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

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

New thread for all the Chalet School fans!

Miss Annersley looked up from her pile of correspondence with a sigh as she heard the crash. She knew Joey had stayed the eternal school girl, but she did wish that she wouldnt try to prove this by doing madcap things like climbing in through the windows.

The piercing grey eyes that had never yet needed glasses fixed on Joeys normally pale face, which was currently flushed with excitement. In her hand she waved a letter.

Oh, Hilda! she exclaimed. I had to come over to give you the latest hanes guess who this letter is from.

Hilda bit back a retort that she was far too busy-in the conventional sense-to play guessing games. She knew her Joey, and it was easiest to humour her.

Madge? she asked.

No! Well you remember Francie Wilford?

Miss Annersley settled back. This was going to be a long process.

Well, seeing as she only left last summer, I havent had much time to forget her, she said gently.

This letter is from her. You see Francies next door neighbour cat goes to the same vet as the dog which belongs to the uncle of one of your new girls!

Miss Annersley cast her mind through the new girls. As far as she knew only one of them was likely to have any problems that Joey would think needs extra help, and judging by the crusading look on her face, that was exactly what she was planning.

Mabel Thompson?

Thats right!

She handed over the letter for Miss Annersley to read. At the end Hilda looked up.

Joey, she said trying to be kind but firm. The thing is I have met Mabel and her parents and they told us that theyve been estranged from her uncle for many

A dreamlike mask settled over Joeys face.

I dont like Mabel as a name.. Hmm Bella isnt fashionable now what about Mabe or Mab yes, I like Mab. I shall greet her from the coach, and tell her with her new name all can be forgiven and she can start again, and we shall

Joey, repeated Miss Annersley, This wont be necessary.

And then I shall invite her for afternoon tea, she will love helping with the babies' bath time, and I shall explain to her about forgiveness

With the crusading look fixed firmly on her face, Joey raced out again. The crash from the next room heralded her departure. Rosalie came in, and looked sympathetically at Miss Annersleys harassed face. Miss Annersley told her all about it.

I think Id enlist Biddys help, she suggested.

Miss Annersley nodded.

I was wondering about her myself. Im sure she can find something to occupy Joey when the coaches are arriving.

She picked up the phone to phone Biddy Courvoisier(?) once ORyan.

Oh sure, I know Joey of old, Biddy said when the situation was explained. Nothing will stop her putting her oar in where she feels it needs it.

Well on this occasion she doesnt need to, said Miss Annersley rather tartly.

Biddy laughed, and having assured Miss Annersley that she would keep Joey out of the way, put down the phone. Miss Annersley turned back to Rosalie with a relieved look on her face.

Thats one thing sorted, she said. Now, do you think we can convince Joey that were in quarantine for scarlet fever all term..?

I always thought EBD did Verity a huge disservice in the later books, turning her from a determined, strong-minded deliberate person to a 'clinging vine' and basically Mary-Lou's shadow.

Loved that, DeWee!

I always thought the bowls of coffee sounded weird until I went skiing with UCPA (cheapo young people's ski holidays in hostels in the alps) where there were no mugs, only bowls! Maybe it's a cafeteria food thing? The Chalet Girl inside me was very pleased!

My favourites are New Mistress, Wrong and Carola Storms and others from that period, A Future Chalet School Girl because I so wanted to be Melanie, and Lavender which was the first I ever read. Oh and Barbara because I was so taken with the idea of Switzerland and boarding school

My favourites are Rivals, New Mistress, Gay From China and Eustacia, I think. Exile is also good, mind you.

I'm also a sucker for the out-of-school stories. Although Joey Goes To The Oberland left me a bit WTF after she was drugged and sent to bed following the dreadful trauma of, um, falling in a box...

I've just started Triplets. The winter sports scenes are making me think that EBD never actually saw any live skiing - she calls it skiing, they do it on a flat field like cross country skiing, but her description is basically ice skating. Presumably she knew about as much about winter sports as about babies!

For me it's Exile, Gay from China, Rivals and Jo of.

New Mistress was my first CS book. Not the traditional starter!

Yes, I'm not really sure EBD knew anything about skiing - her descriptions sounded like some weird hybrid of cross-country and downhill, with only a passing resemblance to either. I wasn't really sure how much was her cluelessness and how much was that skiing might have been a bit different back then before resorts were properly pisted and had lifts etc.

I have, however, crossed my toes and fallen over on many occasions. And not flown like a brightly-coloured bird over the snow. So there are some similarities.

Jassy New Mistress was my first too

I found it quite useful in some ways I think lessons - though I'll admit to loving the Austrian books best. I've been to Pertisau a few times now, too, it's just beatiful. /sad

I have a soft spot for The Chalet School and Jo which is Jo's first term as head girl, when they all go to Oberammergau, because I read it a couple of years after going there myself. My other favourites are probably Highland Twins, Exile and Rivals (I like all the screamingly dramatic near-death/terrible anguish ones) and Carola and Eustacia because they were the first ones I read.

I have the Chalet Girls Cookbook - I'll dig it out and post some highlights at some point (sadly RL has forced itself on me, and I have Actual Work to be doing )

SGB I'd forgotten Oberammergau! Might have to read The CS and Jo next.

Other opinions firmed while bingeing on reading CS books while breastfeeding: Jack Lambert is a knob of Mary-Lou-esque proportions. And if I were a contemporary of the triplets I'd be pissed off at never being selected to any role, duty or solo of any type.

When I first tried skiing I was determined not to cross my toes and was v surprised when it didn't happen automatically every other minute. Trying to snowplough, yes, just skiing gently down the baby slopes, no.

I've been downhill skiing and never had a toe-crossing problem, but I went cross-country skiing for the first time a couple of months ago and it happened all the time (ow). Maybe it's the type of skis.

50s skis were much longer than modern ones as well.

I think EBD must be talking about cross-country skiing, because they go back and forth with no mention of climbing up hills, but the "skimming over the snow like a gaily coloured bird" stuff suggests she never saw more than a picture and didn't realise how bloody hard work and relatively slow it is.

Not that I'm overthinking this of course...

I had also forgotten how execrable her German was. I do find it intereting, though, how long conversations are recounted in French with no transation. Presumably she assumed that all her readers were naice girls who spoke a degree of French!

Well I feel sympathy for poor EBD, having just "hopefully" booked hotel rooms in Germany with a Guest house which doesn't speak English. And EBD didn't have google translate either!

Crikey! Dr Jem has just 'thrashed' a random kid, while Joey has simultaneously been working like a negro. There's maybe something to be said for the Armada adaptations!

(I have a free day today, I was planning to accompany Miss Wilson to Spartz to buy a few oddments but instead I'm reading...)

Carola Storms was my first. I didn't have a clue what the hell was going on... although I still remember the doughnut episode... what larks!

Brilliant DeWee

Wilson if that's one of the Bambini twins Jem's thrashing then it survives the cuts into Armada, as does the "working like a negro" comment (in at least one of my uncut versions EBD used a word that wasn't negro, presumably it was an acceptable phrase back then.)

I was disturbed the other day to discover that Joey has been spanking her three year old triplets in Jo to the Rescue. I thought she was meant to be far too good a parent to resort to that (and even in the 50s, surely 3 year olds were way too young?!)

You must be very young, Posy. Spanking was widely seen as not just acceptable but positively to be encouraged, and from an early age. Spare the rod and spoil the child.

But they had to be trained to instant obedience from their earliest days, Posy. I think meant to be on the short, sharp shock basis.

My favourite still has to be School at the Chalet. It was the first one I read and started my love of the Chalet School and all 20s/30s school stories. I was fascinated by the idea that you could start a school with just 3 pupils. And by the fact that the girls brought their sewing with them for the afternoon instead of 'real' lessons. It was just so alien.

Posy in Joey Goes to the Oberland Joey describes the blackleaded Charles and Mike as "Two little n*** boys".

Margot just concussed Betty with a bookend, but it's OK as everybody agrees that it was "at least half" Betty's fault. Even Betty. Victim Blaming at the Chalet School would be quite a long book...

I'm reading Reunion. Grizel, who has cracked her back and is condemned to lying flat for weeks, has just been given a supper tray with a bowl of delicious soup (same menu even at the San, then) and a custard pudding. How the hell did she manage to eat it?