Teachers World Letters, Jan 1930 - July 1934

[Tony Summerfield]

I certainly ran out of bookshelves long ago!

[Eddie Muir]

So did I!

[Julie2owlsdene]

Me too, but I still buy books!

[Daisy]

Same here Julie. I think a number of us are in the same boat! Even with a room dedicated to my books, an overflow still happens.

[Kate Mary]

Enid isn't the only one with the builders in, we have too. It's not such a big job as Old Thatch, a new kitchen and downstairs bathroom but I'll be glad when it's finished. Enid and Bobs seem to be enjoying the experience, at least Bobs getting titbits from the workmen is most likely true. I hope the escaped newt was eventually rescued and returned to the garden pond, maybe we will hear in a later column.

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... perid=1030" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A special plea to Tony. I'm reading the chapters from the Round the Year book as they appear weekly in TW but for the next couple of weeks the articles are uncollected. Please may we have these published on the website with the letters? There are several more next year (1933 that is!) which never made it into the book. I would love to read them.

[Courtenay]

Yes, I felt sorry for the poor newt, but I had to laugh at Bobs getting free food from the workmen and getting up to all sorts of antics around the building site, especially when he tripped one of the men up!

Fascinating, too, to hear a little of Old Thatch's history, though one wonders if the story of Dick Turpin staying there was historically provable or just a rumour. Anyway, it obviously (and understandably) appealed to Enid's imagination. She sounds like she could almost be thinking of a new story to write: "I wonder how many times Dick Turpin has hidden purses of gold, shining necklaces and glittering rings stolen from coach passengers under his pillow when he slept in Gillian's nursery, don't you?"

[Anita Bensoussane]

I hope your building work is going well, Kate.

How strange it must have been to see the newt's shed skin "still floating in the water, the shape and size of the newt".

[Kate Mary]

Delightful letters as always this week. I wonder if Sandy's apple is still encased in concrete somewhere in Old Thatch? I think it quite likely that that episode is true, but I hope Bobs and Sandy didn't dig up Thomasina and that was just Enid's imagination. It's a tricky puzzle this week, I've managed to solve two of them but I'm baffled by the others at the moment, I'll get back to it when I've more time.

[Courtenay]

I think I've got three of the puzzle answers so far — and one of them is Australian!

Another lovely pair of letters — here's the link: http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... perid=1031" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I would have liked to hear a bit more about the building work at Old Thatch, but it's almost all gardening this week — and a review of who "Gillian Mary" is for those readers who missed last year's letters!

I also wonder if Sandy's apple is still stuck somewhere in the cement! Did we ever find out, by the way, if anyone bought Old Thatch when it was up for sale recently?

[Anita Bensoussane]

I did the puzzle okay and enjoyed reading about Gillian Mary "squeaking like a mouse" with joy on seeing the masses of chrysanthemums in the greenhouse.

On the Rightmove listing for Old Thatch there's a message saying, "This property has been removed by the agent. It may be sold or temporarily removed from the market."

[Kate Mary]

Preparations for Christmas are in full swing at Old Thatch this week, personally I can't work up any enthusiasm yet. It's a nice idea though giving a card to someone on their own at Christmas who won't be expecting to get one from you. The Little Tiny House is a sweet little poem I don't think I've ever seen before despite the fact I have a copy of The News Chronicle Boys and Girls Story Book No 2 where it appears. I need to get round to reading it obviously.

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... perid=1032" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Anita Bensoussane]

I think the poem is sweet too, Kate. It wasn't long before Gillian had a little play-house like the house in the poem (made partly from materials left over from the extension) - though Noddy and his House-for-One wouldn't appear for years yet!

[Kate Mary]

It's a very busy time at Old Thatch this week, Enid is planning a garden makeover. But we have some sad news as well, there's been a cat among the pigeons (literally) and Bill has gone, poor Coo is widowed, but our hero Bobs is on the case with help from Sandy.

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... perid=1033" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Anita Bensoussane]

How sad about poor Bill.

I was extremely interested to see Enid Blyton's garden plan as I think the general layout of that part of the garden has survived. Take a look at the third photo down in the link below (victoriaconnelly.com), where you can see the circular area in the centre (it now has a fountain rather than a statue of a girl) with four flower-beds around it. Each flower-bed has a curved grass path running across the middle of it. And there is still a bench overlooking that section of the garden, though I think the rockery has gone:

http://victoriaconnelly.com/2011/06/tea ... d-blytons/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here are a few of my own photos, though they don't show the layout as clearly. In the second picture, Daisy and her husband are standing on a grass path running through one of the flower-beds.

[Courtenay]

That's fascinating to see that that part of Enid's garden is still largely how she designed it! Very sad about her pigeons, though. I hope there were no further losses after that, with Bobs and Sandy on the job.