To wonder whether you'd prefer to go to Malory Towers or the Chalet School

[Vintagejazz]

I just heard to girls about 11 years of age having an earnest discussion about this on the bus. I didn't think kids even read Chalet School books any more.
I think I'd opt for Malory Towers. They seemed to have more fun. I'd probably be expelled from the Chalet School for cursing, wearing lipstick and forgetting to speak German every Wednesday or whatever it was.

Just looking on the girls gone by site, if you but the ebooks are they easy to down load to kindle? I have only bought via Amazon before...

hmm maybe, but the whole little interaction with them coming to visit the camp has little bits. Jem looks her over then asks her if she has anything pretty to say to Dr Jack. Then "Dr Jack looked at her curiously. "You'll have to grow up some day Joey." It all feels a little like she is EBD is hinting at something to me.

Omg sqoosh whiffy yeuk.

I feel sullied now even thinking of DrJack letching over school girls.

Mind you I thought it odd that the doctor husbands treat each other's pregnant wives. So Phil Graves treats Joey but he's not a gynae/obs doc.

What's that all about. Oh had the competition to get the biggest baby so Joey beats the lot with her 10 pounder!

Her undercarriage would be dragging on the floor.

I'd have preferred the Chalet School by a mile (I would not have got on well with the Enforced Games at MT). And especially if I got to spend my Christmasses staying with the Maranis in Innsbruck

My dds have been brought up to render unquestioning obedience while they were coming down the birth canal.

Ha ha ha ha I bloody wish.

Not Malory Towers - I used to worry that maybe I was like Gwendoline, because while Darrell et al used to leap out of bed, she had be forced out, grumbling.

No, I fancy the cream cakes and mountain walks of CS. Don't know if I'd have been forced to play the Wild Irish Scamp though. At least the O'Sullivan twins weren't forced into any Irish stereotypes (although they must have been Anglo-Irish types anyway).

For anyone who likes grown-up discussion of these kinds of books, I recommend The World of Girls. There's a thoughtful discussion about whether some of the characters are intentionally portrayed as lesbians.

That's Enid Blyton's O'Sullivan twins, to be clear.

Yes Biddy does say at all at all rather a lot!

Fortunately not once she's talking Maths, I think!

... or was it History?

Robin knows that Jo is pregnant. She makes veiled comments about her not being able to be bothered about all the Gertrude Beck stuff to Polly. I don't think Daisy notices though. And Madge definitely knows too. She says something like 'has the time come?' when Peter Chester goes to tell her the news.

I didn't have to look any of that up. Why can't my job just be remembering little bits of Chalet School books?

Buddy taught history nancy Wilmott taught maths.

Agree Toospotty

mummytime I did that with an ex-boyfriend! We spent a whole day at the Achensee, walked from Achenkirch (Tiernkirch) to Pertisau (Briesau) - the lake path really is quite precarious in places - saw the Dripping Rock and then spent ages traipsing round Pertisau looking for the EBD/CS memorial plaque (it's in the library bit of the tourist information centre, for future reference!) Followed by Apfelstrudel and mountains of whipped cream.

It's actually a lovely place for some hiking even without the CS side of things, definitely worth a trip! We also went to Innsbruck, which is lovely too.

Dear thebody

Terribly sorry to have missed you last night old thing. Such doings my lamb! It was our spot supper last night so we all had to march round the hall in celebration of the times we spilled gravy on the tablecoth. We have our own song now and everything! It was a topping night, ending up with a good old sing-song, but we missed you terribly as you are the spirit of the school.

I do hope you'll be able to come and visit us this term but Miss Wilson says you'll be busy in every such a funny yet significant tone of voice. Does that mean you're taking a table at the Sale?

Much love

Stacey

Now girls (using my golden voice), as headmistress, I feel that too much time is being spent reading during hobbies club. Why has no fretwork been made? tom Gay, we are waiting for your sixteenth dolls house to be raffled and won by a Doctor who has the space to house an exact replica of innsbruck. There is much pasting of pictures on fire screens to be done. I shall clap my hands and you will march, as you march everywhere, into the salon for milky coffee, whipped cream and dancing and paper games run by the prefects. I shall now turn to the obscure junior female kmusic teacher who will strike up a rousing march while abdicating my responsibilities of running the school to a seventeen year old Head Girl who can 'be a martinet when roused even though she has twinkling blue eyes that betray her laughter at the jolly japes of the Middles'

I shall go and drink coffee with irrepresable Jo who, whilst popping out a baby, has simultaneously wrtten an entire Christmas play plus songs which the mad music teacher will set to music.

I totally forgot that Canada made people crisp and brisk and snappy like their old selves again. Do you think Madge went through the menopause, or took herself a lover??

Ah but does Robin actually really know. Jack just tells her Jo can't be upset or worried as she's not well!! Polly knows but she's older.

I really need to stop now!

Biddy's 'creamy brogue' only comes out at times of great excitement, iirc...

Chalet School (but only when in the Alps, not dullsville Guernsey), provided I don't have marry at 16 and have triplets.

On a slightly more serious note, the CS books provided lovely descriptions of travel and places that most UK school girls in the 1920 s to 1960s could only dream of. As a window to a European world they are invaluable and some of the trips engender very detailed descriptions of places that most readers would not be able to see or visit. I made my parents take me to Austria and it was beautiful.

Ok. Which Head girl is the best? I have always like Loveday Perone (sp) because of her name and she seemed so normal.

God I hope Madge got herself a lover. I found her and jem insufferable.

My parents went to Innsbruck last year, largely because of the Chalet school books (oddly, my Dad wasn't that bothered about them ).

The brought me lots of postcards, but I'm still very jealous.

I am lucky with my mum, she loves reading and introduced me to the Chalet school, Jennings and the Katy books.

I've emailed the three people who asked me for the transcripts - you should get three emails each so if they don't turn up or there are any problems, let me know.

Maybe someone could write a book that merges the two schools - Mary Lou could get pushed into the pool instead of Gwendoline; and Darrell's father, who's a doctor, could fall madly in love with one of the fifth formers and eave Mrs Rivers to marry her and impregnate her with quads.

Mixed stories? You want this from the Sally Denny Library (fan fiction arm of the Chalet Bulletin Board which was mentioned before). It will mess with your heads spectacularly but it's great stuff.