Journal 64

What did you think of the latest Journal?
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Nick
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Re: Journal 64

Post by Nick »

That’s another one read from cover to cover and back on the shelf. Well, it will be when I figure out the FF boys :D

For some reason I was initially drawn to the back cover and the FF card game and then read the entire journal in reverse. Many thanks to all the contributors for another brilliant edition. I thoroughly enjoyed all the articles. The real highlight for me this time around was one of Enid’s articles - From My Window: Autumn. It’s my favourite time of year and it really captured the essence of this wonderful season.
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Re: Journal 64

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

I've read my Journal now and once again fully enjoyed it. I always love Enid's From My Window. And I do like the photo of her with her typewriter. When I see internal pictures of Green Hedges, it just fascinates me and I wish I could have gone and looked around such a large charming house.

Nice article of the S.S by John Henstock. I think many of us must really have enjoyed and still enjoy the S.S as a few articles have been about them now, and I never tire of reading these.

I've not seen any of the Secret Series by Cloud 9 but it's been great reading about the making by Nick Hopkins. Loved the centre fold of Dorothy Wheeler's picture, and the article too.

Nice to read all about the Safety Fun from Tony, and all the other articles inside the Journal also.

A really packed enjoyable read, and I think I know all the F.F. boys, too, so I'll check the answers on 1st December. :lol:

What else can I say, but the fact that I once again enjoyed reading the Winter Issue and thanks to all who contributed to make it so enjoyable. :D

8)
Julian gave an exclamation and nudged George.
"See that? It's the black Bentley again. KMF 102!"

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Rob Houghton
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Re: Journal 64

Post by Rob Houghton »

Julie2owlsdene wrote: I do like the photo of her with her typewriter. When I see internal pictures of Green Hedges, it just fascinates me and I wish I could have gone and looked around such a large charming house.
I agree - I love the photos inside Green hedges and Old Thatch that appear in The Story of My life - they are so fascinating.

I loved the photo in this latest Journal, although I also found it curious. Is it just a trick of the light, or is there a wide long 'pipe' stretching across the floor behind where Enid is sitting?! Was it some sort of heater? :? :?
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Journal 64

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Thanks for your comments on my article Rob, Julie and Kate. It's always nice to know that people have enjoyed reading it.

I also found myself lingering over the photo of Enid at her typewriter at Green Hedges. I don't think we've ever seen that photo before and it's great as we can see quite a lot of the room and the pictures on the wall. Rob, I think the "pipe" is just the sunlight shining strongly on the floor.

A stunning-looking Journal with the gorgeous autumnal cover by Grace Lodge and extra colour inside. Tony's editorial is full of life and jollity with the references to 'Forever Autumn', Game of Thrones and 'When I'm Sixty-Four'. Reading the Journal is indeed like embarking upon a voyage of discovery and it's sad that the number of subscribers is dwindling.

John Henstock and Julie Heginbotham both add to the seasonal atmosphere in their contributions. Although the Secret Seven had several summer adventures, whenever I think of them I imagine fog, bonfires, golden leaves and dark evenings for some reason - perhaps because I was particularly thrilled as a child by their night-time jaunts and their wanderings along canals, railway tracks and alleys. Like John, I've often wondered whether Enid's use of the initials SS so soon after the Second World War was her way of encouraging post-war children to associate those initials with something positive instead of with the Nazis.

Julie's article is a lovely, nostalgic piece. I always loved receiving a new annual in the 1970s - early 1980s (usually Jinty, Misty or Tammy) and I agree that 'A Week Before Christmas' is a wonderful story. Yes, the illustration of the girls looking through the window at the falling snow is charming - full of wonder and anticipation.

Nick Hopkins gives an extremely interesting account of the filming (by Cloud 9) of The Secret Mountain. I too find it a gripping and enjoyable adaptation despite the departures from the book. The information about the novelisations is fascinating as well, although I agree with Nick that it's a good thing they weren't reprinted and are now all but forgotten.

It's lovely to see the PDSA Busy Bees certificate and the Eileen Soper illustration for 'The Forgotten Pets' from the Pennant Readers.

Enid Blyton's 'From My Window' article is glorious - something of an ode to autumn in prose. What a whimsical description of the full-blown rose giving "a sigh like a tired elf" and shedding its petals so that they fall to the earth in "a heap of gay tatters, reminding me of the maiden all forlorn, who loved the man all tattered and torn."

Beautifully-written letters from Ilsa, really touching. It's fascinating to be swept through decades of a family's ups and downs. Brilliant remark by Jonathan right at the end - "I wonder if future generations will have such enquiring minds." If only someone could tell him!

I love Rob's school story recipe - "Place one pound of friendship into a deep casserole dish, covering with a thick gravy of Lessons to Learn... etc." I too would have highlighted the Naughtiest Girl series as I'm drawn to the family atmosphere of Whyteleafe and the idea of living as a true community with an emphasis on sharing and letting everyone contribute and have a say. Great to hear about you writing a play based on 'A Noise in the Night', Rob! My sister and I also did numerous activities inspired by all the Blyton books we read.

In Angela Canning's piece it's good to see Dorothy Wheeler's artwork and the photo of her in action. Interesting about her middle name being Marion rather than Muriel. I don't think Angela is right in saying that "It was not until Dorothy was forty-seven that she began illustrating for Enid Blyton and continued for twenty years." Dorothy Wheeler was forty-seven in 1939 but had already done some illustrating for Enid Blyton earlier in the 1930s, for issues of Sunny Stories. Her artwork for the Josie, Click and Bun Bestime Jigsaw (centre pages) is wonderful.

A fascinating article from Tony on Safety Fun! Careless Claude and Reckless Rose are amusing, drawn by Ronald Searle, and it's also interesting to read of Rosalind M. Turvey (one of the Mister Meddle artists) illustrating Nicolas Bebbington's Blandford Press books (Nicolas Bebbington being editor of Safety Fun! under the name "Uncle Bob"). I have to chuckle at Enid's remark to Nicolas Bebbington about his writing: "You ought to write a lot - it's a sin to have a real gift like that, and waste it on talking to police officers at the Police College"!

'Too Late to be Sorry' is a nicely-structured story of consequences but is a little too short to have much life or atmosphere to it. Of course, brevity would have been essential when writing for an 8-page comic and we're lucky that the Journal is rather longer! I love the cautionary verses about Jim, John and Kate! They put me in mind of Hilaire Belloc and Heinrich Hoffmann.

I also like it when Enid Blyton gets on her soapbox. Her letter to Nicolas Bebbington leaves no doubt about her attitude towards American comics!

I'll say more about the rest of the Journal when I have the time but thanks very much as always to Tony for putting it all together and brightening up these dark autumn/winter days.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Rob Houghton
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Re: Journal 64

Post by Rob Houghton »

Thank you for your kind comments about my article, Anita - I enjoy writing these 'reminiscence' style articles - and I'm enjoying making recipes of my favourite Blyton dishes! ;-) As you say, its always good to get feedback and to know members enjoy what we write. :-) I always enjoy seeing the illustrations Tony chooses for my articles too - and the other articles in the Journal of course.

Its interesting what Anita says about the Secret Seven as I also tend to associate them with dark wintry nights - I can remember reading them as a child on such nights and as the setting is (fairly) urban unlike many of Enid's stories, I always identified strongly wit the settings. It was easy to imagine the bonfire the Seven built in Secret Seven Fireworks as being on the strip of land behind my house, between our garden and the canal - and the canal, and streets where I lived were all similar to those where the Seven's adventures took place (especially as the books I had had very 1970's illustrations by Derek Lucas. :-D I always imagined the Seven meeting in their shed after school when it was already dark, and somehow the summer adventures they had left much less of an impression on me.

I'm not convinced that the 'pipe' on the floor behind Enid in the photo is just strong sunlight. I thought maybe it was at first, but there appears to be something sticking up on the left hand side, and just by Enid's leg there seems to be a 'hole' or maybe a button/switch. However, I've done a search for a heater that might look like that and there don't seem to be any from the 1950's! Its a fascinating photo! :D
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Journal 64

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

I too enjoy the illustrations that Tony chooses for my articles, I'm never disappointed at his choice.

At first I thought that was a long tubular heater, Rob, but my hubby is also convinced that it is the sunlight and the flashing reflections of the camera. I guess unless we could have the photo made bigger somehow, we may never know. :)

8)
Julian gave an exclamation and nudged George.
"See that? It's the black Bentley again. KMF 102!"

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Re: Journal 64

Post by Rob Houghton »

I'm glad someone else thought it might be a heater! :-D I guess we'll never know!

I love the large paintings on the walls, and interesting to see the little table Enid has her typewriter on, as I've only ever seen it resting on her knees before. :-)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Journal 64

Post by Courtenay »

Hmmm... to me it looks like a pipe at the end near Enid's chair and like sunlight at the end towards the left of the photo! :lol:
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Re: Journal 64

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

It probably doesn't help, but I think this photo was taken in the same room:

Image
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Journal 64

Post by Rob Houghton »

Courtenay wrote:Hmmm... to me it looks like a pipe at the end near Enid's chair and like sunlight at the end towards the left of the photo! :lol:
:lol: :lol: hedging your bets eh? ;-)

Interesting, Anita - yes, I've seen that photo before. Pity we can't see more of the floor...but then again, this one might have been taken in warmer weather and the 'heater' might not be there!! :lol:
Last edited by Rob Houghton on 26 Nov 2017, 19:10, edited 1 time in total.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Journal 64

Post by Daisy »

That's the very phrase that came to my mind too, Rob! :lol:
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Re: Journal 64

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Julie2owlsdene wrote:...I think I know all the F.F. boys, too, so I'll check the answers on 1st December. :lol:
Identifying the Famous Five boys wasn't too easy for me. I knew seven for definite but had to guess the other five. A fun puzzle!

The illustrations by Jennifer M. Rickard and E. H. Davie for the two Christmas poems (pages 84 and 85) are beautiful. The Pepys Famous Five Card Game (back cover) makes for a lovely display and the Noddy see-saw is interesting too, though the face of Noddy isn't great. It's good to see Bimbo's letter as well, and the advert for Famous Five sweaters and windcheaters.

'Brer Rabbit Goes Fishing' is a far-fetched but entertaining tale, though it's unlikely that Brer Rabbit would have put his trust in Brer Fox in the first place! Eye-catching illustrations as always by Ernest Aris.

Cory Roberts' article is unnecessarily critical of Enid Blyton and her publishers in my opinion. It's not surprising that her stories were recycled over the years. The idea would have been to repackage them for new generations of young readers. I know many of us have carried on reading her books into adulthood but the majority of children only read them for a few years before moving on.

The uncollected Uncle Nat story, Thrush's Anvil, is most interesting and informative. Fancy a snail having about fourteen thousand teeth on its tongue! Even at my age, I still learn the odd snippet of information from Enid Blyton's nature writing!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Journal 64

Post by Rob Houghton »

I also felt that Cory Roberts was being a little unfair about new editions of Enid's books and short story collections. Cory suggests ' ...the 1934 book (the news Chronicle Boys and Girl's Story Book No 2) did not say the stories it contained had already appeared in print in the Book of pixies and The Book of Fairies' but this isn't strictly true. The Boys and Girls Story Book No 2 is clearly divided into two parts. In fact it is basically two separate books just stuck together - featuring the original illustrations from the two books mentioned. In the Contents it clearly says 'The Book of Pixies' and 'The Book of Fairies'.

I tend to think these books would have been welcome additions to the Blyton canon back in those days. They offered two books for the price of one. The original editions of The Book of Pixies (actually The Red Pixie Book) and The Book of Fairies were 3/6 each. The News Chronicle Book No 2 was also 3/6 so it literally was offering two books for the price of one. What a bargain! :-)

the same happened with 'The Book of Bunnies' and 'The Book of Brownies'. This was the News Chronicle Book No 1. Its brilliant because it means I have copies of all these four early Blyton books, which are in their original form with all the original illustrations, and it didn't break the bank to buy them either, as first editions would have done.

I also disagree with what Cory says about the News Chronicle illustrations - they are some of the best illustrations in any Enid Blyton books - big, clear, bold, well printed. Various illustrators are used - Katherine Nixon, Horace Knowles, Lola Onslow, Hilda McGavin, ernest Arris and Sylvia Venus. Yes, some might be considered 'frightening' to young children as Cory suggests - but they are very good illustrations - and they are the originals! :D
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Journal 64

Post by Courtenay »

Rob Houghton wrote: :lol: :lol: hedging your bets eh? ;-)
No, I'm being serious — when I look at one end of the thing in the photo I think "that looks like a long tube on the floor" and when I look at the other end I think "that looks like a beam of sunlight on the floor." I honestly can't decide which one it looks more like overall. It's like one of those optical illusions that look like two different things depending on how you look at the picture...
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It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
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Re: Journal 64

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

Going back to the photo Anita has posted, I think that is the same room also, as Anita says, to the left of the photo you can see the spindle leg of the table.

You can also see on the Journal photo the shaft of light on the right behind Enid's chair and all along the bottom of the book cases. I'd love to know what the title of those books are! :D

8)
Julian gave an exclamation and nudged George.
"See that? It's the black Bentley again. KMF 102!"

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