The Enid Blyton Society

I think you wrote "phone" and "phoned" more often than "'phone" and "'phoned", which is why the apostrophe was dropped.

Incidentally, in my Armada paperback edition of The Rilloby Fair Mystery (1979), the name of Roger and Diana's relative is written as "Great-uncle Robert" or simply "Great-uncle" - or even "Uncle Robert" as you said, Rob. I noticed you wrote it differently (as "Great Uncle Robert" or "Great Uncle") but I left it as I thought it might vary in different editions of the book.

Interesting that Enid writes it with a hyphen as in 'Great-uncle and therefore uses a lowercase 'u'. I'd never noticed that, if I'm honest - but I was only writing from memory and didn't actually check the text. I would usually put them as two separate words, both with capital letters. I'm not sure what the 'correct' way of writing it is in 2017 - as I know things change, but I presume the hyphen was correct in Enid's day?

Yes. You still see it written with a hyphen quite often.

Probably because there's technically a difference between a "great-uncle" (i.e. an uncle one generation removed) and a "great uncle" (i.e. an uncle who is great)!

True - although looking it up, most places give both versions. I did think that though. Being a 'Great 'Great-uncle' ' myself.

My late great-aunt (who was also a great aunt!) always insisted on just being "Auntie Raie" to all generations of the family. I think the "great" bit made her feel old!!

Yes, my Great Aunt Rene (who I was very close to, and even went on holiday to America with when I was 21) was always called just 'Aunt Rene' or 'Auntie Rene'.

I feel rather young to be a Great-uncle!