(The following article is entirely about the BBC series All Creatures Great And Small, based on the book by James Herriot, and about his works as well. If you’re not interested, see you tomorrow!)

Thanks to the wonders that Netflix.ca brings to our home via the Wii, I have be watching the entire All Creatures Great And Small series that the good old BBC did back in the late 70’s. (The nice thing about period drama is that it never ages. )

I have seen every episode before, but that was way back in the eighties. I watched it weekly via the PBS station we got (WTVS, who could still use your donations and you could definitely get a tote bag out of it). So my memories of the show are not exactly fresh.

But they don’t really need to be, because I have read every James Herriot book I could get my mitts on many times, and so I pretty much know the whole story before I see frame 1 of the series.

So for me, watching the series again is not so much an ever opening flower of wonder and delight so much as it’s spending an hour each day with some dear, dear old friends whom I love and cherish.

A few things have changed since I last spent time with the people of Skeldale House. For one thing, when I was a teenager, when it came to the eternal war between Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, I came down quite firmly on the side of Tristan (played by Peter Davison, aka the Fifth Doctor). I thought Siegfried was an autocratic boor who delighted in tormenting his poor innocent brother purely for the spite of it. And with Tristan being so handsome and sweet, just wanting to have a pint and a pretty girl to cuddle.

Well, I’m twice the age now, and my opinions have completely reversed. I can’t help but notice that all the disasters in James’ and Siegfrieds’ lives seem to have Tristan as their origin, and now I seem him as a reckless and thoughtless young man who brings wrack and ruin wherever he goes, and who actually is the sort of person that makes for a very good argument against optimism, because no matter what happens, soon he has his good cheer and plucky eagerness back, and clearly has not learned a bloody thing.

I can easily see how a brother like that might drive one to distraction, especially with Siegfried being the older brother and hence the one that had to take responsibility for Tristan, trying to keep him out of trouble and probably having to clean up after him too.

Their dynamic is unhealthy on both sides, and they both bear responsibility for that, but as a middle aged (ish) guy, I find myself siding mostly with Siegfried in their little tussles.

He’s usually right.

In fact, I find myself quite drawn to him. I really admire him, warts and all.

And warts he has got. He’s pushy, enormously absentminded, gives poor James entirely contradictory advice and hasn’t a clue he is doing it, and he drove poor Mrs. Harbottle to quitting rather than fire her.

But he’s also bighearted, kind, a surprisingly good father figure for James, extremely doted to animal welfare, and possessed an indomitable spirit and a relentless drive forward that I really admire. He does not spend time thinking about the past or worrying about the future. He just attacks every day with verve and gusto, all cannons firing and damn the torpedoes.

In fact, my feelings about him are pretty much the same as James’ in the books. I admire him and want to be more like him, even though I know that will probably never happen.

I identify pretty strongly with James. We are both shy, caring, somewhat goofy but kind-hearted and sweet people. In the series, he asks Helen what she sees in him, and she says she doesn’t know. But I know.

He is not just amazingly good husband material, though he certainly is that. He’s a solid, reliable professional at the start of a promising career who is kind and loving and will make an extremely good father.

But it’s not just that.

He’s also adorable. And some of us really appreciate that in a man.

As for Helen, she’s beautiful, down to earth, sweet as honey, an incredibly good cook, and has just the right mix of sensible practicality and good humour to help smooth out James’ moodiness and occasional prickliness.

They are one of my favorite television couples ever, and it’s a sheer delight to see them get together again.