Teachers World Letters, Jan 1930 - July 1934

Discuss Blyton's magazines, short stories and poetry here.
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Wolfgang
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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Wolfgang »

For several years swallows started to nest again in the gateway of the house I live in. I suspected that young swallows had hatched, and today I saw them actually moving in the nest. I didn't want to look too closely to avoid upsetting the feathered parents.
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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

That's lovely, Wolfgang. I hope they all do well.

I've been keeping an eye on two coots' nests in my local park, which has quite a big lake. I was last there this morning and the eggs haven't hatched yet. There's a swan with four cygnets which are growing rapidly. As well as various birds, I saw hundreds of fish and several colourful dragonflies.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... perid=1062" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A lovely letter from Enid Blyton and amusing thoughts from Bobs. We've had roses and dragonflies here for quite some time - but then Enid was writing in advance of publication, of course.

The story of the baby sparrow is sad but it's a fact that a lot of fledglings don't survive and many young readers would have known that anyway from observing birds in their own locality, so I think it's good that Enid shares the upsetting news as well as the happy news.

Reading about Bobs' "lions" and "dragons" reminds me that I was attacked by a plant while gardening the other day! It was Herb Robert, which is quite pretty-looking with purple flowers and ferny leaves but which has a very strong, rhubarby smell. It was growing all round the drain and in cracks in the patio, so it had to go. After pulling it up I came out in a red, itchy rash. The next day I was telling my dermatologist about it and he said he'd been pulling up the same plant and had had the same reaction. It really ought to be called something like Herb Gwendoline or Herb Goon rather than Herb Robert! :lol:

It's interesting that Enid was already receiving 12-20 letters a day in 1933, some of which had 20-50 individual letters inside from a particular class or school.

'The Wild Rose' is an enjoyably whimsical poem which I've read before in The Enid Blyton Poetry Book.

Thanks as always to Tony for putting up the letters.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Courtenay »

Anita Bensoussane wrote: The story of the baby sparrow is sad but it's a fact that a lot of fledglings don't survive and many young readers would have known that anyway from observing birds in their own locality, so I think it's good that Enid shares the upsetting news as well as the happy news.
Yes, I think we've noted quite a few times as we've followed these letters week by week, that Enid doesn't shy away from talking about the sadder aspects of life — and death — for creatures in the wild. It's never her emphasis, of course, but she certainly doesn't sugar-coat everything.

I also thought it was quite remarkable that Enid was receiving so many letters per day from school children as far back as 1933 — years before she wrote all the books that she's still famous for today! I guess that's one reason why her novel-writing career took off so rapidly from the late 1930s onwards — she already had a well-established fan base, so to speak.
Anita Bensoussane wrote: It really ought to be called something like Herb Gwendoline or Herb Goon rather than Herb Robert! :lol:
If it irritates you, Anita, why not Herb Noddy?? :twisted:

Bobs' letter is enjoyable as always, but I'm afraid I find it a little hard to believe that two cats in real life — especially Siamese cats, which are often very assertive characters — would ever "let" two dogs "order them about and obey [them] at once when [they] bark out a command"!! :lol:
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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Courtenay wrote:If it irritates you, Anita, why not Herb Noddy?? :twisted:
:lol: :twisted:
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Kate Mary »

I wonder if Gillian Baverstock was ever able to read these TW columns? They offer a wonderful glimpse of her early childhood, idealised of course, everything her mother wrote was idealised but fascinating all the same. I hope she did. A lovely poem this week, one of my favourites from The Enid Blyton Poetry Book. Thanks to Tony for continuing to put these letters on the website.
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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... perid=1063" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A fascinating page this week. I love the idea of the Bird-Tea, to which guests had to bring a list of birds they'd seen in or from their gardens. Enid Blyton names some of the birds she hasn't seen in/from her garden, but I've seen two of them in/from mine - crows and fieldfares.

The letter from Phyllis Page is very interesting, about what happened to the nest of straw that she made for an egg she found on the ground.

Fancy lambs wandering into the garden and eating Enid's flowers!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Kate Mary »

Another fascinating letter about birds this week. I would have liked to read more about the bird tea party. I was particularly interested to see the mention of Eric Parker, he is largely forgotten today but was a famous writer, journalist and broadcaster back then. Enid was mixing with some famous people. Parker wrote many books about the county of Surrey and campaigned through his journalism against the then common practice of trapping and caging small song birds like Goldfinches and Linnets, which eventually led to them being protected. A great man. I have my doubts about the 'perfectly true' story from young Phyllis Page. I think she had a vivid imagination. Brilliant letter from Bobs this week.
"I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines." Oliver Goldsmith

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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Courtenay »

That's very interesting about Eric Parker, Kate Mary — I don't know if I'd heard his name before or not. I enjoyed this week's letters too, although I'm also not entirely sure how much of Phyllis Page's story about "her" blackbird is "perfectly true"! And poor old Bobs, panting like "half a dozen engines puffing up a hill"... :lol: I'm surprised Enid didn't take the opportunity to throw in another nature fact by having him tell his readers "I can't help it — that's how I cool myself down when I'm too hot," rather than pretending his tongue needed to be "cured"!
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It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... perid=1114" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A beautiful description of the poppies in the cornfield nodding wickedly at one another, throwing off their green coats and shaking out their red frocks in the breeze.

I also enjoyed reading about the baby thrush which ventured inside the house. Gillian must have loved seeing it.

Bobs' letter is brilliant. He clearly feels extremely proud and important, having a book of his own published! :wink: And fancy finding a Dirty Bill rather than Sweet Williams! :lol:
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Rob Houghton »

Only just catching up with this thread - and interested to read about Herb Robert! I've always liked the name, for obvious reasons, but I also didn't realise it caused skin irritation till the other day. We have some growing wild on our rockery (which covers an old air-raid shelter) and I went up there the other day to rescue a bird from our cat. I was wearing shorts and my leg brushed against the Herb Robert - and it was itching for hours and came up in a red blotch where it had touched my leg! :shock:

Looking through eBay yesterday I came across an old Teacher's World for sale...a snip at £149.99 :lol:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Bird-Man- ... Swc-tY4DXM
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
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: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Kate Mary »

I haven't seen any Woolly Bear caterpillars for years or heard any cuckoos. They are sadly rare now, in Enid's day such creatures were common.

I don't think I'll be buying the copy of the Teachers World for £150. I'm happy that I can read the columns on this website.
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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Courtenay »

Delightful letters again. I also love the description of the poppies "nod[ding] wickedly at each other between the corn-stalks" and "shaking out their red frocks in the breeze", as well as the corn that "whispers as it ripples, and since the corn has ears I expect it hears and understands the secrets it whispers, don't you?" I've always loved the way Enid could combine naturalistic description and delightful fantasy in the same sentence, so evocatively.

Also lovely to hear about Gillian meeting the baby thrush (I'm glad it got back to its family safely!) and Bobs encountering a "Dirty Bill"! :lol: Thanks as always for posting these wonderful pieces for us, Tony.
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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Kate Mary »

What a gorgeous poem this week, Yellow Bedstraw appeared later in a poetry book but here is its first publication. Interesting to see what we would refer to as suburban schools called 'urban', is it just Enid getting it wrong or has the meaning changed slightly over 80 odd years? I would think the former. And we have a lovely incident with the foal and Gillian wanting to put it in her pram. Lovely letters, thank you.
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Re: Enid Blyton's Weekly Letters in Teachers World

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/blyt ... perid=1115" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lovely letters as always. Thanks for putting them up, Tony.

Yes, it is funny to see "urban" being used to mean "suburban".
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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