Would Kirrin Island be big enough to live on?

[Fiona1986]

I keep thinking how strange that was, too, Pete! Full name, often age, and full address! I quibbled about reproducing those details when putting the letters pages on my blog but decided to do it as it might help someone identify/recognise a letter from a relative.

[Chrissie777]

In many of my old second-hand books I see the addresses and names of people written on the frontispiece.

[IceMaiden]

What a super thread!

I don't think I'd want to live permanently on Kirrin Island, visit it yes but not live on it. It just wouldn't be practical or big enough to house everything and getting supplies would-be a real problem. I'd miss my room with all my books, dolls, creations and craft supplies, which there wouldn't be enough room for. My chinchillas aren't designed for life at sea either and I couldn't leave them behind. It would also get terribly lonely and probably be quite unbearable in the Winter. Now as a Summer holiday get away on the other hand, it would be heavenly, but as a full time residence it would be no good.

As an aside, reading through this thread and seeing talks of Sindy dolls, anybody whose got vintage/original Sindy's keep hold of them. They are highly collectible, that goes for the dolls themselves as well as original clothes and accessories/sets. I wanted one last year to turn into an fairy for the Christmas tree and I had to settle on buying only a damaged head because a full doll was going for £40-60+, far too much for a restoration project. They're very popular with doll artists to re-root and customize, as well as being sought after purely for their age. Sorry for going off topic .

[pete9012S]

You would be most welcome on the island IceMaiden. Your Sindy Dolls would fit most comfortably next to all of Anne's dolls in the cave.



Kirrin Island must have had a lot of wild flora and fauna. Anyone know if the books mention anything about that at all?

Also, on my Kirrin Island I would plant lots of Daffodils and Tulips.
I love the way they seem to mark the seasons faithfully each year.
Seeing the daffs come up gives hope that Spring is around the corner and when the Tulips pop up better weather is sure to be coming too!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Ooh - I love chinchillas, IceMaiden! I'm sure we'd find a way of accommodating chinchillas and Sindy dolls - and enough craft supplies for us all to get creative!

Regarding flowers, on various seashores/cliffs I've seen swathes of sea-pinks (thrift), chicory, sea-campion and sea-holly, so I hope we'd have things like that growing wild.

[Katharine]

How could I forget - I'd need a special enclosure for my guinea pigs please. Hopefully there would be enough grass for them to nibble.

Anita, I hope there would also be lots of native wild plants growing along the seashore, and Pete - yes, lots of daffodils, tulips etc please. Also lots of primroses and violets - some of Anne's favourite flowers I believe.

[Deejay]

I’d love to live on Kirrin Island and get away from everything! Maybe it would be free from Covid as well!

We'll have to set up a rapid result testing station for anyone wishing to come over to the island, before they get into the boat.

Indeed. Don’t forget the vaccine passports!

[Deejay]

I do wish more of the FF books could have focused around Kirrin Island as it really was the most mIagical part of the whole series.

How I agree with you Deej - As the series progressed there always seemed to be a reason why they could not go there.
This was was one of my few disappointments when I read the books as a child.

Absolutely Pete. It was such a shame that Together Again was the book to briefly feature Kirrin Island. As Stephen said, before that it was Plenty of Fun quite a few books before.

All of the best books featured the island for me.

[Courtenay]

Ooh - I love chinchillas, IceMaiden! I'm sure we'd find a way of accommodating chinchillas and Sindy dolls - and enough craft supplies for us all to get creative!

How could I forget - I'd need a special enclosure for my guinea pigs please. Hopefully there would be enough grass for them to nibble.

If I can import him from Australia, I'll bring Harry the dog. Not quite as big as Timmy... actually, he's only about the size of a large cat (he's a Toy Poodle). But he's lots of fun and even if he can't fling himself on any baddies that come along, I'm sure he could nip their ankles like Buster.

[John Pickup]

I agree that the books based in Kirrin and featuring the island were all great but some of the strongest books in the series took place miles away, namely Hike, Trouble, Smugglers Top and Fix.

[pete9012S]

Perhaps when you come and visit my vision of Kirrin Island with its very own discreet Whisky distillery and extremely well hidden real ale on site brewery you may change your mind a little John??

[John Pickup]

I can't stand whisky, Pete, but the real ale brewery sounds good. It will have to be well hidden or else Nigel will commandeer the contents for himself.

[pete9012S]

Good point John.
We need some one with a Piranha/Rottweiler type personality to guard our hooch from Captain Minesweeper Moonraker!

[Tony Summerfield]

How many if any of all the fan mail Enid received has survived I wonder?

Enid kept quite a number of letters from fans, obviously ones that she found interesting and also ones that she used in letter pages in her magazines.

If anyone is wondering how I know this, it is because I have them here now.

[pete9012S]

I'm sure you must have included some in past Journals Tony - Maybe room to show a few more in future Journals if space permits?