What do you think about the fagging custom at St. Clare's?

[Anita Bensoussane]

     But It does seem odd, anyway, for a young girl to admire a politician. Would that have been odd even at the time the book appeared?

Winston Churchill had been an extremely popular Prime Minister during the war, giving rousing speeches and rallying the nation, so it might not have been that unusual even for children of Bets' age to hero-worship him. I recently read the Paradise Barn series by Victor Watson, published between 2009 and 2015 but set during the Second World War. One of the main characters, a girl who is aged about fifteen by the time the fighting ends, expresses sorrow at Churchill's government being defeated by Labour just after the war. Churchill has been a familiar and energising voice/figure during a tough period and she'll miss him, even though the general mood is one of looking forward to post-war reform under a new leader.

Turning to a book written in the middle of the war, Katharine Tozer's Mumfie Marches On, 1942 (which appears to be aimed at children under ten but has many satirical scenes that would probably be better appreciated by adults), Mumfie the toy elephant has a picture of Winston Churchill above his bed and even gets to meet him.

     Hearing about the behaviour of some young people on-line (Facebook, Twitter, and their ilk), I wonder.... Sometimes I think it's the very opposite, that real maturity is coming later, but accompanied by a veneer of fake-sophistication.

I sometimes think the same thing.

[Rob Houghton]

     But It does seem odd, anyway, for a young girl to admire a politician. Would that have been odd even at the time the book appeared?

Winston Churchill had been an extremely popular Prime Minister during the war, giving rousing speeches and rallying the nation, so it might not have been that unusual even for children of Bets' age to hero-worship him.

I also think that Bets' liking for Churchill simply shows her individuality. It might be unusual for a young girl to like Churchill, and have a photograph of him in her bedroom, but Bets happens to be someone who has a liking for him. When I was a kid I fell in love with Miss Piggy and had posters of her on my bedroom wall, lol!!

[MJE]

When I was a kid I fell in love with Miss Piggy and had posters of her on my bedroom wall, lol!! :lol: :oops:

     ... whereas I don't even know who Miss Piggy is.

     I was not usually given to hero-worshipping anyone as a child, but if I did, it was Beethoven, about whom I had a complete obsession. But I focused on his music, and never thought of putting up posters or anything of him.

Regards, Michael.

[Paul Austin]

MJE has never seen the Muppet Show, i gather?

[Daisy]

I guess that is right Paul. I'm not sure I would have seen it either, had I not had a young family who enjoyed watching it when they were children. I gather from your remark that it was shown in Australia?

[Rob Houghton]

The first episode of The Muppet Show is very vivid for me. I wasn't very old...I think maybe 5 or 6 at the oldest, and the whole family sat around to watch it. I don't think we'd have watched it at all if it wasn't for my grand parents! My Granddad had read about it and was very excited to see it!

Later, I had all the Muppet Show annuals, and took a couple of the posetrs out of them to stick on my wall. I didn't really fall in love with Miss Piggy but did have a bit of a weird crush on her - thought she was very glamorous, lol!

[floragord]

I'd probably have viewed it as just one of those things you had to put up with at school - like exams, cross-country runs, itchy jumpers and cold tapioca.

...and early morning study commencing at 7am before breakfast..., chapel twice a day and church three times on Sunday..., school food and Mrs Manners...., regulation everything including hairpins that skewered the scalp..., mending on Saturday morning listening to a religious tract read out by Sister Mary Anselm in stentorian tones... lights out at 8pm whether you were tired or not - ho hum, I did actually enjoy my schooldays , but no wonder the majority of ex-convent girls find adult life an ongoing celebration

[MJE]

MJE has never seen the Muppet Show, i gather?

     No, I have never seen it. All my life, I have had very little interest in television generally: I only sporadically watched it as a child for a few favourite programmes in the 1960s, and since then I have not even owned a T.V., and have no plans to get one either. There isn't room for television in my life, and I tend to regard it as a rather junky pursuit anyway - at least judging by the current offerings; perhaps there was once quality stuff on it, but I was lost in my own imaginative worlds for much of my life.

Regards, Michael.

[loveenidblyton]

The first episode of The Muppet Show is very vivid for me. I wasn't very old...I think maybe 5 or 6 at the oldest, and the whole family sat around to watch it. I don't think we'd have watched it at all if it wasn't for my grand parents! My Granddad had read about it and was very excited to see it!

Later, I had all the Muppet Show annuals, and took a couple of the posetrs out of them to stick on my wall. I didn't really fall in love with Miss Piggy but did have a bit of a weird crush on her - thought she was very glamorous, lol!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Did you mean to add something to that, Loveenidblyton?

[loveenidblyton]

Did you mean to add something to that, Loveenidblyton?

Yes, she does look really cute! Awfully sorry for the mistake.

[floragord]

     No, I have never seen it. All my life, I have had very little interest in television generally: I only sporadically watched it as a child for a few favourite programmes in the 1960s, and since then I have not even owned a T.V., and have no plans to get one either. There isn't room for television in my life, and I tend to regard it as a rather junky pursuit anyway - at least judging by the current offerings; perhaps there was once quality stuff on it, but I was lost in my own imaginative worlds for much of my life.Regards, Michael.

We're not huge "TV addicts" but do have a set and occasionally spot something interesting - last evening a new series of FAKE OR FORTUNE commenced, in which art dealers investigate the provenance of unverified works, on this occasion involving what may or may not be an early portrait by Lucian Freud, who had actually denied painting it. I won't spoil it for anyone planning to watch it by disclosing whether it was or wasn't...

[Pauline]

I had anchovy spread on toast the other day...of course, I remembered how naughty Antoinette spread toast with brown shoe polish for Angela and co. It DID look a little like brown shoe polish.....

[Rob Houghton]

Joking aside, that anchovy paste episode is something I always cringe at...very well written and extremely amusing...but didn't anyone stop to think how dangerous it could have been?! I always imagine Angela and co being badly poisoned by such a trick, which kinda takes the shine off it for me!

[Pauline]

Hadn't really thought of that, but you're right, of course...takes the 'shine' off it though...heehee