60 years ago this week...

[Rob Houghton]

Is that the one with Noddy?
(I've just checked it now!)

yes!

[Tony Summerfield]

Gosh, you've got three uncollected stories this week!

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/maga ... ?magid=894" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Kate Mary]

Fantastic. A real treat, thank you Tony and Rob.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Those are great little stories, I loved the first one the best.

[Rob Houghton]

Gosh, you've got three uncollected stories this week!

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/maga ... ?magid=894" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thank you Tony! (bows low) - sorry to create all the extra work though.

[Tony Summerfield]

I anticipated it this time, Rob, as I started work on these this morning before you had loaded! Of course this was put up in another thread yesterday:-

Reading uncollected short stories are far more satisfying than looking at the artworks, in my opinion. If you could spend more time uploading them instead of the artworks, we would be very grateful and thankful. Or maybe 3 uncollected stories from Sunny Stories or EB Magazine for one week. This should be an exciting new project for EBS.

As 'EBS' means me and despite being ancient I still haven't retired from my work, I am not sure that I would view this as 'an exciting new project'!

[Rob Houghton]

I never read that! I fully appreciate all the extra work you're doing for my EB Magazine write ups - because the stories you add really bring the magazines to life for people who haven't been able to read the stories - but I certainly don't think it should be expected that you upload stories every time.

[John Pickup]

Unfortunately, I can't find my dad's old parachute anywhere, so I won't be getting a kite!
I really enjoy these fortnightly reviews of the magazine, many thanks Rob and also to Tony for uploading the accompanying stories.

[Eddie Muir]

Your hard work is much appreciated, Rob and Tony. Thank you both very much.

[Kate Mary]

The mention of father's parachute jogged a memory. After the war my grandmother bought a section of a parachute, we were using it for various purposes for years. I especially remember the parachute cord which was made up of many small cords covered in green silk. It was immensely strong, I think I've still got a tiny bit somewhere. I had a kite and it was quite likely my dad made it out the old parachute silk. He never could get it to fly.

I've just googled uses of WW2 parachute silk and apparently it was much in demand for wedding dresses after the war. It's likely many families bought bits of parachute as clothing coupons were needed to buy new clothes, probably parachute silk was 'off coupon', I think my nan made petticoats from it. Maybe this is what Enid meant, I doubt many fathers were in the Parachute Regiment!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks once again to Rob and Tony. I'm really enjoying this thread!

The cover shows an illustration from 'It Had Its Funny Side!' - a charming uncollected story illustrated by Alice Bush. I love her illustrations - much more detailed than Eileen Sopers efforts for 'Billycock Hill' - its surprising we haven't heard more of Ms Bush.

Yes, I like Alice Bush's illustrations very much too.

I come from an era where the Rag-a-Bone Man had ceased to exist, and its hard to imagine being able to hand over a hat and get a pot plant in exchange these days!

We still have a rag-and-bone man here. He comes round in a truck, ringing his bell and calling out, "Rag and bone!" I've never used the service but he seems to take old washing-machines and furniture these days. I'm not sure whether he gives people anything in return, as it saves them having to take the item to the tip!

The next story is another uncollected one, called 'They BOTH Wanted Acorns!' - an entertaining tale about a boy collecting acorns for his uncles pigs, and the gnome he meets who is collecting the little acorn cups to make pipes for old brownies to smoke. What I found interesting about this story is that the little man demonstrates by making a hole in the acorn cup and stem, filling it with tobacco, and smoking it. He even offers the main character, Derek, a puff of it - which Derek takes, despite explaining that he's really too young to smoke. Would such a scene be allowed to exist these days? talking to a strange man in the woods and smoking unknown substances in an acorn pipe?!

I doubt it!

Next - some more adverts - for the Famous Five cardboard jigsaws from BesTime, and also the press out Noddy Village, which we saw in the last issue. Also a couple of games by Philmar Ltd - 'Flip the Cones' - a game I had a version of as a child - and also 'Magnetic Fishing' - another favourite!

Ah yes - I had a 'Magnetic Fishing' game and so did my children. Some of these children's games never go out of fashion.

Those are great little stories, I loved the first one the best.

Same here, Julie. These "taste of your own medicine" tales are always fun to read!

[sixret]

A very enjoyable entry. Thank you, Rob. And thank you so much Tony for uploading them. Very much appreciated.

Please be assure that your hard works of uploading the uncollected stories are not wasted. They will always be there permanently in this wonderful website for us, hardcore fans to enjoy. These uncollected stories(being uploaded) are a testament to the very high quality of this website for anything Blyton compared to other websites on other authors. I can safely say there is no other websites as beautifully presented, chock full of information, with colourful artworks and now we can read uncollected stories in this website.

Trust me because I have seen many websites on other authors(children and adults). They are all pale in comparison! In my opinion, Enid Blyton's uncollected stories reappear again in this website is the icing of the cake. The cream of the crop. The highest achievement for this website. I feel very satisfied and contented just to be allowed to read them. I feel very special. I am aware this is all done by one single person(with the help from other forumites especially for the info and the minority of the artworks). That one single person has dedicated his life to the ongoing popularity of Enid Blyton without any payment! This is a sheer dedication and honesty to bring Enid Blyton works(in a way) to the awareness of the world.

Over time, I have often praised this website to other groups. Vintage children group in facebook, Book-series website administrator/moderator, cozy mystery group, even to my GAD facebook group! I have been mesmerized by this website ever since. For us, frequent visitors, we may take this wonderful website for granted after some times. But, it will be sorely missed if the website will become defunct.

Back to the stories:

The first story has reminded me of the other similar story about the child who like to borrow things but often forget to return them back. They meet with the consequent as a result of their actions. The other story, I think the girl meets with the supernatural consequent but in this story, it is more in reality. There is a moral hint to the overall story. I like this story very much.

The second story is Mr. Twiddle. I think by now, all of you know that I love Mr. Twiddle as a character. He is fun and funny without having to become too much annoying like Mr. Meddle! Upon further inspection, this story is confirmed not to be collected before. I did the inspection because I was sceptical that this story has not been collected before! Before I type this, I always have a thought that ALL Mr. Twiddle's stories are all in the book collection. How I have been wrong for so long! So you can imagine how very excited I've become! This story follows the same formula with the other Mr. Twiddle's stories. No matter how many times I read the same formula of Mr. Twiddle's story, it is still very enjoyable for me to read. Always one of his story with a smile on my face. He's a dear old man.

I could see and understand why the third story has not been collated in the book collection. Derek talks about pipes with his uncle is enough to make this story becomes unappealing to PC Brigade! But hardcore fan of EB like me, like to read EVERYTHING she had written if that possible. Everything.

Thank you again, Tony for bringing these stories to the light. They have too long buried in the pile of hard-to-find magazines that will soon become deteriorating and disintegrated and the stories will become extinct! I may not come to the forum often. And I may not write too often. But rest assure, I read the uncollected stories/EB's weekly letter silently. I have enjoyed them greatly. This thread will be visited very often by me but in silent.

[sixret]

I agree Alice Bush's illustration based on the front cover is beautiful almost looks like Eillen Soper's stroke.

[Rob Houghton]

Thanks once again to Rob and Tony. I'm really enjoying this thread!

I come from an era where the Rag-a-Bone Man had ceased to exist, and its hard to imagine being able to hand over a hat and get a pot plant in exchange these days!

We still have a rag-and-bone man here. He comes round in a truck, ringing his bell and calling out, "Rag and bone!" I've never used the service but he seems to take old washing-machines and furniture these days. I'm not sure whether he gives people anything in return, as it saves them having to take the item to the tip!

Thank you Anita (and Sixret) I'm glad people are enjoying this thread. It seems to be growing in popularity! Good job I have another few years of magazines to explore!!

I'm surprised you still have the Rag and Bone man where you live, Anita...I've never heard or seen one in my life - except in Steptoe and Son! Maybe they died out sooner in the Midlands than elsewhere. We do still have the 'Scrap Iron' man who comes around shouting 'Any old iron?' etc but not the Rag and Bone man.

[sixret]

We do have "Scrap Newspapers/Papers" Man that also who comes around shouting "Suratkhabar lama/Kertas lama" using loud-hailer! Just the other day he came around my neighbourhood!