The Enid Blyton Society

Reading Terry Gustofson's article 'The Blyton Influence', I loved the idea of hiring a boat with the main intention of lying in the stern and trailing your hand in the water - just like Lucy-Ann!
I think this is an image that must have strongly appealed to EB, as it also appears in Chapter 8 of The Boy Next Door. Betty, Lucy, Robin and Kit are rowing their little boat along the river to an island they know (for a pic-nic, what else?).
'"It's lovely here," said Lucy, lying back and letting one hand drag in the water as they went along. "I could go on like this for miles."'
Sadly, she doesn't get her wish, as her comment provokes her brother to insist that it's time the girls took a turn at rowing!

Miranda's observation seems quite valid. I can visualise Enid Blyton underneath her sun-hat and relaxing at the rear of a gondolier with hand in water. The theme song would be - "Cruising down the river on a Sunday afternoon"¦"

Lucy Anne was at it again in The Sea of Adventure: "I've still got that lovely feeling," she remarked as she "˜dangled her hand over the side of the boat and felt the cool, silky water catch hold of her fingers and trail them back.' (The Island of Birds).

The mind boggles with Enid relaxing at the rear of a gondolier - I think you mean gondola Terry!!

Best wishes
Tony

The worst part is I read Tik's post before Tony's and didn't even notice!

That's a good and educative point, Tony. I've always called a gondola a gondolier for some reason or another. It's probably my Pacific schooling!

The more I think about it, the more I laugh!

I've quite often wondered about the trailing of hands over the side of boats - it's lovely and sounds so relaxing when the children are off on an adventure or a boat trip - and most of the children seem to have trailed their hands at some point in the books but I always wonder just how feasible it would be - most of the boats are of a decent size and have a cabin etc, so they're not a tiny little dinghy-style boat, but surely to be able to hang your arm over the side and put your hand in the water, you would need to be in a tiny dinghy that was very close to the water?

Tony Summerfield wrote:The mind boggles with Enid relaxing at the rear of a gondolier - I think you mean gondola Terry!!

Best wishes
Tony

And I think that is just about one of the funniest things I have ever read on these forums - I am laughing out loud so much it hurts...