I am quite amused to see that, currently, my top 3 labels are "achievement", "balance" and "positivity". Those 3 things are certainly on my mind a lot at the moment. However I'd like to throw another one into the mix, one that hasn't yet made an overt appearance, and it can be loosely described as "order" (think Betty Boothroyd) though in fact it covers myriad similitudes, from plain tidiness to good manners.
Perhaps it is because I am so naturally laissez-faire, not to mention a little lazy and a lot free spirited, that I find myself instinctively drawn to the sense of "order" when I am feeling overwhelmed. To get back on top of things I feel I need to pull my socks up and organise everything; it reflects my state of mind, and if things are cluttered and untidy then I am too. A healthy environment makes for a healthy mind.
This is the doctrine behind much of Enid Blyton's work, and it's obvious that this was a reflection, not just of the times, but also her own psychological troubles. However it is the Brent-Dyer Chalet School books that sum it up for me at the moment, where every girl is expected to have impeccable manners, always look tidy and respectable (and keep her possessions and cubicle the same), to uphold strong morals and generally be an all-round upstanding, friendly and charitable person:
"the character trait held up by the books as being the one most desirable is 'to think of others', although this trait does not necessarily include self-sacrifice. Brent-Dyer introduces this theme in the series in relation to pupils behaving charitably towards those less fortunate than themselves..." - Ju Gosling's The World of the Chalet School
This resonates so strongly with me, not least because I strive to be more community-minded myself (though it's hard to remember sometimes - especially when the 55th boat of the day has passed us at great speed, music blaring and folk peering in our windows!
Like so much in my life it all comes back to a finely tuned sense of balance. Whilst we should do our utmost to think of others, we must not forget ourselves; whilst it's good to be tidy and ordered, this shouldn't be at the expense of creativity and freedom of thought.
One thing is for certain. Our kids may be growing up as free-spirited tearaways, living as water gypsies in hand-me-down and makeshift clothes. But they will also be brought up to be kind, thoughtful, loving and well-mannered. Tidy would be a bonus but if it's a toss up between that and having happy-go-lucky creative kids, I can settle for tidy at times, much like myself...
And just so you know, I started writing this before I lost the boat keys...
The Mystery of the Disappearing Chalet School
Many of you may have never heard of it. I certainly don't recall reading or seeing these as a kid, and was introduced to The Chalet School series by my mother-in-law. Now I can't get enough of them; particularly as they are exactly the kind of easy, fun-filled, positively-slanted books that fit the bill for my poor tired head at the moment!
I'm lucky that mum-in-law has managed to secure copies of most of the series (which number more than 60!), through 2nd hand sellers and the wonderful Girls Gone By publishers. There are still huge gaps in her collection sadly, and these books are not easy to find, not to mention being pricey when you do happen across them.
What puzzles me is why on earth they were never reprinted by one of the original publishers. Elinor Brent-Dyer was obviously an extremely popular author in her day, and even now has somewhat of a cult following, being a sort of hybrid of Enid Blyton and Louisa May Alcott in both style and content. You couldn't imagine an Enid Blyton series like Famous Five or Mallory Towers going out of print. Nor could you imagine Little Women disappearing from our canon.
Perhaps it's a question of rights: if Girls Gone By have bought up most of the rights to republish the unabridged editions then maybe Chambers (and Armada, who published the paperbacks, though mostly heavily edited) just aren't bothered and see any lost revenue as minimal. To me, it just seems such a shame. Whilst GGB are obviously attempting to keep the series alive and obtainable, as a small independent publisher they cannot ensure supply with demand and inevitably titles are passing out of print again. Moreover, being only able to buy through GGB themselves or one of their select dealers means that fewer people are going to find out about them, and so the readership will also pass into legend.
Although you can seem to get a few titles through Amazon, they are as rare as hen's teeth and don't come in any cheaper than getting them straight from the publisher. If only GGB would (could?) change to on-demand printing for every title, including digital versions for the Kindle etc, then we could secure a positive future for this wonderful part of our literary heritage.
Image courtesy of http://antoniahart.posterous.com/return-to-the-chalet-school where you can also read a lovely overview of the books themselves.
It's been a tough week at Earthly HQ. Father Earthly has been down with man flu, and Mother Earthly has been somewhat burnt out. Meanwhile Baby Earthly no. 1 has been his usual charming but slightly silly sensitive self, and baby Earthly no. 2 has been drinking all the milk.
It's times like this one wishes we had doctors like we used to. You know the sort - "oh a week in the Alps is what you need. Plenty of bed rest, good hearty food and envigorating mountain air. And someone to look after you." If only such a thing were available on the NHS!
Perhaps rather tellingly Father Earthly has been reduced to re-reading Five Get into a Fix (the one where they're all ill and must repair to a nice Welsh Farmhouse to recuperate) whilst I have just finished Chalet School instalment number 25 or so (The Chalet School and the Island) in which Jo tells of a marvellous little place for burnt-out mothers called Penny Rest. In fact, I was so enraptured by the idea I almost tried looking it up on Google. If only!
Nevermind. We can always use literature to escape. And special mention must also go this week to Camberwick Green which has been keeping baby no. 1 quiet whilst none of us have had the energy to play with him! Beautiful. They just don't make entertainment like they used to!
Now I'm off to curl up with a nice cup of tea and Peggy of the Chalet School...
Happy Friday everyone!
