Journal 58

What did you think of the latest Journal?
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Re: Journal 58

Post by Courtenay »

I haven't read much of the Journal yet, but I must say I really enjoyed "What Happened Over the Wall" — typically Blytonesque and yet slightly unusual in featuring a "little film-star girl"! Nice to read a story that has been out of print for so long. A fun adventure that could almost have been the basis of a Famous Five story if expanded to full length.

Also delightful to read about Stuart Tresilian (my favourite Blyton illustrator), Rob's remaining Desert Island Blytons, and Enid's retellings of Brer Rabbit stories, which I always loved when I was little.
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Re: Journal 58

Post by Fiona1986 »

I'm still waiting for mine to arrive, it usually comes later than those further down south.
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Re: Journal 58

Post by pete9012S »

Only read two items so far.Tony's intro.Excellent.
Also Julie's article on Snubby,which was absolutely superb.
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Re: Journal 58

Post by Spitfire »

Mine arrived today, Fiona, so hopefully yours isn't too far away.

I love the cheerful cover and the gorgeous centrepiece. I've only read the introduction so far, and was thoroughly amused by all Tony's Christmassy references, setting the tone for what looks like a festive, jolly and entertaining winter journal.
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Re: Journal 58

Post by Lucky Star »

I have been late in reading my Journal this time due to various circumstances but I finally manged to sit down last night and enjoy yet another wonderful edition. I began with Angela canning's superb and fascinating article on Stuart Tresilian. My all time favourite illustrator and I was glad to find, a thoroughly lovely person too. I haven't been to the Imperial War Museum in some time; I wonder if those pictures of his are on display or locked in some vault? I must visit again soon and ask some of the staff. I would love to see them. Next time I am in Islington I will also go and see if number 67 Oakley Road still exists too. He seems to have been an enormously happy and satisfied man; I am glad as he definitely gave much joy and happiness to others with his work.

I moved on to Snubby by our own Julie. Another excellent article from Julie's pen. Snubby was also one of my favourite characters from that series and I too often wondered what became of his family. We never find out of course, possibly because Blyton felt that TWO children seeking family answers was too much for one series. But I'm glad that he has been brought to life in this vibrant article.

Sheila Ray's Brer Rabbit article was immensely interesting. Brer is not one of my best loved characters I must admit but Sheila's analysis of his history and Enid's interpretation was a great read.

Regrettably Rob Houghton brought his highly entertaining Desert Island Blytons series to a close but his final choices made for another exhilarating read. I've never been a huge fan of Hollow Tree House but Rilloby Fair has long been a favourite of mine. I too have a copy of the hardback with dustjacket and it is a wonderful cover, full of fun and promise. Just like the book. As so often Rob seems to be articulating my own thoughts with this one. I agreed with everything he wrote about Rilloby Fair with the small exception that while I find Roger's cheeky retort about manners to be amusing and modern I didn't find it to be shocking as Rob says. I did have to laugh though at the story of poor Jack stuck in a tree while Rob and Co. went home for their dinners. And the comment about Great Uncle Robert's mane of hair made me laugh too. As I said it is a pity that this series has ended. Perhaps Bill's boat could sink, Rob swims back to his island and finds another couple of books hidden under a rock? No? Oh well, I tried. :lol:

On to Anita's mighty article on another of my childhood faves The Secret of Kilimooin. Unlike Anita I have always loved the title of this book. To Anita it had something to do with cows! To me it conjured up a vision of some fantastic, mysterious and other-worldly place where anything could (and did) happen. The Secret Forest seems to me by comparison to be a rather dowdy and generic title for a mystery story. Other than that small quibble I enjoyed this article immensely. Anita really brings life and colour to her book analyses and I found myself nodding enthusiastically as I read on and on. I shall seek out some of the other books she mentions during the article to read for myself.

Enid's story was of course hugely entertaining and the front cover, centerspread and back cover were a beautiful riot of colourful nostalgia. Quite aside from the well written and researched articles The Journal is a gem for bringing these little known and frequently lost stories and drawings back to life. I still have more articles to read, Poppy's is up next, but thus far this is yet again a superb edition of a superb publication and my thnaks go out to all contributors and especially to Tony for masterminding the whole thing. My resubscription form came with this one and needless to say I have already resubscribed.
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Re: Journal 58

Post by Rob Houghton »

Thanks to all those who've commented on my article so far, it always makes the writing of them seem worthwhile. I had a lot of (self indulgent!) fun writing the Desert Island Blytons article and its very tempting to swim back and discover a couple more...but I think it would be even better if someone else wrote about their Desert Island Blytons in a future Journal. :-)

As always when I finish an article my next problem is trying to decide what to write about next! ;-)

I've read very little of the Journal yet but will write a review as soon as I can. Its full to bursting with all good things and I can't see anything that I don't find interesting - a great selection.
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hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Journal 58

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I finished reading Journal 58 last night and, in answer to Tony's Editorial, there were plenty of nice surprises in it for me, thanks!

Angela Canning's article on Stuart Tresilian (or "Tres"!) made for extremely interesting reading, being packed with information. I love Stuart Tresilian's tribute to his wife: "If I've ever done anything worthwhile, its owed to her never-failing help." The Human Anatomy for Art Students sounds intriguing!
Robert Houghton wrote:The thing I found most interesting about Stuart Tresilian - as I'd never seen a photo of him before that I recall - was that he was totally unlike anything I'd imagined. Somehow I thought he'd sort of look like Horace Tipperlong - no idea why! :lol:
I imagined him to be lean, dashing and determined-looking with dark, wavy hair!

As others have said, it makes quite a contrast to see the very different interpretation of Kiki accompanying Kiki's letter. The portrait of Mr. Twiddle is charming as well, and the covers of the "Little Books" on the back of the Journal make for a colourful carpet.
Moonraker wrote:Julie's portrait of Snubby was another well thought out article, raising some issues that I hadn't noticed. He always irritated me, yet I hadn't thought about his insecurities.
Like Julie, I've often thought about Snubby's background and circumstances and how his over-the-top behaviour may relate to that. Julie's article is heartwarming and thought-provoking and I think she's right that Enid herself had a soft spot for the mischievous Snubby. I do too, and it's great to see cooks etc. making a fuss of him and "mothering" him a little. I like Julie's observation about Snubby building a "wall of security around himself, brick by brick, of tricks, pranks, and jokes." Snubby is a thoroughly likeable pest and he's my favourite character in the Barney series.

I've really enjoyed Robert Houghton's warm, chatty reminiscences of his childhood reading. The mention of montbretia takes me back to the shed that my sister and I played in as children. We used it as our headquarters when we had a Detective Club and then a Booklovers' Club. The shed door opened onto a narrow path surrounded by montbretia - which for years I thought was called mombretia! I was most entertained by Robert's stories of the orange wool and the hollow oak! Regarding The Rilloby Fair Mystery, I too would count Hurly and Burly among my favourite Blyton animals - and I also found the story deliciously mysterious and puzzling as a youngster.

It's interesting to read in Enid Blyton's wartime letter about Hanly losing his warehouses and offices in an air raid. I hope Enid helped him out too, and didn't just leave it to Gillian! Enid's Christmas shopping spree is fun to read about, later in the Journal.
Robert Houghton wrote:I'm interested that many people had never heard of the story 'What Happened Over The Wall' as there was an excellent article all about it, in two parts, by John Atkins, in Journals 26 and 27. I guess many people might not be lucky enough to own those particular Journals, and it's nice to be able to revisit the story in the latest Journal. :-D I really love the illustrations, and I bought The Children's Own Wonder Book purely on the strength of that 2005 article. :-)
Julie2owlsdene wrote:... What Happened Over The Wall by Enid Blyton. A lovely little story, even though it was a bit of a risk to put their dog Paddy into the van! :lol: :lol:
I remember John Atkins' article and I was pleased to be able to read the story itself at last. A lovely tale with entrancing illustrations by Bertram Prance, though it's amusing that Prance includes Paddy in the picture on page 76 when Paddy isn't actually present as he has gone off in the van (I agree that it was risky to put the dog in the van, Julie!)

Nick Hopkins' article on the making of ITV's The Castle of Adventure is wonderfully detailed and I enjoyed reading the many comments from people involved with the serial. What a lot of trials and tribulations! It's great to see the summaries and artwork for Ship and Mountain, which were sadly never to be filmed. The script pages are fascinating. I look forward to reading Part 2!

Like Poppy, I find Enid's nature writing engaging and it was delightful to read Poppy's overview of it. What a pity that a lot of people are not very familiar with this aspect of Enid Blyton's work.
John Pickup wrote:As usual, Anita has written a comprehensive piece about Secret Of Killimooin and describes the characters and setting in such a way that you really want to start reading the book for yourself.
Thanks, John. Enid takes us to an amazing variety of places in the Secret series.

Many thanks for another brilliant Journal, Tony!
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Re: Journal 58

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Lucky Star wrote:On to Anita's mighty article on another of my childhood faves The Secret of Kilimooin. Unlike Anita I have always loved the title of this book. To Anita it had something to do with cows! To me it conjured up a vision of some fantastic, mysterious and other-worldly place where anything could (and did) happen. The Secret Forest seems to me by comparison to be a rather dowdy and generic title for a mystery story. Other than that small quibble I enjoyed this article immensely. Anita really brings life and colour to her book analyses and I found myself nodding enthusiastically as I read on and on. I shall seek out some of the other books she mentions during the article to read for myself.
Thanks, John. It's always interesting to hear of people's different viewpoints. I think it wasn't only the cryptic title but the surreal impression of floating along a river in a gravy-smeared meat-pie case that put me off a bit! However, once I opened the book and started reading I immediately joined you in being transported to a "fantastic, mysterious and other-worldly place where anything could (and did) happen."
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

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Re: Journal 58

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

I've completed it thoroughly now. What a great read from everyone.

I'll have to give the Secret Series a re-read now, as it's been a while since I've read them, and Anita your article has inspired me to do this. As the Secret of Killimooin is a book I just can't remember much about. :)

Glad I've made a few of you think a bit more deeply into Snubby's character. He's a loveable chap! :D

Fantastic to read about The Making of ITV's The Castle of Adventure and it's part 1. So more to come next time. Great.

Great Journal, Tony. :D

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Re: Journal 58

Post by Fiona1986 »

I was disheartened to get home from work and discover no Journal (no post in fact) but my mum texted me to say I had post at hers, and it was possibly my "Enid Blyton newsletter"...
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Re: Journal 58

Post by Poppy »

Julie2owlsdene wrote:I'll have to give the Secret Series a re-read now, as it's been a while since I've read them, and Anita your article has inspired me to do this. As the Secret of Killimooin is a book I just can't remember much about
I've just finished reading Anita's article, and it was an excellent read. The Secret of Killimooin is one of my favourite books in the Secret Series (despite having only read it once - and that was a couple of years ago) so it was great to read your detailed and original analysis on it, Anita. I was very interested in many of the points you raised.

Nick Hopkins' article was really fascinating and informative and I really enjoyed learning about the making of the production of Enid Blyton's The Castle of Adventure. Can't wait for part 2 - it was a vey unique article.

Next, I'm looking forward to reading What Happened Over the Wall!
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Re: Journal 58

Post by Daisy »

I am really enjoying this Journal.... reading one or two articles each night and have nothing but praise for them all. I too loved Robert's Desert Island choices and the way in which he introduced them. I'm also grateful he has mentioned that there were articles about What happened over the Wall in previous journals as when I read the story I was puzzled as it rang some bells.
I loved Julie's analysis of Snubby's character.... very thoughtful and insightful. I would have loved to know more of his background. I wonder when he acquired Loony and where he (Loony) lives in term time... at school like Timmy perhaps?
I have recently reread the Secret series so enjoyed Anita's article very much.... I first read the book as a child and it really was one of those which was quite scary on first reading. I love the idea of floating along the river in gravy-smeared meat pie case... not an analogy I thought of when I first saw the illlustrations by Eileen Soper... or any time after!
I still have a couple of articles to read... what a lovely feast I am enjoying.
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Re: Journal 58

Post by Nicko »

Thanks to all for their kind comments regarding my The Castle of Adventure article, which was a real labour of love for me. I watched this series when it was first broadcast and have the distinct memory of running home from school after football practice in order to be able to catch it. I think my first post on this board several years ago was to enquire whether any of the cast or crew had commented about it, and I certainly wasn`t expecting to ever be able to interview any of them myself.

Locating and contacting the various contributors was very difficult and complicated and I would probably be able to write a journal article about writing a journal article (don`t worry, I won`t! :D ), but I was very lucky with how it came together.

Firstly, because so many of the major players from behind the camera are still with us and agreed to be interviewed (while writing I wondered hypothetically whether it would be possible to do a similar piece about the 1990s Famous Five series. Sadly, due to the deaths of so many of the directors and writers, I realized that it would be much more difficult).

Secondly, as all five of the child actors agreed to share their memories. Rosie Marcel is obviously now a famous name and can earn thousands for an interview with Hello magazine, so it was incredibly kind of her to answer my questions for nothing (especially as she is currently juggling her role on Holby City with bringing up a new baby). The other four children no longer work in the industry, so would have been well within their rights to tell me to push off – especially Bethany Greenwood (Lucy-Ann) who I could only make first contact with by sending a tweet to her brother! Some of them were initially not exactly over the moon about the idea of discussing the show, so it says a lot about what lovely people they are that they eventually all agreed to assist.
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Re: Journal 58

Post by Moonraker »

Am I correct in thinking that Susan George (Aunt Allie) had a disagreement and left the programme - hence the aunt being introduced to look after the children?
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Re: Journal 58

Post by Nicko »

Moonraker wrote:Am I correct in thinking that Susan George (Aunt Allie) had a disagreement and left the programme - hence the aunt being introduced to look after the children?
All will be revealed in part two...
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