To wonder why MNHQ still haven't given us our Chalet School topic?

[TheObligatoryNotQuiteSoNewGirl]

Because we probably shouldn't still be hanging out in AIBU, four (or is it five?) threads later.

I've been reading all the lovely transcripts, and although I started Prefects yesterday, I don't want to finish it, because it's the last one! :-(

And there was much hilarity about Steven's middle name being "Green", o how we laughed.

Quite an odd form of nesting, I guess that's what come of having too much help.

Lime green hotpants

I have reached a gap in the TS after religiously reading them. How will I survive without ML's own book? Is that the one where she has the accident? I'm sure I had it when I was younger but winged it's way to a charity shop when DM went to join Emerence and Con Stewart in Australia.

I only have an Armada ML, and not to hand, but iirc yes, that's the accident, and it also features an excellent rendition of St Nicholas which ends in ML getting told off by Miss Annersley for getting overexcited and stuck on top of a cupboard. Poor Mary-Lou.

Just been down in the village to drink bier do an errand for matey. And guess what? Miss O'Ryan was coming out of a tavern with her arms wrapped around a tall blond man who didn't look the least bit like a doctor, and Miss Wilmott was being ill on the pavement - it must have been that veal we had for abendessen, I thought it tasted a bit off -.

Oh, poor Miss Wilmot. I hope you mentioned it to Matey when you got back.

Don't let Miss Annersley hear you spreading such gossip vintage. I mean how did you know the tall blonde one wasn't a doctor? What else was he likely to be especially in CS world where all tall blonde men are doctors?

What are synthetic maps? I always wondered.
In which book did the younger mistresses chase the girls wielding light whips (Oh gosh and other remarks in forbidden slang).
Simone grew up a far nicer person than Joey. Add Joey was horribly jealous when she visited Simone's tatty chalet. She stomped all over it saying 'Cover than in lino. Throw that away. Have all the ILs to live in the spare rooms and bring me breakfast in bed.'

Chateau, not chalet. Sorry, Simone!

synthetic maps as far as I understand imagine them are like transparent sheets with different information on them so you can overlay them and connect trends.

I find it strange the Simone - Joey friendship. As a child I thought they were "best" friends and that the friendship was mutual. Now re-reading them it is obvious that the friendship was very very one sided and Joey wasn't that nice to Simone although I still get the impression that Simone is Joeys "best" friend

Isn't Miss O Ryan earmarked for Dr Courvoiser the moment he jumps in to save Margot and Prunella Vintage? Maybe Jack was taking a break from his extended family.

I think it was The Chalet School and Oberland Hagar. They have a St Nicholas party at Welsen.

I'm on Problem which I think was one of my favourites when younger. I remember being very shocked when I went to boarding school that most people lived in houses with names rather than numbers so probably empathised with poor common Rosamund (of course my mother had taught me lovely manners so I was OK).

I think the whip thing happened in Mary Lou of the Chalet School. That was also where she jumped on top of a wardrobe and couldn't get down.

It's in both. It is madly brilliant and bears repetition imo. The bit where ML gets in trouble (struck me as v unfair as a child - but totally reasonable because it doesn't even begin to cancel out the five zillion "it's only Mary-Lou" moments where she should have gotten into trouble and didn't) is an especially nice touch, and adds to the surreal nature of the thing, but Oberland is my favourite overall book, between those two.

I think one of the difficulties with the Joey-Simone friendship is that EBD wants to make a point about how friendship shouldn't be selfish (Simone shouldn't feel threatened by Joey's other friends), but also doesn't want/can't believe in Simone outgrowing her 'sentimental nature', so it can't really shift. That sounds more critical than I mean it to. I do think it's a bit of a clash between her desire to let the characters lead the story, and her desire to push the underlying moral.
I also feel a bit like EBD condemns Joey being cruel to Simone as a child (I think Madge tells her to be nice, on at least one occasion?) but somehow finds it OK once Jo is an adult - because she can no longer do any wrong. And yet actually, she still is mean to her.

You're both right - St Nicholas and his not-at-all-inappropriate demons visit in both CS and the Oberland and Mary-Lou. EBD was clearly bored of inventing fun Evenings by then.

Well it sounds more fun than the 'fun' evening in Problem for the Chalet School. Poor Joan Baker. I totally understood how she felt.

You mean you don't want to spend hours playing silly games and then win a reject a great prize donated by the 6th form Vintage?

Well, I did get a bit excited when I saw that first prize was a lime green knitted handkerchief holder donated by you know who.

It beats yet another sodding lavender bag, I suppose, Vintage.

I used to really truly in-real-life work somewhere where "make some lavender bags!" was one of the most common responses to minor crises.

I'm very, very late to this, but can I join the school please? Think I'd be coming in around the fourth form - dodgy language skills so I'll be mute a few days a week until I find my feet.
Mum and Dad emptied the loft and brought all my old stuff down to me, including a huge number of my chalet school books. I'm now working on filling in the gaps - waiting for two or three more to come and I will be complete up to number 16, with loads after that until about book 40 when my collection is seriously sketchy. When the books arrive, I will be able to read them all in order. And finally find out what happened with Thekla which I remember being repeatedly referred to, but I never ever managed to read that one.
I'll try not to cause too many waves, promise...

If you don't want to make waves baby, keep away from Vintage. She's friends with Joan Baker and is always getting into trouble and having heads reports. They have even said at this rate she won't be marrying a doctor!

I would remind you Robin that I have eyes like pansies and call Joey Auntie Joe, so I am one of the inner circle.
Allso, I don't eat shop bought cake (unless it's Mr Kiplilng Apple Bramleys. They're delish)

I won't be marrying a doctor?

I think I need some drugged milk, QUICK!

LOL Vintage - assume you're only just rousing from your milk-induced stupor?

It is a bit odd how ML calls Jo "Auntie" within seconds of moving in next door. I'd be a bit shocked if any of my neighbours' children started calling me Aunty.

Does EBD keep forgetting who Rosamund is? She seems to alternate between being Rosamund Lilley (gardener's daughter) and Roasmund Lucy which would surely make her one of the chosen just second to the Maynard/Bettany/Russell clan.

Oh yes, if you're a Chester/Lucy you are second in line to the throne.

Unless you are Vi Lucy and then you have to play 2nd fiddle to Mary-Lou (at least Vi gets the chestnutty curls and violet eyes as compensation unlike "puckish" Betsy)