The Enid Blyton Society

I always feel very nervous whenever I become the subject of the conversation, so clarification time: I was referring mainly to Stephen, and I suppose 'joke' isn't quite the right word, but he definitely seemed to be making light of a very serious condition, and seemed to be implying that Blyton was too, by constantly using the word 'satire'. Satire means using wit and irony to point out something ridiculous or foolish, and my point was that there is nothing ridiculous or foolish about dementia. Forgetfulness in dementia is nothing so mild as people forgetting where they put their house keys, or their papers or something. It is far more serious. Dementia happens when the brain gets diseases, and forgetting means you could forget who you are, who your family members are, and where you live. In addition, it can seriously impair your ability to reason and think clearly. I somehow can't see Blyton (or anyone else) making light of such a condition or lampooning it, so I am not sure why Stephen keeps going on and on about it.

I don't think I would take this too seriously as it is just another of Stephen's wonderful theories and there have been a few. Just to lighten the mood I have posted one below that is actually just the tail end of a long post that is lost somewhere on our forums, but it gives a flavour of the way that Stephen thinks.

Yes, it is true that Motown stalwarts like Barry Gordy, Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross may have "discovered" Michael Jackson and his siblings (originally called The Jackson Five), however, it was Enid Blyton who may have "prophesied" the coming of the real Michael Jackson the singer, 13 years prioe to his birth (The Family At Red Roofs was published in 1945 and Michael Jackson was born in 1958) just as the prophets of old like Isiah, john the Baptist, etc may have prophesied the coming of the Messiah by ingenously creating a "Michael Jackson" that resembled the real Michael Jackson the singer, at least in the much younger years of his life. Probably, if many Michael Jackson fans (who number in the millions, maybe billions) learn that Enid Blyton had included adynamic Michael Jackson similar to theirs, who knows, The Family At Red Roofs could become a best seller.

Hmmm...and when you 'stumble' across articles like the one below you wonder whether Stephen has possibly been influenced by some of them himself?

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however, it was Enid Blyton who may have "prophesied" the coming of the real Michael Jackson the singer, 13 years prioe to his birth (The Family At Red Roofs was published in 1945 and Michael Jackson was born in 1958)

I thought that was just an off-the-wall remark.

All I want to say is that Steve don't really care about us.

Or our posts, rather. Stephen, there aren't any 'prophecies' that aren't coloured by hindsight -- only coincidences. I have such an instance to narrate but I'll post it in the Anecdotage thread.

I have just read this entire thing through with much amusement and felt the need to comment on a few things.

I do not think Enid was "satirising" her dementia through forgetful characters but it is possible she was referring to herself. Most of her scatterbrains were extremely clever at one thing - Quentin, Irene, Belinda... and I am sure Enid herself forgot to eat when she was absorbed in writing a story, or would rush in and leave her coat on the floor because she had to get to her typewriter or get cross with noise or lose a page of her story. That isnt dementia - it is the sign of a busy passionate person.

There is plenty of humour to be had with dementia - just look at Terry Pratchett. I now work in a dementia home and I am in charge of activities and general fun and happiness. I see love and laughter every day. It is very important to the residents, to their families and to the staff that no one takes themselves too seriously and my days are filled with giggles and cuddles and sillyness. Obviously my residents have bad days but we make them as comforting and reassuring as we can.

Enid predicted MJ? Wow is there no end to that womans powers

I now work in a dementia home and I am in charge of activities and general fun and happiness. I see love and laughter every day. It is very important to the residents, to their families and to the staff that no one takes themselves too seriously and my days are filled with giggles and cuddles and sillyness. Obviously my residents have bad days but we make them as comforting and reassuring as we can.

And very rewarding it is too. My m-i-l is has mild dementia, seeing past relatives that have long gone. She also travels without leaving her chair. Fortunately, she can still converse sensibly as well, and realises that her memory plays tricks on her. Laughter is a good medicine indeed.

I have had a few relatives with it too and I honestly dont see how any family can get through without finding aspects to laugh about. Just because someone has dementia doesnt mean you should stop creating happy memories for them or you.

and yeah it is so rewarding! Best job in the world and ive only just started

We were talking about how old we were all getting today. Jane said her Dad was now 91. My mother-in-law asked how old her own mother was. I replied, "about 150, I expect." Jane just said, "I'm not sure."

Tony Summerfield wrote:I don't think I would take this too seriously as it is just another of Stephen's wonderful theories and there have been a few. Just to lighten the mood I have posted one below that is actually just the tail end of a long post that is lost somewhere on our forums, but it gives a flavour of the way that Stephen thinks.

Yes, it is true that Motown stalwarts like Barry Gordy, Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross may have "discovered" Michael Jackson and his siblings (originally called The Jackson Five), however, it was Enid Blyton who may have "prophesied" the coming of the real Michael Jackson the singer, 13 years prioe to his birth (The Family At Red Roofs was published in 1945 and Michael Jackson was born in 1958) just as the prophets of old like Isiah, John the Baptist, etc may have prophesied the coming of the Messiah by ingenously creating a "Michael Jackson" that resembled the real Michael Jackson the singer, at least in the much younger years of his life. Probably, if many Michael Jackson fans (who number in the millions, maybe billions) learn that Enid Blyton had included adynamic Michael Jackson similar to theirs, who knows, The Family At Red Roofs could become a best seller.

Oh yes, I wrote this piece when I had just a few minutes to log off in my public library. So I did not have time to redress the typos I had in the above message. My apologies. I have since corrected those typos in the original The Family At Red Roofs thread. Yes, one of the people that prophecied Jesus, coming was Prophet Isiah. Probably, I should have re-worded and explained what I meant by Enid Blyton's "indirect" prophecy of the emergence of Michael Jackson the music superstar through the character of her fictional Michael Jackson, though I cited some of Enid Blyton's fictional Michael Jackson's characteristics that coincidentally resembled those of Michael Jackson the music superstar.
Stephen I.

Green Hedges wrote:
Alzheimers is a more progressive disintegration, a breaking down at the neurotransmitter level, though the progress can either be fast (over a few short years) or much slower.

I just read yesterday that blueberries are very good food to keep those neurotransmitters healthy.

...and magic mushrooms make you feel so good.....

Chrissie777 wrote:
I just read yesterday that blueberries are very good food to keep those neurotransmitters healthy.

A great excuse to eat those blueberry muffins, then!

blueberries are very good food to keep those neurotransmitters healthy

I think mine ran on a PP3 battery...

chloe1 wrote: I now work in a dementia home and I am in charge of activities and general fun and happiness. I see love and laughter every day. It is very important to the residents, to their families and to the staff that no one takes themselves too seriously and my days are filled with giggles and cuddles and sillyness. Obviously my residents have bad days but we make them as comforting and reassuring as we can.

That sounds very encouraging, Chloe.
We watched a movie with Julie Christie last year where she had Alzheimer's and her husband finally had to send her to a facility. What I found so extremely cruel was the fact that she was not allowed to see her husband for an entire month in order to get used to living in that facility.
By the time her husband could finally meet her after 4 weeks, she had connected with another man. That must be heart-breaking for the sane spouse...