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Done and dusted for another year...
May. 27th, 2007 09:31 pm.. or perhaps dusted isn't the right word, given the extreme amounts of book-dust still floating around these parts.
Highlight of the fete, as always, getting the chance to push some great books on to good homes, and more generally, enabling a huge amount of book recycling. This year, our merry band of brothers actually was more a band of brothers than sisters, as Y.D. was in the middle of end-of-year exams so stayed home studying,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
steepholm was dragged in to work, and we had three just-teen boys requesting to be allowed help. All were sweet, though the one who was attempting to be the baddest-assed guy of all times was a bit in the 'Oh, sweetie' line (as Y.D. says about those who are terminally trying too hard). And the constant nudge nudge, wink, wink 'jokes' also could be a tiny bit less than hilarious, especially when we were really busy. (But hell - these three boys all came to the hall to sort (and tote boxes) a couple of nights in the week before, and all asked to be allowed spend all day Saturday, starting at 10 am, working on a church sale! I got two of the requests passed on from their fathers a couple of weeks before the fete. You gotta love it.)
[local politics alert] We also received a visitation from on High (and didn't she know it!) this year - as Mary Hanafin - easily re-elected in Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown, God help us - swept down upon us with her three kids, whom she dumped in the appropriate sections of the children's book tables, asking - nay demanding 'a professional opinion' (which, might I add, in one instance she ignored. Her, or her daughter's loss). Having finally realised who the biddy in the tailored suit with the attitude was, I determined to ask a bit more than our usual half-nothing rates, but never got the chance, as she thrust €10 under my nose with a 'That'll do!'before sweeping everyone out. (She'd got a lot of books, children's and adult, and could at least have asked like everyone else!) Horrid woman.
Only two Chalet School books I found happened to be a hardcover and a Collins Modern Classic of The School at the Chalet (the former going todorianegray, the latter to sartorias), the first of the series. Steepholm picked up the HC Friday night and happened to read the section from the beginning in which Madge announces her decision to open the school, to her rather condescending but powerless-to-stop-her brother.
'"My good girl, that sort of thing requires capital - which we haven't got."
"Yes, I know that as well as you do!" retorted his sister. At least, it does in England. But I wasn't thinking of England."
"Then where were you thinking of?" he demanded, not unreasonably. "Ireland? Shouldn't advise that! You might wake up one morning to find yourself burnt out!"
"Of course not! I've got some sense!"'
'Then where were you thinking of?' on gone from the newer version.
I'm sure there have been endless conversations about the changes/cuts to the books on Girls' Own list and all, but Charlie and I spent a very entertaining half-hour or so reading aloud the first couple of chapters and examining the changes. Softening in general, we agreed, and possibly (just maybe) also making Madge et al. a little less independent and a little more respectful.
Highlight of the fete, as always, getting the chance to push some great books on to good homes, and more generally, enabling a huge amount of book recycling. This year, our merry band of brothers actually was more a band of brothers than sisters, as Y.D. was in the middle of end-of-year exams so stayed home studying,
steepholm was dragged in to work, and we had three just-teen boys requesting to be allowed help. All were sweet, though the one who was attempting to be the baddest-assed guy of all times was a bit in the 'Oh, sweetie' line (as Y.D. says about those who are terminally trying too hard). And the constant nudge nudge, wink, wink 'jokes' also could be a tiny bit less than hilarious, especially when we were really busy. (But hell - these three boys all came to the hall to sort (and tote boxes) a couple of nights in the week before, and all asked to be allowed spend all day Saturday, starting at 10 am, working on a church sale! I got two of the requests passed on from their fathers a couple of weeks before the fete. You gotta love it.) [local politics alert] We also received a visitation from on High (and didn't she know it!) this year - as Mary Hanafin - easily re-elected in Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown, God help us - swept down upon us with her three kids, whom she dumped in the appropriate sections of the children's book tables, asking - nay demanding 'a professional opinion' (which, might I add, in one instance she ignored. Her, or her daughter's loss). Having finally realised who the biddy in the tailored suit with the attitude was, I determined to ask a bit more than our usual half-nothing rates, but never got the chance, as she thrust €10 under my nose with a 'That'll do!'before sweeping everyone out. (She'd got a lot of books, children's and adult, and could at least have asked like everyone else!) Horrid woman.
Only two Chalet School books I found happened to be a hardcover and a Collins Modern Classic of The School at the Chalet (the former going to
dorianegray, the latter to sartorias), the first of the series. Steepholm picked up the HC Friday night and happened to read the section from the beginning in which Madge announces her decision to open the school, to her rather condescending but powerless-to-stop-her brother. '"My good girl, that sort of thing requires capital - which we haven't got."
"Yes, I know that as well as you do!" retorted his sister. At least, it does in England. But I wasn't thinking of England."
"Then where were you thinking of?" he demanded, not unreasonably. "Ireland? Shouldn't advise that! You might wake up one morning to find yourself burnt out!"
"Of course not! I've got some sense!"'
'Then where were you thinking of?' on gone from the newer version.
I'm sure there have been endless conversations about the changes/cuts to the books on Girls' Own list and all, but Charlie and I spent a very entertaining half-hour or so reading aloud the first couple of chapters and examining the changes. Softening in general, we agreed, and possibly (just maybe) also making Madge et al. a little less independent and a little more respectful.
