To start a new term at the Chalet School?

[Vintagejazz]

Happy for this to be moved to Chat if posters agree but thought I'd start it here as this is where we've all been loitering without permission when we should be doing our housework homework.

So welcome to a new term everyone. Cases upstairs to the dormitories, form lists on the notice board. And you'll all be pleased to hear that even though we've moved to a different location, Joey has tracked us - -down moved in next door, so we'll still be seeing too much-- plenty of her

Veta grows up, gets married to someone who dies in a plane crash but not before she has about 4 kids one of which she names after Joey of course

It also feels quite uncharacteristic, I thought, when the Balbini twins are effectively 'punished' for their bad behaviour in that way - the reason the Chalet School makes such comforting reading, to me, is that these things mostly just Don't Happen. There's a near miss round every corner, but a quick song from Joey or the Robin and a day or two in bed cures all ills. I know it's not quite the only such occurrence, but all the actual Bad Things jar, IMO.

There's quite a nice line in the book though where Miss Annersley is talking to the prince and tries to get him to warn the children that their mother is dying, because nobody had told her when she was a child and her mother was...

Oh, and also, re pronouncing Margot - it shouldn't have taken me as long to find out, even as a child, because it was the name of my best friend's stepmother. I'd stayed in her house countless times but it just hadn't occurred to me that "Margot" and "Margo" were the same name until I first noticed hers written down, years later.

Even Margott would have been better than Len. Imagine anyone calling their baby daughter Len instead of Helena?

Lena is nice and Pippa instead of Phil

I don't think it was unreasonable for Veta to have called one of her dc after Joey. However Maisie doing so was just ridiculous.

One of the things we have with the "New Chalet School" is that Maria is entered for the Chalet School for the next term, but never arrives. That sort of inconsistancy irritates me much more than it should.

I found New Chalet School is the beginning of Joey becoming sickly sweet. When they find the Mystic Ms with Sybil and tell Maria, she comes over all motherly, looking after her and "saving her from a bad illness" etc. But actually the Joey has a rather bad habit of holding a grudge, and isn't really motherly except to Robin. It realy jarred with me when I read it, that Madge would have reacted like that, but Joey would have been standing there saying "serves them right, they didn't kiss Robin goodnight" or something.

Someone told me once that Len would have been pronounced Laine. That's slightly nicer than Len. I didn't know that as a child, though - I assumed Helena was pronounced Helen-ah, not Hel-ain-ah.

Right, have found some more of my transcripts. RueDe, please may I have access to your OneDrive thingy? I'll PM you. I have:

Trouble At Skelton Hall (EBD, not CS/La Rochelle)
Challenge for the CS
CS and Richenda
CS Cook Book
A Future CS Girl
Head Girl of the CS
Jane of the CS
Kennelmaid Nan (EBD stand-alone)
New CS
The School At Skelton Hall
Theodora
Tom Tackles The CS
Two Sams
The Triumvirate Went Skiing (CS short story, written by EBD)
The School At The Chalet

All of mine are unabridged versions. I thought I had Trials because I've definitely read an uncut version of it but I can't find it.

oooh I quite like Laine

Has anyone transcribed a book themselves? How long does it take? I have a number of GGBP copies and collected hardbacks but I'm daunted by the idea of sitting down and painstakingly transcribing one, especially as DH hogs the laptop most evenings.

I wondered if Maria ever ended up at the school as the name didn't sound terribly familiar. But then those events were set very shortly before the war when I suppose lots of plans would have gone out the window, so it makes it more believable (although I'm sure in real life EBD just forgot all about her).

Maria started off staying with Wanda being distantly related cousins or something (sort of like me and Robin), I think Prince Balbini emigrated to America and took the kids with him, but I could have just made that last bit up.

One of my friends would say Hel-ain-ah which sounds quite pretty. Unlike the school near here which is St Elleners! So in that case Laine sounds nice.

Ooh Cheddar, more EBD books!

I did notice the Von Trapp girls in the Sally Denny story linked upthread never showed up either :o

Got your PM, RueDe, thank you! Some of my files are links which you have to download and then open with a Word/Open Office type programme. Can I upload the link to your folder? It's a bit of a pain - I'm downloading Open Office onto DH's laptop right now so I can save them all as Word files, but it's not finished yet.

Just wondering, who was Biddy O'Ryan's actual guardian. I know the school adopted her, but presumably some named person had to have ultimate responsibility for her. Was it Joey or Madge or Miss Annersley or some other person?

He died in a plane crash??!? Way to break it ti me, Wabbity!

ppplease We're talking about the Chalet School books (written 1920s-1960s) it's not real... yes, I know everyone, but I did have to break the news carefully to a tearful dd2 who asked if I could write for a prospectus.

Oh I see. Never heard of them!

Biddy's reports went to Bill as the Captain of Guides...she was adopted by the Guide companies and paid for out of Guide funds (or at least that was the original idea in Exploits). Bill doesn't really seem to have taken much of an adoptive interest in her, mind. Isn't she sent to uni by the Russells?

Yes, EElizaveta, and the peasants of Belsornia ploughed salt into the ground to stop Hitler benefiting if he annexed the country...because they loved you and your father so much...so he was last heard of running a sheep farm in Australia, as all dispossessed monarchy does. By the way, do you know your husband's back story at all? EBD wrote a book called The School By The River which features Tamara Helston and her big brother (was his name Rafael? Duc di Mirolani, anyway), who went on to be your dearly-beloved husband. It is a really terrible book, set in a Ruritanian kingdom and featuring a v romanticised music school.

Speaking of terrible non-CS titles, has anyone else read EBD's only attempt at adult fiction, Jean of Storms? It is truly dire.

Daisy it was adoption by the guides and Bill had her reports etc do guessing Bill was her named guardian.

Just wondering what safeguarding proceedure covered a 12 year old Biddy from sleeping in Bills bedroom?

I suppose the same one that allowed Hilda Annersley to share her bed with Con after she sleepwalked following a scary story told by Signa.

Happy days!

And cruelty, what about the doctor told Lydia she had inky herself to blame for little Rolf's death if he had been brought up obedient it wouldn't have happened

Ffs what price family doctor and empathy. Mind Lydia Maynard hated Joey so served her right.

Oops xposted Too re Biddy.

Ah yes adoring peasants.

Thanks Extra and Thebody.

Yes, I read Carola recently and was a bit shocked at Miss Annersley bringing Con to her own bed after she had a nightmare and woke up down in the cellar. And then set up a camp bed in her room so that she could keep an eye on her for a couple of weeks.
I think that would be a sacking offence nowadays

Right, have uploaded my transcripts now! RueDe, you might find a panicky email from me to the account you created for OneDrive - please ignore it! I've managed to work it out and have uploaded my files as Word files.

Going back a bit (catching up after a long day keeping on top of the Middles), in Reunion Molly Maynard is married to Ken Mackenzie. I realise that just confuses further.

Also there are lots of Evadnes. It's just a dated name. Hinge of Hinge and Brackett was an Evadne, and there's at least one in Agatha Christie. It's pronounced E-vad-ne.

I almost called DD Helena but was put off by the thought of all the possible pronunciations. I think the traditional English way to say it is Helen-a, and that's what I wanted, but obviously lots of people say Hel-Lane-a. I do think though that in the 1930s she would have been Helen-a and therefore a pure Len, not Laine.

Right- anyone I've sent my trascripts to, I suggest you delete them in favour of the lovely tidy ones that clever people have put on the onedrive site! Thank you very much- very exciting!