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.

It's a clear sign of my own weak moral fibre, and lower middle class origins, that I haven't stuck to the CS's rigid anti-slang stance.

To be honest I knew I'd never be considered a true Chaletian once I reached 21 without being knocked up by my childhood doctor.

Also marvellous and rubber neck fore flusher!!!

No ideas what that last one even means!

Oh and the triplets were joey big bang as they were nov babies.

The mind boggles!!!

I think rubber neck four-flusher had to do with cheating at cards. Rubber neck means sneaking a peek at your opponent's hand. And four-flusher refers to some poker rule or other, pretending you have an unbeatable hand when you don't. I think they may be more American than UK, and it was EBD's way of Americanising Evvy and Corney, in the same way as she made Deira and Biddy O'Ryan lapse into what she took to be an Oirish dialect every now and then.

Oh those awful Irish accents and turns of phrase. And I don't know where she got the name Deira from. I wonder did she mean Deirdre (pronounced Dear-dreh and not to be confused with Deidre, pronounced Dee Dree which is a totally anglicised makey up name).

Although, given that Biddy left Ireland permanently at the age of eight or so, and never seems to have returned, spending her time instead at a school that dedicated itself to eradicating her 'brogue', then Oxford, then Australia, it's pretty unlikely that she would sound remotely Irish by the time she returns to teach. (And Deira seems to be supposed to be Ascendancy, but sounds identical to Biddy, the child of a servant, but let's not quibble. Oirishness obeys no rules...)

The anti-'marvellous' policy was a bit mad. Fair enough, it's a word Hilda doesn't like and thinks is overused, but helpful people keep bobbing up to tell brand new girls not to use it, as if their desk will eject them through the ceiling if they say 'Oh, marv-!'

Burren, you're forgetting that Oirishness is genetic. I suspect that the Scottish twins Flora and Fiona/Fauna have the related condition of Scotchness.

The triplets were originally born on the 3rd November. At some point EBD decided to make them Joey's big bang, and changed it to 5th.

Goodness knows how my brain is wired to remember things like that, when most of the time I can't remember my own date of birth, and where I've left the keys...

I know I have found my knowledge of the chalet school fairly disturbing in relation to my RL ball juggling.

((hugs)) DeeWee. I filled up my brain chamber with EBD and 80s pop lyrics at a very early age. There is no room for such tiresome details as keys...

Oh dear ladies, just spent an eyewatering sum on Amazon of some of the middle years (having bought the first 30 or so in dribs and drabs, and with the transcripts circulating here). Are any of the ones written in the 1960s worth bothering with?

Dear oh dear, have none of you heard of the boarding school sine qua non - Charterton- where Shirley went?

That was my favourite because of Shelmerdine- 'the cat that walks by itself'.

Ironically I am learning German at the moment. Wish I could chuck out some of my EBD trivia to make room in my brain for irregular verbs!

There is a great bit in A Leader at the Chalet School where Jack says something along the lines of, 'If Miss Annersley hears about that she'll have kittens!' and gets thoroughly slapped down for this 'vulgar' phrase.

Charterton....I had forgotten that book! I read it countless times as a child..I may have to dig it out again!!

Tophole.
Mary Lous hair changing after she had the accident.
Grizel going up the mountain on her own and Jo rescuing her.
Grizel's waterman ink pen. How I longed for one after reading that book.

Charterton ? I didn't find anything googling? What have I missed?

Darmok I think they refer to this one.

You know those earphone plaits of Joey's? Wouldn't they affect her hearing? If so, could the idea have been to muffle the racket from all those kids? Or pretend she did not hear Jack's pervy amorous suggestions?

winkle only the tinkly laughs got through...

Empress, yes, that sounds about right (but my MN inbox doesn't go that far back) I have sent you a PM with all the names, but I guess I need to list them here too (I'll be inundated).

Someone else asked if my sister is on MN, yes she is (although not a mum) but she hasn't turned up yet on this thread! I have offered to proof read as she completes each book. She has typed one so far, but I'm not sure which one......

Mais n'est pas aujourd'hui le jour pour parler français?

Er... je voudrais un kilo de pomme s'il vous plait...

Got the PM, Audit, I'll try to check the list tonight.

Chalet School in the Oberland - playing cards and not respecting the Sabbath are worse sins than smoking, and Matey herself offers Miss Nalder a cigarette!

I remember how Joey hated brandy whenever it was used to revive her. As if.

And matey's acceptable methods for hair brushing and bed making.

One day though I will have a splashery in my house.

There is one book where the staff give Joey a cigarette to calm her (I think just after she'd left the school itself).
With all their expertise on lung disease you might have thought a Doctor would have noticed cigarettes aren't exactly good for the lungs.

It was before the time when it was known cigarettes caused lung disease. In Joey and the Oberland she gaily lights up several times.

Working my way through the transcripts right now - there's the occasional startling reference to girls having to work like n-s to make up for time they've missed in school - some of it has dated in pretty poor ways, but they are generally a lovely read.