master too.  The fire nearly kills Ross as he tries in vain to save his son.  He is devastated by this loss and withdraws from everyone, including Demelza, who takes it quite hard, though she tries to be understanding about it.  I think it is Bella's superb performance in Romeo and Juliet, playing Romeo, that helps Ross out of his depression.  It certainly helps her feel better about her future in theater!

In the end, things are wrapped up quite nicely with Clowance married to Edward, Bella on her way to stardom and back completely with Christopher.  Ross is coming back to his normal self.  Demelza happily making wedding plans for her daughter.

All in all, I found this to be a very good read and had a hard time putting it down.  I really wanted to find out who the killer was!  I would say to those who think this book is about Bella, it is not really.  Her story didn't really get going until almost half way through the book.  I think maybe Winston Graham did not like leaving Valentine as a kind of side note in the other books and graced us with this wonderful glimpse into his relationship with his real Dad, Ross Poldark.  It's a little sad to think this is the last book.  I wonder if the series will get this far?

The Twisted Sword - book 11 of the Poldark series

"A man is better off to be a squire in Cornwall than to be a king in England" 

~Old Tholly, The Twisted Sword 

I recently finished reading book 11 in the Poldark saga, The Twisted Sword.  I enjoyed it very much, though it took me longer to read than the others!  A short forward indicates that this is the last novel in the series, (not knowing of course that there was one more story in Winston's head) proclaiming it a brilliant finale.  I have to agree it tied up loose ends quite nicely.

The story opens with Napoleon banished to Elba.  Ross is asked to go to France to see what the real state of affairs is over there - at first he says no, but then he changes his mind and decides to go.  The request involves a title which he doesn't want, but in the end he accepts.  He and Demelza make plans to go to Paris with the children, Isabella Rose and Henry, and the nanny, Mrs. Kemp, with Dwight and Caroline and their girls joining them there later.

Jeremy is happily married to Cuby and they are expecting a baby.  He is a soldier, stationed near Brussels.  Clowance is settling in as Mrs. Carrington, but news of a step-son rocks her world - Stephen, up to his usual crap, never told her he had a son.  He 'didn't want to upset her'.  I really don't like Stephen at all.  He's basically a flim-flam man and poor Clowance can't help loving him even though she suspects he's not really the man she thought she married.

Old Boney isn't about to sit around on Elba and proceeds to rebuild his army and heads back to Paris to take over again.  This causes serious problems for Ross and Demelza, who become separated when take-over begins.  Ross is arrested on trumped up charges by a man who pissed him off when he made overtures at Demelza.  Demelza manages to escape with the kids and the nanny and eventually gets back to London and has to wait and worry over Ross's release.  There's a lot more to this adventure, including some great conversations between Lord and Lady Poldark - you know the kind we like to read - the kind that end up in kisses and more - but I won't go into here.

You can well imagine that upstart George was ready to spit nails when he heard Ross is made a Lord.  He doesn't have too much time to think about it because.... surprise!  Harriet is pregnant!  George sees this as a chance to get a son to replace Valentine.  He also has a plan to bring down Stephen Carrington - he is sure took part in the robbery of the coach, but he does not have enough proof to get him arrested.  So he tries to ruin him instead and nearly succeeds.

With the war rekindled, Jeremy finds himself promoted to Captain.  He leads his men into a final horrendous battle where he is shot twice.  Ross, having escaped from captivity, heads out to find Jeremy - he arrives to find his son mortally wounded.  They are able to have a heart-breakingly few minutes to talk before he dies with his father at his side.  It struck me that once again, Ross is alone with his dying child and Demelza is not there to say goodbye! 

Stephen manages to overcome his money troubles when he captures a ship.  He makes a bundle of money on the venture and saves his bacon for the time being.  He buys himself a horse that he feels is fitting to his newly acquired station.  He meets up with Harriet Warleggan and wants to show her what a fine horse he has.  They chit-chat and he finds himself lusting after her a bit.  They take off to race and see whose horse is best - Stephen's horse cannot make one of the jumps and he is thrown off and breaks his back. He's just so full of himself, I can't feel any sympathy for him and not much for Clowance.  She knows he lies and keeps things from her.  Anyway, Stephen does not recover from this accident and leaves Clowance a widow.

So much happens in this volume, I know I'm forgetting a lot.  One important but small chapter has Valentine actually asking Ross if might be his father.  Ross tells him the truth, that it is possible, but no one can be sure.  He tells him he must never speak of this and if he finds out he has, he'll kill him.  Ross does not want Elizabeth's memory to be tarnished.

The loving cup - I really thought it would come back to haunt Jeremy, but in the end, it was thrown into a deep well by Demelza - Jeremy had sent her a letter requesting her to throw it in the sea if he did not return.  Ross was puzzled by her actions, but did not try to pry the truth out of her.

Isabella Rose, who is only thirteen, meets a young soldier and they fall in love - Mom and Dad are hoping it is just a passing fancy.  I guess I'll find out in the next and last book.

Last but not least, because we all love it when someone puts the screws to George - Harriet gives birth to TWIN GIRLS.  Serves the bastard right. Lol

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Disappointment ??

It took awhile, but I was finally able to get my copy of the Hobbit Trilogy on DVD.  I decided against blue-ray because I wanted to be able to watch it in my craft room as well as on the big screen TV.

When I first heard The Hobbit was going to be filmed, I was pretty excited about it.  The Lord of the Rings was everything I expected it to be, so I figured this will be great too.  I went to see it by myself as my usual movie buddy doesn't like fantasy/sci-fi all that much.  It started off good, so nice to be back in Middle Earth, but then along came this weird wizard named Radagast who had a sleigh pulled by giant rabbits and I was like WTF?  I can honestly say I had a hard time watching the rest of the movie because of it.  Now I know it's not uncommon to make some changes when going from the page to the screen, but this was a bit much and at the end, I left the theater a little bewildered at what I just saw.  I had intentions of seeing the other two films, but never did go to the theater for them.  All because adding Radagast to the story didn't sit well with me (and I'm usually not that picky about book to movie changes) !  Silly girl. LOL

Fast forward to 2015 and the PBS presentation of Poldark starring you-know-who... Aidan Turner.  I'm smitten.  Oh, more than that. LOL    It wasn't until my obsession that I realized the one dwarf that I thought was kind of cute was played by Aidan.  Well that did it.  Since I made it my mission to see every film/show he ever did, I borrowed it from the library to re-watch it and lo and behold, I enjoyed it so much more and not just because of adorable Kili (Aidan).  Now I was over the changes, I appreciated the whole production so much more.

 

The casting, sets, and costuming were amazing, as I had expected, yet was too piqued to notice!  So, though feeling a little silly for my Sheldon-like feelings towards The Unexpected Journey, I borrowed The Desolation of Smaug, and after that, The Battle of Five Armies.

I got totally invested in the Tauriel/Kili romance (no surprise there).  I was horrified by the ending and even had to drag out the book to confirm the demise of Kili and Fili.  It had been awhile since I read the book, so as often is the case, I had forgotten all but the most major parts of the story.

Recently someone asked me which movie did I like best and I said I liked them all, but I think Desolation of Smaug has a slight edge because of that sweet scene where Tauriel heals Kili from the goblin poison.  I have watched it several times and I sill wonder why she didn't say anything when he asked her 'do you think she could have loved me'.  Would it have been better if she had answered?  I don't know for sure. What do you think?

I really applaud the casting people for finding the spot-on perfect actors for each role, especially Bilbo.  Martin Freeman was born to play young Bilbo, just as Ian Holm was born to play old Bilbo.  I'm always ecstatic over perfect casting as many of you know already.  I felt that way about Lord of the Rings and now this trilogy too.

If those of you reading this haven't taken the time to watch the appendices with the magic behind the making of the movie, I urge you to do so, and then re-watch all three movies again.  It will be all that more impressive if you do!

All-in-all, The Hobbit Trilogy was a lovely venture back to Middle Earth, in spite of the changes.  If you felt a bit lukewarm about it when it was first released, as I did, give it another try and see if you find it was better than you first thought it was.

Click on link below to see my favorite scene

 Do you think she could have loved me? 

The Loving Cup - Poldark book 10

The Loving Cup picks up where The Miller's Dance leaves off.  

It's now 1813 and the Napoleonic Wars are waning.  Ross is doing quite well with Wheal Leisure, while Wheal Grace is running out of good ore.  As with The Miller's Dance, much of the story focuses on Jeremy and Clowance.  Isabelle Rose is a rambunctious tween-ager and baby Henry is doing very well.  Demelza is still recovering from his difficult birth, though this is only hinted at by WG.   As usual there are several delightful conversations between her and Ross.  There is still so much love between them, which makes me happy as I read.

Jeremy is at loose ends, still pining over Cuby, and feeling some regret over the robbery.  He keeps his share of the loot carefully hidden, while his partners in crime have been spending theirs.  He feels guilty and comes close to telling his Mother about it, but refrains.  After some soul-searching, he decides to join the Army and uses his ill-gotten gains to buy what he needs for his commission.  Ross and Demelza are not too happy about this, but they want him to do what he feels is right.  

In the meantime, his partners have been spending their shares.  Unbeknownst to them, some of the bills were of the ones that the bank had a record of and turned up in the account of George's wife.  He is steadfastly working to find out who robbed the coach and knowing George, he probably will.... but not in this volume!

Stephen uses his share of the coach money to get started in a legitimate shipping business.  On one of his excursions, he's becomes very ill and nearly dies.  When Clowance finds out about it, she goes immediately to nurse him back to health.  Stephen and Clowance reconcile, which I can't help but think is a big mistake, however, the heart wants what the heart wants and at least Clowance had time to think about him and what kind of man he is.  Ross and Demelza have reservations about him, but nothing concrete enough to try and stop their daughter from marrying him.

Once again, we get to enjoy someone putting the screws to George Warleggan.  This time it is Valentine that turns it.  George, in his usual manipulative way, arranges for Valentine to marry Jeremy's love, Cuby.  Valentine appears to go along with it, however when it's time to set the date, he informs his father that he is already married - to the recently widowed Selena Pope.  George blows a gasket and cuts him out of his life and fortune.  Selena has enough money to support Val, so he doesn't give a flying you-know-what. One thing for sure, you learn that Valentine has few redeeming qualities and will quite possibly turn out to be as bad as George, if not worse.  He reveals to his bride that he only married her for her property and that he intends to seek out other women when he feels like it and she just better figure out there's nothing she can do to stop him.  Wouldn't it be great if she DID figure out a way??   What a creep he is.

Jeremy learns that Cuby is no longer engaged to Valentine and wastes no time winning her over to his deep love and charming personality.  They run off to get married so her brother can't stop them.  Jeremy is at last happy, for the time being anyway.

Geoffrey Charles survives his time in the war and comes home with his beautiful Spanish bride, Amadora.  It is just a visit for now as they intend to return to Spain.  They do what they can in the time they have to spruce up Trenwith and have a party.  They want Drake and Morwenna to move to Trenwith to help keep it up while they are away.  Drake is running a business and is not sure this would be a good thing, though his friendship with Geoffrey is important to him too.  It remains to be seen what will happen with Trenwith. Geoffrey Charles has grown to be a good man, unlike his half-brother Valentine.

As the story ends, Demelza, who knows Jeremy has been fretting over something for months, finds evidence of his part in the coach robbery. She can't be certain he is involved, but she feels, much to her dismay, that he is. She ventures down to the hiding place and burns everything she finds except for a little silver loving cup.  She takes it home and cleans it up.  She claims she found it washed up on the beach.

One has to wonder how George will discover the loving cup and how he will use it to find the perpetrators of the crime!  With only two books left in the saga, I'm hoping, as I usually do, that he fails, but feel the cup still has a part to play in the story and will make Demelza wish she had tossed it in the sea. 

Don't tell me please!!  I'll be getting The Twisted Sword soon. 

Pondering Poldark - The Miller's Dance

 

I recently finished reading The Miller's Dance, which is book 9 in the Poldark saga.  This book, like The Stranger From the Sea, focuses primarily on Jeremy and Clowance however there are some delightful conversations between Ross and Demelza to keep the RoMelza fans happy.    Oh, tell me I didn't just do that melding names thing...... LOL.

Ross and Demelza are getting along well, still loving and making love like youngsters, though by now they are middle-aged.   Jeremy is still in love with Cuby (do you think that is pronounced 'cubby'? - it kinda drives me crazy that I don't know he correct pronunciation.) Cuby however rejects him because she needs to marry well to save her family home.  Clowance is still very much smitten with Stephen, which had me a little worried since I don't like him and don't trust him.  He's not really bad to Clowance, but he is definitely a self-serving kinda guy who doesn't deserve her love, IMHO.  He is quick to lie or withhold the truth when it serves his purposed.  She can clearly do better!

George marries Lady Harriet who turns out to be a bit of a thorn in his side (ha ha!) She's the polar opposite of Elizabeth, and is somewhat vulgar in spite of her hoity-toity background.  She brings dogs into his life and he really doesn't like them one bit.  However, young Ursula does.

We learn a little more about Valentine.  He's a party boy and seems to have little interest in learning the banking business.  He doesn't get along with his father all that well.  He strikes me as a little bit creepy but I'm interested to see how he evolves and hope we see that in the last three books.

Ross felt it was time to leave Parliament but Demelza is not sure he will be happy doing that.  He waffles back and forth about it until he decides yes he will go back - but not right away because ... Surprise!  Demelza is pregnant... things don't go so well for her this time, most likely due to her age, but she gives birth to a son, which delights her and Ross too.  He was even more delighted that both mother and son survived.  He was truly worried about it, especially after Elizabeth's unfortunate end.

Clowance finally gets a clue about Stephen and begins to realize that perhaps love is not enough - a maturing moment for her.  She breaks off her engagement to him.  Meanwhile, Ben Carter is hopelessly in love with her and I couldn't help but hope that Clowance sees a good man in him and turns to him for comfort.

The vile and horrible George Warleggan arranges a marriage between Cuby and Valentine.  Naturally Jeremy is heart broken.  The most dramatic part of the story comes when Jeremy, with the help of sly Stephen and their mutual friend, Paul plot to steal money from the Warleggon bank that they know will be carried by coach.  This was hard to read.  I felt it was SO out of character for Jeremy and while it seems they get away with it, I have a feeling it will come back to haunt him.  It is a serious crime and he knows it. 

I'm looking forward to reading The Loving Cup, which is waiting for me to pick up at the library.  I'm hoping I'll see some resolution to the rocky romances and dastardly adventures in The Miller's Dance.

Thoughts on The Stranger from the Sea.....

Beautiful Cliffs in Cornwall - http://www.natures-desktop.com/

I just finished reading book 8 in the Poldark series, The Stranger from the Sea by Winston Graham.  This was a fairly quick read and while I enjoyed it, it introduced the next generation and focused more on them than on Ross and Demelza.  However!  There are some lovely conversations with the now content couple that are heartening to read.

This story is fairly low-key without the gut-punching drama that was in the earlier books.  We meet Jeremy Poldark, who is now a young man, his younger sister Clowance, who is nearly 18, and the stranger from the sea, Stephan Carrington.  We also get some insight into Valentine's personality and I pretty much don't like him and I expect he'll be stirring up trouble in the future.

It opens with Ross away from home yet again where he runs into the infamous Colonel McNeil and Geoffrey Charles who is a soldier now and getting ready for battle.  Naturally Ross joins in because ...well he's ROSS.  LoL   He and Geoffrey Charles seem to have a lot in common and you can tell there is true affection there.

Meanwhile back in Cornwall, Jeremy and his friends are going fishing everyday.  Except he's not really fishing, but we learn that later in the story.  On one of their excursions, they find two bodies and bring them ashore - one of them is still alive!!  A handsome young man named Stephen Carrington.  Demelza and Clowance nurse him back to health.  Clowance is smitten. Stephen is smitten with her too, but he's a bit of a rake who lies to his rescuers about his background.  He and Jeremy hit it off  - he confesses that he was working aboard a privateer and he talks him into going off to get a small lugger with brandy aboard that his ship had captured and docked.  Things don't go exactly as they hoped. They are almost caught by Preventive men and as they escape, they separate and Jeremy ends up hiding in the gardens of an estate.  It is here that Jeremy meets Miss Cuby Trevanion and it changes his life forever.

Clowance goes off to London with Dwight and Caroline Enys to try and sort out her feelings towards Stephen and a local guy, Ben Carter.  She meets Lord Edward Fitzmaurice at a social event and he falls for her.  Now she has a 3 way problem. lol  Eventually, Demelza and Clowance go to meet Edward's family, which helps Clowance, at least a little, with what she should do.

George Warleggan has a part in this volume too.  He has never really gotten over losing Elizabeth, but he has decided it's time to find a new wife.  He has his eyes on a widow of good breeding and money and feels he must impress her.  He invests heavily on a speculation and loses his shirt instead.  So much so, he decides to sell all his shares in Wheal Leisure to John Treneglos, who keeps it secret that Ross will be a shareholder again.  Putting the screws to George is always a wonderful thing. lol

This all came about because Jeremy is interested in Wheal Leisure and goes in and investigates with Ben Carter.  He wants to build a steam engine to work the mine. He is obsessed with steam power and determined to learn everything about it.  Fortunately, Ben feels there is a chance that there is enough copper to open it again, which convinces Jeremy to ask his Dad to try and get it back.  He gives good argument and has an answer for all of Ross' questions.  Ross is impressed with his son, which is gratifying as his relationship with him has not been as good as it should have been.

Trenwith is falling into disrepair with no one living there.  You get the feeling that somewhere down the road, something will save it, but maybe that's just me and my wishful thinking.  Also, I don't trust this Stephen Carrington person.  I will have to get a copy of The Miller's Dance to find out if my gut instinct is right this time.  Don't tell me, please!  I want to read it. :-) 

Liking Lucifer...the TV show... so far!

Tom Ellis as Lucifer

New show from Fox - Lucifer.  I knew I wanted to watch it because I love Tom Ellis after watching him play Gary on Miranda. 

So far I'm enjoying the show.  Lauren German who plays Chloe is doing a fine job playing the cop who resists Lucifer's charms.  Scarlett Estevez plays daughter Trixie who is so cute!  I love the interactions between her and Lucifer. 

I also really like the dynamic between Lucifer and the shrink, Linda, played by Rachel Harris. It's great to see D.B. Woodside, who was a regular on Buffy the Vampire Slayer a few years back - he is playing a dark angel. 

It remains to be seen if this show will hold my interest.  I'm going to give it a chance though.

Shortest post ever... lol  well for me anyway.

Poldark 1975

I've been curious about the 1975 version of Poldark and went looking for it via my local library.  I have a great library - it is networked with dozens of libraries in my area and I can borrow a book or dvd or download a book or magazine or audio book from any of them.

I just finished watching series one of Poldark, 1975 version, starring Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees. I was hoping I would really like it, but to be honest, the changes the writers made were SO distracting, I had a hard time making myself watch all 12 episodes.  I know that any book that makes it to film has changes, some worse than others, but this had me talking loudly to the TV.  If you see a lot of theater and movies you will notice a distinct difference in them - plays rely on words to convey the story, while movies are far more visual.  This version is more like a play; the current version is a visual feast for the eyes along with the story.

I'm sure there are many people who would disagree with me, but I found Robin's Ross to be too cold in most of his scenes.  There were only a few scenes with Demelza that I felt I could see love in his eyes.  In addition to that, his barking orders and general crankiness made it hard for me to like him and be sympathetic to him.  (Oddly enough, I think that makes him perfect for Rev. Halse, which I think he has played excellently.)  His interactions with Elizabeth were not at all convincing that she was the love of his young life.  His scene when and after Julia dies is so void of emotion.  In the current version there is much more affection shown by Aidan's Ross towards not only Demelza, but Elizabeth, Verity, and even Francis before he betrays Ross.  You see everything he is feeling so keenly, you don't have to wonder what's going on inside him.  Robin failed to do that in my eyes.

Tiny Angharad (can someone tell me how to pronounce that?) played a feistier Demelza than Eleanor does in the current version.  Although sometimes she came across as shrewish to me, she was able to show her love for Ross with a pretty smile and a twinkle in her eye.  Eleanor's Demelza expresses her feelings more in her face and eyes.

Jill Townsend played Elizabeth.  In this version, she was far less friendly to Demelza which didn't affect me one way or the other.  There were a lot of scenes where she looked like she had a stick up her butt, but others where she was more animated.  The one scene from Warleggan which hasn't been done yet on the new version was so low-key, it was like they were reading the words off the script-worse scene in the 12 episodes!  I don't want to say more because I'm trying to make this a no spoiler post. :-)  On the plus side, she had blonde hair as she does in the books. 

The Warleggans consisted of Nicolas and George.  No Uncle Cary.  I don't have anything to say about that.  One thing I've been wondering, in this version, Verity nurses Geoffrey Charles through the morbid throat illness, not Demelza - did that happen in the book ?  I don't think so, but my memory sucks, especially when I'm reading something too fast.  Mea culpa....

A few other irksome things were Verity was far too pretty, Blamey looked too old, as did McNeil.  Ok, so THAT's really nit-picky, I know. lol   I tried putting myself mentally back in the mid-70's to see if I could connect better with this production, but to no avail.

So in my mind, what makes the current version superior to this one?  Besides the cast, which I believe is perfect, it is the stirring, emotional music, the breath-taking outdoor scenes of beautiful Cornwall and the screenplay by Debbie Horsfield, which has inevitable changes from the book, but keeps the spirit of it so much better.  I think Winston would heartily approve of it.

Perhaps you don't agree!  That's ok - we can respectfully, if not cheerfully, agree to disagree.

Pondering Poldark - The Angry Tide

Well, I finished reading The Angry Tide and despite the shocking ending, enjoyed it quite a bit. So in keeping with tradition .... SPOILER ALERT!  SPOILER ALERT!  SPOILER ALERT!

The Angry Tide brings some resolutions to the problems featured in The Four Swans and presents some new ones to ponder.  So here's the short of it:

Ross and Demelza are trying to overcome the strain in their relationship in the aftermath of her infidelity.  Ross is elected to Parliament and spends quite a bit of time away from home.  Jeremy and Clowance are healthy and still bring delight into their parents lives.

Dwight and Caroline have a baby girl, who sadly does not survive beyond a few months due to a heart problem.  Losing little Sarah sends Caroline off to London to get away from the heartbreak.  She tells Dwight she needs to get away and does not want him to come with her. 

The odious Reverend Ossie finds a way to foil Morwenna's threat that has been keeping her from having sex with him.  He forces her back to his bed and at the same time starts slipping around with her sister again.  The horny bastard.  Anyway, Rowella's husband sees Ossie fondling Rowella's feet as she lies naked on the bed and ends up following him as he leaves and kills him! Luckily, it looks like an accident, so he gets away with it.  Drake was about to marry a sweet girl named Rosina when he finds out Morwenna is a widow.  Rosina releases him from his marriage promise and he goes to see his true love but she is crazed from having to be a proper wife to Ossie and is pregnant.  She sends Drake packing, which breaks his heart all over again.

Caroline wants Ross to bring Demelza to London, which he does.  They have a wonderful time, growing closer and beginning to feel like that time before they failed to keep their marriage vows, he with Elizabeth and she with Hugh.  There is a delightful passage that features antics in the bedroom at the Inn that I know all us Maidens will want to see!!

It is in London that we meet the detestable and unctuous Monk Adderley who makes a bet with George that he can get into Demelza's knickers and proceeds to pursue her.  She does not like him but doesn't tell him to leave her be for various reasons.  Ross is jealous and it is apparent he has not really gotten back to trusting Demelza.  Monk provokes Ross by taking his seat while at a debate in Parliament.  Ross embarrasses him, so he sends a note challenging him to a duel.  Ross wants to kill him just for the way he looks at Demelza and accepts - all in secret since it's against the law.  They both get hit, Ross survives his wound, Monk does not.  Caroline and Dwight get back together.

Meanwhile Morwenna loses the baby, through no fault of her own, and shows up at Drake's shop.  They reconcile with the understanding that she can't stand to be touched.  Drake agrees to this and they get married. 

Elizabeth is pregnant - this time for sure it is George's baby.  They are getting along well, George buys a seat in Parliament and plans to get himself knighted.  Elizabeth approves of this and sees herself as Lady Warleggan.   Then the proverbial sh*t hits the fan when Geoffrey Charles observes quite loudly and with great merriment that Valentine looks just like his Uncle Ross !  Oh-oh.  Elizabeth is horrified.  George is outraged.  Elizabeth decides to visit a Dr. who can help her with the baby that's on the way - he gives her a potion that will make the baby be born early, but not without some risks.  She thinks if the baby comes early as Valentine did, George will believe her claim that he IS the father of their son.  She has a heart-to-heart conversation with George about how he let Aunt Agatha's vengeful last words ruin his marriage and his life.  He knows this is true and actually has regrets.  Baby girl Ursula comes early as planned, however there are complications and Elizabeth dies a horrible painful death.  George is devastated but not nearly as much as Ross is.  I really hope the show gets as far as this, because I want to see Aidan do this scene.  I can see it in my head already.

I have the DVD of the 1975 version of Poldark and have only 3 more episodes to go for season one.  I have some thoughts about it and will post them soon.

Pondering Poldark season 3-The Four Swans

I got overly long with my post on The Black Moon so decided to do a separate one for The Four Swans, which is book six in the Poldark Saga.

I shall, as usual, give a shout of SPOILER ALERT ~ SPOILER ALERT ~ SPOILER ALERT ! Stop now if you don't want to know what happens !

 

A lot happens in this book, especially for Demelza and Morwenna, who are two of the four swans in the title - the other two being, Elizabeth and Caroline.  There is not a great deal of story time for Caroline and Dwight, however she does get pregnant and is not over-joyed at the prospect of becoming a mother.

As the story opens, Ross and Demelza are still getting along quite well in the aftermath of the events told in Warleggan - it is not until later in the story that Demelza makes choices that will once again rock the foundation of their love!  Wheal Grace is still producing.  Jeremy and Clowence are a delight to their parents.  Ross reluctantly gets drawn into politics and beats George out of his Parliament seat (nanny nanny boo boo).

Elizabeth and George are not getting along, mostly because he suspects Valentine is not his son.  George wins a seat in Parliament (or was that in The Black Moon; I can't remember!) anyway, the puffed-up bastard is proud of that but gets the wind knocked out of his sails when he loses his seat to Ross in the next election.  Geoffrey Charles is sent off to school to help get him away from Drake. Elizabeth later swears on the bible that Valentine is George's son, which helps to relieve his suspicions, but never entirely.

George has forced Morwenna to marry a pastor who is an older man and a widower with two children.  The randy Reverend Osborn (Ossie) is a disgusting horn-dog who only wants her for her body - she however, is in love with Drake Carne and though she can't stop the wedding from happening, she never gives a single part of her true self to her husband.  You can't help but feel bad for poor Morwenna!  She has a son and her sister comes to help her care for the house and child.  Morwenna has a difficult childbirth and Rev. Horny is not allowed to have sex with her so he turns to her sister Rowella and has his way with her quite often.  In true soap opera style, Rowella ends up pregnant - or is she?  She blackmails Ossie into giving her a large sum of money to marry the local librarian so no one will find out and ruin his career.  It is only later, that Ossie runs into her and sees she is NOT pregnant and he is furious. Personally, I love that Rowella put the screws to the odious Ossie.  Not to be outdone by her sly sister, Morwenna twists the screw by telling Ossie if he ever touches her again, she will tell the world how he seduced her little sister. That doesn't impress old Ossie, so she then tells him she will KILL their son!! This is her ace-in-the-hole and it frees her from having to perform her wifely duties forever.  (On the one hand, I'm thinking YAY Morwenna! - on the other, I'm thinking Kill her baby??, holy crap!)

Meanwhile, back at Trenwith, Elizabeth is off on an estate issue (George is out of town) and runs into our hero, Ross.  It is the first time they are alone together since the night he broke into her room and forced her to have sex with him.  Things are a little awkward at first, but the conversation moves along to the fact that Elizabeth's marriage is falling apart - she tells him that George suspects that Valentine is not his son, though she is certain he does not know about Ross coming to her room. This comes as a surprise to Ross who asks Elizabeth if the child is his.  She doesn't know for sure and tells him so.  Ross realizes he still has feelings for Lizzy, even though at the end of Warleggan he told Demelza he no longer cared about Elizabeth!  They touch on the events of the night he had his way with her and it is mention that after the first shock, Elizabeth was a willing partner, as many of us wanted to believe when we read it.  As they say goodbye, he can't stop himself from kissing her several times, not with true passion, but certainly not like a brother either.

We also learn more about Sam and a woman he desires named Emma.  He wants to marry her and convert her into an honest woman with the grace of God upon her.  She, however, is not all that certain she can live that life, though she does have feelings for him.  Drake in the meantime, is busy trying to run the business that Ross helped him acquire.  He pines for Morwenna but there is little he can do to change the situation.

Jud spills the beans to Demelza that Ross and Elizabeth had seen each other!  She does not confront Ross about it, however.  She meets Hugh Armitage, the man that Ross inadvertently saved from prison when he rescued Dwight.  Hugh falls hard for Demelza and is constantly making his feelings known, not even trying very hard to keep Ross from knowing about it.  Demelza is flattered and can't help herself from falling for Hugh's attentions, though she does try to keep things in line.   She and Ross have a heartfelt discussion about her feelings for Hugh and I believe Ross feels it is quite the same as his feelings for Elizabeth and though he doesn't say this to Demelza, it makes him far more understanding that you would expect him to be.  Demelza was married so young and never had admirers before Ross came into her life.  I truly believe she loves Ross deeply with everything she has, but this handsome young man, sending her love poems, telling her of his yearnings, comes into her life and weasels his way into her heart - it's a different kind of love and one she doesn't know how to handle.  One fateful day, after learning Hugh was going blind and nothing could be done about it, she spends an afternoon with him and allows him to sweet talk her into his arms and they make love on a deserted beach. I have to admit, I was disappointed in her!  As I was reading, I'm thinking DON'T DO IT !  DON'T DO IT!... but she didn't listen and did it anyway.  In her defense, she did try to dissuade him several times before she finally caved.  She realizes the magnitude of her transgression and I think she hates herself a little though I don't believe she regrets it - - at least not for now.  Maybe that changes in later books.   Ross, never actually asks her if she 'did it' with Hugh, but he knows something has happened.  He takes it pretty well considering he had a hissy fit when he learned of her failed attempt to seduce McNeil back in book four.  Demelza never actually admits she went all the way with Hugh, but she knows Ross knows.  She tells him she loves him, but if he wants her to leave she will.  He does not want her to leave - in spite of everything he loves her too much to let her go.
 
Our story ends with Ross and Demelza still walking that tightrope between love and betrayal, but not without hope that they will survive all that life has to throw at them!  I truly hope the TV series gets this far into the saga.  I'm happy I decided to tune in when Poldark aired.  It's opened a whole new world for me.