A fête worse than the Chalet School

[EmilyAlice]

Roll up, roll up!
Bid for a mortgage on the doll's house! Pin the tail on the St Bernard! Guess the weight of the handsome doctor! (Or pin the tail on the doctor and guess the weight of the St Bernard). Knit a lime green liberty bodice against the clock!
The Chalet School fête is open.....

I think Felicity is Felicity Josephine. and something in my head says Phil is Phillippa Anne, but I may have made that last one up....

Doesn't someone ask one of the trips about this in a later book, and gets the reply that they're all Mary apart from Felicity Josephine? Or have I made that up? I always assumed it was a Catholic thing rather than a 1950s thing but I've no idea why Felicity was different.

Hope your DS feels better soon, Nell.

Felicity was Felicity Josephine as Jack wanted one to have Joey's name. I don't think Phil was born at that point, so the comment only Felicity wasn't was still valid.
Although of course Cecil was Marya rather than Mary too.

I wonder if Felicity was proud to be different or felt left out. Certainly among children I've known in a similar position they've usually felt left out. Although those I've known it has more often been surnames due to another dad, so those have obviously had other issues too.

Mm, and EBD's not always so good on 'proud to be different', is she? Thinking of Eustacia, Theodora... Although equally, having 'Josephine' in her name doesn't make Felicity particularly exotic among the second/third generation of Chalet girls.

It does strike me as odd (I remember thinking this as a child, too) to do the Mary thing for some daughters and not for others. I would be interested to know whether it would be considered weird among Catholic families who do the Mary thing, or if it's fairly standard to have some Marys and some not.

Thanks btw mornington! He's not so bad really (although off again today) - just very wrung out in maybe a post-viral fashion. It's made me think, about all of this lengthy convalescing in bed or in the countryside or mountains or whatever, as in the CS. Maybe they had the right idea after all.

Also, I know this must look as if I am forever trawling Baby Names for CS connections and I'm honestly not, I only look through MN via Active Conversations, but: who is called Gypsy in the CS?

DD2 has a uni interview next week with James Russell - sadly she's not as excited as I am about it .

Gypsy Carson Nell, from St Scholastika's. Technically not a Chaletian as I believe she left before the two schools combined. I think she pops up later to send the school one of the rebellious new girls - Emerence? Theodora? Someone like that.

By the way I am from a Catholiv background and me and all my sisters all have Mary as a middle name. Youngest DSis was a mistake afterthought so big age gap, but there was never any thought of giving her a different naming structure as a consequence.

Visions there is a Stephen Maynard on the staff list at work. I admit I have tried to find out which one he is, so I can see if he fits my mental picture of how Steve would grow up (fair, bossy, and a doctor).

Hey, EElisaveta, one of my DDs used to be at school with a Steve Maynard. I wanted her to ask him round so that I could have a dekko, but she was at the age when girls and boys won't go near each other and she refused to oblige. Visions, is the interview for a degree in medicine? I do hope so!

I'm a catholic. My sister's middle name is Mary but mine isn't. It was normal to give the eldest daughter Mary for a first or middle name, and to give subsequent daughters another saints name in Ireland when I was growing up.

Oh interesting - thanks both for the helpful Catholic perspectives on the Mary thing, so either setup is fairly normal then! (I guess if she'd had no more daughters after Felicity, that might have felt a bit odd-one-out for Felicity - three Marys and her not being one - but that's probably pretty minor compared with the general odd-one-out-ness of not being a triplet!)

Disappointed that I have no Chaletian names in real life to share! I may well find myself inspecting the global address list when I'm back at work on Monday.

There's a Jo Maynard on our local Facebook mums' group! Always like to imagine her posts in a golden laughing voice.

I tried looking through the email addresses at work to see whether I could find any rogue Chaletians. I couldn't find any at all, although I did find a range of six Russells "- no relation".

But, Nell, we don't know what the next generation of Russell children are called, so I think it would be a mistake to rule out your six colleagues without more evidence.

I'm being very strong-willed about not reading my prequel-prequel until the holidays. It's locked in my filing cabinet at work this weekend to help me resist the temptation to peek. I'm saving it for between Christmas and New Year when everything feels a bit flat and there's time to enjoy it. It'd better be worth it!

Haha! But what sort of evidence might I gather, to suggest that they are or aren't authentic Bettany descendants? (Very impressed by your willpower btw!)

Meanwhile I've been plotting to cross OOAO's toes, so as to pinch the leading role in the Christmas play at the eleventh hour...

I have just readied myself for Christmas with a short story from GGBP's Chalet School Christmas Story Book. It was accidentally almost perfect - Nancy and Kathie on a Christmas holiday together, staying in hotel rooms with a special connecting door which makes them all giggly and unable to catch each other's eye in the presence of the proprietor. They also pass an afternoon "in light entertainment", which sounds suitably euphemistic given the agreeable bedroom/door situation.

Happy Christmas, my lambs! You were all simply marvellous in the play. even if I did get passed over for King Herod's Cock yet again

Fröhliche Weihnachten my lambs! May your shoes be filled with every kind of good thing, and may you remember to empty them completely before putting them on.

Merry Christmas mornington! And all other Real Chalet Girls.

Merry Christmas all

New girl here. I've just found this thread and infuriated DH by reading all 17 pages and howling with laughter (and not being able to explain why, despite him having read at least one CS in his past )

Would some kind person be able to PM me the detains for the OneDrive link mentioned?

Welcome merlinalison and Bonne Année à tous.
I can't help with the OneDrive as I can't get in any more. I don't think it likes furriners which is not very Chaletian.
We had a full Chateau for Noël but they have all gone now and the sheets have been crisply laundered and everything else rubbed with beeswax.
Fortunately Joey decided to have a quiet Christmas at home and is still sulking because everyone forgot her birthday except me.

Bonjour merlinalison! Aujourdi Hui, c'est le jour pour parler Francais. Ne frettez pas, vous sera obtener le hang of it bientot.

J'ai envoye vous une PM avec les details de le Unedrive. Bonne chance pour entrer et enjoyer les transcripts!

By le way, ne permettez pas Emily de ecouter vous parler en Anglais. Elle est une poppet mais une Tartar quand roused. Et elle parle avec la Francais belle accentee.

Oh bother, pendant les holidays de Noel j'ai forgotten tout le francais. Est-ce que some kind person pouver teach me lots of vocabulaire or else tout mon readies will aller dans le staff gin fund fines box. Welcome, merlinalison - I'll be your chien de moutons on condition that I don't have to attend yet another boring tea party chez Mrs Maynard. Mind you, it sounds like she's safely holed up in Emily's chateau for a while, no doubt taking to her bed for a month after her exhasting journey from the Oberland, bless her sensitive little lime green (beautifully-darned) socks.

(I've heard Emily is planning a midnight flit to Spain to get away from her, Captain Carrick style - shhh).

Is it English day today then? Or german. Ich know nicht Deutcsch...
Has anyone read the pre prequel? What do we think?

I'm about to start the pre prequel, Hels. I heroically saved it for the usually boring space between Christmas and New Year, but it got busier than I'd anticipated!

Everyone's trunks all packed and ready to be sent off for the new term? Or in Emily's case, heartless goodbye note written?