Of course it should be done at home. But, take it from a teacher, it is amazing how much should have been done which wasn't done in kids's homes.

At least in that respect, George was well educated. As were most other EB characters.

Daisy and I usually let the seasons influence our choice of reading so it was this book in winter. As for George and schooling, I would have assumed, like Daisy, that the local village school would have been their choice. Granted, the Kirrins kept themselves to themselves, but home schooling usually...

Well, John Pickup, that exactly is what they are - vagrants. ;-) And of course one would in this day and age think more than twice about offering a lift to people. Especially minors or women if you are a man... because next thing you know you're getting arrested as a rapist or a peado. Which is sad,...

Yes, Pete, I darkly remembered that topic. What is it they say about 'great minds thinking alike - and fools never differing?' :D And you are perfectly correct in your points about more trust in EB world and probably in the real world as well. Friendships amongst kids are quite often crossing bounda...

Dear fellow Blytonians, Reading Ring-O-Belly Mystery with Daisy - yes, one of our (in)famous joint readings, I stumbled on Barney hitchhiking to Somerset, where Ring-O-Bells village seems to be. Now, Barney does get there in the end, and we get a nice juicy teaser of the mystery lying ahead in the p...

Nice photos... yes, times, they are a-changing.. BUT: A lot of the 'set' so to speak is still there. Can't be said for many TV series that old.

And we even still have a Ford at the farm entrance... Focus Mk III if I am right.

I wrote 'I'm not too impressed'... doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading it from time to time. :D The reasons I am not impressed can be found above, summarizing, I would say it is one of the books that has a lot of potential - yet it got stuck somehow, somewhere, somewhat. We have all the ingredients o...

I can't say I am too impressed, by Secret Trail, but as a dog owner I would sure relate to some parts of it. In fact, when my dog had to wear an old t-shirt to stop him licking at an operation wound last month I read it in bed - and read some out to my dog, too. Call me a silly old fool, but he enjo...

Don't get me started on the nasty word with B... Daisy knows old Dick's feelings about that specific subject by heart.. no need to bother you all with it. Let it suffice to say that it is - imho - not a very good idea for anyone in the UK who has to work for a living instead of living off their 'inv...

I can vouch for that...I think I was Dick Kirrin's front seat passenger on that EB day!! :D That's perfectly correct. And I loved seeing the pics you took of the locations. As for the Cortinas, back in the day, many, way too many, were run straight into the ground as they were so common. Who would ...

I'm puzzled, Dick. If you have a MK V why would you want a MK 111? To be frank, it is mainly nostalgia. The Mk III was my first really decent car, the car that I first took longer journeys with - for instance to EB Day in 2010. Also, the MK V is nice, but mine is an early one and they wanted too mu...

I started my search three years ago. Sometimes you can find a car in mobile.de, but than it is very, very expensive :cry: Well, my Ford dealer had a Taunus (Cortina) 1.6l in for sale a few years ago. If only I had had the money! He has a few Granadas hanging around... but only for spares. Moss grow...

Thanks for the nice comments folks. It took us quite a while to sort matters out from the Kirrin family archives... ;-) as not everything there is fit for publication. Some of Uncle Quentin's inventions are still unter the Official Secrets Act for instance. But we do hope you enjoy the story once it...

Well, to EB that is all they were. And the less she spells them out, the more vague she can be when it comes to seperating them from their children so that they can go off on their adventures, right? Your hardware store ownership idea for instance would sort of make it unlikely that Mr Kirrin (Londo...

Well, his brother obviously had a good job in the City, so he wouldn't need any money. It may be worth waiting a little, there is a story in the offing that will 'explain' a good many of those mysteries.