Some Fretwork and the Interminable Christmas Play at the Chalet School

I think new beginnings is a reasonable EBD imitation in a term where nothing much happens. The only thing of real note is Len's wedding, which isn't as big a thing as you'd think. In atypical EBD it's rather overshadowed by Joey.

I like it as a reasonable idea of finishing the series off, but wouldn't go back to read it. There wasn't anything that I found irritating, except the front cover not matching the description, which the author apologises for, but equally well it isn't really memorable.

Also, have not read new beginnings, but am maybe tempted to try hunt it down.

No wine press. But bags Australian wines for interV. We can dress up in tissue paper that matches the colours of all the different wines. And then test people on which colour goes with which of the many wines I'll persuade my adoring father to send for us.

No one was ever of average height at the chalet school. EBD only liked the very tall ones who could play the men's parts in the plays (and also for dance evenings I think) and the slight small ones. Only a very few were allowed to be normally sized or chunky.

Come along in, Emerence, we're a very friendly and welcoming bunch as per the unwritten rule unless you use the wrong stairs of course. It's a wine-themed Sale this year, but we're missing our distillery because it got burned down when we fled Outer Mongolia (it's a long story). If you happen to have brought a wine press with you in your trunk you'll be all the more welcome.

Maybe three-quarters of characters (adult or schoolgirl) get 'tall' in their standard description.

Although EBD does seem to have a bit of a soft spot for her short characters - thinking Kathy and Robin. Does she get muddled over Corney, or is it me? I remember having a picture in my head of Corney being short and square, but then somewhere else she's described as thin which doesn't accord with square for me. Unfortunately I can't remember where these descriptions are, but I do remember puzzling over it!

I'm finding New Beginnings a bit dire to be honest. I think probably the standard of fillers/sequels/prequels has improved through the years - this one reads as if the writer's trying a bit too hard to be EBD. Difficult new girl - tick. Joey appearing at the school and interfering - tick. Life-threatening accident - tick. Slightly squirmy conversation about God and praying - tick. Spineless jellyfish caution - tick. Hilarious Middles trick - tick. And so on. I think as time's gone on, GGB have realised you can be faithful to the original without being utterly formulaic. It hasn't stopped me reading to the end, though

Room for another little one?

This thread has sent me on some delightful journeys into wonderful fanfic worlds where Giles Marlow marries Mary Lou (no idea why everyone seemed to actually like her, the version of her in CGGU felt pretty accurate). And then I discovered dear lord peter and Harriet vane also visited with Marlows and chaletians.

I have most of the Tyrol books in hardback, and my sister has a good chunk of the GGB reprints, I recently reread the Lorna books and I think that those are currently my favourite, though I do have a soft spot for Monica.

I can't knit, crochet, make buttonholes or even cut jigsaw puzzles, but I did like making doll house miniature stuff as a teenager, possibly inspired by Tom? I promise to make something for the next sale as long as I can dress up in some wonderful costume made from sheets and pillowcases.

Ah, sonsy. There is a word I've never yet come across anywhere else. I can imagine EBD accidentally and repeatedly using it to offend 10st acquaintances of her own.

Yes Nell. Also "lengthy" and "leggy" are common attributes. "Sonsy" sadly a lot more rare.

I've had two girlfriends of six foot, which is probably representative of the CS if not the general population. I am not sure whether I am suggesting I validate the Chalet School or the Chalet School validates me!
Maybe three-quarters of characters (adult or schoolgirl) get 'tall' in their standard description. It is funny. You could far more easily name those who aren't tall. Also curly hair - much overrepresented among Chaletians.

I can definitely think of teenage girls especially who have been very small and also muscly, both aesthetically and powerfully. I can see Emerence as being like that.

OOAO's gang was clearly dealing in umbrellas. That's what all that kerfuffle about leaving them on coaches and so on is about.

I remember New Beginnings pleasantly surprising me (the cover had put me off for a very long time) but I can't remember anything from it now. Even (especially?) Len's wedding - obviously I know it must be in there but it has not made a lasting impression.

Soup, I'll PM you now.

"No particular wish to" that should have read.

I think Althea is either one of the couple I've not read and have particular wish to, or one that I've read and has faded into obscurity in my mind.

6 feet in a lady is unusual. Must be that special milk they drink.

But 5'8" is 170cm, which, according to my red book is closer to 91% then 75%. The equivalent weight is about 70kg which is just over 11 stone. So if anything she is slightly under normal weight.

Judi Dench lives near me

We have showbiz royalty among us! Strangely, my sister also has an optician-related claim to fame: she used to go to the same optician as Lionel Blair and occasionally saw him there.

Whenever I think of Judi Dench now I think of Tracey Ullman's skit on her - anyone seen that?

A bit like cigarettes becoming currency in prisons even among non-smokers.

Oooh, a whole new meaning to OOAO's gang. There would surely have been enormous scope for a black market in kirby grips and hankies.

I've entirely repressed forgotten about the pink worm, though I do remember stuff about Jack and motor boats. I can't say I'm feeling inspired to re-read Althea on that basis, though. Last night when I was looking for Masha I came across New Beginnings so now I'm reading that. I think I might have bought it and not ever read it - at least, if I did, I don't remember a single blessed thing though I'm guessing from the cover that it includes Len's wedding.

Joan Collins for Lady Opener? Or Helena Bonham Carter dressed as Bellatrix Lestrange?

Nell - could I trouble you for the one drive login please? Despite being one of the founding contributers I can't get in any more .

Judi Dench lives near me, if I was EBD I'd have a screamingly funny tale about how I met her in the opticians once, and therefore she'd be delighted to open the Sale/foist some brevet nieces onto the school/keep appearing randomly around the globe whenever we moved (a la Maria and the Stuffer). I'm sure I'll bump into her soon, so shall I ask her? Actually I might very well, as she's on the same recall schedule at the opticians

Height is another strange one with EBD.
There's a number of six-footer girls - Tom Gay, Dickie Christy, Nancy Canton, but then Jo and Len and Margot at exactly five foot eight are also deemed hugely tall, unsuitable for playing women's parts, yet Nancy Wilmot is a couple inches taller than Len, plump, and no way could she be ten stone!

And meanwhile Emerence is supposed to be small for her age yet has huge muscles enabling her to pick up the discarded scarecrow. How on earth did her Australian childhood produce the biceps of a female infant Hercules?!

I'm guessing that usual games evenings and competitions on weekends didn't have prizes, so any object at all would be appreciated, if nothing else, to give as a present to someone else (such as those elderly relatives most of them came from in the first place...) and enable one to save one's pocket money. A bit like cigarettes becoming currency in prisons even among non-smokers.

Or, actually, my school. I supplemented my pocket money for a few years by buying cigarettes for people and keeping the change - I looked plausibly 16 in shops but way too innocent to smoke in school!

I have to say, you're inspiring me to read it again now!

Are we maybe supposed to infer that the 'plus' is a very substantial 'plus'? I know everyone was thinner in The Olden Days etc, but Nancy's tall with it, isn't she, and by any measure ten stone is not worthy of the constant remarking upon she gets for it!

Although, if would-be burglars can be flattened by 10st, I should definitely rethink my irrational and irritating burglar anxiety stuff...

Yes Nell, it has the pink worm, Kathie Ferrars leaping into a moving speedboat then accidentally making it go even faster until someone else leaps in and stops it , and a burglar incident. It really should be more memorable than it is!

Incidentally in the burglar catching, Nancy Wilmot sits on him until the police come to take him away. She has always been described as plump, and clearly he's supposed to be flattened by her huge weight. This is undermined by EBD saying she sat her "ten stone plus" on him . Ten stone? That's a skinnigallee by my terms!

Bettany. Not Bethany. Autocorrect clearly more familiar with the bible than the Chalet School.

So much so I can't remember whether I've read it before or not, it's so dull.
This is basically my feeling on Althea too. I assume I did read it, and only a couple of years ago when I did an almost-complete read through the whole series, but it clearly made zero impression as I can't remember it! Is it the one with the strange pink worm, or is that elsewhere?

Ooh, another Lady Opener, that will make a change. I suppose Mollie Bethany and OOAO are out of the question? Kate Middleton? Michelle Obama? I definitely vote Michelle Obama.

The clock golf and the (Greek) police force "run on English lines" were in Come Away, Death - published 1937, so clearly plagiarism/Chalet inspiration on Mitchell's part. I love a bit of Gladys Mitchell - I came to her via the CS too really, Greyladies published a couple of her books (both with school/college settings). Ditto Josephine Tey, actually - I started with Miss Pym Disposes entirely because of the PT college setting. I don't think I'd have ever picked up a detective novel otherwise.

Ooo Judi Dench??

I came here to say that I have just found clock golf and a police force (rather than a school) run "on English lines" in Gladys Mitchell!

Coo! Which book? And was it published pre- or post-EBD using those same phrases?

I'm not reading any school stories at the moment, but I watched the BBC repeat of The Romanovs (missed it first time round) and it's put me in a Russian frame of mind so I'm thinking I might give Masha and The Youngest Lady-In-Waiting a re-read.

Now then, girls, I know this is controversial, but I'm wondering if we couldn't give Joey and Madge a year off, and book a Lady Opener with a more - erm - public profile for the Wine Sale, to attract the crowds to the Platz and save the prefects from having to buy up all the tat for prizes. Any ideas? I was thinking Mary Berry might fit the bill, or perhaps Maggie Smith.

I've been reading 'Althea Joins' after the comment above from Pontefractals. It really is awful, isn't it? So much so I can't remember whether I've read it before or not, it's so dull. The part where Len falls onto her art and gets paint on her face I assume is meant to be screamingly funny, but the arrival of Randy Reg lusting after her in her school uniform only makes it additionally grim.

Currently reading Future. Had not registered before that Minnie the minibus is lime green and cream...which apparently are Con's favourite colours!

Do the prefects just buy it all then dole it out as prizes in the winter months?

Yes! And also, you know when they're scraping around for prizes for paper games and so on, and they end up contributing their own hankies and a bit of lace and so on - was that really an exciting prize for the younger girls? I realise this sounds completely spoilt-modern-girl (and I'm really not very materialistic, honest!) but they always sound such horribly half-arsed prizes. Hugely generous of them to donate, but I kind of think I'd be happier with no prize at all, and just the treat of winning itself, rather than being presented with Peggy Brittany's handkerchief or whatever, and having to pretend I was thrilled with it.

And and and, why is it applauded that Matey randomly stockpiles the food that is intended to feed the school, and diverts it into jam-making for the Sale instead?!

I've PM'd you OxfordshireLass.

If I could have OneDrive access I would be grateful

I've always wondered about the quality of stuff on sale too. And where on earth the people living up on the Platz manage to put all of the stuff that they buy year in year out. Do the prefects just buy it all then dole it out as prizes in the winter months?