International Incident at the Chalet School

[RueDeWakening]

Hear ye, hear ye! Gather ye hence, all angels (be-costumed with slightly tacky silver halos and suchlike) with your lark-like notes and prepare to dazzle us all with your charm.

No, not you Joan. Shop bought cake and cheap looks for you, my dear. See Matron for some milk on your way out.

Nell my lamb I agree with Madge that your parents have not just two pretty daughters to boast about but three!

Actually that was a horrible bit of the book really and EDB mentions lack of tact to be a kind of endearing quality in girls, so Joey has none but when Con is shown to be just as blunt she's told off by the Oaoml as being the type of woman people avoid like poison.

Quite but she's next door so it's difficult!

emily / simonego on tell us. Were you actually enjoying rubbing joeys nose into your chateau?

I mean you were poor but now you have a bigger pad than Freudeshime. And probably more bathrooms.

It must feel good?

hels pansy blue eyes and bronzy locks aye?

Prettiest girl in the school and artistic?

Anyway lights off for this inter fith.

Zzzzz

Dear Joey's visit?
Well now, let me see. She used lots of very kind words about our home such as charming, quaint, rustic, unusual, individual etc. She was predisposed to give us lots of advice about managing the servants and was truly astonished that we managed without even a cook / general or a gardener / handyman. She had lots to say about how to deal with the local folk and I was very relieved that the neighbours couldn't understand her pretty French accent (I have to say that her nineteen languages do seem to have become a little muddled over time).
She was very taken with all the nifty gadgets though. All her books on a little electric thing! Her favourite films on a silver circly thing! All the television channels my dear? And as for the electric hot water bottle; such utter bliss....

Ah bless her. Can just see her in her lime green twin set with those black pansy eyes and ear phone hair.

If you are struggling to cope surely you have a few wards and adopted sisters to help you my lamb.

Ask Joey to get you some. They will leave their school early and cycle 3 miles in any wearher to help you put your babies to bed.

See you do need Joey.

Ooh I've just seen a sneak preview of the first scene of Mrs Maynard's script:

Mary and her best friend are sitting in Mary's house.

Mary: Joseph and I must depart soon for Bethlehem where our child will be born. A precious burden indeed.

Best Friend: But it is just one child. I have carried three babes, lying in three mangers.

Mary: This child is the Son of God. I go to do God's will as the chosen one.

Best Friend: I also was chosen; chosen to have thrice times one.

Mary: This child will shine a light on everyone who lives in the land of dark shadows.

Best Friend: Three lights is better than one, and will light even the darkest of dark shadows.

Mary: Soon many Angels will come down from Heaven and join in praising God

Best Friend: I think those Angels come to sing the wonders of triplet babes born, not in a stable, but close to a chalet where awe and joy surround them.

Ooh it sounds very exciting. By the way, has anyone else noticed that Miss Annersley is looking a bit bad tempered today?

Ooh, it's me, it's me! Not that I wasn't thrilled enough initially to be cast as Mary's best friend, that notable and prestigious role. But now that I realise I'm basically Auntie Joey in her biblical carnation, I'm even more excited!

thebody why were you up at such an hour my lamb? Did you have to get up and drink coffee (why do they do this in the middle of the night?) because of a natural disaster of some kind? Or had the radiators broken? Or was some girl in your dormy having a near-fatal bilious attack because she saw Thekla eating raw bacon and sardines on cake?

Falling

Nell my lamb I heard a miaowe and realised my cat was outside. She's called minette obviously.

I clothed myself incase I needed to climb up on the roof to rescue her in this bitter weather but realised that just opening the back door was just as effective instead.

By the by I was wondering about the bad heart attack that Maisy Scott suffers that stops them taking Jo out for the day! I think EDB is confusing a panic attack with a heart attack.

But no matter the TB doctors will cope with either.

I expect chapter two is all about Mary's friend telling her she should steam ahead with a real family poor lamb just having one.

Actually I saw the second scene as well. It seems to be about the best friend, in a lime green robe, giving each of the three shepherds a baby to hold. Then she tells Mary how absolutely exhausted she is and faints.

Ooh Nell you have got a big part. You must be a brilliant actress.

Ten past 15 in continental time already, mes agneaux. Almost time for overture and beginners at our first rehearsal. I have five solos ready. Verity-Anne will start in the dark with "How far is it to Bethlehem" and when she gets to "lit by a STAR", the stage lights will come full up, the spotlights will be on me, the Golden Star and I will perform 32 fouettés centre stage.
I am not sure what happens between that and my next solo, but I am sure you can muddle along.

Ha, cliffs I've now got going through my head. Is that what OOALAuntieJo was aiming for, do you think? :o

Exciting real-life-imitating-Art news: DD is singing in English, French and German at the school carol concert in a couple of weeks. I think they might be a bit over ambitious with that myself. I'll make a True Trilingual Chalet School Girl of her yet (she's actually part way through Jo of, and says she's enjoying it...).

OOAL should clearly be OOAO...perhaps I meant our one and lonely? :o

Apparently Peggy Bettany is very upset and is going around muttering 'But Mary is supposed to be the best part. Not dancing stars and best friends'.

Okay Emily I've got my Les Sylphides dress on and have learnt all the words to 'How Far is it to Bethlehem'? I'm so excited that I'm opening the whole play.

Of course Nell has a big part, Falling. She just told us she has Bettany DNA!

Oh but we have lots of Marys. Mary Helena, Mary Constance, Mary Margaret. In fact all three babies are called Mary.
Now come along girls, we don't want to be late starting.
No I am sorry Mrs Maynard, but it is too late to make changes to the scripts. And the Marys wear blue, not lime green.

"How far is it to Bethlehem?
Not very far.
Shall we find the stable room
Lit by a STAR?"

Of course my next solo will be in the dearly loved carol, "We Three Kings of Orientar", who are of course, lit by a STAR.
Who are the Kings by the way? Oh Doctors! Gold, frankincense, myrrh and Courvoisier? How charming.

Oh sorry, missed my cue. Thirty-two fouettés with no travel.
Thank you, thank you, so kind.

Do pay attention Emily. And you kicked me during one of those fouettés and my halo fell off and hit Peggy in the face. She's looking most upset.

Oh dear. Best send her to Matey for an infusion. I don't think we need the baby's mother do we? We only have half a donkey, anyway.

Why, I think that's the cue for a spot of unofficial adoption by the best friend in lime green!

Oh, and in my haste to seize the child mother the world, I forgot to share my delight at "gold, frankincense, myrrh and Courvoisier"