Journal 72

[Moonraker]

Thanks for the explanation, Anita.
I must say that I’m puzzled as to how a city like Salisbury can not have a post office for over three months.

Yes, I am too, especially as I live here and have been posting regularly! Possibly Anita is referring to the High Street post office which Tony uses. We lost our General Post Office some time back, but still have several post offices - I can think of at least five off the top of my head. As a city, we certainly weren't 'post officeless' though!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I meant in the city centre, Nigel. When the High Street post office was closed, there was a notice on the door giving the addresses of the two nearest post offices. One was only a 15-minute walk from where I live but was inside a large supermarket (not one I normally use). When I got there, there was an extremely long queue and a member of staff was telling people joining the line that it would be more than an hour before they reached the door of the store (there was only one queue and it made no difference whether customers were using the post office, shopping or doing both). It took 20-odd minutes to walk to the other post office, which was inside a small store at a petrol station. Thankfully, that didn't have much of a queue at all. It is good to have the city centre post office back open again though! As far as the Journals are concerned, it would have been a headache to have to take them to a different place as the staff at the High Street post office are used to dealing with all the boxes and Tony knows when it's convenient to take them in and where to park, etc.

I enjoyed both John Henstock's Thoughts on Find-Outers & Dog and more on the 70s TV series. Of interest is that Kirrin Station (Marchwood) might see passengers again as trials are currently being run with plans to reopen the line.

Yes, I saw the news item about Marchwood and thought immediately of the 1970s Famous Five TV series! I like the way Tim includes information about actors' other roles in his analyses of the Famous Five episodes, and it's interesting to read about footage from different locations being woven into some stories as necessary.

John Henstock gave a lively and informative overview of the Find-Outers books, which are indeed very varied. I enquired about buying a skeleton key when I was a child (I had a detective club with my sister and two friends) but shopkeepers looked at me with suspicion and said they couldn't help me!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I haven't had time to comment on it until now but I absolutely loved Enid Blyton's 'From My Window' article, The Love of Books. It's surprising to learn that Enid was nearly eight years old before she could read. She says in The Story of My Life that she read "books on every conceivable subject" as a child, as her father had hundreds of volumes of all kinds. She tells us that she even read "every book in his book-cases of French books" and started on his German ones until her father locked them away to stop her borrowing "adult books"! Thomas Blyton walked out on the family when his daughter was not yet thirteen, so she wouldn't have had the opportunity to raid his bookcases after that.

Enid talks of some people treating books as furniture, arranging them attractively on shelves but never taking them down to read. Her mention of volumes which have not "had the pages cut" reminds me of an E. Nesbit book I once bought, which had clumps of uncut pages and had clearly not been read by anyone before me even though it was about a hundred years old. I felt sorry that it had never been properly enjoyed by anyone for a whole century!

Enid's remark about reading allowing us to live not only in our own minds "but in hundreds of other men's minds" conveys the excitement of reading - that it broadens our experience and brings us endless discoveries, insights, treasures and surprises. It's lovely too to see her appreciating the physicality of a book. I wonder how she'd have got on with e-books?

Eileen Soper's illustration for 'Dame Topple's Buns' is delightful, especially the character with the plump tummy and bursting buttons!

I found John Lester's 'Places to Visit' entertaining. Personally I'd like to visit the Land of Birthdays as it's full of wonders and wishes and it would make for an unforgettable celebration.

Rob's 'Toyland Tarts' was a delumptious read. I agree that "Children like to feel involved and to feel at one with an author - and this was Enid's big strength in many of her stories - especially for younger children." I loved the account of the play about the clockwork clown that Rob performed with his friend Dawn. My sister, two friends and I used to put on plays for our families and neighbours, one being 'The Currant Bun' from Enid Blyton's Book of the Year. I too remember feeling sad when I read 'The Little Sugar Mouse' as a youngster, hearing of his frightened pleas as he dissolved! Regarding playing tricks, my sister and I bought jokes from a joke shop in Prestatyn and the one that worked best was the plate-lifting trick we played on our grandad. Happy memories!

[Judith Crabb]

Oh dear, my first posting failure to the Society. I typed out a lengthy response to Journal 72, pressed submit and it vanished.
This time I'll just mention that yesterday Friday, August 8th my journal arrived at my post office in South Australia, unexpected by me because I had decided not to be disappointed if it took a month to arrive. I had Things to Do so I left the envelope on my desk where it tantalized me every time I walked past. After tea I settled down to read it and, from Tony's hors-d'oeuvre on, I was entranced.
I'll try posting this now. Perhaps this time I'll press 'Save Draft' first and see what happens....
I just did this and realize I should do it more often as I didn't lose anything. I'll try the 'submit' again now.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Sorry you lost your post, Judith! It's very frustrating when that happens.

'The Disobedient Prince' is an amusing and thought-provoking tale (if rather violent in places!) Marmaduke John Humphrey Hannibal James is quite a mouthful so it's not surprising that Pete condenses it, with a cheeky alteration, to "Marmalade" - until the day arrives when the nickname sounds "too silly" for the boy Marmaduke has become. I'm reminded of another Enid Blyton story about a haughty, bad-mannered prince which I enjoyed reading as a child - 'They Wouldn't Be Friends With Him'.

The letters from Enid Blyton and Bobs for VE-Day are a real time capsule and I was interested to hear of figures of Hitler and his cronies being burnt on bonfires like Guy Fawkes! I'm always glad to see Enid encouraging children to explore nature, e.g. asking them to send her lists of wild flowers they've spotted. Identifying wild flowers, finding out about where they grow and learning about some of their features (e.g. the wrinkled leaves of the primrose plant which help prevent rain waterlogging the flower) fosters an appreciation of them, and getting into the habit of looking out for such things improves observation and makes one feel part of the natural world. Children who develop that knowledge and awareness are unlikely to become litter-bugs or vandals as they will feel a connection to wild things and care about them.

[Judith Crabb]

Thanks Anita for your commiseration. It's amazing what a bit of sympathy achieves.
This time I'll add a paragraph of my response to the journal and submit it before it gets too long.
Anita, I thoroughly agree that Enid's 'The Love of Books' was an inspired inclusion. I doubt whether any other author was so successful in instilling that love of books all over the world. I've noticed, too, that very many writers when interviewed attribute to Enid Blyton the love of reading which spun them into their literary careers. Childhood reading is enormously influential. I bet that your own exposure to her books helped to turn you into the writer you are today, a writer, moreover, who has used her talent to share appreciation and affection.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks for your kind comment, Judith!

Yes, Enid Blyton must have helped shape huge numbers of people over the decades. Politicians affect society by making laws and instituting reform, but writers also play a part by sowing the seeds of certain ideas and values and provoking readers to look at things afresh. Politicians come and go, as do political parties with their opposing policies, but Enid Blyton's books are a constant (well, except for a few edits!) and have remained popular for eighty or ninety years, being read by children who are receptive and eager to learn. Although it can never be measured, her influence has no doubt been massive.

[Judith Crabb]

I thought that the Blyton contributions in this journal were particularly interesting. The Wartime letter made me recall her poem 'Salute to the Children', which she used to preface the Daily Mail Annual for Children which she edited, and which must have come out about the same time (1945?). It is both amusing and insightful and so typical of the emphasis throughout her children's books on fun and food. It ends with
'We grown-ups think we've lots to bear,
But, boys and girls, you've done your share'.

[John Pickup]

These back to back test matches have seriously impinged on my reading time but I have now read the latest journal cover to cover and another classic edition it is too.
I started with Norman Wright's tribute to Imogen Smallwood, a lady I sadly never met. It's a great shame that another link to Enid has left us.
Anita gives us a comprehensive account of the recent Malory Towers TV serial which I have yet to see. I have four of the books but would prefer to read them when I have the whole set.
I remember with affection the Armada covers illustrated by Mary Gernat. They were some of the first books I actually bought as they were so affordable. Angela Canning's article about her career was a very enjoyable read. Her covers were so bold and vibrant, and a major reason why I was attracted to them in the first place. I wish I'd seen the episode of Antiques Roadshow where her son exhibited her work.
In his FFO and Dog article John Henstock makes a very valid point about Goon's nastiness, his bullying and cruelty. I'm of the generation that remembers the neighbourhood bobby and was an authority to be feared as well as respected. He presents a good arguement about Mrs Moon's guilt in Spiteful Letters.
I shall continue with my thoughts later.

[John Pickup]

Continuing with my thoughts on the latest journal, I now come to Tim Vennings article on the 1978 Famous Five TV series. I'm impressed with his marvellous photos, especially the one of Marchwood Station. Tim really has compiled a very detailed account of cast and location. I remember Alfie Bass who played Mr Tapper in Together Again from his part in the early 60s sitcom Bootsie and Snudge.
Like William Ferguson, my childhood holidays were taken by train, normally to Skegness and always by a steam-hauled train. He made some neat comparisons with his own holidays and those of the Famous Five.
Reading Enid's From My Window about the love of books reminded me of something I read years ago that those who don't read books only inhabit one world where those who do read books inhabit very many. How true.
I enjoyed Anita's second installment of Five Get Into A Fix. It is certainly one of the best books featuring the Five and my favourite of the latter half of the series. I agree that the characters are more natural than in Mountain of Adventure. I, too, found the overblown dialogue of the Evanses in Mountain, with their incessant "look yous" and "whateffers" quite grating after a while.
John Lester's Places To Visit features characters and magical lands I have yet to become acquainted with but it is still a wonderful read. Having a treacle pudding bursting on your head and a plum pie in your washtub sounds quite delightful.
My mother had a large cookbook by the legendary Mrs Beeton years ago but Rob Houghton's must be twice the size of that. Toyland Tarts is another great installment as always and features some stories I haven't previously read, such as Amelia Jane and the Three Golliwogs. I have never seen a copy of Runabout Holiday but I suppose Runabout is a very apt name for a busy little brownie. Like Rob, I loved plasticine as a child. It had unlimited possibilities.
Once again, my thanks to all the contributors and of course to Tony for editing and producing another wonderful journal.

[Judith Crabb]

Time for a few more comments and since I've just read John Pickup's comments I'll start with 'Into The Valley'. It is an accolade to 'Enid's masterpiece', 'The Valley of Adventure' and is worthy of its subject. The book (and the article for that matter) is a serendipitous marriage between text and illustration (think Alice/Tenniel, Christopher Robin/E.H. Shepard). As a child that book transfixed me, transported me into places and experiences beyond my dreaming. It fuelled my imaginings for years. When I took it down from my shelves a short time ago I found that Tresilian's pictures are not quite as I recalled them. I had re-illustrated the book in my mind in the style of Tresilian. This book must have possessed me as none had before and few have since.
I found many enjoyable and educational articles in Journal 72, but I think 'Into the Valley' the nonpareil.

[Chrissie777]

I just finished reading Norman Wright's article on how he met Imogen Smallwood and have a question.
What became of the negotiations with Rank to release the 1957 "Five on a Treasure Island" movie?
I know that it was finally released on DVD in 2010 in the UK with a lovely booklet (and shortly after also in Germany under the title "Die Sache mit der Schatzinsel" without the booklet and with the German dubbing).
But was it ever released on VHS in the UK in the 1990's?

That interests me, because in May 1995 I met Christine Alexander in Fowey, Cornwall, when I spent my vacation there. Mrs. Alexander was the owner of Bookends of Fowey at the time, a bookstore which has lots of books by and on Daphne DuMaurier.
I spent a lot of time in her bookstore and bought lots of books and we became friends.
DDM was the main reason at the time for my trip, but at the same time I was very interested in Enid Blyton and somehow while we had another nice long chat one day, we started talking about EB and the wonderful 1957 CFF movie based on her first Famous Five book.
Mrs. Alexander even had a little brochure on EB and that particular film which she showed to me.
I told her that this was the one flick that started my enthusiasm for movies and that I would love to own a VHS copy.

She found out Rank's phone number and encouraged me to ask them if I could get a VHS copy of this film. So that's what I did. I talked to a very kind man at Rank, who gave me the filming locations in Corfe Castle Village and at the Jurassic Coast, and then he told me that I would need to get in touch with the CFF where I talked to another nice person.
He said that they are a foundation. If I would like to have a VHS copy (which was usually only done for the former child actors of the CFF films), I would need to send them a letter and explain why I would like to have a copy. But it would be expensive, he warned me. I said I don't care. I wanted a copy of this movie for 30 years and 200 £ wouldn't stand in the way of finally getting this wonderful movie.

So once I was back home in Germany, I wrote a letter to CFF.
About 3 or 4 weeks later on a rainy Friday afternoon in June the package from CFF with the VHS copy arrived.
It was one of the happiest days of my life!
I watched it and was thrilled. It catapulted me right back into my childhood. I watched it almost every year and since we have the DVD with the booklet, I've watched it with my husband and many times by myself.

[Aussie Sue]

Oh dear, my first posting failure to the Society. I typed out a lengthy response to Journal 72, pressed submit and it vanished.
This time I'll just mention that yesterday Friday, August 8th my journal arrived at my post office in South Australia, unexpected by me because I had decided not to be disappointed if it took a month to arrive. I had Things to Do so I left the envelope on my desk where it tantalized me every time I walked past. After tea I settled down to read it and, from Tony's hors-d'oeuvre on, I was entranced.

Not only the UK post offices are strange at the moment. Judith mentions she received her Journal in SA last Friday 8th August, so why hasn't mine arrived at the same time, they would have been posted together!! I do hope it hasn't gone astray.

cheers Sue

[Boatbuilder]

Sue, They were posted over several days, so yours might have been one of the latter ones like mine, which arrived three days after others had received theirs.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I hope your Journal arrives soon, Sue! My mum once posted two cards (first class) to my address in the same post box at the same time (because my son and I have our birthdays very close together). One arrived the next day but the other took four days for some reason.

Being "possessed" by The Valley of Adventure is exactly how I felt, Judith. By the time I discovered it, aged nine, I'd already been reading avidly for at least five years and had read a lot of Enid Blyton books, but The Valley of Adventure was something else.

I enjoyed reading your meaty comments on the Journal, John (Pickup). I hope you get to read the Malory Towers series one of these days as Enid Blyton is deft at moving almost seamlessly between various individuals and groups and keeping several scenarios bubbling at once. It can't have been easy dealing with such a large cast of characters but she makes it look effortless.