What is a weekend?

The famous line "What is a weekend?" uttered by the Dowager Countess aka Maggie Smith is one of many superbly scripted scenes in Series One of Downton Abbey.

Julian Fellowes, in my opinion, is an immensely talented writer that captures a time in history and brings it to life through colourful characters, beautiful locations and intriguing plot twists.

A glass of red, dark chocolate and Downton by candlelight is the perfect tonic to car troubles, rain showers and a minor disagreement I hope blows over. It reminds me how little time I've had to myself in recent weeks and I must make sure I schedule more alone time for the sake of my sanity.

Looking forward to escaping into the world of 1815 on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo with the first instalment of Julian Fellowes Belgravia as my bedtime reading later.

Released in 11 weekly instalments, just as Sherlock Holmes mysteries were published, Belgravia comes with a modern twist via an app as a digital book with the option to switch to audio on the go.

I'm a recent convert to Audible and, having just finished Graeme Greene's captivating The end of the affair, I'm now listening to The Viceroy's Daughters, the story of the Curzon sisters.