The Enid Blyton Society

I think that Barney is wonderful and shows great patience towards many of the children visiting the message board, which is in the spirit of Enid's books. Those reading Enid Blyton books from a different culture must encounter a great many strange things. I particularly liked this post, which can only enrich the young reader's experience:

Posted by Rupsa Mitra on September 26, 2014

Hello, meeting you all after a long time. I just finished reading 'Thirteen O' Clock'. What is a daffodil clock?

Barney says: I think you mean a dandelion clock, Rupsa! As explained in the story, the dandelion forms a head of fluffy white seeds. It's customary to pick a dandelion and blow hard at it until all the seeds are gone. You count how many puffs it takes, and that's supposed to tell you what "o'clock" it is - e.g. if it takes five puffs before all the seeds are gone, it's five o' clock!

I bet many of those youngsters, as they grow up, will look back on the days when they posted regularly on the message board here and over at EBnet and be grateful for the kindly, informative responses and patience shown them.

I fondly remember learning about "dandelion clocks" from Enid's stories myself!

I already knew about dandelion clocks but I learnt many other things about nature from various Enid Blyton stories, including the features of slow-worms and what "cuckoo spit" is. She encouraged me to observe and helped me understand.

You're a fan of Pip too, as we know, Anita! Did he ever use a dandelion clock? I have a feeling he did, but it's years since I last read his adventures (though a great number of them have stayed with me, too).

I know I first heard of it in another Enid Blyton short story, but I can't remember exactly which one it was. I'm pretty sure it was about a little girl who went off to play outdoors, and in order to know what time it was (so she could be home for supper), she blew a dandelion clock. I remember thinking, when I read it, that it could hardly be the most reliable way of telling the time, but a sweet little idea nevertheless!

I can't actually remember Pip using a dandelion clock, though he might have done in one of the uncollected stories.

I just went to look at your Pip avatar and realised you'd changed it to Ship (from Pip to Ship! )It looks good too!

He'd be a bit small for it anyway, being not even as tall as a daisy! But he certainly made good use of shepherd's purses, poppy seed shakers, chestnut bud glue, acorn cup saucepans, and many other little gifts from nature, didn't he?

Oh yes, my avatar. No insult to Pip - I still love him and his adventures as much as ever! - but just felt I wanted the Adventure children there, since I'm enjoying their books so incredibly much.

Pip certainly did make good use of gifts from nature - though even as a child I thought those acorn cup saucepans would just burn up on the stove!

Oh, I never thought of that. My concern was more that the "handle" - the twig part - was at the base of the saucepan rather than at the rim!

We were teaching our grandson to tell the time by a dandelion clock. However, he couldn't blow hard enough, and after several attempts said, "It must be getting late!"

Wonderful, Nigel.