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

An ice is a sorbet-type ‘thing’. Good question !

Or sherbet which has a small amount of milk.

Sorry I was so categorical - now doubting this - I never imagined they were tucking into a spiffing ice cream when they used ‘ice’.

I found The Children's Life of Christ in a local charity bookshop recently, by Blyton.

It surprised me as she didn't come across very religious in the books. Other than a nod to "prayers" as part of school life in Malory Towers, I can only remember her being scathing about "pi" (pious) characters.

I'm now craving lashings of ginger beer

I’m always a bit torn with Blyton because I do think a lot of the attitudes inherent in her books are problematic.

However I will mention Six Bad Boys and Family at Red-Roofs for examples of GOOD writing.

"Ice" means ice cream of course.

Lots of other countries still call it the word for ice.

Auf Deutsch, man sagt "Eis." Ohne Sahne.

Just came here to say restraaaauuuuuuuuughhhhhhnnn
Oh, hello Dad, didn't know you used Mumsnet.

@eggandonion

We once had a holiday in a house with a dinner gong. My dd1 was delighted. The series about the farm family - and the strange old man who lived in a cave...that was slightly odd.

@eggandonion they were the Children of Cherry Tree Farm/Willow Farm. Tammylan was the old man.

Does anyone remember the 'Six Cousins at Mistletoe Farm' books. In the second book one of the mothers (Rose?) was desperately unhappy living in the country and was clearly unsuited to country life. I often wonder what happened and if she left her DH and DC and went back to the city. Yes, I'm aware she's a fictional character. They were always having the most amazing high teas. I was permanently hungry reading those books.

tayto in the sequel (holly farm) rose changed, gets her DS2 a dog and becomes a real farmers wife

However I will mention Six Bad Boys and Family at Red-Roofs for examples of GOOD writing.

In Six Bad Boys I seem to remember it was basically the fault of the working mothers that their children turned to the bad. Didn't one of them have an epiphany at the end about how her dreadful desire to work instead of being at home for her children had caused all their problems and decided to knock all that on the head and give up her job? I may have made that up, I read it about 35 years ago, but even as a child I thought the mums were getting a raw deal.

No No NO. The sacrifice one was The Secret Mountain. I Loved that one

I'm not really sure what's wrong with the writing. There is some nice personification and succinct description of stormy weather. The story set on Kirren Island is spectacularly described, and the scene-painting never interrupts the plot. Apparently, like Dickens, she didn't sit down and craft sentences, she said she used to clear her head and let her imagination write the story. Probably a bit like RL Stevenson writing Dr J and Mr H in one sitting. So all that GCSE nonsense about writers carefully selecting language for effect is probably wrong.

Some of the writing must have been amended over the years. The children wear jeans and I'm sure the recent publishers have taken out references to cakes. Yes, there is one every time, but lots of lettuce and tomato whereas I remember more sugar.
Uncle Quentin presumably has Asperger's Syndrome and George is on the spectrum. I think the way she wants friends but pushes them away is brilliantly described and Julian's kind reaction is sensitive, especially in the first book about the island in which they find the map and the passage to the farmhouse.

There was very little ginger beer in FF. That was a used in the Comic Strip version and has entered the lexicon as fact.

@Quarantimespringclean @70isaLimitNotaTarget My PILs do supper parties - very smart dinner but you cook and serve it yourself and do the washing up. A dinner party would have just a wee bit of help - maybe a caterer for some of it and someone to hand round the drinks. Absolute bloody minefield

@Lepetitpiggy it’s a fair cop. it was indeed the Secret Mountain. did the parents magically appear at the end or did i dream that bit?

Anyone enjoying the food chat should get this: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0340960892/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8
It’s got recipes from loads of children’s books with a heavy emphasis on Blyton- probably because of the amount those children could eat!
Great thread, I am still rueing the day (about 30 years ago) that I decided to give away my huge collection of Blytons to my little brother’s friends. What was I thinking and why did my parents let me?!

I loved them all but have sketchy memory of them. Hats off to you jolly clever gels who aren’t duffers and who jolly well remember all the bally details.

was it Five Go To Mystery Moor with a shifty villain called Block and a lot of thick fog?

@summerfish

I found The Children's Life of Christ in a local charity bookshop recently, by Blyton.

It surprised me as she didn't come across very religious in the books. Other than a nod to "prayers" as part of school life in Malory Towers, I can only remember her being scathing about "pi" (pious) characters.

She also wrote The Land of Far Beyond which was a retelling of Pilgrims Progress. I used to play the Land of Farbeyond all the time (much as Little Women used to play Pilgrims Progress, although I never made the connection until now) it was eminently playable as it was all about having to stick to the path through various obstacles and temptations. I loved the house of peace (don't know if it was called that but there were doves and general whiteness and creaminess) and had a bit of a crush on Mr Scornful, who nearly makes it to heaven but prizes hope above charity so fails at the last hurdle and has to restart.

Yes Tammylan, why did Enid think he was a good idea? (Are the tayto NI or RoI?)
My dd1's favourite Blyton was Those Dreadful Children, about the rough Taggerty family moving in next door, We suspect they were an Irish family. So are we!

Oh fuckknuckle (that’s hard to type on this thread !) just reading that makes me want to get into bed with a torch and some snack if some sort and just read.

was it Five Go To Mystery Moor with a shifty villain called Block and a lot of thick fog?

Block was Smugglers Top but the fog was Mystery Moor. Although now I am confused between the one with the spook trains and the one with the horses and the girl called Harry, I think there may have been fog in both.

Yes, you're right @TinyMetalBirds. One of the boys was a 'latch key kid' who became a bad 'un. Enid would have fit right in on MN with all the SAHMs vs. WOHM arguments.

@summerredroses really? I've read both books but I've clearly forgotten that ending.

I'd love to read some of these books now and see what I make of them as an aul one a more mature reader.

Apparently, like Dickens, she didn't sit down and craft sentences, she said she used to clear her head and let her imagination write the story

Joyce Grenfell does a brilliant take-off of that, it is well worth a listen:

Tuth instead of tooth...

I’m going to say ‘iced cream’ when I next say it - see if anyone notices.