Teachers World Letters, Jan 1930 - July 1934

[Daisy]

I first read the story of how the sea became salty when I was very young - before I had seen any Enid Blyton stories, I think. I believe it may have been in a school reading book.

[Anita Bensoussane]

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It's good to read of Enid Blyton admiring the gulls as I've enjoyed watching large flocks of them swoop and soar over our garden recently, catching all the flying ants and other insects that are around in huge numbers.

Enid talks of "bladder seaweed" but I've always called it "bladderwrack". I'm not sure that Gillian's attempt at picking up a jellyfish with her bare hands is a good idea! One of my friends got quite a nasty sting from a jellyfish when we were swimming in the sea at Colwyn Bay years ago.

Bobs' letter is funny and I bet he enjoyed his swim across the river.

'The Sand Castle' is an imaginative poem with a pleasing rhythm and I've always liked the style of the Brer Rabbit stories (or half a story in this issue!), with words and phrases like "ker-plonk", "lippitty-clippitty" and "mighty fine". The animals' exclamations are amusing too - "Whiskers and tails", "Feathers and fluff!", etc. They're lively stories and Enid Blyton has kept a flavour of the original language and retained the spirit and rhythm of the tales while taking care to use vocabulary and phrasing that young readers can understand without too much trouble.

[Kate Mary]

Eighty-four years on and it's another hot day. I don't think I would like to sit or lie down in a rock pool, the inhabitants would take a dim view of it I'm sure. And do all jellyfish sting? I wouldn't like to try and catch one to find out.

[Courtenay]

I seem to recall there are some jellyfish in Australia that don't sting — and plenty that do. I wouldn't be sure which one was which and I certainly wouldn't encourage a child to catch ANY of them, just in case. Even if the one she was chasing this time was harmless, what's to say she wouldn't then try to pick up a stinging one??

I'm quite surprised Enid didn't take this as an opportunity to teach her readers (and her daughter!!!) which sea creatures are safe to touch and which aren't (and if in any doubt at all, just don't!). She was definitely aware of dangerous jellyfish, as there's a Pip the Pixie story, "The Jelly Umbrella", in which Pip decides to ride on a jellyfish, only to have it threaten to sting him to death — which, a passing fish assures him, it can do with its poisonous stinging threads. So I would have thought Enid would avoid encouraging children — especially her own daughter — to touch a jellyfish unless they know for sure it's not a poisonous one...

[Tony Summerfield]

I am sad to say that after doing this every Wednesday for the last four and a half years this will be the last letter that I put up for now. This is not because I am utterly frustrated that more and more of our regular users are only interested in games, it is simply that I only have a handful of copies of Teachers World. Everything up to now is entirely down to David Chambers who has generously sent me scans of photocopies of Enid Blyton's contributions. He used to send me about six months worth of issues at a time, but I know he is now very busy with his work and I haven't had any TW from him for about three years, although he regularly keeps me updated on other exciting finds many of which can be seen in various Journals. You may not see his name on the contents page, but there is something from David in almost every Journal.

So to the two or three regular readers of the page, thanks for your support and hopefully we may be back at some stage in the future.

[Kate Mary]

I have so enjoyed the Teachers' World letters every week and appreciate the work that must have gone in to making them available on the website. Thank you very much Tony and David Chambers. I too hope more columns can be added in the future.

[Courtenay]

I really, really enjoy the Teachers World columns too — thank you, Tony and David. I also hope we'll have more to come eventually.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I'll miss Enid's letters - and the ones from Bobs! Reading them every week makes long-ago happenings seem so near.

Thanks very much to David Chambers and also to Tony, of course. I know that Tony has had to do quite a lot of work on some of the pages before adding them to the Cave. Much appreciated and I hope we'll eventually have some more. Wednesdays just won't be the same without them!

[sixret]

I’ll miss reading those letters too. Thanks for the letters, Tony and David. Hope for the next ones in the near future.

I don’t put comments often because it is a struggle for me to construct longer passages as English is my third language.

But I do read Weekly Letters, Rob’s columns and Tony’s scans of Sunny Stories/EB’s magazines and all the new scans/updates in The Cave.

I love to read reviews of each journal, EB’s book by fellow forumites too although I don’t usually comment especially when I am busy working/at work.

[Eddie Muir]

I always read and enjoy the letters, but don’t feel that it’s necessary to make any comments about them.

[Courtenay]

Yes, I was just thinking there are probably people who read and enjoy these columns but don't post comments. I usually post, but not always, and I don't think anyone should feel obliged to.

As for playing games, I'm certainly guilty there, but I and most of the other regular participants that I can think of also contribute regularly in other discussions — and most of the popular games are Blyton-related! It wouldn't be the same around here without Hangman, the Caption Competition, the limericks and the book-related quizzes. Or aren't we Blyton fans allowed to have a bit of fun while we're here?

[Moonraker]

This is not because I am utterly frustrated that more and more of our regular users are only interested in games... So to the two or three regular readers of the page, thanks for your support

I always read and enjoy the letters, but don’t feel that it’s necessary to make any comments about them.

Yes, I don't think you can assume because comments don't flood in after every Wednesday's edition is added to the site that only two or three people read them. I put a link on Facebook most Wednesdays, so we don't know how many of the four-figure subscribers read the articles. I have very little spare time to post on this forum at present, but I do scan the new posts - sometimes on my phone - to keep an eye on events. Some of you here seem to have copious amounts of time on your hands (as I did when I was working!) and reply to every post. Personally, I don't look at the games threads now - again, down to time restrictions. However, many do and I think it is up to forum members what they look at and join in with. After all, surely it is up to the members to look at, read and participate in the threads that interest them.

I can understand how Tony might feel frustrated to spend hours editing and publishing articles for the website and get seemingly little recognition which leads him to assume no-ones reading them. That doesn't mean no-one is reading them! However, that is the nature of things. People generally often only write in to complain. When is the last time you wrote to a railway company thanking you for a comfortable journey and getting to your destination on time? If you're like me, you only write to complain!

I thoroughly enjoyed the current Journal but haven't had the time to post my comments yet - I am away at the moment so won't be comment in the near future. Not to comment does not equate with a lack of interest or enjoyment.

I am astounded by the number of new posts that appear when I log in. In fact, at the risk of sounding like Michael Edwards, it can be somewhat off putting. I often think, "I haven't got the time to read - yet alone reply or comment to most of them. That this forum is so busy should speak volumes to the success of the website, its administration and its members.

[Lucky Star]

That this forum is so busy should speak volumes to the success of the website, its administration and its members.

Absolutely. I must admit that I rarely read the TW articles as I simply have little or no interest in them but I frequently burrow around in the cave, I read most threads and I comment where I have something to say. I do enjoy the games threads and should probably write more on the other threads too but I frequently find that I have already said at some distant point everything I want to say on a particular topic. Like Nigel I have finished my journal but not commented yet. I will hopefully do so on Sunday as I have a day off from what is currently a very hectic and hot workplace.

My days would simply not be the same if I did not have this place to come to and see what all my Blyton friends are up to.

[Julie2owlsdene]

I'm afraid I'm not a reader of Teachers World or Sunny Stories, etc. My interest in Blyton is her books.

But let's remember that we're all on this forum because of our love of Blyton, whichever books or magazines we're really fond off, and I really don't think that anyone has to justify what they read, or what they participate here on the forums. Some people may have the time to read everything and post and others may not, but it doesn't make them wrong, or that they're not as loyal to Enid's work, as a prolific poster.

As L.S says in his post, most of us that have been on the forums for a long time have already commented once on most of the subjects and so don't feel it necessary to repeat themselves.

In fact, some forumites may be slightly offended by Tony's posting that some are only interested in the games section, when in fact, they're read most postings.

We all know the work that goes on to make this a successful forum and Society, and most have of us have always said this so repeating ourselves isn't really necessary.

[Kate Mary]

Now we no longer have more Teachers World letters added to the website, I find I'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms so I've gone back to the beginning to read the ones we do have all over again.