General Natter Room

[Rob Houghton]

Have to laugh at the hairbrush comment!

I had to laugh too, especially as Rob doesn't have a hair on his head!

That's why I felt I was qualified to say it!

I don't own a hairbrush either!

[Tony Summerfield]

I think what concerns me is when speculation turns into fact. Although stated as fact some things will never be taken that seriously, such as William Golding being inspired to write Lord of the Flies after reading The Adventurous Four! It is now widely believed, however, that without Corfe Castle we would never have had the Famous Five. Surely something like this has to come from Enid herself, but I have only ever seen her mention the name Corfe twice, once in Adventure of the Strange Ruby and the other in her diary when she mentioned have tea there! It has been quoted many times, but this is what she did have to say in a letter to a group of children:-

"I am so glad you like my books. I will be sure to write you plenty more. I will see if I can put the “Five” on Kirrin Island again for you. It was an island I once visited several times when I was in Jersey – it lay off the coast & could only be reached either by boat or by a rocky path exposed when the tide was out. It had an old castle there and I longed to put the island & castle into a book. So I did, as you know!"

I have actually read articles saying that Enid Blyton lived in Dorset and wrote all her books there, but there is no evidence that she actually wrote any books whilst she was on holiday. It is surprising though how quickly remarks like this can quickly just slip into fact.

[Rob Houghton]

This is true, Tony - and I feel the same way. I enjoy speculating on what inspired Enid, and I enjoyed visiting the golf course, etc, which were real inspirations to her. I have never been convinced that Corfe particularly inspired Enid - I tend to think it probably did, but only as much as any other castle might have inspired her. Its strange to me how Corfe castle has suddenly 'become' George's castle over the last few years!

I guess some of this stems from the fact it was used in the 1957 cinema serial - and this in itself is a reason to visit Corfe castle and the village and Durdle door etc which all feature in the serial - but shouldn't be confused with the settings her books were describing!

[pete9012S]

I also thought Enid went to the Aegean Islands on her cruise as her depiction of Andros was superb.
On the subject of whackings and school punishments,I never received the cane whilst in school,or ever had a single detention.

Yes,It's a mystery to me too!

I do remember having to do lines though for some reason.I think the whole class was punished because someone would not own up to something.I thought that was most unfair,so I did them whilst in an R.E. lesson as our evolutionist,aged,pre-senile teacher was quite literally 'away with the mixer'...

[Rob Houghton]

I had detention once - because I turned round in a French lesson to retaliate because the boy behind me kept kicking the back of my chair. He went home with the bell, I had to wait ten minutes! This boy and his mate bullied me for a few months - until they were both expelled - for glue sniffing! I could never understand why the French mistress decided it was better to keep me in and release the bullies. her reasoning was that this would stop me being attacked on the way home...!!

[Fiona1986]

I was about to say that plenty of my teachers used sarcasm as a weapon, but then I suppose that no longer counts as "these days" as I left school in 2004...

[Carlotta King]

I also thought Enid went to the Aegean Islands on her cruise as her depiction of Andros was superb.

Wasn't Andros the boatman?

[Chrissie777]

It was an island I once visited several times when I was in Jersey – it lay off the coast & could only be reached either by boat or by a rocky path exposed when the tide was out. It had an old castle there and I longed to put the island & castle into a book. So I did, as you know!"

Tony, we've visited Elizabeth Castle on Jersey/Channel Islands in May 2014. We walked over at low tide:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Elizabe ... jYUrmZMSmM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;:

So maybe it was Eileen A. Soper who interpreted Corfe Castle into her Kirrin Castle illustrations, because Elizabeth Castle looks very different.

[pete9012S]

I also thought Enid went to the Aegean Islands on her cruise as her depiction of Andros was superb.

Wasn't Andros the boatman?

They looked at both the words, first on the ship and then on the map. They certainly were the same. “Well Mr. Eppy said the ship’s name was Andra and if the name on the map is the same, it must have something to do with an island or a person called Andra,” said Dinah.

Yes,you are right.That's another thing I have remembered incorrectly from the books,thanks.
Is the island they visited called Themis? He was our cocktail man when we visited Thassos!

[John Pickup]

The island was called Thamis.

[Julie2owlsdene]

I thought it was Alderney, Chrissie as there was a kind of old fort on there too, and would probably look a bit different back to the day Enid visited, rather than today.

[Chrissie777]

Julie, that's very possible as Alderney has many small islands with fortresses close to the coast.
At low tide we walked over to two of them and got caught in the rain on the causeway twice, but were able to take many photos.

[Moonraker]

I was about to say that plenty of my teachers used sarcasm as a weapon

So that's where you learned it from!

[Moonraker]

I think what concerns me is when speculation turns into fact. It is now widely believed, however, that without Corfe Castle we would never have had the Famous Five. Surely something like this has to come from Enid herself, but this is what she did have to say in a letter to a group of children:-
"I am so glad you like my books. I will be sure to write you plenty more. I will see if I can put the “Five” on Kirrin Island again for you. It was an island I once visited several times when I was in Jersey – it lay off the coast & could only be reached either by boat or by a rocky path exposed when the tide was out. It had an old castle there and I longed to put the island & castle into a book. So I did, as you know!"

Exactly what I was thinking, Tony. I just don't get this Dorset connection. Surely, if Enid said Kirrin Island was based on an island off the coast of Jersey - that's where it was. If Kirrin Island looks like Corfe Castle (and let's face it, one ruined castle looks very much like another!) this is down to Eileen Soper's illustrations.

[Fiona1986]

I was about to say that plenty of my teachers used sarcasm as a weapon

So that's where you learned it from!

Oh no, I was born this way