Teachers World Letters, Jan 1930 - July 1934

[Katharine]

Bed rest after birth was quite normal right up until the 1960s. My mother couldn't understand why I was up and about so soon after having my children, as when I was born she was expected to spend most of her time in bed for the first 10 days.

Now it seems to have gone too far the other way - I personally know of women who have been discharged very quickly after difficult births/surgery, and have been rushed back to hospital a few days later because of complications. Sadly even after all this time the medical profession often doesn't get the balance right.

[Tony Summerfield]

I have spent the morning ploughing through diary entries up to 1940, primarily to see where Enid went on holiday each year (although I have nothing for 1925 or 1936). Two entries which are relevant to past discussions in this thread caught my eye.

November 1 1931 - Sandy and Bobs mated (perhaps Sandy wasn't male after all!!)

November 26 1935 - Bobs died

[Courtenay]

November 1 1931 - Sandy and Bobs mated (perhaps Sandy wasn't male after all!!)

Or perhaps - er, ahem - there was something about them we didn't know...

I do remember we had a discussion before about how Enid, in The Story of My Life, described Bobs as having a "wife" called Sandy and them having many puppies. That's perfectly possible if the Sandy we're hearing about in Teachers World was female, but why then would Enid refer to Sandy as a "he" throughout her weekly letters? It's not THAT difficult to tell whether a dog is male or female, after all...

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks, Tony. Most intriguing!

[Anita Bensoussane]

A link to this week's letters:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... &perid=898" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My daughter and I once visited Old Thatch at hay-making time and saw the haycocks in the fields by the river, and watched the swallows, swifts and martins (and dragonflies) skimming the surface of the water to catch flies. It's lovely to think that we were following in Enid's footsteps.

The rose-bridge is doing well. That must be the one that Enid (or her gardener!) built in the spring of 1930:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... &perid=671" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Poppy]

Thanks for the link to this weeks' letters, Anita. It's lovely read Enid's descriptions of the Swifts, Swallows and House-Martins, and updates about her fast-expanding pigeon family! It sounds like summer was in full swing back then in 1931 - we've had nothing but rain all week so far so it really doesn't feel like summertime at the moment. Hoping it's going to improve soon.

[Courtenay]

Lovely letter, but I'm still wondering when Enid is going to announce the birth of her daughter two weeks previously!! As Tony says, especially since we know she had three weeks of bed-rest after giving birth, lines like "every day I and the dogs go by the river" were either written in advance or are pure fantasy. I'm aware Enid is well-known for not having been the best of mothers to her own children, but I would have thought she'd at least acknowledge their existence...

[Anita Bensoussane]

Enid Blyton appears to have written her Teachers World letters around a fortnight in advance, and perhaps even earlier if she knew there was a busy time ahead. After consulting Enid's diaries, Tony said of her 6th May 1931 letter, "I think this letter was probably written after an outing on either the 22nd or 23rd of April." It'll be interesting to see what she writes about in the weeks following the announcement of Gillian's birth, as we know she wasn't up and about for some time.

Since these letters were printed during the school summer holidays, I wonder when children got to read/listen to them. Maybe teachers saved up the holiday issues of Teachers World and shared all the letters with their pupils when school started again in September.

[Moonraker]

I think much of Enid's life - like her writing - took place in her imagination.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Enid Blyton tells us about the young birds in her garden this week:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... &perid=914" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I see that she calls the pied wagtail by its alternative name of "water-wagtail".

[Courtenay]

What a sweet and detailed description of all the different kinds of young birds and their activities! I suppose fewer people nowadays are so privileged as to be able to see so many baby birds in their own garden. Enid really brings them all to life for us, as always. I'm glad she did acknowledge that her two cats sometimes killed birds, even if not very many - it goes to show she didn't pretty up or gloss over absolutely everything.

Mind you, I'm still wondering how long it will be before we get to hear about her own baby daughter!!!

[Poppy]

A delightful letter this week! I loved reading about the animals enjoying Enid's garden. It's been an excellent Spring/Summer for young birds in our garden, this year. We've had at least three nests: two Sparrow nests and one Blackbirds nest. It was wonderful watching the young birds grow up and seeing their parents care for them. The nesting season is just about over, but for next year, we've just got a new nesting box: it's a different one designed especially for Robins and Thrushes. So hopefully we'll see some Robin chicks next year!

The photo of Bimbo is gorgeous and Bobs' letter was very funny!

[Moonraker]

I must buck the trend here. All far too birdy for me!

[Kate Mary]

As a bonus we have a story and a poem this week with our letters:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... &perid=915" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And a picture of the thatched lych-gate at Old Thatch. Does it still exist? A charming letter, perhaps a bit too twee for some but I love it.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks for the link, Kate, and thanks for uploading the letters, Tony. I enjoyed going with Enid, Bobs and Sandy to the top of Winter Hill! It was good to have a story and a poem to read too.

Yes, the lych-gate at Old Thatch is still there. On open days it was magical to walk through it into the peaceful gardens. The little round pond, the well (now half-ruined), the yew hedges and the rose-walk also still exist.