60 years ago this week...

[Moonraker]

I might be wrong, but I think Julie wrote her Secret Seven story in around a week.

[Rob Houghton]

I might be wrong, but I think Julie wrote her Secret Seven story in around a week.

I think she did, yes

I was a bit slow with my Famous Five...almost 3 weeks!

It's amazing though how Enid wrote books, compiled her magazine, often writing new stories for it, hand wrote many replies to children's letters, attended various personal signing and story-telling sessions, coordinated various charitable collections, and probably half a dozen other things, I think she truly was a phenomenon!

[Moonraker]

Oh, Julie does all that too. And brings up a dog!

[Rob Houghton]

The Famous Five Puzzle is more tricky...I can't come up with an answer! Can you? --

- Rearrange 'Mary' to make another girl's name.

Is this possible? I haven't looked up the answer.

Yes, it's possible!

No...I still can't see it - but don't tell me! Can everyone answer this except me?!

[Courtenay]

I haven't figured it out yet either, Rob, so I hope it's not just me being thick...

You can make "Army" out of it, but I'm not convinced that's the answer Enid was looking for!

[Tony Summerfield]

I believe that Myra is a recognised girl's name?

[Courtenay]

Ah, see, I WAS being thick. You shouldn't have given it away so quickly, Tony, you spoilsport.

[Rob Houghton]

I guess it's Myra then! I never personally heard of it spelled that way. Perhaps it went out of fashion after Myra Hindley!! I knew a girl at school in the 70's called 'Mira' but never came across the spelling Myra. I'm surprised that this would be common enough for children to work out!

[Courtenay]

We had a student counsellor at my last high school whose given name was Myra; she was probably 60-ish, and that's nearly 20 years ago, so perhaps it was a more popular name in the '40s and '50s. But I can't think of anyone else I've known with that name, here or in Australia.

I hadn't heard of Myra Hindley, but having done a quick search online, I can see why people might be put off the name!!

[Anita Bensoussane]

The first Myra that came to my mind was the girl from Apple Bough (1962) by Noel Streatfeild. In the book, Myra's parents are musical and we're told that they called her after pianist Dame Myra Hess.

[Moonraker]

The infamous, evil Miss Hindley was the first name that sprang to my mind. Thank you Tony for putting us out of our misery. I stared at it for ages and could only see Amy R ! How is it that such a simple anagram can be so difficult to solve? One thing is certain, you won't be seeing me on Countdown!

[Julie2owlsdene]

Oh, Julie does all that too. And brings up a dog!

Not to mention looking after the grandkids and doing the school run.

[Moonraker]

And helps to run a forum!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I stared at it for ages and could only see Amy R ! How is it that such a simple anagram can be so difficult to solve?

I think it's slightly trickier than usual because the original name and the new name both begin with M, which is unexpected. At first I tried making names starting with other letters, before trying M.

[Rob Houghton]

Sixty years ago this week - we'd have been eagerly awaiting the next issue of EB's Magazine - July 18 - 31 1956.

Here it is - just popped through the letterbox! -



Its a great issue - and I really enjoyed reading it - one of the best so far I think, with some nice uncollected short stories in it!

The cover shows an illustration from the uncollected short story 'Foxglove Magic' - a story that reflects something some of us were talking about earlier in the week. The idea is that you find some dropped foxglove flowers at sunset, put them on your thumbs, and keep them there all night. If they stay there all night then the wish you wished before you went to sleep will come true! Sounds almost impossible - but this boy - called Denis, manages it, and gets his wish in a way he never imagined - to be a cowboy for a day!

This story has some lovely illustrations - and again, it's a shame they weren't credited. You can see by the cover picture how good they are, too!

In the editorial, Enid tells us this week how she has been watching the swallows swooping across the sky, very high up. Swallows flying high mean good weather - and flying lower means rain, because the flies they eat change height, depending on the moisture of the air. I was reading this under a grey cloudy sky in my own garden - not a swallow in sight though!

Next, Enid tells us a sad true story about two of the children who sometimes stay in 'our little children's home' as she calls it. these two are Anne and Robin, whose mother is often ill and so as they have no one to look after them, they go to the children's home, and cling to each other whenever they can for fear of being separated. Enid is so good at telling these stories - really brings out the sadness of the situation - because the children are often to be seen clinging silently to each other, traumatised. Happily, they enjoy playing in the paddling pool, donated with money raised by her Magazine Club - and they seem to have now forgotten to be afraid! Instead, Enid has seen them laughing together, which is good to know! I wonder what became of these two, and if they went on to live happy and healthy lives...and also what happened to their poor mother.

Enid reminds her readers that if they want to meet her at the Marlborough House garden party in London, then they must hurry and get their tickets. Hopefully the weather will be fine!

After the editorial and the Foxglove story, Enid continues the theme by including the poem about Foxglove magic -

You know the foxglove, growing tall?
There's magic in it!
One by one the flowers fall
Like pink glove-fingers, fairy small ;
Well, for a minute.
In each fallen foxglove bell
Beside your toe
There is a hidden pixie spell -
Slip it on your thumb and tell
In whisper low
Your dearest wish - it may come true!
Now don't be shy,
Wish away all summer through,
There's foxglove magic there for you,
Why don't you try?


Next we have the Puzzle Page.

The Sunbeams Puzzle - find the trees hidden in these sentences -

a) Will you peel me an orange
b) A wasp and a bee chanced to meet in the honey.

But most of the puzzles this week are easy, not like the one in the last issue that a few of us couldn't do!

Next comes another uncollected short story - illustrated by Marjory L Davies - and another very good one, all about Donald, who loves trains, and who watches as work men burn the grass verges away at the sides of the railway tracks, in order to stop sparks from the train setting fire to the dry grass (something I never realised had to be done until I read this) - and of how later he sees a thatched roof start smoking when sparks from a passing train ignite the thatch. Using his head, when he finds no one is in, Donald fetches a ladder and pours water on the fire until it is out - and get's a bike into the bargain - even though he insists 'Anyone Would Do The Same'.

This story is brilliantly written, it's informative, and is a very satisfying story - a real pity it hasn't ever been reprinted.

Next - Our Letter Page - and some fascinating letters as always. There's a definite bird theme here, as Anne Lacey from Cardiff tells Enid how a budgie perched on her brother's window and as no one claimed it, they kept it - then they found another budgie in the woods, which they also kept. You can guess what happened next - and soon they had two baby budgies. It sounds an interesting letter, but I do wonder how true some of these were...did Enid's fans have a flair for imaginative letters? I can imagine finding one budgie on teh loose, but two? And some eggs that hatched into baby budgies? Seems a bit unlikely!

Then there's a letter from Carol Frost in Rochester. I've never heard of this happening, either! -

'Dear Miss Blyton,
The other day I found a young sparrow that could not fly. I put it out on our lawn - and soon a lot of other sparrows found it. After a while these sparrows put the baby on to one of their backs, and bi by bit it reached its nest. Has anyone seen a thing like this before? Yours Sincerely, Carol Frost.'

Next, after the Noddy strip story, we have the next instalment of Five Go To Billycock Hill - Chapter five, with aeroplanes flying over the Five's camp site, and an impending visit to the butterfly farm.

Following on from this - a charming Mr Twiddle story - 'Mr Twiddle's Cold' - which was finally published in the 2003 book 'Mr Twiddle Fetches Polly and Other Stories'. It's a very amusing story, which made me chuckle, when Mr Twiddle, who fakes having a cold to get out of chores, thinks the visiting tailor is the doctor, and wonders why he's being measured!

There are many interesting adverts in this issue - the new Famous Five is out - 'Five On A Secret Trail' - and also a Noddy pop-up book. Then we have some other products - a waterproofed tent - for 33s 6d, a 'Real Radio' de-luxe crystal set for 20s, a red Indian wigwam for 19s 6d - and last but not least the 'Official Davy Crockett suit' - 17s 11d but the hat is separate at 4s 11d or 7s 11d.

Next - some 'Things to look for' - day-flying moths - the Burnet and the Cinnabar - two very bright day-flying moths with bright crimson markings on their greenish wings. Also - it's time to spot frogs, moving from the pond in which they were born to new ponds and ditches.

We end the magazine with the usual 'Club News' - about money that has been raised through jumble sales and cake sales and knitting and sewing and raffles.

Enid tells us lastly that since the last Secret Seven serial ended "I have had many letters from you asking when the next SS story will begin. Would you all like another Secret Seven? If so, send a card - and think of one or two good titles!"

Seems that Enid was running out of Secret Seven titles...which is quite obvious when one reads the titles she used!

Right! I'm off to order my Davy Crockett playsuit and my Red Indian Wigwam!