| While all the rest of you sots are watching Survivor, some of us are getting the real thing on PBS.
This is a show where they bought a Victorian rowhouse in suburban London, and restored it to 1900 specification. Now, this is not like how when people usually do this--they ripped out the modern heating, plumbing, and electrical systems. They put back all period finishes, the kitchen, and even have an outdoor toilet.
Then they got a family to volunteer to live in this house for 3 months, with only what would have been available to them in 1900, and dressing in period clothes, eating the food available in season in England, etc. The kids can dress normally for school but change back before entering the house, and Dad works for the Royal Marines in a period uniform.
It's a fascinating show--watching them take the modernity out of a surviving house was great--like an episode of This Old House where they really mean it. And then they got a really interesting family to try and pull this off, so that's fun too. And it's not like Survivor where they got an unlimited supply of tampons, condoms, and sunblock. The women are literally on the rag, and their big transgression is when they go to a modern chemist's to buy shampoo. There's no cushy resort hotel on the other side of the island.
It's living history and has a fascinating amount of detail to explore and see. I'll tell you what, I'm never complaining about doing the laundry again.
| 
