Photos of Enid

[Enikyoga]

Despite having health and mental problems in 1968, the last year of her life, I am meant to
understand that Enid Blyton managed to publish four books that year, which is a great
accomplishment in light of these circumstances.

[Belly]

There is a haunting sadness about these photos especially the one with Enid sitting down with her legs crossed. Enid looks like she has lost quite a lot of weight? She still looks 'together' though especially in the photo taken outside.

Looking at the mantlepiece I wonder what the photo was of that seems to have an invitation (?) card in front of it? The objects on the mantlepiece also look like they have been arranged by someone other than Enid to me. There is a slightly haphazard air about them? The candelabras at each end look like they should be on a dining table and make me wonder whether Enid would sometimes light them/ask for them to be lit in the evening and sit there with her memories and the glow of the candles and fire for company?

Agree also with Viv about Enid resembling Gillian Baverstock.

[Belly]

Just to add thanks to Tony for putting them here, they are fascinating. I would also love to see more and wonder what the content of the interview was, etc?

[Julie2owlsdene]

She still looks 'together' though especially in the photo taken outside.

I'm afraid I have to disagree with you on that one, Belly. Enid's smile and vague expression is very similar to the last photos I took of my Father, who died also with this terrible disease of the brain. Their expressions are almost childlike, with no knowledge of their once active and full lives.

Such lovely photos and I'm really happy to have seen them. Although I'd love to see more and also wonder about any possible interview. Somehow these photos bring home, the facts of Enid's last months, to see her smiling, child like expression, rather than just reading about the illness, to a once brilliant author.

[Belly]

Sorry to hear that, Julie.

Looking back again at the photo I can see what you mean I think.

Enid does look very well groomed also which maybe gave the illusion of 'together' - but I expect she had someone to dress her on a daily basis etc if she needed the help.

[Tony Summerfield]

Despite having health and mental problems in 1968, the last year of her life, I am meant to
understand that Enid Blyton managed to publish four books that year, which is a great
accomplishment in light of these circumstances.

I think you have possibly misunderstood the situation here. If you look in our Cave of Books you will see that Enid actually had 18 books published in 1968, but this wouldn't have had anything to do with her, I doubt if she was even aware of it. The last writing that she did was in 1964 and any books published from then onwards, simply contained previously published material.

You have obviously taken your '4' from the bibliography at the end of Barbara Stoney's Biography - but not the latest edition as Barbara asked me to completely redo the bibliography in that and even there I have listed 15 books. I left out one or two as I only included completely new editions in the bibliography I did for Barbara. Your list has just gone down to three, as I left out 'Once Upon a Time Stories' as this was actually published in 1969.

[Lucky Star]

Thanks for those extra two pictures Tony and Rolf. They are really very good. It is a stroke of luck that we have them as a testimony to our favourite author's last months. I too thought she looked very well until I read Julie's post about her father. So sorry to hear about that Julie.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Thanks for that, John and Belly. Sadly this is a disease that is becoming very common indeed.

I wonder whether or not Imogen and Gillian, (who I know is no longer with us), took any photos of their mother around the same time as the ones we've just seen.

These lovely photos have really whetted my appetite to see more. Do you know whether Imogen has any such photos she'd like to share with us, Tony? Or indeed if Rolf from Sweden has any more?

[Tony Summerfield]

I am pretty certain that the family don't have any photos of Enid at this stage, Julie. I have been talking to Imogen today about this interview. She knew nothing about it at all and was very surprised that it took place as by this time Enid's dementia was very severe and she almost certainly wouldn't have known who these people were or what they were doing there. Imogen was actually surprised that Enid was even at Green Hedges at this time and she thought that the only possible explanation for this was that Enid was between Homes. She had already reached the stage where she required 24 hour supervision. She was however still physically quite strong as she was only 70.

She added that certainly nobody would have arranged this interview and she can only presume that Rolf and his mother turned up at Green Hedges on spec.

My own mother died when she was 98 (and shared November 28th with Enid). She didn't have full blown dementia but she did have bad short term memory problems. She could talk fluently about things that happened many years ago and it was possible to have a very sensible conversation with her, but she was totally clueless about what were her current circumstances, she didn't really know where she was (a nursing home about half a mile from the Cave) or why she was there and was never able to tell me what she had had for lunch about half an hour before my visit. Simply I am saying that she was very muddled, but would have been capable of having a perfectly sensible conversation with a visiting Swedish Journalist, though she wouldn't have known who she was or why she was there.

I hope this analogy throws a bit of light on what an interview with Enid may have been like.

[Julie2owlsdene]

That's very interesting indeed what you have learned from Imogen, Tony. By the vague look on Enid face and that innocent child like smile, I can well imagine that she was happy to speak to anyone, but totally unaware of who or why they were there. It makes the photos seem so much sadder somehow, learning this. What a cruel disease this is. I remember taking photos of my Father in much the same way. I'm sure half the time he had no idea who I was but was over the moon to sit and smile for the photo and chat away about anything or nothing.

Sorry to hear your own mother suffered the same way as my Father, Tony. It's these last memories that unfortunately stay in ones mind.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Very interesting to read people's posts and learn of Imogen's thoughts, and thanks to Julie and Tony for sharing memories of your own relatives' memory problems and thereby shedding some light on what the situation may have been like for Enid.

Imogen was actually surprised that Enid was even at Green Hedges at this time and she thought that the only possible explanation for this was that Enid was between Homes. She had already reached the stage where she required 24 hour supervision.

Did Enid spend time in more than one Home, then? I can't quite recall, though I seem to remember that she spent the last three months or so of her life at a Home in Hampstead.

Anita

[Tony Summerfield]

I'm not sure that you fully understood me here, Julie, with regards to my mother. She always knew exactly who I was and also was well aware of who all her other visitors were too (mind you none were Swedish journalists, just neighbours and people that she knew). She had a short term memory problem and was liable to be repetitive, but everything she said was perfectly sensible to everyone she knew. She would have been unaware of who well-meaning Social Services people were or indeed what they wanted, but for anyone who knew her there was nothing sad at all, she maintained a fine sense of humour to the last.

Answering Anita's question, as I understand it Enid spent time in several different Homes in her last two years (she had to go into a Home when Kenneth was ill in hospital), but she didn't like any of them and they found that she was very difficult to cope with.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks for that, Tony. I've just remembered that Gillian once said something about Enid Blyton wandering off outside alone while suffering from dementia, and trying to hitch lifts. I wonder whether that was when she was at Green Hedges or when she was in a Home (or both)?

Anita

[Julie2owlsdene]

I'm not sure that you fully understood me here, Julie, with regards to my mother.

Sorry, Tony. I did understand your posting and the different degrees of dementia. (I must learn to word my postings correctly.

[Kate Mary]

Thank you, Tony, for posting these last poignant photographs of Enid at Green Hedges, I'm glad to have had the opportunity to see them. Is it possible to add them to the Society Photo Album in the 'Secret Passage'?

Kate.