To think we are all ready to remove to Inter V at the Chalet School.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

New thread for all the Chalet School fans!

Spotted Dick?

I just consulted Ms Google, but all she could come up with were some (admittedly spectacular) pictures of volcanoes.

Phew, I've been having a look at the Sally Denny library. Amazing! Anyone got any tips on where to start?

Spending a wet afternoon with Sally Denny. Fantastic reads.

That must have been disappointing, Doris. I had visions of all sorts of interesting pictures come up. I must be one of the cheap girls like Joan Baker.

Just read all change. Errr wow!!

I seem to recall a discussion on erupted richard on either a chalet discussion board or in the FOCS magazine and no-one came up with an explanation...

Erupting Richard = Spurting Dick, surely?

Just been reading some of the stories on the Sally Denny website, it's interesting that Joey's personality in the later stories is attributed to depression in many of the stories, the manic interference in the problems of many of the girls is seen as a symptom of this.

Just finished Eustacia. I actually felt quite sorry for her!

Erupting Richard? Mind is boggling now.

That Sally Denny library is fab. Good thing it's a bank holiday as I now have plans to read all weekend.

Toospotty, I think you need to join me in the Remedial Form where all the bad girls go! Any suggestions as to what that form would be called?

Eustacia is portrayed as someone you should feel sorry for, not sure if EBD meant for that to happen, or not. I suspect not, but she does redeme Eustacia.

I find her character much more sympathetic than Nina, for example, althought they're not dissimilar in circumstances (both orphanned having been brought up away from other children, both get sent to unsympathetic to their likes and dislikes relatives who already have children).

But I suppose what they end up doing in the end Stacie definitely needs more sympathy. I assume Nina ends up a famous concert pianist. Stacie ends up coming back to teach at the Chalet school "because she knows how much she owes it", despite being an Oxford Don. And living with Joey, which is enough punishment for anyone.

I haven't spent much time in the Sally Denny library yet, but I did read one story which was just short passages describing Joey dying at all the different points during the series when her life has been in danger.

Made me chuckle, anyway.

I like the epic series by MaryR in the Sally Denny library. But, my lambs, be prepared for squalls!

Most of Joey's daughters had horrible male nicknames for very nice names:
Helena - Len
Constance - Con
Cecile - Cecil
Philippa - Phil

Margot and Felicity were the only ones to escape.

Don't they call Felicity Fizzy at some point? I may be confusing it with another book though.

Joey makes such a fuss about calling everyone by nicknames that I suspect she deliberately chooses names that have very much shorten versions. For the girls anyway. I can't think of any shortening for Felix.

One thing that always struck me when naming the triplets, was she says she could have liked to call them something that began with the same initial. And she'd have liked to call one Claire (she gets round that one by adopting a Claire later), but she then couldn't think of a single other decent name beginning with a C. And then later she uses Cecilia.

So the triplets could have been: Constance, Claire and Cecilia.

At first too, she calles her Connie for a short, which is so much nicer than Con.
Lena would be nicer than Len too.
Margot always makes me think of her from the Good Life, which spoils the name somewhat.

I thought that Margot called her Flixxy. And there was a suggestion that Felix be shortened to Fee, but that was vetoed as it was all-too-likely to turn into Flea - and heaven forfend one of Joey's children has a silly sounding nickname. Of course it was fine for her to label Fiona (of the Highland Twins) as Fauna - as in Flora and Fauna.

Flixxy-that's it, don't remember the idea of Fee though.

Felix and Felicity is an awful pairing though, shrieks twins from the rooftops.

Although I seem to remember a rather precious letter from Madge after her twins were born with something along the lines of "Kester is a form of Christopher so you can't use that if you want to"... doubling up names (especially Josephine and Margaret) hadn't been a problem had it up till then.

I actually rather like the pairing of Felix and Felicity

Pippa or even Pippy would have been a much nicer nn for Philippa. Phil just sounds as if it's short for Phyllis or Philomena (yuck).

These are not real people.

I heart this thread, which I have just read from beginning to end.

I wonder if any of you were on the Chalet School thread on the old Guardian talk...?

Tricycle this thread is a continuation of another one called 'Would you prefer to go to Malory Towers or the Chalet School'.... also worth a read.

the body that was too thrilling for words my lamb! Although I did get a bit confused about who all the Bad Men were...

I don't know whether to take a break or crack on. I did some of my own book the other day and think I've started talking in EBD-isms. It's all too thrilling. Maybe I should do a fanfic and get it out of my system...

I'm just reading the first book now. Its actually quite refreshing to go back to the simplicity of the early books. They are so much better written.

What sort of writing do you do Wilson? If it's romantic then you probably need to take a break if EBD is taking over.

This thread has cheered me up no end after a horrible week (FIL died suddenly on Monday), after my bad week I am sure I should be in bed with some drugged milk, n'est-ce pas?