Is there a current chalet school thread? Anyone fancy it?

It's in The Chalet School in the Oberland, when they go to a concert in Interlaken, shortly before the train incident. It doesn't mention anything about her being a widow in my copy, but it's the Armada version so all the juicy bits have been removed.

I was always intrigued by the French fingers (though I think Mary-Lou also had them)

Wasn't it Mary Lou who dealt with the curling points on someone's collar by tacking them down with thread? That struck me as a really strange thing to do. As soon as the wearer moves, the dress will sit really oddly because the collar can't move about.

Which novel is it where some girls or staff go to a recital where a young singer sings 'Gretchen am Spinnrade' and someone (Bill?) is a bit dubious about such a young girl singing that lied so well (presumably because it's about sexual obsession and regrets?) until someone leans over and reassures her it's all OK, possibly because the singer is widowed or something, so has had 'legitimate' sexual experience? Or am I inventing this?

(Is this why, despite having a number of talented classical singers at the CS, none of them go on to have operatic careers, because about 90% of soprano roles are fallen women, and that's Just Not Nice?')

I love the thought of OhYouBadBadKitten trying to cultivate a deep voice like Miss Annersley's

Peggy is described as owning "a charming mezzo-soprano" in The Chalet School in the Oberland, but otherwise yes, it's silvery sopranos every time (often with "bell-like clarity").

I love EBD's turns of phrase. It's nice to find fellow chalet school fans! I've never met anyone else in real life who's even heard of them.

That's actually a good point, @OhYouBadBadKitten -- the Abbess has a beautiful, deep, cello-like speaking voice, but none of the girls famed for their lovely singing voices (Joey, Verity) are anything other than soprano, are they? EBD clearly didn't like the idea of a CS girl with a big, powerful contralto.

Perhaps when Miss Annersley sang, her deep speaking voice magically migrated up an octave?

I was always intrigued by the French fingers (though I think Mary-Lou also had them) which apparently instinctively know how to ‘settle a dress’ so that it looks its best. I mean, other than putting it on, smoothing it down and buttoning or zipping it, how many other ways are there of wearing the average dress?

Unless the gruesome-sounding Swiss-era uniform reboot with the smocking and white revers was one of those ‘wear this simple tie dress in six ways’ ones...

I've just remembered another one:

• all Scottish girls being able to predict the weather. They don't know how they do it; it's just in their blood.

I started re-reading them all again when lockdown started. Some highlights from recent books (I'm currently on Bride Leads) include:

• somebody coming down with jaundice and being isolated in the san, but too late! It spreads quickly through the school as it's so contagious.

• Joey giving some money to some local Welsh children who help her by picking up her dropped groceries. They don't speak English but thank her with their "odd guttural noises" (i.e. Welsh).

• Gwensi Howell refusing to speak to anyone until she hears the sound of singing (might have been Jo) and then she finds herself unable to resist being drawn in because she is Welsh and all Welsh people have music in their blood.

• anyone French having "French fingers" which make them beautiful embroiderers.

• constant references to a "creamy Irish brogue" and Miss Annersley's beautiful deep voice, "one of her greatest assets".

Another huge fan of Antonia Forest here. I went to a similar, though far less posh, version of Kingscote, where the mistresses were all the same strict, distant and slightly scary (some very scary indeed) copies of the Kingscote staff. None of them was married (I am late sixties) as they were all relics of the time when a woman had to choose between a teaching career and a husband.
Miss Forest's characterisation is impeccable, to the extent that I'm sure I 'know' each of the Marlows (with the possible exception of Peter) as well, or better than I know my own family.

I definitely have to reread my CS, I'd forgotten half this stuff and I did a bit for GBB years ago.

I am up to shocks/exploits in my re-read. Not sure I have done a complete re-read before but they are easy reads on my kindle on tubes.

The Anne books (and all LM Montgomery) are wonderful for that too, Felicity, though from a Canadian perspective.

I’ve been reading them with 9yo DS and we’ve had some really wonderful conversations as a result.

We were actually skiing!
It's a beautiful part of the world.

I agree the ‘put down your burden and collapse’ thing is deeply appealing (though I’d rather Penny Rest than Jack ‘Trigger Happy with the Wife-Sedation, Not So Keen on Contraception’ Maynard), but I confess I would find the ordinary day to day activities of the CS which EBD evidently finds so appealing, very burdensome!

I’d have been an unwholesome combination of Joan Baker, Stacie Benson and Naomi Elton — foul-mouthed, liking a dash of red lipstick and horrified at paper games, sneaking off to read stuff from the ‘restricted’ part of the library and atheist.

Plus I’d have been expelled within about five minutes for pushing the Robin into the Tiernsee/Channel/ any body of water in the vicinity of Plas Howell. Surely someone has written fan fic in which that was Gertrud Becker’s secret mission?

I've been to Achensee Tiernsee a couple of times which was amazing.

The wish fulfilment of someone just looking after you is what makes them comfort reading for me.

Weirdly, I love the journey to Europe one - there’s something about it that just works, possibly the sense of a a slice of women’s social history.

I've had several holidays at Stubai Glacier. I was most amazed to see there was a Post Hotel in Fulmpes.

Plus.. seeing the Chalets brought the books to life

The Tyrolean Christmas is one of my favourite scenes in the early books. It's pure comfort reading.

Basically, the European Lower Orders are different, all picturesque, devout and deferential -- is it Marie Pfeiffen who is thrilled to get a framed photo of the school for a wedding present?

I mean obviously I was gutted not to get a framed picture of my office from my team when I got married.

So glad this thread is here. You are my people. JUSTICE FOR DAISY.