when the posh children in Enid Blyton have an "ice", I always thought it meant "ice lolly"...

[sadpapercourtesan]

...but I was reading "Five Go To Billycock Hill" last night, and they talked about having an "ice" in a tub with a little wooden spoon...surely that's an ice cream?!

Yes, I have too much time on my hands. I should be doing stuff

Oh, does 'ice' really mean iced-cream? How frightfully dull. I'd always assumed it to be slang for Methamphetamine!

@missyB1

I loved the five find outers stories but hated the snobbery towards Mr Goon the policeman. When I was reading them to ds I kept pointing out that they were being very rude and disrespectful.

They learned this behaviour from their parents who were also rude to and about Mr Goon. They never treated Chief Inspector Jenks that way, oh dear me no.

I think someone worked out, by counting the number of adventures that happened in the summer, that the Famous Five would have been in their early to mid twenties by the time of the last adventure and Timmy would have been about 20.

Also I do wonder why so many characters called Dick and Fanny. Both are in the Faraway Tree series and obviously in Famous Five too!

Had a quick look at Wikipedia to see what's been updated re the Faraway tree books. Apart from the kids' names, Dame Slap is now Dame Snap, and the bad red goblins aren't 'pummelled' and fought but merely 'chased'...!

I’m craving a blue Slush Puppy from the 7/11 now

Also remembering the old ice cream shop in Camden, Marine Ices. An ice cream from there during the summer holidays was a huge childhood treat. Does it still exist, I wonder?

I could never get on with most Enid Blyton books as a kid. They were just SO twee. Although I did love The Enchanted Wood and The Faraway Tree.

I grew up wondering why people thought her books were old fashioned and sexist, until my second wave feminist Mum told me she used to switch around the boys and girls names, so that the boys were the ones making jam sandwiches and the girls were having adventures in the woods .

I'm re-reading the Faraway Tree books with my DS. It's not quite as magical as I remember! So many repeated recountings of how they get to the Enchanted Wood and that the leaves are a darker colour than usual and how much they look forward to going and recapping of all the characters, and the word 'queer' is used almost every sentence in wonder at how most peculiar it all is.

I tried to read Enid blyton to my kids and just couldn’t do it. She was a truly dreadful writer and her plotting is dire.

The noddy books are especially awful.

My sdad is so posh he says “ears” instead of yes

Maybe Enid was before her time and meant smirnoff ice

I read a recent version of The Magic Faraway tree that instead of Dick and Fanny had updated the names to 'Jack and Franny'.

Ruined it.

The always used to find a diary in the village and a friendly farmer to provide: eggs, butter, milk, bread & bacon.

My sdad is so posh he says “ears” instead of yes

I've just tried that. Wow! now Aim posh!

Once when i was bored I went through my complete collection of Famous Five and wrote down a list of the exact meals they ate. Surprisingly little ginger beer. But loads of bread, ham, lettuce and tomatos. And boiled eggs with a screw of salt.

Gorgeous.

She was a truly dreadful writer and her plotting is dire

Agree. She had some fabulous plot concepts but she couldn't carry them through. She didn't patronise children though - so many kids' authors do. I think that, and the plot concepts, are what draw them in.

Oh - wish they wouldn't change money/terms, it captures a moment in time. An addtional chapter at the beginning to give historical context/glossary would be good.

I was never a fan of FF but I loved Richmal Cromptons “William” books. They were a rather posh family too Dad was referred to as Father and he worked in a bank. They had a daily and the family gathered together for lunch which was the main meal of the day.

The stories sometimes get an airing on BBC4 with Martin Jarvis voicing all the parts. It still has me laughing.

Dairy not diary - re village but diary too if five findouters.

There is no better feeling than going to bed knowing you've got an Enid Blyton adventure to read

yes, there is!

@FelicityPike

Oh and I have all 21 of them on audiobook for when I’m in the bath.

Same It's so nostalgic.

Does anynone know how to get hold of the original Blyton books - without the offensive bits taken out/names changed - on Kindle or similar?

@dementedma
That's funny. My dad used to say Go to your 'rum'!

@MrsNoah2020

She was a truly dreadful writer and her plotting is dire

Agree. She had some fabulous plot concepts but she couldn't carry them through. She didn't patronise children though - so many kids' authors do. I think that, and the plot concepts, are what draw them in.

I’m not sure - some of it is quite patronising really. And the morality of she’s banging on (and on and on) about is often highly dubious.

That’s just the extreme datedness of it really. But I’d find myself editing on the hoof because I just wasn’t ok with what was in there. I didn’t even attempt the noddy book about gypsies (it is really unacceptable).

@sadpapercourtesan

Does anynone know how to get hold of the original Blyton books - without the offensive bits taken out/names changed - on Kindle or similar?

eBay probably.

@Stoic123

Oh - wish they wouldn't change money/terms, it captures a moment in time. An addtional chapter at the beginning to give historical context/glossary would be good.

Also, it's so patronising to change old-fashioned words on the assumption children won't understand. Children aren't idiots. They come across new concepts every day, and know to ask someone or Google.

@MrsNoah2020

She was a truly dreadful writer and her plotting is dire

Agree. She had some fabulous plot concepts but she couldn't carry them through. She didn't patronise children though - so many kids' authors do. I think that, and the plot concepts, are what draw them in.

I read the one about the island and the golf course and the boy who could control animals with his pipe to the kids recently and the timeline in that is hilarious, the day just goes on and on and on with people rowing backwards and forwards and hiding and discovering things and having one meal after another and still it is the same day. I think it is her scenes that draw children in - there are so many that stick in the memory - golden statues, a cave of glittering treasure, the marshes and tunnels around Smugglers' Top, the sliding oak panels in Uncle Quentin's study, the weird tower he builds on Kirrin island...she doesn't use hugely descriptive language and yet she creates scenes that captivate you as a child and stay with you.

When I was little my great uncle had a Hornby train layout, with a little cafe building. It said ICES on the tiles of the roof in white paint. I absolutely LOVED it, and used to completely ignore the trains and play the Famous Five stopping to buy "ices" with horseback figures from my model farm. I had a little model Border collie sheepdog as Timmy .