The CBB
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A Grey-Walled Paradise I
http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1813
Author:  JayB [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 12:39 am ]
Post subject:  A Grey-Walled Paradise I
I decided to start posting this in the hope that it would make me start writing it in sequence, instead of dodging about writing scenes as I think of them. Hope you enjoy.

Con laid her handkerchief case down and closed the drawer. She smiled slightly as she realised she had placed each item exactly as Matey would have demanded, even though there would be no drawer inspections or summons from classes to set things to rights. Turning from the chest of drawers, Con glanced at her watch. There was still some time before dinner. She wondered what to do. It seemed strange to have absolutely nothing she should be doing. Even in the holidays, between household jobs, looking after the babies, practising her cello, walks, expeditions, games in the saal with the rest of the family, and helping to entertain visitors, their time was usually so well filled it was rare to have half an hour to oneself.

It was too soon to write home. Uncle Jem would be sure to telephone to tell Mamma and Papa that he had safely delivered Len and herself to their colleges, and she had nothing else to tell them yet. Papa had intended to escort all three of them to their universities himself, but at the last minute he couldn’t leave the San. Mamma couldn’t leave home either because Anna had been called away to a family emergency. Rosli couldn’t be left in sole charge of Phil and Geoff and the house. Phil and Geoff could have gone to the Graves’ or the Courvoisiers’ or the Peters’, of course, but since her time in hospital last year Phil fretted if she had to spend too long away from home and Mamma.

So the triplets had travelled alone to Dover where they had been met by Sir James. He had brought them all to London, where they had seen Margot off on the train to Edinburgh. Then Sir James had driven Len and Con to Oxford, before setting out to return to the Round House.

Con had drifted over to the window while she was thinking. Now she stood, resting her arms on the window ledge, looking out over Oxford. The late afternoon sun turned the stone buildings of St Frideswide’s College a mellow gold. The city spoke to her of history, literature and scholarship. She was longing to become a part of it.
Author:  Alison H [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 1:10 am ]
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This looks good :D . I bet Con was glad to get away from Freudesheim!
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 4:50 am ]
Post subject:  A grey walled paradise
This does look good. Would love to see more. I can completely understand hoping the story will fill out. I usually have most my drabbles written except for a few fill in scenes and hope like crazy I'm inspired by the time I reach them. So fingers crossed for you
Author:  Fatima [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 11:56 am ]
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I like Con and I hope she has a brilliant time at university.
Author:  Lesley [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 12:04 pm ]
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Looking good - all my drabbles are written just before posting - and I have specific scenes written for future and have to work to them.
Author:  wheelchairprincess [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:01 pm ]
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Yay a drabble (or at least a part of one) that focuses on Con! For some reason since joining this board Con is rapidly becoming one of my favourite characters. It looks very promising!
Author:  JayB [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 5:59 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the comments, everyone. Here's a bit more.

Perhaps she could walk over to Howard College, Con thought, to see how Len was settling in, and begin to explore Oxford at the same time. She and Len had never been separated before. Part of Con felt a little scared at being so completely on her own, with neither of her sisters in the next room, or at the end of the corridor, and no Mamma close by, but a bigger part of her was excited by it. For the first time in her life, she thought, she could be who she really was, not who everyone expected her to be. Dr Maynard’s daughter. Joey’s second girl. The Head Girl’s sister. One of the prefects. The middle triplet. The dreamy one. The one who looked like Mamma. The one who wrote like Mamma. Here, what people thought of her would be due to herself and herself alone.

It was always Margot who’d been the one to strike out on her own, Con thought. First to Canada with Auntie Madge. Then to Australia with Emmy. Now to Edinburgh. And if she kept to the plans they had talked about last term at school, she would go even further away. But in a way, Len, too, had already moved away, Con’s thoughts continued. Now she was engaged to Reg, there was someone who was more important to her than her triplet sisters.

Con had found it hard to understand why Len had wanted her life planned out like that before even leaving school. Len knew that after Oxford, she would go home to the Platz, and stay there forever – or at least as long as Reg stayed at the San. Len had always wanted to teach, just as Con had always wanted to write. Would she do that at all now, or would she be married straight after finishing university?

Con had tried to explain how she felt about Len’s engagement to her mother. Joey had laughed.
‘My pet, you can’t possibly understand until it happens to you. Then you’ll know.’
‘I don’t want it to happen to me. Or not for years yet, anyway.’
‘That’s what I said when I was your age. I was talking nonsense, of course, as I found out when I was not much older. I’m very happy for Len, and for Margot too, if it turns out she does have a true vocation. But I’m also happy that Papa and I will have one of our biggest girls left to us for a few years yet.’ And with a smile and a touch, she left Con to run off in answer to the increasingly urgent cries of ‘Mamma! Mamma!’ coming from a different part of the house.
Author:  Fatima [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:28 pm ]
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This is definitely the best thing that's happened to Con, being able to make her own way without any pre-attached labels. Thanks Jay.
Author:  wheelchairprincess [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:40 pm ]
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I agree with Fatima, this is bound to be the making of Con. Thank you, Jay. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!
Author:  Alison H [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:58 pm ]
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It'll be great for Con to be out of the CS world!
Author:  Lesley [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 7:06 pm ]
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Good for Con. And Joey could have been a little more understanding thewre - while I'm happy for any of my friends that have found their life partner and want to settle down - why do some automatically think that it should be the only choice?


Thanks JayB
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Sat Dec 16, 2006 11:07 pm ]
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I can completely relate to Con, being the middle sister in my family. All my sisters married young and I could never understand it. I think it'll be the making of Con going away from them but it will also seem very strange to never be defined by them at first
Author:  Alice [ Sun Dec 17, 2006 10:11 am ]
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Thanks Jay, it will be interesting to see Con's experiences at university.
Author:  JayB [ Sun Dec 17, 2006 2:34 pm ]
Post subject: 
Just to warn you all, this is shaping up to be a long story. I know what's going to happen through this term and the Christmas holidays and into next term, and have vague ideas for the rest of the year.

Con had got so far when her thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging. Startled, it took her a moment to realise that someone was knocking on the door. Crossing the room, she opened the door to find two girls of about her own age standing there.
‘Hallo. Are you another fresher?’ asked the nearer of the two, evidently the one who had knocked.
‘Yes.’
‘Cool. I’m Di Horton. I’m in the next room’ She held out her hand. Con shook it.
‘I’m Constance Maynard.’ Di was about her own height, with dark red hair cut in a fringe and hanging straight to her shoulders. Con noticed that she wore red lipstick and her eyelashes were heavily mascara’ed.
‘Constance! Help! Are you always called that?’
‘No, I’m usually Con.’
‘Good. Life’s too short. This is Judy - sorry, forgotten what you said your surname was. She’s the other side of me.’
‘Allerton.’ Judy shook hands with Con. She was shorter and plumper, her brown hair cut in a wavy bob.
‘We thought we’d go and explore a bit before dinner,’ Di continued. ‘Find the JCR, the lecture rooms, the library, that sort of thing, so we know where to go tomorrow. Want to come along?’ Con hesitated, thinking of her idea of going to find Len. Then she made up her mind. She wanted to strike out on her own, make new friends, and it would be rude to refuse these friendly girls after they’d come to find her.
‘I’d love to come,’ she said, and joined the other two in the corridor. They headed for the stairs, talking rather stiltedly at first, then more freely. Soon they had established that Di and Con were both reading English and began a lively discussion about favourite poets and authors, and what they hoped to study that term, until Con realised that Judy had gone very quiet.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘This must be boring for you.’
‘It’s all right,’ said Judy. She tried to smile, but Con could see it was an effort for her.
‘You O.K.?’ Di asked.
‘Yes. It’s just, I suddenly felt a long way from home, you know?’
‘Where is home?’ Con asked.
‘Yorkshire.’ Con had noticed that Judy spoke rather like Reg had done when he was younger. Since going to medical school and living on the Platz, his accent was much less strong than it had been. ‘I’ve never been away from home on my own before,’ Judy was continuing, ‘except to visit Grannie or my aunties, and that doesn’t really count, does it? Where are you both from?’ It was an obvious attempt to change the subject. Di jumped in with
‘London.’
‘London? Isn’t it awfully crowded and dirty and noisy?’ Con said.
‘I s’pose. But there’s always something going on, things to do. Cinemas, coffee bars, dance halls. I don’t think I’d want to live anywhere else – not permanently. What about you?’
‘Switzerland.’
‘Switzerland?’ Di stared at her. ‘But you’re English, aren’t you?’
‘Oh, yes. But Pa – my father is a doctor and he’s head of a Sanatorium out there, where they treat people with TB, so that’s where we’ve lived since I was ten.’
‘What did you do about school?’ Judy wanted to know.
‘Oh, there’s a school there which takes girls of all nationalities. We – my sisters and I – went there.’ Con didn’t explain that it was her aunt who’d started the school. It was too long a story to tell on her first meeting with these girls, and they might think she was showing off.
‘How many sisters have you got?’ asked Judy.
‘Five.’
‘Six of you, all girls?’ said Di.
‘I’ve got five brothers, too.’
‘That’s – eleven of you, altogether? Blimey!’ Di said. She and Judy were both staring at Con. Con decided not to mention the Richardsons, or Erica, or Claire. Everyone at school knew about her family. No-one remarked on it – or not in Con’s hearing, anyway. It had never occurred to her that people might find it unusual.
‘Where do you come in the family?’ Judy wanted to know.
‘I’m the second,’ Con said. She hesitated, then decided. If these girls became her friends – and she liked what she had seen of both of them, so far – they would be bound to meet Len, and it would seem odd not to have mentioned her. Con continued, ‘We’re triplets, we three eldest. My elder sister Len is here at Oxford, at Howard College.’
‘Where’s the other one?’ asked Di.
‘Edinburgh. She’s studying medicine.’
‘Triplets!’ Judy exclaimed. ‘I’ve never met a triplet before. Are you identical?’
‘No. Len has chestnut hair, Margot’s is red-gold.’ Di was still looking at her as if she was some queer specimen. Con looked for a way to change the subject. ‘Shouldn’t we get on, if we’re going to see anything of the college before dinner? Should we go down these stairs, do you think?
They walked along corridors, followed signs, peeped into rooms, passed groups of second and third year students noisily renewing acquaintance, saw other first years wandering around looking lost and lonely. After a while Con felt quite bewildered.
‘I don’t know how we’ll ever find our way around,’ she said to Judy.
‘I thought that when I first started at the High School,’ said Judy. ‘But in a week or so I’d learned where everything was. This is bigger, but I expect we’ll manage.’ Con was not so sure. She realised she had never had to find her way around a new place on her own. When she and Len had started at La Sagesse, Margot and Josette had already been there a year, and had been able to show them everything. When they had rejoined the Chalet School on St Briavel’s, Con had just followed the rest of her form for the first few weeks. On the Gornetz Platz, the triplets had learned their way about the school before term had started.
Students were now coming out of their rooms. Everyone was heading towards the main stairs and going down.
‘It’s nearly dinner time,’ said Di, glancing at her watch. ‘We’d better head down.’ They made their way to Hall, as Con learned the big dining room was called, and found places at one of the tables running lengthwise down the room. On one side were the serving hatches. At the far end, on a dais, was a table running across the room at which a number of older women, and one or two men, were gathering. Looking around, Con thought that this, at least, was familiar.

The dialogue won't show as indented in the preview, even though it looks indented in the Reply box. Don't know what to do about that.
Author:  Jennie [ Sun Dec 17, 2006 2:53 pm ]
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Thanks, JayB, I'll definitely be reading this regularly.
Author:  janetbrown23 [ Sun Dec 17, 2006 2:55 pm ]
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I really like the look of this. Poor old Con has always had the short straw as the middle triplet. It will be great to learn more about her.

Please don't apologise for the length, the longer the better in my book.

Jan
Author:  leahbelle [ Sun Dec 17, 2006 3:59 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks, JayB. This is really good. :D
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Dec 17, 2006 4:53 pm ]
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Good, I like reading long drabbles :D !

Yes, I can imagine they all got a few funny looks when they told people about their family ... :lol:
Author:  Fatima [ Sun Dec 17, 2006 5:08 pm ]
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I'm so glad Con decided to go and explore with Judy and Di, and I hope they aren't put off by her rather odd family! Thanks Jay.
Author:  Lesley [ Sun Dec 17, 2006 5:38 pm ]
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Pleased that Con has found a couple of nice friends - good luck to her. :lol:


Thanks Jay
Author:  Mrs Redboots [ Sun Dec 17, 2006 8:30 pm ]
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I think I'm going to enjoy this. Thank you.
Author:  wheelchairprincess [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 12:46 am ]
Post subject: 
I love the way you capture the characters exactly as shown in the series and then improve upon them and really bring them into there selves to capture who they really are and could be.

The title of this made me think to start with that this was going to be something of a depressing drabble, maybe even haunting. But now I'm thinking this Grey walled paradise will be the making of Con.
Author:  Cath V-P [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 2:39 am ]
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This looks interesting - thanks JayB

Long is an excellent thing...
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 9:13 am ]
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This is great am really loving it.
Author:  Nell [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 1:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
This looks really good - thank you!
Author:  JayB [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 1:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for all the comments. Emma, the title is a quote from a book. I imagine most people here will have read it, so I'll wait and see if anyone can name it before I say what it is. I'm not at this time intending to write anything tragic or depressing, but I can't promise everything will always go smoothly for Con. :twisted:

Dear Mamma, Papa and everyone
I hope everyone is well at Freudesheim and at school. I expect you heard from Uncle Jem that we arrived here safely. College seems very big, but I’m beginning to learn my way around. I like my room very much, it’s on the second floor and I’ve got a view of Oxford from the window. I’ve already made two friends, both freshers, whose rooms are on the same corridor as mine. Di is from London and is reading English. Judy is from Yorkshire and is reading Maths. When I said I didn’t know how she could, she said numbers are fascinating, you can do so much with them. She said she can’t understand how Di and I can write the long essays we have. We went and explored college before dinner last night. After dinner Di and Judy went to sit in the JCR (that’s the Junior Common Room) but I was tired after two days travelling so I had a bath and went to bed. There was nothing to say we can’t have a hot bath whenever we want, so I suppose it was all right.

It was strange this morning getting up without any bells. I’m going to have to buy an alarm clock, though, just to make sure I don’t oversleep. There are no bath lists, of course, so I had to wait a bit for a bathroom, but I expect after today we won’t all be wanting to wash or bath at the same time.

I met my personal tutor today, Dr. Powell. She’s a little woman, very untidy. Her room is absolutely full of books and papers. I had to move a pile of essays off a chair before I could sit down. We talked about work for this term. I’m going to be doing Anglo Saxon poetry. I’m pleased about that, because I really enjoyed the Anglo Saxon I did at school last year. I’m also going to be doing nineteenth century women novelists. I’ll be doing that with Dr Powell, and she’s given me an enormously long reading list and an essay to prepare for a tutorial next week.

This afternoon I had my first lecture, Professor Harrison on Anglo Saxon poetry. He’s a very big man, and very dramatic, with a tremendous voice. When he recited part of The Battle Of Maldon, it went booming all round the lecture room. I’ve got a long reading list from him, too, and another essay to write.

After the lecture I went to the College library and registered and got my ticket. I found two of the articles on Prof. Harrison’s reading list and made some notes, and took out three of the books on Dr. Powell’s list. So that’s a start, anyway.

After dinner (I keep wanting to say Abendessen and all the other German names we used at school) Di and Judy and I went out to a café. We went round by Howard to see if Len wanted to come with us, but she said she wanted to write letters. The coffee wasn’t like Swiss coffee, of course, with layers of whipped cream, but it wasn’t so expensive, either.

That’s about all I’ve got to tell you so far. Do write soon and tell me all the news. Is Anna back yet? I hope her father is better. Have you heard from Margot or Ruey? When you write, tell them I’ll try to write soon. Give my love to Auntie Hilda and Auntie Nell and everyone.
With much love to you all,
Con.

The coffee hadn’t been the only thing that was different, Con remembered. The coffee bar in the side street wasn’t in the least like the cafes and patisseries she had visited in Interlaken and Berne. She wouldn’t have considered going in there, and she thought Judy had been doubtful too, but Di had marched in as if she was accustomed to going into such places every day of the week. There had been rows of bicycles and motor scooters lined up outside. Inside, it was crowded and noisy and smoky, full of young men and women talking and laughing loudly. Many of them, men and women, were wearing tight jeans and big loose sweaters or duffel coats. Con, in her neat grey pleated skirt and hand knitted primrose yellow twin set, might have felt out of place, except that Judy and one or two other girls were dressed similarly. In the corner a machine that Di told her was called a juke box pumped out music whenever someone put a coin in. Di told her the tunes were the latest hits, and told her the names of the singers. They meant nothing to Con, but she did find that her foot was tapping in time to the beat of some of the songs, and ever since she had left the coffee bar she had been humming to herself
‘I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime, night or day’
It was trashy nonsense, of course, but surprisingly catchy.

She folded her letter, put it in an envelope and addressed it. She had some stamps, but did not know how much it would cost to send a letter to Switzerland. It would have to wait until she could get to a Post Office. Putting the letter aside, she looked at her watch. It was past eleven; last term at school she would have been in bed long before this, but she did not feel at all sleepy. She looked at the books she had got out of the library. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was on her reading list for Dr Powell this term, and she had never read it. Con picked up the book, curled up on her bed, and began to read.
Author:  Fatima [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 3:09 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'm relieved that Len didn't want to go with Con! Thanks Jay, I'm really enjoying this.
Author:  Alison H [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 3:19 pm ]
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Yes, she's probably better spending some time away from Len!
Author:  Jennie [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 3:59 pm ]
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Yes, Con needs to learn to be independent. I bet Len would have frowned at the coffee bar.
Author:  M [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 6:23 pm ]
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This is really good. Oxford is a very inspiring city and the buildings would be nothing like Switzerland, you forget sometimes that although Con is english she only lived there for the first 10 years of her life and that was in a small village. I'm sure it brings back memories for many people of their own first days at University, making new friends and freedom from rules.
Author:  wheelchairprincess [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 6:54 pm ]
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My first day at uni was as overwhelming as Con describes hers as being. Having lived 20 minutes outside of Oxford my whole life (other than four years in Stoke on Trent for uni) I found it strange that Con is so taken with Oxford and finds it so different to Switzerland - Oxford is a beautiful place but having spent so much time there and going so often I tend to forget. Thank you, this is good. I am intrigued about the book though!
Author:  Lesley [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 8:15 pm ]
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Really interesting seeing how Con manages all the changes.

Thanks Jay.
Author:  leahbelle [ Mon Dec 18, 2006 10:46 pm ]
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This is really interesting. It will be lovely to see Con coming into her own.
Author:  Cath V-P [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 12:40 am ]
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She seems to be coping well at the moment, which is a good thing. And she is receptive to these new experiences, and happy to tackle them on her own.
Author:  Tara [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 12:48 am ]
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Loved the coffee bar - my foot was tapping, too! Enjoying this very much, thank you JayB.
Author:  Ruth B [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 11:23 am ]
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wheelchairprincess wrote:
Oxford is a beautiful place but having spent so much time there and going so often I tend to forget.


I agree! I've been there for 20 years now and so often take it for granted.
Author:  JayB [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
There probably won't be an update tomorrow, as I'll be out all day until late. But here's a bit more for today.

Dearest Mamma
How are you all at home? Is Phil still making good progress? I hope Geoff hasn’t done anything too awful since we left! How are Felicity and Cecil getting on at school? Felicity was coming on well at netball last year. Is she still keen? They hadn’t had any practices before we came away because of the weather. I hope it dries up a bit and the school is able to get in some decent rambles before the winter sets in.

How is Audrey getting on as Head Girl? You remember how she came over to Freudesheim on the first Sunday of term and wailed long and hard over her fate. I told her she’ll be fine. Goodness knows she’s had enough practice at handling young demons, with her own Celia and Win and Val Gardiner. Speaking of young demons, I wonder if Jack Lambert has found someone else to latch on to to answer her questions. Although since she’s been a Senior she has been beginning to work things out for herself.

Have you had your new girls’ tea party yet? Are any of them especially interesting? I don’t think we’ve had anyone really startling since Yseult Pertwee when we were in Inter V.

How is Clare Kennedy settling in as Aunt Rosalie’s assistant? It was such a surprise when I walked into Aunt Rosalie’s office the day before term began and saw her there, although I did know she’d trained as a secretary, of course.

Have you seen much of Reg? You will remember to ask him for dinner two or three times a week, won’t you? And try not to let him put it off because he’s too busy. I know that living at the San he gets all his meals laid on, but I’m sure half the time he forgets, or just grabs a sandwich. I hope Papa hasn’t got any cases that are worrying him too much at the moment.

I haven’t seen much of Con. She seems to have chummed up with two other girls at St Frideswide’s. One of them seems quite nice, but a bit quiet, but the other one, Con calls her Di, reminds me a bit of Joan Baker.

I must stop now as I want to write to Margot and Ruey this evening and it’s getting late – gone ten o’clock. Do write soon and tell me all the hanes. Kiss the babies for me, and Felicity and Cecil when you see them. Give my love to Papa and Anna and Auntie Hilda and Auntie Nell and everyone else. Give my love to the boys too when you write, and tell them I’ll write as soon as I have time. I’ve already got so much work to do, I think it’s going to take me nearly all my time to get through it.

With much love from
Len
Author:  Ruth B [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:42 pm ]
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Oh dear, it doesn't sound as if Len is making quite as much of her opportunities as Con!
Author:  Alison H [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:46 pm ]
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Sounds like all she's doing is working and worrying about what's going on at home :shock: ! Con is doing much better :) .
Author:  Fatima [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:55 pm ]
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Quote:
the other one, Con calls her Di, reminds me a bit of Joan Baker.

I hope she doesn't mean that's a bad thing!
Thanks Jay; it's lovely to see the triplets in the big wide world.
Author:  Jennie [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 4:10 pm ]
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I have a terrible feeling that that is what Len means. She doesn't seem to be enjoying herself very much, does she, still fixated on school and home instead of stepping out into the world.
Author:  wheelchairprincess [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 5:27 pm ]
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I like this story but do have to say that Len's letter fills me with dread... poor Con!
Author:  Ruth B [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 5:46 pm ]
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BTW, is the book "The Secret Garden"?
Author:  ElKel [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 6:36 pm ]
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Jennie wrote:
I have a terrible feeling that that is what Len means. She doesn't seem to be enjoying herself very much, does she, still fixated on school and home instead of stepping out into the world.


I agree, but given that Len's future has already been mapped out for her (destination: the Gornetz Platz, by way of a Languages degree and a post at the Chalet School!) I don't suppose it will matter too much to her if she doesn't make lots of friends. Certainly not male friends, we don't want Reg to be provided with a rival or two, now do we? :twisted:

Con sounds quite a nice person from her letter. I wouldn't worry too much about the skirt and twinset if I were her - college students were a lot more circumspect in the late 50s/early 60s and she probably doesn't look half as out of place as the beatniks in the cafe! (Although I could easily picture Con becoming a beatnik - wearing heavy tights and duffle coats and loads of black eyeliner! And hanging out in cafes reading chunks of Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac to like-minded friends 8) )

ETA: Of course, I'm assuming she'd be wearing other clothes as well as the tights and duffle coats. I'm not suggesting she's that type of girl. . . :wink:
Author:  Jennie [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 7:08 pm ]
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I think one of the problems is that the CS, for all the much-vaunted responsibility given to the prefects, still essentially treats its pupils as children. To live an adult life, taking all responsibility for oneself, must be quite frightening for some girls, especially those from a very sheltered background who have been trained to believe that home, school and carefully selcted friends are enough.
Author:  Lesley [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 8:44 pm ]
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Len's letter is a little worrying - she doesn't appear to really have left the School, does she? Regardless of how much she has her future mapped out she should, surely, enjoy any new experiences. And I think her comment about Di was meant in a nasty way - after all, Joan Baker was never a proper Chalet School Girl.



Thanks Jay.
Author:  leahbelle [ Tue Dec 19, 2006 9:42 pm ]
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Len sounds as if she'd far rather be back at school!
Author:  Cath V-P [ Wed Dec 20, 2006 2:17 am ]
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Oh dear, that's worrying....Len sounds almost as if she doesn't dare to join in with things at Oxford. And that was quite a nasty remark about Di...

This is fascinating.
Author:  Caroline [ Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:00 am ]
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Maybe Len's just homesick. Going to Uni is a frightening experience - and she's only been there a few days / weeks. She's gone from being a big, very popular fish in a very small pond to being just one among many very bright people - and is having to survive on her own / makes friends on her own / get to know people on her own for the first time.

I actually think her initial focus on home and her family is pretty natural. Just as natural as Con's attempts to reinvent herself - going away to Uni for the first time takes different people in different ways.

Of course, if Len is still writing letters like that at the end of term, I think I'd agree that she's not exactly embracing the univeristy experience.

ETA: this is great, by the way - I'm really enjoying it.
Author:  JayB [ Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:35 pm ]
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Quote:
No, the title isn't taken from The Secret Garden. It's from a book very much focused on an Oxford college. Here's a bit more.


At Howard, Con met Len in the corridor near her room. Her arms were full of books and papers. Con thought she looked pale and harassed.
‘Con! I’m just on my way to the library.’
‘Oh. I came to see if you wanted to go out into Oxford.’
‘Oh, Con! I really don’t have time. I’ve got so much work to do. Unless – are you all right? Did you want me for something important?’
‘I’m quite all right. It’s just that we’ve hardly seen each other since we got here. I thought we might spend the day together.’
‘No, I really can’t. I’ve got a translation to prepare for Monday, and an essay for Friday, and I’ve hardly begun the reading. But I’ll see you at Mass tomorrow morning. Will you be able to find the church on your own, or shall I come and call for you?’
‘No, I’ll find it myself.’ Their mother had written to Father Edmund, the priest who had baptised Stephen in Armiford nearly seventeen years before. Now retired and very frail, he had nevertheless remembered the triplets well and had been delighted to provide an introduction to a church in Oxford. The priest of that church had written to Joey promising that her daughters would be warmly welcomed.

Con walked away from Howard, disappointed. She wondered whether to go back to St Frideswide’s to see if she could find Judy or Di, then decided against it. Much as she liked them, if she could not have Len, she would prefer to see Oxford for the first time on her own.

With no particular plan, Con wandered along the narrow streets, dodging motor cars, students on bicycles and Saturday morning shoppers. She looked into Merton College, with its gabled buildings of gold Cotswold stone. Merton had a claim to be the oldest college in the University, she knew. She marvelled at the idea that learning had been going on here, uninterrupted, for seven hundred years. Now here was she, Mary Constance Maynard, just one more in all the thousands who had studied in this city over time. Would she be one of those who, after graduating, made a mark on the world? Or would she be one of the many more who took their degrees and worked and lived and died in peaceful obscurity. Con felt it was in her to do something – something more than teach, and get married, but only time would tell whether she had a talent to write anything more than fairy tales.

A ringing of bells awoke her from her dream, and she moved hastily aside as two undergraduates on bicycles swept past her. How much alike, and how different, Con wondered, were these modern students, who knew of atom bombs and aeroplanes and motor cars, and those of seven hundred years ago? Not so very different, probably. Those students of the past were just as scared of their tutors, just as worried about finishing their work on time, had just the same dreams of doing great things in life, as their present day counterparts.

Next, Con found her way to the Ashmolean Museum. There, she spent most time gazing at the Alfred Jewel. This tiny item, bearing an image that might be Christ himself, was over a thousand years old. It was wonderful to Con that some thing so small should have survived so long and be here now for her to marvel at. There were older items in the Antiquities galleries, but knowing who this jewel was made for made it seem more real, more personal. Tilting her head, she read the inscription around the edge: AELFRED MEC HEHT GEWYRCAN. Alfred had me made. Alfred, the warrior and scholar, who saved England from conquest by the Danes and done so much to promote the writing, teaching and learning of the language which Con herself now studied. Alfred himself had probably read, or heard recited, some of those same poems which Con would be studying this term.

More wandering brought Con to Blackwell’s. The literature and fiction sections held out a promise of months, or years, of happy browsing. Con did not know how much time she spent there, but she finally emerged with a volume of Gerard Manley Hopkins to add to her collection of poetry, a book on nineteenth century women writers that was on Dr Powell’s reading list, and a novel by someone whose name she recognised from her Anglo Saxon reading list. It was unlike anything Con had read before, but from the few pages she had skimmed in the shop, it looked fascinating.

Suddenly aware of hunger, Con looked at her watch. She had missed College lunch. She turned along the street, looking for a café or restaurant where she could eat. Passing a stationer’s shop, on impulse she bought a selection of picture postcard views of Oxford. The café she finally selected was of the type that would be approved by her mother and Auntie Madge, rather than like the coffee bar she had visited with Di and Judy. Con thought she was the only student in there. The café was not busy; the main lunchtime rush was over. Con spent a peaceful hour and a half eating her meal, drinking coffee, resting her aching feet, dipping into her new books, and writing postcards to her Auntie Madge and Uncle Jem, Uncle Dick and Auntie Mollie, Margot in Edinburgh, Ruey in Bedford, and Steve, Charles and Mike at their schools. With a second cup of coffee she sat back and watched the busy Saturday afternoon crowds pass to and fro. Finally she paid her bill, picked up her belongings and headed back to College.

Back at St Frideswide’s, Con found a that a note had been slipped under her door.

Called round to see Len and you today, but you were both out. I wanted to see how you were both settling in and show you round Oxford. Am v. busy the next couple of weeks, but will get in touch again some time.
Mary Lou

Refolding the note and putting it away in her writing case, Con decided she was glad she had missed Mary Lou. The day she had just spent had been as perfect as any day could be. Even the company of her sisters could not have made it better. It was, Con realised, the longest period of time she had spent on her own in the whole of her life. She felt she had become better acquainted not just with Oxford, but with herself.
Author:  Emerence [ Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:35 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks JayB! I'm really enjoying this story. Con sounds like she's settling down well. I wonder what Mary-Lou is like now, and how Con will regard her?
Author:  leahbelle [ Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'm quite glad Con missed Mary Lou, too. It sounds like she had a lovely time on her own.
Author:  Alison H [ Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:55 pm ]
Post subject: 
Con sounds like she's having a great time. Hope Mary Lou will have the sense - some hope :lol: ! - just to say that she's around if Con wants to ask her anything, and not to try to interfere!

Thanks Jay - really enjoying this.
Author:  Lesley [ Thu Dec 21, 2006 11:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
Glad Con had a good time - Len seems to be working too hard.


Thanks Jay
Author:  Cath V-P [ Fri Dec 22, 2006 12:42 am ]
Post subject: 
Interesting that Len was prepared to be with Con if she needed her, but not just to have fun together.
Poor Len; she's not even starting to enjoy Oxford is she?

Greatv to see Con enjoying herself - and being aware of herself too.
Author:  LizB [ Fri Dec 22, 2006 2:24 pm ]
Post subject: 
This is fantastic - I feel like I am wandering Oxford with Con (although not in today's fog, thank you).

Thanks, Jay
Author:  M [ Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:51 pm ]
Post subject: 
THis captures so well the first independent steps, being able to go to a bookshop and a cafe alone might not seen much to today's 18yr olds but it would have been for one like Con who would never have been let out alone before.
Author:  JayB [ Sun Dec 24, 2006 2:42 pm ]
Post subject: 
After Mass the next morning, Con and Len stood in the sunshine outside the church.
‘If it’s like this on the Platz today, I expect there’ll be a ramble this afternoon,’ said Len.
‘We should go for a walk this afternoon,’ said Con. Len hesitated. ‘You can’t be going to work this afternoon! It’s Sunday!’ Con protested.
‘No, of course not. But I have to write to Reg, and the boys and Auntie Nell.’
‘You wrote to Reg the other day!’
‘He’s my fiancé! When you’re engaged, you don’t just write once a week! But you wouldn’t understand.’ Con was tired of being told she didn’t understand.
‘I didn’t realise that being engaged meant you had no time for your sisters!’ Con regretted the words as soon as she’d spoken.
‘That’s a horrible thing to say!’ Len said ‘Of course I have time for you – we’ve just been to Mass together, haven’t we? And we shouldn’t be arguing like this, just after, and right outside the church.’
‘I’m sorry. No, we shouldn’t be arguing. But Len, the boys won’t care if you write to them or not. Anyway, I sent postcards yesterday. And you’ll still have time to write to Reg and Auntie Nell this evening. I’m sure Papa and Matey would say we ought to be out as long as the weather’s fine,’ she added. Len capitulated.
‘Of course, you’re right. We may not be able to get out at all, later this term, and next.’

On her return to St Frideswide’s Con met Judy, dressed, as she was, in coat, hat and gloves.
‘Oh, you’ve been to church too,’ said Judy. ‘I went to Christ Church. Going to a service there is one of the things I’ve been looking forward to doing ever since I first knew I was coming here. It’s a beautiful building, and the choir was lovely. You should come with me, some time.’
‘Oh - but I’m a Catholic,’ said Con. She knew she had spoken too abruptly, but she was not accustomed to having to tell people about her religion. Everyone she knew, knew that the Maynards were Catholics.
‘Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean – I wasn’t trying to - ’ Judy stammered, clearly embarrassed.
‘Of course not. You didn’t know. I just thought, well, you might not have asked me, if you had known.’
‘Oh, I see. Well, I suppose it might matter to some people, but it doesn’t to me.’
‘Well, perhaps I will come with you one Sunday.’ Con knew that her mother had attended both Protestant and Catholic services as a schoolgirl, and Mary Lou, a Protestant, sometimes went to Mass. They began to climb the stairs to the floor where their rooms were.
‘Didn’t Di go with you? Or did she go to the College chapel? Or isn’t she Church of England?’ Con asked, wanting to get past the awkwardness of the last couple of minutes.
‘She doesn’t go to church.’ Judy evidently noticed Con’s surprise, and said, ‘Why, does everyone you know go to church? Most people I know don’t.’
‘Well - yes. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t – that I know of, anyway.’ There had been a girl at school a few years ago, Naomi Elton, who had had no religion when she came to school. But that was because her mind had become warped as a result of the accident that had killed her parents and left Naomi crippled. The school, and Mary Lou in particular, had shown her a saner way of looking at things. Con had taken it for granted that religious worship was a normal part of life for most people, even if they chose different ways to God. She was thoughtful as she went into her room and began to change out of her Sunday clothes. Judy had given her a lot to consider.

Len and Con sauntered along, enjoying the early autumn sunshine. Con noticed the autumn tints beginning to appear on the leaves and the first fallen ones drifting here and there. She had forgotten what autumn in England was like, being so accustomed to the conifers on the Platz which never shed their leaves. In her mind she quoted Keats’ lines: Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…
‘I’m glad to be in England again,’ she said. ‘We are English, yet we’ve lived half our lives outside England – more than half, if you count the time in Carnbach and St Briavels.’
‘England isn’t home any more,’ said Len. ‘Home is the Platz where Mamma and Papa are, and School – and Reg,’ she added, with a little extra colour in her cheeks.
‘But you’ve been looking forward to Oxford ever since we moved up into the Sixth!’ said Con. ‘Aren’t you glad to be here at last?’
'It's very different from school.'
'We knew it would be. Auntie Hilda explained that we'd have lectures and tutorials instead of lessons.'
'Don't you find it strange, working all alone in your room, instead of the Prefects' Room or formroom?' said Len.
'It's certainly an improvement on trying to work while supervising Middles' prep!'
'I must say when I became a prefect I had a lot more appreciation for Mary Lou and the others who used to supervise us. What little nuisances we were at times!'
'You were never a nuisance, my love. And I don't think I was, except when I got into a muddle over my maths - which happened often enough!'
'Oh, well, you get that from Mamma. She was never any good at maths.'
They had been approaching a boathouse. Two girls were standing outside, talking to the boy who seemed to be in charge. As they drew closer, con saw that the girls were Di and Judy. Judy waved.
‘We’re going to hire a punt,’ she called. ‘Why don’t you come with us?’
‘Shall we?’ said Con. ‘It would be a chance for you to get to know Di and Judy. I’d like us all to be friends.’
Len looked doubtful. All the older Maynards were competent oarsmen, but neither Len nor Con had ever been in a punt before. And she had thought this afternoon was just going to be Con and herself. She had been looking forward to talking about home. But Con wanted to go, and she was right – Len should get to know these girls Con was becoming so friendly with.
‘All right,’ she said.’ Let’s go.’

Di elected to punt. The boy gave her some cursory instructions, then pushed them off. This late in the year there were few other boats on the river, and no-one else was inconvenienced by Di's inexpert handling of the long pole. They made it around a bend, out of sight of the boathouse. Di seemed to be getting into a rhythm and the punt was moving smoothly through the water. Con began to think about how she would describe this in her letter home, forming phrases in her mind.
A sudden shriek from Di aroused Con from her reverie. The pole had evidently become stuck in the riverbed. As the punt continued to move, Di, clinging to the pole, was leaning over at an ever more precarious angle.
'Let go! Let go!' cried Judy.
'I can't!'
Con jumped up from her seat, careless of the fact that she risked upsetting the punt. She flung her arms around Di's waist and hauled her backwards. For a moment it seemed as if both girls would fall into the river, then, with a final effort, Con managed to fling herself backwards, bringing Di with her, so that they fell together into the bottom of the punt.
Di and Con disentangled themselves and Con sat up, rubbing the elbow she'd banged. Len and Judy were gazing in dismay at the pole, still upright in midstream, receding further and further out of reach as the punt drifted away on the current.
'What are we going to do?' said Judy.
'Could one of us swim for it?' said Con. 'Len and I are quite good swimmers.'
'Not in a strange river,' said Len decisively. 'We don't know how strong the current is.'
'And there are a lot of weeds,' said Di. 'The pole kept getting caught.'
'Isn't there a spare pole?' asked Judy. The girls looked about them. It was quickly evident that there was no other pole, or any other means of propelling the punt. They were drifting helplessly in midstream, with no means of getting to the bank.
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Dec 24, 2006 3:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
What a very CS mishap to occur :lol: !

Beginning to think that Con might be better off not trying to include Len all the time - maybe they both need to make their own friends.

Really enjoying this.
Author:  Miranda [ Sun Dec 24, 2006 3:24 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quick, where's the doctor???

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Author:  Fatima [ Sun Dec 24, 2006 6:13 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yes, I definitely think Con should let Len spend all her time working if that's what she likes, and go off with her own friends. I'm not entirely sure that Len will approve of them, and I don't reckon they'll think all that much of Len either.
Author:  Emerence [ Mon Dec 25, 2006 12:11 am ]
Post subject: 
I think Len was such an important person at the CS that she's finding it difficult being such a small fish in a big pond. *ahem, no pun intended!* :lol:
Author:  Cath V-P [ Mon Dec 25, 2006 1:42 am ]
Post subject: 
Len is having real problems - not so much with the idea of Oxford but it's reality - and unlike Con, she is resisting what it has to offer. Interesting comment that Len feels that she "should get to know these girls Con was becoming so friendly with." Why should she? And what happens if she doesn't approve of them?
Author:  Lesley [ Tue Dec 26, 2006 12:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
Oh dear -will they need to be rescued?

Thanks Jay
Author:  MaryR [ Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:35 pm ]
Post subject: 
Wonder where that discussion of religion will take Con?

And as for punt pole.... :lol:

Thanks, Jay.
Author:  JayB [ Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:04 pm ]
Post subject: 
Con will be examining her beliefs over the next few months. I don't know yet where that will take her, but given that faith is such a central part of the CS universe, I think the story would be incomplete without some reference to it.

And I know the punt pole was rude, but the more I tried to reword it, the worse it got. So I left it, trusting that the ladies on the CBB would be too refined to attach any salacious meaning to it. :D

It was becoming chilly on the water. There were no other boats, and no-one in sight on the banks.
‘Let’s try shouting,’ Len said.
‘At least it might warm us up a bit,’ said Judy, shivering a little. They called and shouted loudly for several minutes, and Con yodelled, but no-one came.
‘Everyone probably thinks it’s boys messing around,’ said Di. ‘They don’t want to leave their tea to come and find out what’s going on.’ As soon as Di mentioned tea, Con realised how badly she wanted her own tea. What would happen if no-one came before dark? Would they have to spend the night drifting in the punt? Then,
‘Look!’ she cried. The current was edging the punt nearer to the riverbank. A little way ahead was a tree, its branches overhanging the water.
‘Yes!’ said Di. ‘If we can get hold of the branches, we can pull ourselves into the bank. Is there any rope?’ There was not, but Judy said,
‘Use my belt,’ unbuckling it and pulling it through the loops on her raincoat. The other girls were all wearing windcheaters, and had no belts.
‘I’m the tallest,’ said Len. ‘I’ll do it.’ She took the belt from Judy and moved to stand at the front of the punt. Con knelt close behind her, although she knew there was little she could do to prevent Len from falling in the water if she should overbalance.
As the punt drifted slowly, slowly towards the tree, the girls watched tensely. Would they pass close enough for Len to succeed in catching one of the branches? Len coiled the belt in her hand. As the punt passed close to the tree, she threw it, buckle end first. The weight of the buckle carried it through the air. The first time, the second time, it fell past the end of the branches and landed in the water. Len hastily coiled and threw again. This time the buckle snagged on something, and held. Cautiously, Len began to haul on the belt, drawing the punt closer to the tree, until the other girls were able to grab hold of the branches. At last they pulled the punt into the bank and were able to scramble up to the path one by one. Judy slipped and ended up with one foot in the water, her stocking wet to the knee, her coat and skirt splashed around the hem. Con and Di each gave her a hand and hauled her up to the towpath.
‘I suppose that’s goodbye to my belt,’ said Judy, looking at it still hanging from the tree. ‘Oh well, this is my old school raincoat, so it doesn’t really matter. Mum said I could have a new one if I wanted.’
‘You must go straight back to college and get out of those wet things,’ said Len. ‘You go with her,’ she added to Di. ‘See that she has a hot bath and - ’ Judy was staring at her in amazement.
‘This is nothing,’ she said. ‘I’ve had much worse happen hiking on the moors at home.’
‘And she doesn’t need a nursemaid,’ said Di. ‘Anyway, it was us who hired the punt, so we have to go back to the boathouse and tell them what happened.’
‘Con and I will do that,’ said Len.
In the end they all went, Di striding out ahead, Judy, foot squelching in her wet shoe, following, with an apologetic look at Con. Con came next, torn between irritation at Len and concern for Judy, for after all hadn’t Matey always dinned it into them that wet shoes and stockings must be changed immediately? Len brought up the rear, stalking along like a Head Girl who had just had an encounter with a cheeky Middle.
The man at the boathouse was most apologetic. There should have been a paddle in the boat for them to use in case of just such an accident. He had left his nephew in charge of the boathouse for a short time while he went off on an errand. The careless lad had not checked the punt before hiring it out. With further apologies, he refunded the money Di and Judy had paid for the hire of the punt.
‘So that’s all right,’ said Di, dropping her share of the money into her purse. ‘We’ve had the adventure and the fun and it hasn’t cost us anything! Now let’s see if we can get back to college before tea is over!’
Author:  Fatima [ Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:16 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'm glad they managed that! I can't wait to hear what Di and Judy have to say about Len, though!

Thanks Jay.
Author:  leahbelle [ Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
Glad they got back to land safely. Len has to realise she's not a head girl anymore and get used to being in the real world.

Thanks!
Author:  Lesley [ Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
Can understand Len's reaction to a certain extent - she is, after all, only repeating that she has been taught. However I don't think the others will take kindly to her trying to order them around.



Thanks Jay.
Author:  MaryR [ Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks, Jay - poor Len. :cry:
Author:  Jennie [ Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
I don't think Len has begun to adjust yet, and I think she'll have a hard time doing so.

Thanks, Jay.
Author:  Alison H [ Fri Dec 29, 2006 11:05 pm ]
Post subject: 
I can just imagine Len being exactly like that at uni! I bet Mary Lou and some of the others were too.

Having said which, it is quite weird when you get to uni and meet different people and have to get used to the fact that not everyone does things the way you've always been taught.

Thanks Jay - this is fascinating.
Author:  Cath V-P [ Fri Dec 29, 2006 11:51 pm ]
Post subject: 
I can see why Len reacted like that - but I can understand why Di and Judy were surprised.
Author:  wheelchairprincess [ Sat Dec 30, 2006 9:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
Haven't had the chance to read much of anything on the board lately and just caught up with this. Loved it, especially the way Len tried to take charge and they just acted dismissively towards her instructions. Any chance of some more?
Author:  Carolyn P [ Sat Dec 30, 2006 10:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
Just read all this and enjoyed it all so far.
Author:  LizB [ Sun Dec 31, 2006 1:59 pm ]
Post subject: 
I thought there should've been a paddle! :lol: Still at least none of them completely fell in!

Thanks, JayB :D
Author:  Ruth B [ Tue Jan 02, 2007 11:10 am ]
Post subject: 
I was wondering what had happened to the paddle too! Can't see modern day punt owners being so sympathetic!
Author:  keren [ Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:42 pm ]
Post subject: 
Novel by someone on their Anglo Saxon reading list,
is that Tolkein?
Author:  jennifer [ Wed Jan 03, 2007 8:59 am ]
Post subject: 
I think this is very realistic - Con is ready to explore and move into a new world, while Len's heart and mind are still tied up at the Platz and her old way of life. Len also had much more status and fit in much better than Con ever did at school, so it's correspondingly harder for her to find a new place. She's moving away from being the responsible one, the mature one, the leader, the one with the insight and authority whom everyone liked and respected and depended on, while Con has always been on the sidelines at home, dismissed as the dreamy, irresponsible one, and thoroughly squashed when she actually is being insightful.

I hope Len doesn't tattle to Mama.

Do we get to see how Margot is doing?
Author:  Sandra [ Tue Jan 09, 2007 11:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
At the risk of sounding like a three year old - I want some more!!!! (if that is at all possible of course).
Author:  Jennie [ Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
we'll all join you, Sandra.
Author:  Elle [ Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
Indeed we do!


*starts a chant for more*
Author:  Tara [ Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:31 am ]
Post subject: 
Just found this, and am really enjoying it. I feel sorry for Len, out of her depth and feeling separated from Con, who's moving on (which is, I think, why Len wants to get to know Con's friends).
Con is certainly becoming much more self aware already. And I remember what it feels like to have all your old certainties tossed up into the air. Ultimately very liberating, but decidedly scary at the time.
Author:  Ronara [ Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
It's been a long while since I've read it, and I might be wrong, but the only book I can think of that's mostly concentrated on an Oxford college (or at least at the beginning) is Brideshead.

Is that the book?
Author:  Tamzin [ Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
Alison H wrote:
This looks good :D . I bet Con was glad to get away from Freudesheim!


I agree - this looks very interesting. I often wondered how the triplets "broke out" when they entered the real world! I also often wonder when Con had time to do all the reading and creative writing she was supposed to do. Given her memories in this opening scene she must have stayed awake all night! I was a writer as a teenager and I made up a whole planet, drawing maps and writing histories with detailed family trees all cross-referenced to show who was alive when and whether they could have interacted. I also included it in my "future history" of Earth and knew exactly at what point Earthlings landed on my planet and how the natives reacted. I spent most of my days doing this "research" and then lay awake at night making up the stories of specific people. I still have all the stuff and occasionally wander through my old stories or make up completely new ones. What a pity it was all so derivative of whatever I happened to be reading. Obviously Tolkienesque fantasy inspired me to start with but I had far more magic (rationally explained of course) and I distinctly recall writing a story about a rather mystical people in the style of Lewis Grassic Gibbon whose "Scots Quair" I had just read. It's embarrassing now to read one line.

Lord how I ramble on.......Anyway I like the look of this story,
Author:  JayB [ Tue Jan 16, 2007 5:52 pm ]
Post subject: 
Sorry this hasn't been updated in a while. My computer died a week ago and I haven't been able to get online or access what I had written until today. I hope to have some more ready by the end of the week.

Yes, it was supposed to be Tolkien that Con found in Blackwell's. I thought with her love of history and fairytales, she'd enjoy fantasy.

No, the title isn't from Brideshead. The book focuses on a women's college.

Len thought she ought to get to know Con's friends because it hadn't occurred to her that the two of them would lead separate lives at Oxford.
Author:  Ruth B [ Tue Jan 16, 2007 5:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
JayB wrote:
No, the title isn't from Brideshead. The book focuses on a women's college.


Gaudy night?

Sorry to hear about your computer hope you didn't lose anything too vital. Looking forward to more of this.
Author:  JayB [ Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:19 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yes, it is from Gaudy Night.

I've now reloaded everything onto my new computer and found the file with this story in, so more soon I hope.
Author:  Elle [ Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
JayB wrote:

I've now reloaded everything onto my new computer and found the file with this story in, so more soon I hope.



Hurrah!


*jumps up and down with exitement*
Author:  LizB [ Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:38 am ]
Post subject: 
Yay! *joins Elle with the jumping*
Author:  RroseSelavy [ Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:41 pm ]
Post subject: 
I've just found this and read it from the beginning - thanks JayB. I think Len's going to have a moment sooner or later where it suddenly hits her how different everything is. I wonder how she'll cope?

By the way, I like the choice of St Frideswide for a college name.
Author:  JayB [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 1:30 pm ]
Post subject: 
‘Is your sister always that bossy?’ Di asked. The three of them were in her room that evening. Di was cross-legged on the bed, varnishing her nails, Judy curled up in the chair, and Con on a cushion on the floor.
‘Di!’ Judy protested.
‘Con doesn’t mind,’ said Di. ‘She’s like me, she says what she thinks.’
‘She isn’t bossy!’ Con said. Then, as Di and Judy stared at her, ‘Oh, well, perhaps a bit. She’s the eldest of us at home, and we older ones have always had to look after the little ones. And she was Head Girl at school for nearly two years.’
‘She talked to me as if I was a little kid,’ said Judy. ‘Telling me to go and change my shoes.’
‘Well, it was the rule at school. There were a lot of girls who had relatives at the San, and everyone was always very careful of their health. And they didn’t want people catching colds and passing them on to everyone else. It was awful when that happened – all the dormies being changed round because Matey tried to keep the infectious people away from the rest of us, lessons messed up because she wouldn’t let the staff come into school if they were infected, and she was always so cross about it and all the extra work it made.’
‘I can see it would be difficult to have lots of pupils ill at boarding school,’ Judy agreed.
‘Len and her two friends once came into contact with a smallpox case,’ said Con. ‘They had to be isolated at the San for weeks.’
‘But we’re not at school now,’ said Di. ‘She can’t boss us around. Or if she tries, she’ll soon find she’s unpopular.’
‘Is Len engaged?’ Judy asked Con. ‘I noticed she was wearing a ring.’
‘Yes, she became engaged during our last term at school.’
‘Rather her than me,’ Di said. ‘Fancy having your life all planned out before you’ve even left school!’
‘That’s what I think,’ said Con.
‘Who’s her fiancé?’ asked Judy.
‘He’s a doctor. He works with Papa at the Sanatorium.’
‘A doctor! He must be quite a lot older than her, then.’
‘I think he’s about ten years older,’ Con replied. Di made a face.
‘Getting engaged while you’re still at school to someone who’s ten years older than you and works with your Dad? Sounds really dreary to me.’
‘What did your parents think?’ Judy wanted to know. ‘I can’t think what my parents would have said if I’d announced I was getting engaged last term.’
‘I think they were quite pleased,’ said Con. ‘We’ve known Reg since we were little, so it’s not as if they had to get to know a stranger.’
‘Getting engaged when you’re still at school to someone ten years older who works with your Dad who you’ve known since you were little? Even more dreary! What does she see in him?’ Di wanted to know.
‘Don’t your parents want Len to have a career?’ Judy asked. ‘Mine do. That’s why they were so pleased I got into Oxford.’
‘Mum and Dad were thrilled when I got a scholarship,’ said Di. ‘I’m the first in the family to go to university.’
‘Len always said she wanted to teach modern languages,’ said Con. ‘But she won’t be able to now. Once she gets married there’ll be babies, and she’ll be too busy.’
‘Well, you don’t have to have kids, just because you’re married,’ said Di. ‘But there won’t be anywhere for her to teach, if she goes home to marry this Reg - except your old school.’
‘She did say she might teach there one day - but not until everyone who knew her as a pupil has left.’
‘I’ll probably teach,’ said Judy. ‘But definitely not at my old school!’
‘You could go and teach at my old school!’ said Con.
‘Working abroad would be OK,’ said Di. ‘I wouldn’t mind doing that. But not on this Platz of yours. It sounds deadly dull. You know everyone, and everyone knows you, and what is there to do there?’
‘So what do you want to do?’ Judy asked Di.
‘I don’t know yet. Not teaching, that’s for sure! I had quite enough of school when I was a pupil. I can’t understand these girls who write to the teachers after they’ve left, and join the OG’s Society, and keep coming back for Sports Day and the Carol Service and so on. What about you?’ she turned to Con. ‘What are you going to do after Oxford?’
‘I thought of journalism, perhaps,’ Con said. She was shy of mentioning her ambition to be a writer. She hadn’t told the girls her mother was Josephine M. Bettany. It would have felt like showing off. Di stared at her.
‘You don’t seem at all the sort of person to go around chasing news stories, knocking on people’s doors trying to get interviews.’
‘Oh, I didn’t mean news reporting. I thought of writing articles for magazines.'
‘You should try to do something for the College mag,’ said Judy. ‘There’s a notice about it in the JCR.’
Di waggled her fingers in front of Con and Judy. ‘What do you think?’ Con looked at the bright pink nail varnish.
‘I think it clashes with your hair,’ she said. Di considered.
‘You’re probably right.’ She transferred the brush to her left hand and dipped it in the little pot. ‘But since I’ve done one hand, I might as well do the other one. It’s that or clean it off.’
‘Talking of hair,’ Di said a few moments later, looking at Con, ‘Why do you wear yours like that?’
‘What do you mean? I had to put it up when I was eighteen.’
‘Not everybody does, these days.’ said Di. Con had noticed some students with their long hair in pony tails, or hanging loose below their shoulders. ‘Even if you want to keep it long and put it up, why that style?’ Di continued. Con touched one of the great flat shells she wore over her ears.
‘What’s wrong with it?’
‘It makes you look like your own grandmother.’
‘This is how my mother wears her hair.’
‘And how old is she? Sixty?’
‘No, of course not. I told you my youngest brother and sister are only four. She’ll be forty next month.’
‘It must take ages to do in the mornings,’ said Judy. ‘I used to have long hair, when I was little. I wore it in plaits. It was all right as long as Mum did it for me. But when she said I was old enough to do it myself, it was just too much bother, so I had it cut.’
‘I always said I’d have mine bobbed, rather than have to put it up,’ said Con. ‘But Mamma likes it long, and somehow I just never did.’

Con went to bed thoughtfully that night. The events of the day had shown her her home and family in a new light. She knew neither Len nor her mother would have approved of the discussion about Len’s engagement, but she had been so interested in hearing the other girls’ point of view she had ignored that. She was coming to realise that Di was not only very clever, she knew a great deal more than Con did. Her appearance, with her lipstick and nail varnish, would have been thought cheap by many at school, but Con was learning that appearances were not everything. She remembered how they had dismissed Joan Baker because of her appearance and her manner of talking, and suddenly regretted that she had never been friendlier towards her.
Author:  Lesley [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 3:49 pm ]
Post subject: 
Very, very interesting - and given Con a great deal to think about.


Thanks JayB - I think this is a very realistic way that the triplets would have acted. Good to see more of this.
Author:  Sandra [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:06 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'm so glad that this is back. It is really interesting to see Con coming into contact with the real world and contrasting it with the Platz.

Is a trip to the hairdresser next?
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
This is really interesting, and exactly how I can imagine Con's early days at university being. Being at uni and meeting people from different places/backgrounds can give anyone a lot of food for thought, but when someone's come from a really "insular" place like the Platz that must apply even more so.

Thanks JayB :D .
Author:  Jennie [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
I hope Con goes to the other extreme and has an Eton crop. Hmm, casts mind back. It would be a shingle to be in real fashion.
Author:  Fatima [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 7:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
Brilliant! I'd like to see Con getting her hair cut short and Len being made to loosen up a little, too!

Thanks JayB.
Author:  MaryR [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 9:23 pm ]
Post subject: 
Wonder whether Con will discuss any of this with Len.

Thanks, JayB
Author:  Carolyn P [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 10:27 pm ]
Post subject: 
Nice to see more of this, thank you.
Author:  Emerence [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:18 pm ]
Post subject: 
Can't wait to hear about Len's face if Con does cut her hair!

Thanks for the update, Jay! :D
Author:  Tara [ Mon Jan 29, 2007 12:32 am ]
Post subject: 
Len is tied to the Platz in a way Con is not, because of Reg etc. They're going to lose each other if they're not careful.

This brings back so many memories of the total rethinking of all one's cultural preconceptions during that first year away.
Author:  LizB [ Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:49 am ]
Post subject: 
Con is being bombarded with new ideas, isn't she - I hope she doesn't throw out everything she's used to just to fit in, though.

Thanks, JayB
Author:  Ruth B [ Mon Jan 29, 2007 10:17 am ]
Post subject: 
Excellent! Thank you JayB.

Lots for Con to think about there.
Author:  Jennie [ Mon Jan 29, 2007 12:22 pm ]
Post subject: 
I think it will be good for Con to realise that life elsewhere is not as hidebound as it is at the CS and on the Platz. And I hope Len soon learns to relax and welcome new experiences.
Author:  Sarah_K [ Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:56 pm ]
Post subject: 
I wonder if Len is happy, it's probably good for the Triplets to learn they don't have to like the same people/do the same things etv. Con's horizons are expanding with a jolt :D

Thanks JayB
Author:  Elle [ Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
I doubt very much that Len is happy. I think on the surface she will appear to be, because a good chalet girl is never a spineless jellyfish, but I suspect that deep down she is confused and afraid.


Thanks for the update.
Author:  leahbelle [ Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:32 pm ]
Post subject: 
I do feel quite sorry for Len. She must feel very out of her depth.
Author:  JayB [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:17 pm ]
Post subject: 
I was going to put a bit about Len in here, but I couldn't get it right, and anyway I want this to be Con's story. So Len is on her own for a while.

My Dearest Girls,

My goodness, it seems only five minutes since you were babies, and now here I am writing to my big girls at college! How Auntie Madge laughed when she first saw you as red-headed babies. She thought it was retribution for my having made so much fun of Sybil’s red hair when she was a baby.

Thank you both for your letters. I’m glad to hear you’re both settling in. I heard from Margot, too, she seems to be liking Edinburgh. Daisy came to see me and told me she had seen Ruey safely to Bedford.

Anna came back at the weekend. She was very tired, because she has been helping her mother look after her father. I’ve told her she must go home again for a long weekend next month. Herr Pfeiffen is better, but it will be a while before he’s completely fit again. It was quite a bad attack. Everyone is well here, although Papa is as busy as ever. Phil still tires easily. She hates the exercises she has to do, poor pet, and we often have tears when it’s exercise time, but she must keep on with them if she’s not to be lame for the rest of her life.

The Middles have been in trouble again. (When aren’t they, you may ask. And yes, I know what Auntie Hilda would say about my English there!) Apparently UIIIa were left unsupervised in their Splashery because whoever was with them was called away to see Matey. They decided to have a water fight, of all things! By the time a passing prefect heard the noise and went to investigate, the place was well and truly flooded, and most of them were soaked to the skin! She marched the whole lot off to Matey, because there are one or two San contacts in that form, and in any case they all needed to change their frocks. Matey sent them all to bed - in silence - while their frocks were dried, and I gather she didn’t spare her opinion of them. Since two of the maids had to mop up the mess they’d made in the Splashery, they also had to spend their Saturday evening darning Karen’s tea towels, to make up for wasting the domestic staff’s time. I don’t fancy they’ll try that particular game again! Goodness knows I was no angel in my schooldays, but that was one thing I never did!

I had a letter from Gwensi Howell the other day. She told me Plas Gwyn has been sold again. She hasn’t met the new people yet. She is managing to get quite a few pieces published in the Armishire News, but what with keeping house for her brother and all the parish work, she doesn’t get as much time for writing as she would like. She bumped into Elizabeth Arnett recently when she was visiting Bristol. Elizabeth is head of English in a big girls’ school there. She hopes to try for a headship somewhere in a few years. Gwensi said Elizabeth was very smart and very dignified. A real change from when she was a wicked Middle back in the dear old Tyrol days! And speaking of Tyrol, Sophie Hamel wrote to tell me that her sister Berta has had a daughter, another grandchild for the school!

Well, my poppets, I must go now. It’s time to take the twins and Claire for their walk, and then I must get down to writing the Nativity Play. I promised to do it this year, and I’ve hardly started. But I think Auntie Madge must do it next year – she missed her turn when she was away in Australia!

Don’t forget to tell us if there’s anything special you’d like for your birthday. Work hard, my poppets, but don’t forget to have fun too.
With much love from
Mamma
Author:  Alison H [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:27 pm ]
Post subject: 
:lol: Does Joey ever think about anything but the CS?

It was a nice letter though.
Author:  Lesley [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:53 pm ]
Post subject: 
Lovely letter but considering the Triplets are nearly nineteen now didn't it seem she was addressing them as babies? I know my mother wouldn't have dreamt of addressing me in that fashion when I started nursing.


Thanks Jay
Author:  Sarah_K [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:05 pm ]
Post subject: 
I suppose Joey's life is so centred on the school she wouldn't have much else to write about anyway! It's nice to get a little snapshot of the school minus the triplets anyway.

(and although I'm sure it might wound their 19year old dignity I remember everyone around me doing a similar "I remember you when" the first time I went off to university!

Thanks Jay.
Author:  Jennie [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 5:16 pm ]
Post subject: 
Why doesn't she ask what they've been doing? Does she think they are eternal CS girls and that the school will always be the highspot of their lives?

I'd love Con and Margot to ask for sexy undies for their birthday.
Author:  Fatima [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 5:49 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yes, she did rather address them as if they were five year olds, didn't she? It would be interesting to see them return to the Platz after their first term away!
Author:  LizB [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 6:25 pm ]
Post subject: 
I thought that was a lovely letter from Jo :D - okay it's from a different world from the one the triplets are in now, but it's from the world they've come from and that she's still in. When I talk to my parents most of their conversation is about the things they're involved in - church and school stuff, even though I don't live there any more I still like to hear about it, and I bet Len and Con had a giggle over the waterfight!

Thanks, Jay
Author:  Carolyn P [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:28 pm ]
Post subject: 
Talking about the waterfight is ok, as is mentioning the play in passing, but will they really be interested in school grandchildren? Having said which I sit on the phone to my mum while she tells me long involved stories about people I've either never met or who live in the street I moved from 20 years ago and only lived on for 3 anyway.

It is going to intersting to see how Con and Len respond differently.
Author:  JustJen [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:40 pm ]
Post subject: 
I just read your story straight through JayB.

It must be hard for Len, Con, and Margot to thrust into a life style completely unfamiliar to their own up bringing. The Maynards and the school didn't encourage the girls to explore the world around them.

Jo's letter was a bit much.

I do feel very sorry for Len. Her whole life seemed to be planned out; finish school, marry Reg, teach and have babies. Not much of a life is it?

Are you going to write a bit about Margot? I would love to see how she is adjusting to school.
Author:  Emerence [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:18 am ]
Post subject: 
Jo only seems to be able to write about her own secluded world, as nice as the letter was. I think Len would enjoy hearing about those things more. Hmm, I wonder what Joey would think of Con's new friends?
Author:  LizB [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:38 am ]
Post subject: 
JustJen wrote:
I do feel very sorry for Len. Her whole life seemed to be planned out; finish school, marry Reg, teach and have babies. Not much of a life is it?


It depends if that's what she wants - if it is then she's a really lucky girl to have got it. My mum went to teacher training college, taught for a brief while, married my dad and had babies. I think she's enjoyed (and still enjoys) her life.
Author:  Alison H [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:11 am ]
Post subject: 
I suppose it depends what you want. In And Jo we get Jo going on about Gisela settling down to darning Gottfried's socks and so on, but Gisela says that it's "very lovely" and she's obviously really happy. Same with Frieda and Marie, who always said that what they wanted was to get married and have children.

I do have a bit of a problem over it with Len, though, because in Prefects it did seem to me as if Reg had pushed her into getting engaged sooner than she wanted.

Really enjoying this, thanks JayB.
Author:  JayB [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:27 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the comments, everyone.

It was interesting to see the different reactions to Jo's letter. I think she went on too much about Old Girls - after all, out of the girls mentioned, the triplets only knew Gwensi, and wouldn't remember her all that well. And Jo didn't comment on anything Len or Con said in their letters.

I'm sure Jo would have known who the prefects were who were involved in the water fight, but I didn't, and it was too much trouble to trawl the trancsripts looking for possibilities for such a minor point.

I'm not planning to write about Margot at Edinburgh, but I am planning to write about the Christmas vacation, so we'll see Margot then.

It's the particular circumstances of Len's engagement that I disapprove of. She's still at school, Jo 'likes to keep her girls young' and since she was ten she's only left the Platz to stay with family or old friends of her mother's. She's tying herself down to a future spent on the Platz among the same restricted circle of people she's grown up with, when she has no idea what else might be out there.

That might turn out to be what she wants in the long run, but I think Jack and Jo should have said no engagement until Len had had at least a year at Oxford.

More story shortly.
Author:  JayB [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:56 am ]
Post subject: 
Con was dragged out of her deep sleep by a loud banging. Totally disoriented, she wondered why the rising bell had been replaced by a drum. Or was it Gaudenz hammering in the passage outside the dormitory? But why so early in the morning? Then she heard Di’s voice calling her.
‘Con! Con, are you there?’ She stumbled out of bed and over to the door. Still half asleep, she didn’t stop for slippers or dressing gown. Di grinned when she saw Con in her nightdress.
‘Judy was worried you might be ill. I thought you’d probably just overslept.’
‘Overslept? What - ?’
‘It’s nearly nine o’clock. You’ve missed breakfast.’ Con was suddenly wide awake.
‘What? Oh, no! It’s Professor Harrison’s lecture at Balliol at 9.30! I’ll never get there in time!’ she said, diving for her dressing gown and sponge bag. The professor wanted students from several colleges to hear this lecture, and the English lecture room at St Frideswide’s was not big enough.
‘I’ll go and tell Judy you’re OK. She was coming with me, but she got stopped by her Dr Whatsername. I’ll see you at the lecture.’
Con washed hastily, rushed back to her room and hurried into her blue-grey tweed skirt and heather coloured jumper. She released her hair from its night time plaits and began to brush it in preparation for replaiting it and putting it up in its usual earphones. A glance at her watch showed her she was already going to be late. She hastily drew her hair back from her face and tied it at the nape of her neck. It felt odd, and wrong, to be wearing it like this after having had it up for a year, but as Di had pointed out, other girls wore their long hair loose. Seizing her notepad, bag and gown, she headed out of the room.
Con arrived at the lecture room at Balliol hot, dishevelled and breathless. Any hope she might have had that the professor would be late starting was dashed when she peeped through the glass panel in the door. He was already in full flow. There were about a hundred students in the room, men and women. The door through which Con would have to enter was near the lecturer’s dais; there was no way she could creep in unnoticed. She opened the door and slipped in. Professor Harrison stopped in mid sentence and turned to stare at her.
‘Aha! A latecomer! And what is your excuse, Miss - ?
‘Con Maynard. I’m sorry, Professor. I overslept. I –I sat up too late last night.’
‘And what were you doing last night to make you sit up too late, Miss Maynard?’ He came to the edge of the dais and stood looking down at her.
‘I was reading Anglo Saxon poetry, Professor.’
‘That is a very good answer, Miss Maynard. What were you reading?’
‘The Maxims.’
‘Not so good. That is not on your reading list.’
‘I know, Professor. But I like it much better than some of the things that are on the list.’ Con could have bitten her tongue out. How many times at school had she been warned about blurting out whatever was in her mind? But the professor only chuckled.
‘Very well, Miss Maynard. When we have our tutorial next week, I expect you to tell me why you prefer it to my choice of reading. Now, you had better sit down so I can continue with my lecture.’ Cheeks scarlet, Con scuttled to the first seat she saw and sat with her head bowed while she recovered her composure. ‘As I was saying,’ the professor continued, ‘in The Battle of Brunanburh, the poet - ’
Professor Harrison concluded his lecture with a reminder of the date the essay was due and strode from the platform and out of the room. Con realized with panic that she had no idea what the essay was; either the Professor had given it out before her arrival or she had been so flustered she had missed it.
'It's written on the board,' a voice spoke in her ear. Con turned and saw a brown haired young man smiling at her. 'The essay title is written on the board,' he repeated, indicating the blackboard at the back of the dais. 'I'm Peter Latham, by the way. This is Jonathan Hughes,' he gestured towards the dark young man on his other side. 'Both of Christ Church.' He looked at her enquiringly.
'Con Maynard. St. Frideswide's.' Jonathan leaned past Peter and smiled at her.
'That was quite an entrance you made. Livened up what looked like being a very tedious lecture.' His voice had the Welsh lilt that Con remembered from her childhood in Armishire.
'Oh, did you think it was tedious?' Con asked. 'I think the Anglo Saxons are fascinating.' Di came up.
‘Well, the professor will remember you!’ she said teasingly.
‘Oh, I hope not!’ said Con. ‘Do you think he meant it when he said he’d expect me to explain at the tutorial why I like the Maxims better than his beloved battles?’
‘I don’t know,’ Di replied. ‘But you’d better be prepared, just in case.’ Con groaned.
‘This is not how I intended to begin my career at Oxford, by telling a professor I didn’t agree with his choice of reading!’
‘He probably liked you for standing up to him,’ said Jonathan. ‘A second year on my staircase told me a lot of his students are terrified of him, and he gets really impatient when no-one will speak up in tutorials.’
As Con finished scribbling down the essay title in her notebook, Peter stood up.
‘Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I need sustenance. Who’s for coffee and cakes at the Black Cat Café?’ At the mention of food Con’s stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her that she had missed breakfast. Joining in the laughter, she agreed that yes, coffee and cake sounded an excellent idea.

No need to start speculating whether Con will end up with Jon or Peter. I'm not planning any romance for her, but I didn't see why she shouldn't make friends with some nice young men.
Author:  Alison H [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Con, how embarrassing!

Looking forward to seeing her making some male friends and getting a male perspective on things, which is something that CS girls often don't seem to do.
Author:  Fatima [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Con, what an embarrassing start to her acquaintance with Professor Harrison! But I'm hoping he'll admire her for her honesty and so she'll be fine.

Thanks JayB.
Author:  leahbelle [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:51 pm ]
Post subject: 
What a horrible entrance for poor Con. I bet she hated having attention drawn to her like that!
Author:  Lesley [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 1:26 pm ]
Post subject: 
Actually I think well done Con - yes it was embarrassing, but she didn't allow the professor to faze her, she was honest about why she was late and honest about the reason why she preferred her choice of reading to his - I should imagine the professor will respect her for that.

Pleased she has the opportunity to have some male friends - and very pleased her female ones are keeping an eye out for her.


Thanks Jay
Author:  ElKel [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 1:33 pm ]
Post subject: 
JayB wrote:
‘This is not how I intended to begin my career at Oxford, by telling a professor I didn’t agree with his choice of reading!’
‘He probably liked you for standing up to him,’ said Jonathan. ‘A second year on my staircase told me a lot of his students are terrified of him, and he gets really impatient when no-one will speak up in tutorials.’


JayB, have you based Professor Harrison on any real-life professors, by any chance? :wink: One of my lecturers (in Middle English, funnily enough) when I was an undergrad was a pure demon, but he seemed to like me because, among other things, I admitted that I'd dodged one of his classes to go on a protest march! He asked me if I thought it had achieved anything and was delighted when I said "Probably not." :lol:
Author:  Jennie [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 1:57 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Con, but it does show that she's becoming her own woman, doesn't it.
Author:  LizB [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:18 pm ]
Post subject: 
Well done, Con :D
Author:  MaryR [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
Con made her mark there, didn't she?

Thanks, JayB
Author:  Mrs Redboots [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 4:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
Your Con is definitely not a spineless jellyfish! I do like her. And this drabble - thank you so much.
Author:  Emerence [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:34 pm ]
Post subject: 
Great segment! Poor Con, but at least it sounds like she's made some nice new friends.
Author:  Tara [ Sat Feb 03, 2007 1:14 am ]
Post subject: 
He'll love her - all ogres enjoy being stood up to, and at least she's keen! Lovely to see her having some sort of normality in her life, with both hairstyles and people. It made me quite nostalgic!
Author:  Cath V-P [ Sat Feb 03, 2007 1:53 am ]
Post subject: 
Con handled that very well, which argues an innate level of assurance, and I'm sure that the professor will respect her for her direct truthfulness.
Author:  JayB [ Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:09 pm ]
Post subject: 
ElKel, Prof Harrison isn't based on a real person, he just popped into my head when Con was writing her letter home. I'm getting quite fond of him and wondering how to give him a bigger part in the story.

The Black Cat proved to be a small, rather dingy café serving light meals as well as cakes and pastries. Seeing several students enjoying belated breakfasts, Con opted for scrambled eggs on toast, while the others had scones and jam or toasted teacakes.
‘Must have taken some nerve, walking in like that when the Prof was in full flow,’ said Peter. ’I think I’d just have given it a miss and borrowed someone’s notes later!’
‘You mean - just not go?’ said Con.
‘Sure. Didn’t you ever skive off a lesson at school?’
‘No. Well, even if I’d wanted to, it’s not so easy to do at boarding school.’
‘One of the advantages of day school,’ said Di, biting into a scone lavishly spread with strawberry jam. ‘I hardly ever went to Games when I was in the Sixth.’
‘What did you do?’
‘Oh, just bunked off home if it was the last lesson. Or found a quiet corner and got on with my homework.’ Con rather wished she’d had the opportunity to do the same. She enjoyed winter sports, swimming and boating, but wasn’t fond of organised games. There were many occasions when Margot had chivvied her out onto the hockey field when she’d have preferred to stay indoors with a book. Margot’s insistence that everyone must enjoy games hadn’t helped.
‘I might as well not have gone to the lecture,’ she said. ‘I don’t know how much I took in, with having run all the way, and then having to explain to the Professor.’
‘Haven’t you got a bike?’ asked Peter.
‘No. I might have been on time, if I had!’
‘You should get one. You can get around town a lot quicker, and there are some good rides to be had out in the country. We could all go out one weekend, take a picnic or get lunch in a pub.’
‘Sounds too energetic for me,’ said Di. ‘Judy might go with you, though. Didn’t she say she used to cycle to school?’
‘Has she got here bike here?’ asked Peter. ‘She could have it sent, if she hasn’t.’
Both Jon, as he preferred to be called, and Peter, had come to Oxford after finishing their National Service, Jon in the army, Peter in the RAF.
‘Pushing paper in West Germany,’ said Jon.
‘Being shot at by Yemenis in Aden,’ said Peter.
Jon was from South Wales, not far from the Golden Valley, where Con had spent her early childhood. He hadn’t heard of the Sanatorium in the Welsh Mountains.
‘But I expect my Dad knows about it,’ he said. ‘He’s a doctor. He sees a lot of TB in his practice. Not that any of his patients would ever get near a private sanatorium. They’re mostly miners’ families, living in tiny cottages. It’s the conditions they live in that causes the TB. And there’s the lung disease the men get from working down the pits, of course.’
‘We - my old school - always supported a free child’s bed at the Welsh San, sometimes two,’ said Con.
‘One or two? How much good do you think that does? My Dad’s been in practice nearly thirty years. How many children with TB do you think he’s seen in that time?’
‘Hey, cool it,’ said Peter. ‘He gets like this sometimes,’ he added to Con and Di. ‘It’s because he’s Welsh, I think.’ Jon looked shamefaced.
‘Sorry. It’s just that I’ve been out with my Dad sometimes, and seen - but he says things are a lot better since the National Health Service. And anyway, there are all sorts of new treatments for TB coming in, so soon people won’t need to spend weeks or months in sanatoria. They’ll be treated at home.’
‘You know a lot about it. Why aren’t you doing medicine?’ Di wanted to know.
‘I’m not interested in the scientific side - I’d be no good at diagnosing and doling out drugs. I’d probably poison more than I cured. It’s the social aspects that interest me - how the way people live affects their health, and so on. But everyone seems to think because my dad’s a doctor, I should be one too.’
‘No-one ever thought I should be a doctor,’ said Con. 'I was always much too dreamy, and no good at science. I’d probably kill even more patients than you! So far Margot’s the only one of us to have any interest in medicine, and she didn’t make up her mind until the last year or so at school.’
Peter drained his cup and stood up.
‘I’d better go. Got a tutorial this afternoon, and I haven‘t finished my essay yet.’ His move broke up the party. They parted with an arrangement to meet again for coffee later in the week. ‘And now,’ said Con, as they headed for the door, ‘I’m going to buy an alarm clock!’
Author:  Fatima [ Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:20 pm ]
Post subject: 
What a nice crowd. I hope Len manages to make some friends, as I'd not like to think of her all alone while Con has fun. It might make Con feel guilty, when she really oughtn't.
Author:  Alison H [ Sat Feb 03, 2007 3:56 pm ]
Post subject: 
Peter and Jon sound interesting.
Author:  Lesley [ Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
Very interesting - and Con's getting to see life from many different points of view.


Thanks Jay.
Author:  Tara [ Sat Feb 03, 2007 11:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
They are lovely, aren't they. And Con is going to have some of her assumptions about life turned upside down very soon, I'd guess.
An alarm clock and a bicycle - all a student really needs!
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Sun Feb 04, 2007 6:04 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks. I've just enjoyed a really nice long catch up with this. Con seems to be taking everything in her stride. I remember leaving home after a very sheltered upbringing and finding it difficult despite moving overseas purely because I felt like I needed to spread my wings and explore the world. Am curious if she finds anything hard or difficult to adjust to?
Author:  Jennie [ Sun Feb 04, 2007 3:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks, JayB. It's good to see Con making friends and being more outgoing. And beginning to realise that she's leaving her sisters behind.
Author:  leahbelle [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
Jon and Peter seem like two very nice, genuine guys and it's good that Con can be friends with them without anything else being read into it.

Thanks!
Author:  wheelchairprincess [ Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:32 am ]
Post subject: 
Just had a long session catching up with this. A lovely way to end a day. Thanks, Jay.
Author:  JayB [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:47 am ]
Post subject: 
Fiona, Con will find that not everything goes her way.

Still not really satisfied with this part, but decided to post it so that I can stop fussing with it and move on.

Dear Mamma
Thank you for your letter. I’m glad everyone is well. I hope Anna is feeling less tired now. At least it’s termtime and she hasn’t got the whole family at home to cook and wash for - though we do help out where we can, of course.
What will the Middles think of next! You’d think they’d have run out of ways to get into trouble by now, but they always manage to come up with something new. I suppose in a few years’ time we’ll be talking about the scrapes Felicity and her crowd get into.

I haven’t seen much of Con. When I went round to show her a letter I had from Auntie Madge, she was out. I hope she is keeping up with her work. I know she was never quite such a mooner as Verity, but you know how she loses all track of things when she goes off into one of her dreams. I don’t think anyone will ever let her forget her ‘Daniel bit the lions’ howler!

The work here is quite different from School. We thought having to write 500-word essays was hard - here we have to write 1000 words or more! We used to have discussion in class at school, but here we never know what’s going to come up in tutorials.

Len paused in her writing. She had had her first group tutorial with Dr Thorne, the German tutor, a few days before. It had not been at all what she expected. First of all, she was surprised to find Dr Thorne didn’t expect them to speak German throughout, but supposed that girls from ordinary English schools might find it difficult. They probably didn’t learn to speak as fluently as Chalet School girls did.
‘You’ve all studied German to A level,’ said Dr Thorne briskly. ‘So I can assume you‘ve all reached a certain standard in grammar and written work. Now I want to find out how fluently you read. I’ll hear each of you read a bit of this article. You begin, Mary.’ She held out the magazine. Len was doubtful. Dr Thorne seemed to be holding the magazine out towards her. None of the other girls was reaching for it. ‘Yes, you,’ said Dr Thorne impatiently. Len took the magazine.
‘I’m sorry, I’m always known by my second name,’ she said. Dr Thorne glanced down at the list in front of her.
‘Helena, is that right? Very well, carry on, Helena.’ Len disliked being called Helena, but she didn’t want to delay the tutorial further by saying so. She found Dr Thorne, with her severely dressed iron grey hair and rather masculine dark suit, a little intimidating. The article, Len saw in a quick glance, was an overview of West German politics, written on the occasion of the first manoeuvres of the new Bundeswehr, and elections to the lander or states of the Federal Republic. She wondered why Dr Thorne had chosen it, rather than one of the books on their reading list for the term. Len had only read a few sentences when Dr Thorne stopped her.
‘Where did you learn your German?’
‘At school, Dr Thorne. And I’ve lived in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland since I was ten.’
‘Who was your teacher at school?’
‘Miss Denny.’
‘An Englishwoman? Hmm. You need to work on your accent. It’s a bit of a mishmash - if anything, you sound like an Austrian provincial. Spend some of your vacations in West Germany, among German people. Try to stay with a professional family, so you pick up an educated accent. Very well. Susan, you continue.’
Len handed the magazine on to the next girl and sat back in her chair, flushed and embarrassed. She did not hear much of the next few minutes of reading. After all the time they had spent at school repeating phrases over and over until they had the right accent, it was mortifying to be told that her accent was poor. It was small comfort to hear most of the other girls’ accents similarly ruthlessly criticised. Only one girl, Pamela, who had been on an exchange visit, and stayed with a university professor’s family in West Berlin, heard that her accent was ‘fair’.
When the students had finished reading the article, Dr Thorne asked for their comments, to test how well they had understood it, Len supposed. The talk quickly widened into a discussion of West Germany’s place in Europe. Pamela told of conversations she had had with Herr Professor Hoffman, her Berlin host. Another girl, Ruth, was the daughter of British army officer who had been present at the manoeuvres. She reported what he had said about how important it was that West Germany was strongly defended.
Eventually Dr Thorne, no doubt noticing that Len had contributed nothing to the discussion, said
‘And what can you tell us about attitudes to Germany in the Bernese Oberland, Helena?’
‘I - my mother always says that the Germans -’
‘Is your mother Swiss?’
‘No, Dr Thorne.’
‘’I want to hear what your Swiss friends think.’ As Len still hesitated, Dr Thorne said ‘You’ve lived in Switzerland for eight or nine years, is that right? In that time, you must have heard some discussion about European affairs among Swiss people.’
‘It was mostly English people where we lived. There were a couple of Swiss girls at school, but - ’
‘What about newspapers? Radio? Television?’ Len shook her head. There was no television at Freudesheim. There was her mother’s big radiogram - her ’radio parties’ were a regular event on the Platz - but they mostly listened to concerts, or plays on the BBC World Service. And reading a daily paper was not something she had ever thought of doing.
‘You seem to have had a very circumscribed existence,’ said Dr Thorne. Then, speaking to all the students, ‘I hope you haven’t reached this level without realising you can’t study a foreign language in isolation from the people who speak it. Some of you when you leave here will no doubt find jobs that may require you to visit German speaking countries, or have dealings with German speaking people. The more you know about them, the better you’ll do. I want each of you to be sure to read at least one news article about a German speaking country each week, and come here prepared to discuss it. Now, about essays for this term -’ Dr Thorne had gone on to give them the title of their first essay and provide a list of background reading.
Len did not want to think about the tutorial any more. She returned to her letter.

Reg seems busy, as always. He told me about the poor little Hermann girl in the School’s bed at the San. It’s especially sad when little children have to be in hospital away from their families for so long. At least when Phil was in hospital she was close by and we could all visit her. It sounds as if poor little Lieserl Hermann’s parents can’t afford to visit often. Still, if it wasn’t for the San there would be nowhere for these children to go, so I suppose we should be thankful for that much.

I can’t think of anything I particularly want for my birthday, thank you. I will have to ask Con what she wants to do on the day. It will seem strange to have a birthday without any of the family around, but I suppose we were lucky at school all those years having you so close.

Please give my love to everyone, and write again soon.
Love from
Len
Author:  Emerence [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:28 am ]
Post subject: 
Another great segment, thanks JayB! Eek, Len's having a hard time of it. It must be very crushing for her to have her accent criticised like that after having been revered for her language skills at school.
Author:  Lesley [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:51 am ]
Post subject: 
Never thought of that - of course Len's accent would be obtained from those who taught her - and it was initially from Austria - though I doubt that either the Mensches or the Maranis would appreciate being termed as Austrian provincials. Must have been a shock for Len to be criticised for her language - and also to discover just how little she knew of both the German and Swiss people - and politics.


Thanks JayB - very interesting.
Author:  Alison H [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 8:46 am ]
Post subject: 
I loved the comment about Len's "circumscribed existence"!

Moving from school to uni really can be quite a culture shock.
Author:  JayB [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 10:25 am ]
Post subject: 
Lesley wrote:
Never thought of that - of course Len's accent would be obtained from those who taught her - and it was initially from Austria - though I doubt that either the Mensches or the Maranis would appreciate being termed as Austrian provincials.

Actually, I was thinking that Len probably learned her first German, and picked up her accent, from Anna. And that Jo and perhaps Miss Denny probably spoke with a local Tiernsee accent. And Dr Thorne has a bit of a bee in her bonnet about educated Berlin accents.

Now going to edit the title, because I forgot last night.
Author:  Ruth B [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 10:31 am ]
Post subject: 
That must have been a huge shock for poor Len but it is what university is for. I hope she can accept the advice she is given and learn from the experience.
Author:  jennifer [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 10:40 am ]
Post subject: 
Students who did really well in high school can have a hard time adapting to university - if they've always been the best, and have been identified as the top student it's a big let down to suddenly find themselves one of the crowd, and no longer special.

Students who did well without trying suddenly discover that they have to *work* :shock: and may have to learn good study skills for the first time in their lives, while students who got top marks by working really hard and relying on rote memory work and following the instructions carefully suddenly find that memorising the material isn't enough for an A.
Author:  JayB [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:15 am ]
Post subject: 
jennifer wrote:
Students who did really well in high school can have a hard time adapting to university - if they've always been the best, and have been identified as the top student it's a big let down to suddenly find themselves one of the crowd, and no longer special.

Students..... who got top marks by working really hard and relying on rote memory work and following the instructions carefully suddenly find that memorising the material isn't enough for an A.

I think this describes Len perfectly, and it's what I was thinking when I wrote this piece. Also that Len is the most conformist of the three, and therefore the one most likely to have a hard time accepting that the CS way isn't the only way, or even the best way.
Author:  Ruth B [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:56 am ]
Post subject: 
Especially given that she expects to go back to the platz and the school and therefore might not see the point in adopting a whole new set of ideas.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
Just caught up with this and it's great as usual! I was thinking how hard it was for Len having to suddenly know all about the local current events which were obviously kept from her. I wonder if all the old CS girls found it hard and ended up madly reading everything in sight to catch up. Are Len and Con going to meet up with any old CS girls? Would love to see how they coped as well
Author:  leahbelle [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:34 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Len. Dr Thorne was quite critical of her and I'm not quite sure she deserved it. I hope she can settle down and become a regular student soon.
Author:  Fatima [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 4:52 pm ]
Post subject: 
I did feel sorry for Len there. I hope she can broaden her horizons, though, and get to enjoy her time at Oxford.

Thanks JayB.
Author:  Jennie [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:46 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Len, whaty a shock to discover that Mamma's opinions aren't the gold standard for tutorials. Still, if she doesn't start opening her mind, she won't get the most out of Oxford.
Author:  Cath V-P [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 10:52 pm ]
Post subject: 
Heavens, what a dislocating experience for her. And how frustrating for her as well.
Author:  keren [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:03 am ]
Post subject: 
Well,
very interesting
They should really have taught current events in the sixth form shouldn't they?

If anyone is looking for a drabble idea, it would be interesting to see how they introduce current events letter to the CS as a result of Len and other old girls explaining the lack of them!
Author:  MaryR [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 2:46 pm ]
Post subject: 
Len's experience re her accent is not so strange - most people learning a language, especially if they work abroad, adopt the accent they hear. My French accent is Auvergnat, because that is where I worked for six months. And most of the students in Len's class were equally criticised - except for the one who had been in the capital.

As to current affairs, we didn't focus on those at that time in school. Not like today's students. At least coming home each night one heard the radio or read the paper (I too had no TV for a long while). We really were more sheltered in those days. But I would have thought they had radio at school, at least.

Thanks, Jay.
Author:  JayB [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:34 pm ]
Post subject: 
Dr Thorne is a bit of a dragon, and is very picky about accents - but Len didn't stand up to her, as Con did to Prof Harrison. They do have radios at the CS - Miss A mentioned them when talking about keeping Lady Carew's accident from the girls. But we never hear of the girls taking any interest in current affairs, and the Platz social circle is almost exclusively English.

If anyone wants to write a spin-off from this drabble, as Keren suggested, please feel free. Even if someone covers something I'm planning to write about, it won't matter, as we'll have different ideas about how it should go.

Dear Mamma and Papa
Thank you for your letter, Mamma. I’m glad to hear everyone is well. I hope the Nativity Play is progressing satisfactorily. What is it about? We’ll be home before School breaks up, so I expect we’ll be able to see it.

You asked what I’d like for my birthday. A bicycle would be very useful here, for getting around town and going further afield at weekends. I’ve been told there are some very pretty rides around here. People take picnics and stay out all day. Judy is having her bike sent from home, and we’d like to go out for some long rides. I know it’s quite a big present, but I could get a second hand one quite cheaply, and it could be a combined birthday and Christmas present.

Dr Powell gave me B+ for my essay on the Brontes. She said I express myself clearly with some originality, but lack the experience to appreciate the emotional depths of their work. I suppose there’s not much I can do about that - just have to wait until I’m older!

I’ve joined the College choir. There was a notice on the board in the JCR saying they were holding auditions for new members, and they were particularly looking for altos, so I went along. We’re rehearsing for a joint end of term concert with the Balliol choir, to be held in our chapel and theirs. It’s very interesting working with the men’s voices - of course we never had a chance to do that at school.

Con had thought hard about joining the choir. She was enjoying the freedom to plan her days as she wished outside lecture and tutorial times, and wasn’t sure she wanted to tie herself down to regular practices. However, music was one thing she was missing at Oxford. She hadn’t brought her cello with her, not knowing how easy it would be to store it or to find a time and place to practice. Eventually she had decided to try the choir for one term. She needn’t keep it up after that if she found the commitment too much. So far, she was enjoying it. The men’s voices, as she said, added a whole new element, and the prospect of singing in the college chapels, with their wonderful acoustics, was exciting.

Could you send the last issue of The Chaletian? There’s a College magazine, run by students. I’d like to see if I can help. I thought I’d take along The Chaletian to show that I have some experience of writing and editing.

Must dash now as it’s nearly dinner time.
Much love to everyone
Con
Author:  Alison H [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
Con seems to be settling in much better than Len is :D .
Author:  ibarhis [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
But we have already been warned that Con will not find everything in the garden rosy either!
Author:  Fatima [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:42 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'm not entirely convinced that the Chaletian will impress people making the college magazine, though!
Author:  Lesley [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:18 pm ]
Post subject: 
Con does appear to be settling in rather better - and embracing the new experiences without letting go of the old. I expect the Chaletian is of the same standard as any school magazine - so those running the college magazine will be able to judge it in the same way as they judge any applicant - of course the college one will be better - but that's to be expected.


Thanks JayB
Author:  Ruth B [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
Fatima wrote:
I'm not entirely convinced that the Chaletian will impress people making the college magazine, though!


I was thinking that!
Author:  wheelchairprincess [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
I feel really sorry for Len in this but Con makes me happy. Will we see anything of Margot?
Author:  leahbelle [ Fri Feb 09, 2007 2:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
I wonder if Con is making more of an effort to settle in than Len? I'm not sure. It must be very difficult for them both as they are both from the same background, but Con just seems to find things a little bit easier - at the moment, anyhow!
Author:  Jennie [ Sun Feb 11, 2007 3:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'm glad it's Con who's settling in better and being more outgoing. EBD had her far too typecast as the dreamy, tactless one.
Author:  JayB [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 6:45 pm ]
Post subject: 
We might see Margot in the vacation. I'm not planning to follow her to Edinburgh.

A couple of shortish updates this week, then a longer one when I've had time to write it!

My Dear Con

Your mother mentioned to Auntie Nell and myself that you had suggested a bicycle as your birthday present. We both think it’s an excellent idea. I remember how much I enjoyed cycling in the Oxfordshire countryside when I was a student - more years ago now than I care to think! However, we don’t like the idea of your having a second hand machine. You would have no way of knowing whether it was safe.

Therefore, Auntie Nell and I have decided to give you a new bicycle as a way of marking and celebrating your leaving school and going to Oxford. We will of course give equivalent gifts to Len and Margot if there is anything they especially want to help them make the most of their time at University.

I am writing to your Uncle Dick to ask him to choose a suitable bicycle and to arrange to have it delivered to you at College. I hope it will give you as much pleasure as my bicycle did me when I was your age. I remember some delightful rides in the Summer term; I’ll try to make a note of the routes for you, although I’m sure a great deal has changed since I last saw any of those places.

I hope you’re still enjoying Oxford, and doing well in your studies. I look forward to hearing all the details when you are at home for the Christmas vacation.

With love from
Auntie Hilda

Hilda sealed her letter with some satisfaction. If she’d been asked to guess what Con would want for her first birthday away from home, she would have suggested a typewriter. While fully supporting Con’s ambition to write, Hilda was pleased she had chosen something that would take her out of her room and into the real world.

Con’s choice of gift, and the letters Jo had shown her, suggested that Con was emerging from the world of her imagination, in which she had spent do much time as a schoolgirl, and engaging with real life. Hilda was glad of it. Having taught Con for several years, she knew she had an exceptional command of the English language. She also suspected that Con had quite as much insight as her mother, even if she was not always given credit for it. She was sure that Con would one day make her mark as a writer. But she would be a much better writer if she first gained some experience of life in the wider world.

Hilda and Nell had been a little apprehensive that the triplets, having spent most of their girlhood in the very sheltered and restricted society of the Platz, would find it difficult to adjust to life among strangers. Con, at least, seemed to be having no problems.

Very difficult writing a letter from Hilda - one has to be sooo careful of one's English!
Author:  Mrs Redboots [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 6:47 pm ]
Post subject: 
Good for Hilda and Nell - and how perceptive of them to have realised that the triplets might have problems!

Thanks, JayB
Author:  Lesley [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
Excellent - pleased that Hilda and Nell have recognised the potential difficulty the Triplets could face - and that they are happy to fund a new bicycle.

Thanks JayB


(Oh and know exactly what you mean re Hilda's English! :lol: )
Author:  Fatima [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:16 pm ]
Post subject: 
I can just imagine Jo telling Nell and Hilda about Con wanting a bike and accompanying it with some kind of 'but she'll always be in a dream and might ride it under a bus/into a river/off along unknown streets and get lost' comment. It's good to see that they realize that she actually does have a bit of sense.
Author:  Alison H [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
Nice to see Hilda's thoughts about Con.
Author:  Ruth B [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:06 pm ]
Post subject: 
Glad to see someone has a realistic view of life at the Platz!
Author:  Jennie [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
Why does Hilda think that Con isn't capable of choosing her own bicycle? Why does Dick have to get involved?
Author:  MaryR [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
Hilda would be the one above all who would understand Con.

Thanks, JayB
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:30 pm ]
Post subject: 
Nice to see Hilda acknowledge at last that Con can be quite insightful. I was always disappointed in her because she had to be persuaded by every other Mistress that Con was capable of being the editor of the Chaletian because Hilda thought she would be too dreamy to take on the roll

Quote:
The Head said no more but marking the wideawake look on the girls face she congratulated herself inwardly for having bowed to the insistence of her entire staff that Con should be given the chance to show how she had grown in sense of responsibility


That always made me think Hilda didn't really see Con as anything more than a dreamy kid

It's funny how insular the school became on the Platz. I never got that impression in any other place in the series
Author:  JayB [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:38 pm ]
Post subject: 
Jennie wrote:
Why does Hilda think that Con isn't capable of choosing her own bicycle? Why does Dick have to get involved?

It's a present; Hilda wants Con to have the bike, but not the trouble of getting it, especially as she's not an experienced cyclist and might not know what she should be looking for when choosing one. Dick will go out the day after he gets Hilda's letter, get a bike and have it sent straight away. Con might spend days trailing around the bike shops in Oxford trying to make up her mind, because she doesn't know about bikes. And no-one except Dick has to know how much Hilda and Nell have spent.
Author:  Jennie [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:40 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yes, and it's surprising how few Swiss people the girls actually interacted with. They did see the owners of the pensions when they went on half-term expeditions, but they spoke to very few people apart from the School and San people,which rather negates the point of going abroad to school, doesn't it?
Author:  Cath V-P [ Mon Feb 12, 2007 11:26 pm ]
Post subject: 
What a splendid present! And how good to see that Hilda and Nell recognise that the sheltered life the triplets have led might cause them problems.
Author:  Tara [ Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:35 am ]
Post subject: 
Lovely response from Hilda and Nell to such a sensible desire on Con's part! I've now gone into a dream of Hilda cycling around Oxford ...

I've just caught up, and I did feel sorry for Len in that tutorial. I well remember the sort of lecturer who only ever told you what you were doing wrong and left you feeling totally demoralised. There are enough shocks when starting Uni without that. I do hope Len, too, finds her niche.
Author:  jennifer [ Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:23 am ]
Post subject: 
For Len to branch out and start enjoying university will be a big risk for her. She's got a very firmly laid out plan for her life - finish uni, marry Reg, settle at the Platz and have babies. If she's exposed to a wider world, it may make it very difficult to fit back in to the very insular world at the Platz, once she realized how much more there is in the world, and how old fashioned and restrictive the society there can be.

That, and can you imagine going back to being mothered and directed and advised by Joey on a daily basis after three years away at university? :shock: And trying to fit into a social life where your mother and father are two of the leading members of a very small community?
Author:  leahbelle [ Tue Feb 13, 2007 6:36 pm ]
Post subject: 
How nice of Hilda and Nell!
Author:  Elle [ Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:56 pm ]
Post subject: 
Excellent updates, thank you. I am really enjoying this.
Author:  JayB [ Sat Feb 17, 2007 6:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
My Dear Len

Auntie Hilda and I are joining together to buy a bicycle for Con as a special present to celebrate her going to Oxford. We’d like to buy a similar present for you - and Margot too, of course. A bicycle if you’d like one, or anything else that would help you make the most of your time at University.

These three years are a unique time in your life. It’s a time when you have no responsibilities, other than to yourself. It’s important to make the most of it. It’s especially important for you, because you’ve always had more responsibility than many girls your age, and if you keep to your current plans, you’ll acquire even greater responsibilities on leaving Oxford.

I know I don’t need to tell you to work hard, Len. But don’t ignore all the other things that Oxford has to offer. And don’t forget to tell us what you’d like as a ‘Going to University’ present.

With love from your Godmother
Nell Wilson


As she sealed the letter, Nell hoped that Len would take her advice to heart. From the letters Jo had shown her, and that she herself had received from Len, Nell thought the girl had not fully grasped the whole purpose of going to university. In Nell's opinion, a university education was more than just achieving a degree in your chosen subject. It was part of the process of growing from girlhood into fully rounded adulthood.

Jo didn't seem to see anything to be concerned about, but then Jo had spent her entire life within the family circle. She had never had the experience of going away to university and living independently. In Jo’s eyes, the life Len had mapped out - early marriage and settling down to life on the Platz as part of the School and San community - was the best possible.

Nell's experience had been quite different from Jo’s and the triplets’; she had been left without close relatives at an early age and had had to complete her growing up on her own. Inevitably, she looked at life from a different perspective.

Well, she thought, as she set the letter aside, she didn’t believe in interfering in other people’s lives. She had given her advice; it was up to Len to act on it - or not.
Author:  Fatima [ Sat Feb 17, 2007 6:17 pm ]
Post subject: 
Although she doesn't seem too open to this sort of suggestion at the moment, I hope Len ponders on Nell's words and decided to take this opportunity to grasp all that Oxford has to offer.

Thanks JayB.
Author:  Elle [ Sat Feb 17, 2007 6:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
Lets hope Len takes heed of Bill's advice.



Thanks for the update.
Author:  Lesley [ Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:10 pm ]
Post subject: 
Good of Nell Wilson to consider that - and I should imagine both she and Hilda Annersley felt some concern about the triplets - and Len in particular.


Thanks JayB
Author:  Alison H [ Sat Feb 17, 2007 9:15 pm ]
Post subject: 
Nell seems to've sized up the situation very astutely.
Author:  Cath V-P [ Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:25 am ]
Post subject: 
That was excellent advice from Nell; hopefully Len will think about it.
Author:  Jennie [ Sun Feb 18, 2007 3:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'm glad Bill has told Len a few truths, as Bill can obviously see things more clearly than Jo can.
Author:  Elle [ Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:42 am ]
Post subject: 
Any chance of some more soon please? :D
Author:  JustJen [ Sun Mar 04, 2007 5:22 am ]
Post subject: 
Echoes elle and offers nice tasty chocolate as a bribe :-)
Author:  Jennie [ Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:01 pm ]
Post subject: 
Proposes to start a chant for more of this. Would those who are tone deaf/can't sing for toffee (delete as appropriate) please sign up.
Author:  Elbee [ Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:58 pm ]
Post subject: 
That will definitely include me, I can't sing in tune :lol: but I would love to see more of this, and learn how the triplets develop away from home!
Author:  Rosie [ Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:45 pm ]
Post subject: 
I've just read the whole lot of this today and think it is utterly splendid. Good on Con for making the most of things, and I hope Len does take Bill's advice.

Waiting eagerly for more!
Author:  Dawn [ Tue Mar 06, 2007 7:20 pm ]
Post subject: 
Adds to Jennie's chants with tone deaf singing :lol:
Author:  Elle [ Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
*shouts very loudly to attract attention and then looks embarassed*







Please can we have an update soon? :lol:
Author:  Sandra [ Tue Mar 20, 2007 11:24 pm ]
Post subject: 
Has no shame and so is happy to join in the shouting too. Will threaten to sing if necessary (not a nice thing - definitely more Jessica than Verity).
Author:  Tara [ Thu Mar 22, 2007 12:07 am ]
Post subject: 
Loved the little vignette of Nell - how wise and realistic she is.

Joins in chant for more.
Author:  JayB [ Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:13 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for all the requests for more.

Sorry this hasn't been updated for so long. That boring necessity known as RL rather took over. But it's now the Easter holidays, so I hope to get more posted soon. I know what's going to happen and I have some of it roughed out in pencil and paper, it's just a question of getting it on to the computer.
Author:  Liss [ Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:41 pm ]
Post subject: 
Have just found this - really enjoying it. It's interesting to see how Con and Len are adapting (or not) to their new circumstrances.

Look forward to some more!
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Fri Mar 23, 2007 11:01 pm ]
Post subject: 
JayB where are you? Am really missing this drabble. Sending lots and lots of plot bunnies your way
Author:  Emerence [ Mon Mar 26, 2007 2:06 pm ]
Post subject: 
*Joins the merry chant - with an interpretive dance to go with it*
Author:  Jennie [ Mon Mar 26, 2007 2:13 pm ]
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That should make her come back and post some more. What do they call that incredibly threatening dance the New Zealanders do before a match?
Considers starting that.
Author:  Elle [ Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
Emerence wrote:
*Joins the merry chant - with an interpretive dance to go with it*



*watches Emerences' interpretive dance with a confused expression*


*shrugs shoulders*


*joins in*
Author:  Elbee [ Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:09 am ]
Post subject: 
Fiona Mc wrote:
JayB where are you? Am really missing this drabble. Sending lots and lots of plot bunnies your way

Ditto! Any chance of any more sometime please?
Author:  Lesley [ Sun Sep 23, 2007 11:41 am ]
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Have just spent the last hour re-reading all of this - so would really like an update now.




Please?
Author:  JustJen [ Sun Sep 23, 2007 3:15 pm ]
Post subject: 
Offers cookies for an update
Author:  Carys [ Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:59 pm ]
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I've just read all of this and would love there to be an update soon! Pretty please!
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:07 am ]
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JayB, your public awaits you :lol:
Pretty please, we'll send chocolates and strwberries
Author:  JayB [ Sun Oct 07, 2007 6:10 pm ]
Post subject: 
Sorry everyone, for some reason I didn't get notification that anyone had posted in this thread and I've only just come across these messages.

I've been thinking about this story recently and how I might continue it. I got a bit stuck before because it took a direction I hadn't originally intended. I need to see how I can get it back on track.
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Oct 07, 2007 6:28 pm ]
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As Joey herself would say :lol: , when characters do things you didn't plan then you know they're "real"!

*Sending bunny food*
Author:  Liz K [ Sun Oct 07, 2007 7:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
I've just read this from beginning to end.

JayB, it's absolutely fantastic.

Please please let us have more.

I can see I'm going to have to take some time off work and trawl solidly through all of the CBB to catch up on the other topics.

(Not to worry, Liss and Mods, I'll do my best to make sure I don't spree!).
Author:  Ruth M [ Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:24 am ]
Post subject: 
I keep seeing this thread and getting all excited that it might have been updated...

Please do more!
Author:  JayB [ Mon Oct 08, 2007 5:18 pm ]
Post subject: 
Not really an update - more of a teaser -

Dear Joey

I finally caught up with Len and Con at the weekend. I wish I could have managed it sooner, but I've had so much to do. I've had the freshers here to look after - a couple of them have been very homesick and needed a lot of bucking up. Then I was elected President of the JCR, and I'm on the committees of the College historical society and debating society. Some of the other committee members haven't had much experience at running things, so quite a lot of the work is falling on me.

Anyway, on Saturday afternoon I went round to Howard and found Len, and we went to St Frideswide's and dug Con out. She didn't want to come out - wanted to stay frowsting in her room with a book - but we made her come. Honestly, Joey, I don't think Oxford has made any difference to her - she still seems to spend most of her time in a dream, then blurts out the first thing that comes into her head....
Author:  Fatima [ Mon Oct 08, 2007 5:29 pm ]
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I hope the bunnies continue to provide inspiration!

Thanks JayB.
Author:  Elbee [ Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:42 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks JayB, glad to see more of this!
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:19 pm ]
Post subject: 
Fatima wrote:
I hope the bunnies continue to provide inspiration!

Thanks JayB.


So do I and I certainly hope if thats Mary Lou in that letter she doesn't start interfering.
Author:  Jennie [ Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:36 pm ]
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Why does that sound devastatingly like OOAO, and why do I want to give her a good slapping?
Author:  Alison H [ Mon Oct 08, 2007 9:21 pm ]
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It sounded like OOAO to me as well.
Author:  Liz K [ Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:49 am ]
Post subject: 
Jennie wrote:
Why does that sound devastatingly like OOAO, and why do I want to give her a good slapping?


I thought so too, I'm with you on this Jennie! Please please back off Mary-Lou. :roll: :wink:
Author:  Carys [ Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:11 am ]
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I to thought it was ML, Con probably tried to use the book as an excuse not to go out with her and Len.
Author:  JustJen [ Tue Oct 09, 2007 5:23 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Some of the other committee members haven't had much experience at running things, so quite a lot of the work is falling on me.


More like let her run everything since she is so keen. So typical of OOAO
Thanks for the update JayB.
Author:  JayB [ Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:09 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Why does that sound devastatingly like OOAO, and why do I want to give her a good slapping?

-----:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:-----



So busy was she with work and play that Con was quite pleased one Saturday afternoon to find that there was nothing she especially needed or wanted to do.

The girls had been out to a coffee bar with Peter and Jon the night before, and sat up late talking when they returned to College. That morning, Con had been out to the shops to buy a few things she needed. Di had gone home for her grandmother's birthday and Judy and some of her fellow mathematicians were going to tea with their tutor.

It was a wet, grey afternoon and Con, feeling the effects of more than one late night, decided to spend a quiet few hours reading and writing in her room. With a quick thought for what Matey would say if she could see her, she settled herself on her bed, feet up, pillows propping her back, a choice of books and her writing pad and pen beside her.

She had only read half a chapter of her chosen book when there was a brisk rapping on the door. For a moment Con considered ignoring it, but when the knock was repeated, she reluctantly swung her legs off the bed and went to open the door. Mary Lou stood there, Len next to her.
'Hallo, Con,' said Mary Lou breezily. 'I've come to show you round Oxford. Sorry I haven't managed it before, but I've hardly had a moment to call my own since term began.'
'Oh, I was going to stay in and read this afternoon, I've - ' Con began.
'Nonsense!' Mary Lou cut her off. 'You can't spend all your time reading. There's so much to see and do in Oxford!' If Len had not been there, Con might have persisted in her refusal - not that many people successfully said no to Mary Lou when she was determined on something, Con thought. But Mary Lou had dragged Len away from her studying and letter writing, which Con had never managed to do, and it was good of her to spare time for them. She invited them in to wait while she put on her outdoor shoes and raincoat.
'Aren't you going to do your hair?' said Len, eyeing the thick plait hanging down Con's back.
'This is how I wear it now,' said Con. 'It's so much quicker in the mornings.'
'But it makes you look like a kid,' Len protested. 'We're grown up now, you should wear it up.'
'Lots of girls don't bother here,' said Con. She picked up her beret and her bag. 'I'm ready. Shall we go?'

Con had already seen many of the sights Mary Lou showed them. She did not like to say so, as Mary Lou was clearly enjoying acting as their guide. Len had many questions, so Con was able to tag along quietly, putting in an occasional comment.

The tour ended near Mary Lou's college, and she led them up to her room for tea. She offered some of the fancy bread twists they were accustomed to having for Kaffee at school, as well as the more usual cakes.
'I found a Continental baker in the town,' Mary Lou said when Len accepted a twist with pleasure. 'I thought the two of you might like a reminder of home.' Con began to feel a little ashamed that she had tried to refuse Mary Lou's invitation; she had obviously spent time and effort in planning their entertainment.

The room was warm; Con's thoughts drifted. She was pleased to hear Len laughing as Mary Lou recounted some incidents from her early days at school. Len had enjoyed this afternoon, Con thought; it had been good for her to get away from her studies for a while.
'We should be going,' Len said after a while, standing up.
'Oh, we could stay a bit longer,' said Con. 'That is, if it's all right with you, Mary Lou.' She did not want Len to go rushing back to her books.
'Quite all right with me,' said Mary Lou. 'I've got nothing else planned until dinner. But are you all right, Con? You've been very quiet.'
'Oh, I'm quite OK,' said Con.
'Slang, Con?' said Mary Lou, in her best Head Girl voice, and they all laughed. Con decided she ought to make an effort to join in the conversation. She told the story of her late arrival at Professor Harrison's lecture, which she could now see the funny side of. Mary Lou laughed, but she shook her head, too.
'You really must learn to think before you speak,' she said. 'That sort of thing might have been funny when you were a little girl, but not now you're grown up.' Then the conversation moved on to news of Old Girls. But just as she and Len were getting ready to leave, Mary Lou drew Con to one side and said, her blue eyes fixed on Con's face,
'Coming to Oxford is a very big thing. I can understand if it's taking you a bit of time to settle in. If you find it all a bit overwhelming, remember I'm here and I'll do my best to help.'

.....I think she might be a bit lonely and homesick. She was very quiet all afternoon. I took them back to my room for tea, and she didn't seem to want to leave. I think she was glad to see a familiar face. I'll keep an eye on her - and Len - as best I can.

I heard from Verity the other day. She said young Roly-Poly has lost all his blond hair and she thinks he will be dark like Alan....

I've decided that Mary Lou is in her third year at Oxford. I'm not sure whether EBD ever said how much she missed due to Doris's illness and death, but I'm assuming she didn't go back for the summer term after Doris's death in Reunion, and would have had to start again the following autumn - the term in which Redheads is set.
Author:  Alison H [ Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:25 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'm sure Mary-Lou meant really well, but Con seemed much happier doing her own thing.
Author:  Elbee [ Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:24 pm ]
Post subject: 
Mary Lou has totally misunderstood Con. I hope she doesn't try to interfere too much!

Thanks JayB.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
I thought it was lovely of Con to do all that for Len. Its a shame Len won't do any of that with or for Con but does for Mary Lou. And Mary Lou did mean well but misread everything
Author:  Tassie_Ellen [ Wed Oct 10, 2007 11:37 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks, JayB, have just found this and am really enjoying it!

Ellen
Author:  ibarhis [ Wed Oct 10, 2007 12:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
I look forward to seeing Con develop more self-assertion (or she will be very unhappy!)
Author:  keren [ Wed Oct 10, 2007 12:30 pm ]
Post subject: 
Glad you are getting back to this.
All she was saying about Con was actually true about Len!

Hope she just leaves Con alone and lets her get on with her new social life, if she interferes too much, we may fine Con giving her a piece of her mind.
Author:  Carys [ Wed Oct 10, 2007 2:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'm so glad to see more of this!

Can someone form a line for some M-L bashing!
Author:  Jennie [ Wed Oct 10, 2007 2:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
Joining the queue.
Author:  Liz K [ Wed Oct 10, 2007 2:23 pm ]
Post subject: 
keren wrote:

Hope she just leaves Con alone and lets her get on with her new social life, if she interferes too much, we may fine Con giving her a piece of her mind.



I'd love to see that happen (Con giving OOAO a piece of her mind), that would really be out of Con's character.

Also joining the queue for some M-L bashing.
Author:  Fatima [ Wed Oct 10, 2007 4:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
I thought Con was so nice there, thinking of Len and glad that Len had been taken away from her books for the afternoon. I think OOAO means well, and I don't want to bash her. Yet.
Author:  Ruth B [ Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:28 am ]
Post subject: 
Hilarious how Mary-Lou has got the wrong end of the stick so completely! Wonder what she would say if she knew all that Con had been up to?
Author:  Sarah_G-G [ Thu Oct 11, 2007 3:38 pm ]
Post subject: 
I quite liked ML there, actually, even if she was a little abrupt in expecting they would be free for her. But to be fair, she meant well, was only trying to help them settle in and as far as she could see Con was just alone with a book in her room. It's a shame Con didn't say more to let ML know that she was ok, as it's easy to see how ML could have got the wrong end of the stick here. Unfortunately it's not surprising ML got it wrong- a tired, quiet Con who suggests staying and while Len chats happily and suggests going at what she thinks is a sensible time. With the roles the two of them were pidgeon-holed into at school, Con will need to actually say something if she wants ML to know that things have changed.
Author:  KathrynW [ Thu Oct 11, 2007 4:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
I've just read through all of this and I'm really enjoying it, especially the fact that OOAO seems to have got the wrong end of the stick :D

Thanks for writing more!
Author:  Lesley [ Fri Oct 12, 2007 9:32 pm ]
Post subject: 
I think Mary Lou was being very kind there - but unfortunately she needs to look a little deeper into just why Con was quiet and tired and why Len was so chatty - rather than just assigning them the roles they were forced into at School. Perhaps Con needs to speak to her as an adult and put across her viewpoint.


Thanks JayB
Author:  JayB [ Sun Oct 14, 2007 6:38 pm ]
Post subject: 
Very interesting seeing the various opinions of Mary Lou!

Con was a little nervous as she arrived for her tutorial with Professor Harrison. Len and Mary Lou's reaction to her story about the lecture had shaken her confidence and she was no longer so eager to express her ideas.

The Professor's room was larger than Dr Powell's, but if possible even more crammed and cluttered with books, journals and papers. Some of the papers, judging by their yellowed, curling edges, had lain undisturbed for years.

Con sat in the chair indicated by the Professor and produced her essay. The Professor waved it away.
'I want to hear what you have to say about the Maxims, Miss Maynard.' Con took a deep breath.
'Professor, I - I want to apologise for what I said at the lecture last week.'
He frowned at her over his spectacles.
'Are you saying that you didn't mean what you said then?'
'No, Professor. That is what I think. But it was wrong of me to question your choice of reading.' The Professor leaned back in his chair.
'Look around, Miss Maynard. What do you see?'
'Er - books?' said Con, bewildered at what seemed like a complete change of subject.
'Yes. Many books. All of which have something new to say about their subject. Do you think the authors of those books would have found anything new to say if they had accepted without question everything they were told?'
'N-no, Professor. But I'm only a fresher. I'm here to learn, not - '
'So when do you think you'll be ready to start thinking for yourself, Miss Maynard?' Con gaped at him. 'Here at Oxford we don't want undergraduates who do nothing more than learn and recite facts,' the Professor continued. 'We want students who have original ideas about their subjects.'
'But - how can I know if my ideas are worthwhile? I've only just left school - I really don't know anything yet.'
'That's why you write essays and attend tutorials. You learn to construct an argument and your ideas are tested here as we discuss them.'
'I see,' said Con thoughtfully. 'Essays and tutorials aren't just ways for us to show how much we know about our subjects. They're supposed to make us think, too.'
'Exactly. Now, Miss Maynard, your thoughts on the Maxims, please.'
Con took her notes from her bag and began to read.
'The Maxims have much to tell us about the world of the Anglo Saxons...'

The triplets' birthday fell on a Wednesday that year. On the day, Con had tea with Len in her room, with a cake sent from Switzerland by their mother. Anna mixed it, Joey wrote in the accompanying letter, and all of us here stirred it, from Papa down to Baby Claire. Anna made two cakes with the mixture. The other one is going to Margot in Edinburgh.

The following weekend they were to spend with their Aunt Madge and Uncle Jem. Margot had been invited too, of course. But it can't be done, she wrote to her sisters. It's just too far to travel there and back in a weekend. Give my love to Auntie Madge and Uncle Jem, and tell them they'll have to come to Edinburgh if they want to see me. The two of you must come sometime as well. I'd like to show you the city. Con would love it.

Len was disappointed that the three of them would not be able to spend the weekend together.
'Well, it is a long way,' said Con, 'and it's not the first time we've been apart for our birthday. There was the year Margot was in Canada. We'll have to do as Margot suggests, and try to visit her some time. I'd love to see Edinburgh.' Len still looked troubled
'I never thought, last year, that it might be the last time we'd ever spend our birthday together. I know that when Margot joins her Order she could be sent anywhere and we might not see her for years. But it seems as though she's already growing away from us.'

Ruey had also been invited, but she too had declined the invitation. I’ve been selected for the second lacrosse XII and we have a match on Saturday, she wrote. Lacrosse isn't very popular here and they weren't sure they would have enough players to make up a second team. Captain welcomed me with open arms! They really would find it hard to replace me if I dropped out, and anyway it wouldn't be right. I've written to Auntie Madge. I'm sure she'll understand.

I'm sorry I won't see you two, though - I never thought Margot would come so far just for a weekend. Some of us are talking about going up to London one Saturday, to see the sights and maybe a show. Maybe you two could come too? And bring your friends. I'd like to meet them. Di sounds fun and Judy sounds nice too.

It would have to be a Saturday when there isn't a match on of course. Even when there's no lax, we go and cheer for the hockey and netball. Last week our first hockey XI....

Con decided to wear her hair up for the weekend. Auntie Madge would expect it and she would have to put it up for church on Sunday any way. After some thought, instead of the earphones she pinned her one plait up at the back of her head. Di approved when she saw it.
'If you must wear it up, that's a much better style than those earphone things. Having it all round your face didn't suit you at all. But you'd be much better just having it cut short.'
'Oh, but Con's hair is gorgeous,' Judy protested. 'It would be a shame to have it all cut off.'
'You wear yours short,' Con pointed out.
'Yes, but mine isn't curly, and it never grew right down my back like yours does.'

Con thought that Len enjoyed the weekend with their aunt and uncle. As she had done with Mary Lou, she chattered about family and school news, seeming more relaxed than she had at any time since their arrival in Oxford. Con hardly liked to admit it, even to herself, but she herself found the weekend a little dull. There had been times when only good manners had prevented her from creeping away to her room with a book. She was glad to get back to College and to her work and friends.
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Oct 14, 2007 6:49 pm ]
Post subject: 
This is really interesting! It's strange hearing from home and meeting up with people from your home life when you've just started at university, and trying to find a balance between spreading your wings and not growing apart from your family and old friends. Sounds like both Ruey and Margot are settling in well where they are: Len seems to be the only one not really making a new life for herself.

Looking forward to more!
Author:  Lesley [ Sun Oct 14, 2007 8:32 pm ]
Post subject: 
It is rather worrying about Len - she doesn't seem to be able to appreciate being at Oxford, wanting only to hang on to familiar things. Glad the professor was able to set Con straight - I think he sounds an excellent tutor.


Thanks JayB
Author:  Carys [ Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:06 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks Jay B, Len reminds me of a girl that was in my halls who went home every weekend for three terms, I'm sure if Len had the opportunity then she'd do just that.
Author:  linda [ Mon Oct 15, 2007 12:39 am ]
Post subject: 
Con really does seem to be settling in much better than Len is. She is beginning to see that there are other ways of doing things rather than being exactly what her family and the school always expected of her.
Author:  Ruth B [ Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:44 am ]
Post subject: 
Glad Con's tutor set her straight so quickly before any harm was done.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Mon Oct 15, 2007 11:34 am ]
Post subject: 
Alison H wrote:
This is really interesting! It's strange hearing from home and meeting up with people from your home life when you've just started at university, and trying to find a balance between spreading your wings and not growing apart from your family and old friends. Sounds like both Ruey and Margot are settling in well where they are: Len seems to be the only one not really making a new life for herself.

Looking forward to more!


Yes and Con is still struggling to find the balance between being who she's now become and being who she once was
Author:  Jennie [ Mon Oct 15, 2007 12:28 pm ]
Post subject: 
And that's where the danger lies. Len needs to wake up and widen her horizons, and Con needs to speak up for herself.
Author:  Hannah-Lou [ Wed Oct 17, 2007 7:01 pm ]
Post subject: 
Just found this, and very much enjoying it. :D Had to hunt for it for a while - I saw the hair cutting poll in Joey's Trunk, and wondered which story it referred to. Have now spent too long reading this; must return to the (tediously boring) thesis :( .
Author:  JayB [ Sun Feb 03, 2008 7:24 pm ]
Post subject: 
Con's new bicycle arrived, and she practised riding in the lane behind the college. She had ridden a bicycle before, but not frequently, and she wanted to build up her confidence before venturing out on to busy roads.

Con had also received the copy of The Chaletian she had asked her mother to send. Now she awaited an opportunity to approach the current editor of the College magazine.
'Elaine Marriott?' said Di, when Con explained her intentions. 'Oh, I know her. Always looks as if there's a bad smell under her nose.' Con giggled.
'I think her face is just made that way.'
'Well, I think she looks like a snooty madam. I don't think much of that crowd that hangs round her, either.'
Judy had been looking through the magazine.
'We didn't have anything like this at my school. But if we had, there wouldn't have been much to put in it. We didn't have such interesting excursions. Geneva - Grindelwald; York Minster was the most we managed. It's terrific, Con. It must have been a lot of work. Oh, you've got a story by Josephine M. Bettany! How did you manage that?' Con went pink. She had forgotten about that story. She had had no idea of asking her mother to contribute to the magazine; no other editor had ever included a contribution from a parent or anyone else outside the school. But Joey had pressed the story on her, saying how thrilled she was that Con had been appointed editor of The Chaletian, and how much she wanted to help her make a success of it. Con had not known how to refuse.
'Mamma is Josephine M. Bettany,' she told Judy. 'It was her name before she married.'
'Really? That's fantastic! Why didn't you say before? Nancy Meets A Nazi was my favourite book when I was younger. I was always getting it from the library.'
'I'll tell Mamma. She will be pleased,' said Con. 'She says it was the book she found most difficult to write, but also the one she's most proud of.'
'Why was it difficult to write?' Di asked.
'Oh, because it was all so awful. Mamma was ill for weeks afterwards, and she says she still sometimes dreams about being in that tunnel and going on and on and never getting to the end.' Judy was gazing at her, wide eyed.
'You mean it's a true story? It happened to your mother?'
'Well, not every part of it happened. But the part where Nancy and her friends escape along the tunnel did. And Auntie Nell's hair - Miss Johnson in the book, she's Miss Wilson really - really did go white. And Mamma and Papa - they were engaged then - and Auntie Nell and some of the girls really did have to escape into Switzerland.'

Encouraged by Judy's comments, Con waited for an opportunity to speak to Elaine Marriott. She could have approached her in Hall or in the JCR, but Elaine was always surrounded by people, and Con felt a little shy about accosting her in front of all her friends. They were third-years, after all, and she was only a fresher in her first term. Her chance came when she saw Elaine crossing the quad one afternoon, alone for once. Con had taken to carrying The Chaletian in her bag, in the hope of just such an opportunity. Pulling it out, she approached the other girl and introduced herself, explaining her interest in the College magazine and handing Elaine The Chaletian. Elaine flipped through it.
'Fairytales; Gretchen of the Tyrol, a tale of Austria in the days of Napoleon - outdated tosh; an expedition to Grindelwald; hockey, lacrosse - ' Elaine thrust the magazine back at Con. 'This is schoolgirl stuff, with not a scrap of originality. You've got a pretty good nerve, or a pretty swelled head, coming up to me with this and expecting to be taken on the College mag on the strength of it.'
'But I didn't mean - I only wanted - ' Con stammered. She was quite stunned at Elaine's scathing words; no-one had ever spoken to her like that before.
'Go away and try to grow up a bit. We don’t want kids at Oxford,' was Elaine's parting shot as she strode away. Con was left standing in the middle of the quad, bewildered, replaying the scene in her mind, wondering what she had done to merit such harshness. She was recalled to the present by someone behind her speaking her name.
'Con? Con, is something wrong?'
Author:  LizzieC [ Sun Feb 03, 2008 7:28 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Con.

Thank you JayB - I'm really pleased to see this one back again :D
Author:  roversgirl [ Sun Feb 03, 2008 7:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
It's fantastic to see this back! Thank you and a great update! :)
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Feb 03, 2008 7:47 pm ]
Post subject: 
Great to see this back!
Author:  Elbee [ Sun Feb 03, 2008 7:47 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Con. Thanks for more of this, JayB.
Author:  Lesley [ Sun Feb 03, 2008 7:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
What a nasty piece of work Elaine sounds - of course the magazine was schoolgirl stuff - Con happened to be a schoolgirl when she was editor. I do hope Con can make her eat her words. :evil:


Thanks Jay.
Author:  PaulineS [ Sun Feb 03, 2008 8:35 pm ]
Post subject: 
I wonder what Elaine wanted for the college magazine and what she thinks will happen to the magazine when she graduates? As she never read more than the headings she ceratinly could not make a judgement.

Wondering who has seen Con in the quad and called out to her. Hoping the question will be answered soon.
Author:  Torri [ Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:20 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Con!

Great to see this back though!
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Mon Feb 04, 2008 8:02 am ]
Post subject: 
Glad to see this back. Poor Con, Elaine is seriously swelled headed about her position as editor of the college magazine.

Am wondering who called out to her? OOAOML?
Author:  clair [ Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:49 am ]
Post subject: 
Good to see this one back, hope that Len and Con are able to help each other with their problems
Author:  Carys [ Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:10 pm ]
Post subject: 
Great to see more of this!

Elaine sounds like a nasty piece of work!
Author:  Billie [ Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
Just read through this in one go and am sorry to finish at this point. Elaine's horrible. More please!
Author:  abbeybufo [ Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
Billie wrote:
Just read through this in one go and am sorry to finish at this point. Elaine's horrible. More please!


*Seconds Billie's comments and request*
Author:  Jenefer [ Mon Feb 04, 2008 4:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
Great to see this back, hope there will be more soon
Author:  Emerence [ Tue Feb 05, 2008 8:16 am ]
Post subject: 
Yay it's back! Thank you :D

Elaine sounds like one of those people who is nasty for the sake of being nasty. I wonder what she edited that was so special before she started work on the college mag. Probably a school magazine herself, I shouldn't wonder!
Author:  Identity Hunt [ Tue Feb 05, 2008 6:59 pm ]
Post subject: 
I have just read this right through, and am thoroughly enjoying it !

Sending your plot bunny **lots** of treats :lol:
Author:  di [ Tue Feb 05, 2008 8:17 pm ]
Post subject: 
I've also just read this right through and have enjoyed reading about how Len and Con manage at Uni. Len doesn't seem to have found her feet yet, very different from Con who appears to be taking full advantage of all aspects. Elaine sounds too 'big for her boots' I hope she ends up eating her words.
Thanks, JayB
Author:  leahbelle [ Wed Feb 06, 2008 6:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Con. Elaine was really nasty.
Author:  Miss Di [ Thu Feb 07, 2008 3:43 am ]
Post subject: 
I'm another one who has just found this and read it in one go and am joining in in sending bunny treats. Virtual Tim Tams and Violet Crumbles.
Author:  JayB [ Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:10 pm ]
Post subject: 
Con turned and found herself gazing into a pair of concerned blue eyes.
'Oh - Mary Lou. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you at first.'
'So I gathered! I'd have thought you'd be too busy to spend time dreaming at Oxford!'
'Oh, I don't - spend time dreaming, I mean.' Mary Lou was right, Con realised; there were so many interesting things to do and think about, she rarely drifted off into a dream, as she had so often done at school.
'So why were you standing lost in thought in the middle of the quad? Who was that you were talking to as I came through the gate?'
'Elaine Marriott. She's a third year.'
'Oh yes, I've met her through the Debating Society. She's on St Frideswide's team.' Mary Lou looked closely at Con.
'What’s wrong? Let's go to your room. You can tell me about it.'
Con had had no intention of telling anyone what Elaine had said, but she could not withstand Mary Lou at her most masterful. She trailed along behind her up to her room. Mary Lou soon had the whole story.
'I suppose it was rather cheek,' Con finished, trying to sound matter of fact. 'I probably would have thought so, if a Middle had come up to me like that when I was a prefect and editor of The Chaletian.' She remembered how the prefects had squashed Jocelyn and her friends the previous term when they had brought their idea for motor boat races to a Prefects' meeting.
'Oxford isn't school,' said Mary Lou. 'You'll realise that when you've been here a bit longer. You’re not a Middle and she isn’t a prefect.'
‘I know it’s different. Everyone told us it would be. But then, why was she so - so crushing?’
'From what I've heard, Elaine always expects everything to be exactly how she wants it. She was a leader at school, always the centre of attention, and it's been the same here at Oxford. I think she only wants people on the magazine who'll do things her way. She might have been afraid your ideas would be better than hers, that you'd take attention away from her.'
'But shouldn't she do what's best for the magazine and the college?'
'Of course she should,' said Mary Lou. 'But not everyone is lucky enough to have parents like Joey and Jack, or go to a school like the Chalet School! You three were taught to share, and to think of other people, from when you were tinies. Elaine has obviously never learned that some things are more important than she is. I feel sorry for her in some ways, you know. I think she'll be very unhappy if someone doesn't show her how wrong she is, and help her learn to be unselfish.'
Con was silent for a while, thinking. Then she said;
‘Professor Harrison told me we don’t come to Oxford just to study our subjects. We learn to think, too. But it’s even more than that, isn’t it? We meet all kinds of different people, and have to learn to understand them.’ She thought of Di, who certainly wasn’t the type of girl she’d been accustomed to meet at school; of Jon, who had made her question the work done by the Sanatorium; and now Elaine.
‘Yes. And Con, the more you understand people, the better writer you’ll be. Everyone says the reason Joey is such a good writer is that she understands people so well.’
‘Yes, I see. Thank you, Mary Lou. You have helped.’
‘I’m glad. But how are you enjoying Oxford otherwise, Con? We didn’t talk much when you had tea with me. Are you settling in all right? Making friends?’
‘Oh yes, I think Oxford is marvellous!’
‘Good. And remember, Con, however busy I am, if things get really sticky, I’ll always find time for you.’
‘I’ll remember. But I really would like to stand on my own two feet, if I can.’
‘Of course. But it’s a big change, being away on your own for the first time, so be sure to come to me if you need to. And now I have to go. I have a JCR meeting.’ Mary Lou stood up and picked up her coat, which she had taken off on entering Con‘s room. ‘And I nearly forgot what I came for!’ She took a packet out of the pocket of her raincoat. ’Here are the latest snaps of my nephew-by-marriage. Len’s already seen them, I saw her yesterday, so when you’ve finished with them you can send them on to Joey to show round the school.’ Con took the packet.
‘I’m writing to Mamma this evening, I can put the photos in with my letter.’
‘Joey will be disappointed that you won’t be working on the College mag. I know how thrilled she was when you were made editor of The Chaletian.’
‘You won’t mention it to her, will you? Please, Mary Lou.’
‘No, not if you don’t want me to. I can understand that you’d rather tell her about it yourself.’ That wasn’t quite what Con had meant, but she let it go. She closed the door behind Mary Lou and flopped into a chair, glad to be alone to think over all that had happened that afternoon.

It was Con’s evening for washing her hair. It would take all evening to dry, so she retreated to her room immediately after dinner. Her fringe had grown, she thought, as she unplaited her hair and combed it out. It was beginning to get into her eyes. She would have to go to a hairdresser to get it trimmed.
She was back in her room, kneeling in front of the gas fire, rubbing at her wet hair with a towel, when there was a knock at the door.
‘Who is it?’ she called out.
‘Me,’ Di’s voice replied. Con got up and went to open the door.
‘Jon and Peter are downstairs,’ Di said. ‘They’ve found a pub that has some group of folk singers performing. They want to know if we’d like to go. Judy wants to. Not sure it’s my thing, but I’ll go if everyone else does. What about it?’
‘Now? Oh, I can’t. You can see I’ve just washed my hair. It’ll take hours to dry.’ Di laughed.
‘The oldest brush-off in the book. I can’t, I’m washing my hair.’
‘It’s not a brush off! I really would have liked to go! Make sure you tell them that. Say I hope I can go another time.’
‘OK, OK.’ Di left, and Con sat down in front of the gas fire again. She reached for her writing pad and pen.

Dear Mamma
Thank you for sending 'The Chaletian'. Judy thought it was very interesting. She wanted to know how I managed to get a story by Josephine M Bettany, so I told her you were our mother. I hadn’t said anything before, I didn’t want it to seem as if I was showing off. She says 'Nancy Meets a Nazi' was her favourite book when she was young.

Con paused for a long time, then began writing again.

I don’t think I’ll be able to join the college mag just yet after all. There’s so much to do here. We’ll be having extra choir practices from next week, for the end of term concert. I’ve got quite a lot of work to do between now and the end of term. Dr Powell wants an essay comparing any two of the novelists we’ve studied this term. I think I’ll pick Mrs Gaskell for one, because I do so love 'Cranford', but I haven’t read much else of hers, so I’ll need to find time for quite a bit of reading. I haven’t decided on the other yet.

She paused again. She had not written an outright lie, she thought. But it wasn’t the whole truth, either, and wouldn’t Auntie Hilda say that was just as bad as telling a lie? But for reasons she couldn’t properly explain, Con did not want to tell her mother about that unpleasant meeting with Elaine. Now the triplets were away from home, their mother could not expect to know every little thing that happened, could she? Con began to write again.

Mary Lou brought these snaps of Verity’s baby. She said….
Author:  abbeybufo [ Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:18 pm ]
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Thanks JayB, good to see what happens to the trips once they become 'individuals'
Author:  roversgirl [ Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:21 pm ]
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thanks for the update! :)
Author:  Billie [ Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:30 pm ]
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Thanks for the update. I love this one.
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:33 pm ]
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Good to see her realising that she doesn't have to tell Joey everything any more.

Mary-Lou did quite well there too, for all that she doesn't seem to've changed at all since school.
Author:  PaulineS [ Sun Feb 10, 2008 9:21 pm ]
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Thank you, Mary Lou showed understanding of Elaine but none of Con still.
Author:  Elbee [ Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:01 pm ]
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I do like Con in this, she's lovely. She's getting a chance to discover herself at last, rather than being the "dreamy" one of three.

Thanks, JayB.
Author:  Lesley [ Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:16 pm ]
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That was good of Mary Lou - though I wonder how much of herself she recognised when describing Elaine? Not that I think she is anything like as bad - but she did end up as leader of the school etc - bet she had to re-think her ideas when she first started - probably why she was able to be so understanding toward Con. Still considers Con to be a dreamer though, doesn't she?


Con should invest in a hairdryer and get her hair cut shorter - fancy having to miss a night out to wash her hair. :roll:


Thanks JayB
Author:  Emerence [ Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:31 am ]
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Oooooh yes, Con should get a cut and style ... if only to see the look on Len's face when she sees it! :lol: I think Mary-Lou might approve though, not sure.

Perhaps Con thinks Joey might try to interfere to get her into the mag, or be disappointed in her?

Thanks for the update! :D
Author:  di [ Mon Feb 11, 2008 11:37 am ]
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'Pot and kettle' spring to mind for OOAO although I agree she's no where near as nasty as that Elaine. Good for her trying to help Con understand. School is such a sheltered environment and I should imagine boarding school is even more so. It's a real culture shock when one goes to Uni [or in my case P.E. Training college.] Con is doing really well.
Thanks JayB, for the update.
Author:  Carys [ Mon Feb 11, 2008 9:36 pm ]
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I'm looking forward to Con cutting her hair!
Mary-Lou was surprisingly nice there, I am in shock! :lol:
Author:  JustJen [ Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:01 pm ]
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I really think the Mary-Lou was nice in this scene!

Update soon JayB
Author:  JayB [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:55 pm ]
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Emerence said: Perhaps Con thinks Joey might try to interfere to get her into the mag, or be disappointed in her?

I think Con knows that Joey would be disappointed for her, not in her. But I think at the back of her mind is the thought that Joey would tell everyone about it, and not let it drop, while Con is already moving on. But Con hasn't properly worked out what she's thinking, because she hasn't yet got to the point of seeing her parents from a detached, adult perspective.

This is quite short. The rest of this section will come later today, I hope, but I thought I'd be evil and leave you with a mini-cliff.

Con was indeed very busy, and she realised she had written the truth to her mother; she would not have had much time to spare for the magazine. She grew confident enough to ride her bicycle around Oxford. The days were now too short to take any long rides, but Con bought a guide to Oxfordshire and a map, and she and Judy spent a wet Sunday afternoon planning days out for the spring and summer. She decided on George Eliot as the second novelist for her comparative essay for Dr Powell. Professor Harrison gave her A- for an essay in which she queried a translation of a passage in Beowulf, and congratulated her on her original approach to the topic.

One afternoon Con was hurrying from the Bodleian to College for tea, before going out again to choir practice. Suddenly, Elaine Marriott stood before her.
‘Miss Maynard.’ Her previous encounter with Elaine had faded from Con’s mind. She looked at her enquiringly.
‘Just who do you think you are?’ Elaine demanded.
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ said Con, bewildered.
‘First you have the conceit to walk up to me and demand to be allowed to work on the Friswithian.’ Elaine’s voice was shaking. Con had enough experience of Margot’s rages to recognise that Elaine was very angry, and struggling to keep her temper under control. ‘Then you send a complete stranger - she claimed to know me, but I don’t remember ever meeting her - to plead on your behalf and lecture me about the good of the college, although she’s not even a member of the college! I don’t care who your mother is, it’s what you can do yourself that matters. If you haven’t learned that yet, you very soon will. And you also need to learn not to run crying for help when something happens that you don’t like!’
‘I didn’t -’ Con began, but Elaine ignored her.
‘And then she had the utter impertinence to start preaching at me about selfishness! What gives her the right to speak to me like that? You will kindly tell her to mind her own business!’ Elaine turned and walked swiftly away
Author:  Lesley [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:12 pm ]
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Oh dear - was this Mary Lou attempting to be helpful? Con could have done without it.


Nice cliff though! :lol:

Thanks JayB.
Author:  abbeybufo [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:20 pm ]
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Yes, my thought was OOAO too *g*
Just what Con does not need

Thanks JayB
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:08 pm ]
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Oh no, sounds like OOAO was trying to be helpful and totally missing the mark! Unless it was someone else, but can't think whom...
Author:  Lesley [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 6:17 pm ]
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The only other person I thought of was possibly Len? Though don't know how she'd have known Elaine, Think Con needs to stand up for herself though and tell Elaine and ML/Len whoever to butt out!!!
Author:  PaulineS [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
First you have the conceit to walk up to me and demand to be allowed to work on the Friswithian.’ Elaine’s voice was shaking. Con had enough experience of Margot’s rages to recognise that Elaine was very angry, and struggling to keep her temper under control. ‘Then you send a complete stranger - she claimed to know me, but I don’t remember ever meeting her - to plead on your behalf and lecture me about the good of the college, although she’s not even a member of the college! I don’t care who your mother is, it’s what you can do yourself that matters. If you haven’t learned that yet, you very soon will. And you also need to learn not to run crying for help when something happens that you don’t like!’
‘I didn’t -’ Con began, but Elaine ignored her.
‘And then she had the utter impertinence to start preaching at me about selfishness! What gives her the right to speak to me like that? You will kindly tell her to mind her own business!’ Elaine turned and walked swiftly away



Poor Con no one will listen to her and both Mary Lou and Elaine are too selfish to see that Con has something to offer and is able to stand on her own feet and contribute to college life on her terms, not those other set.
Author:  JayB [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:43 pm ]
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Con was shaking. There was a burning feeling inside her, a feeling she did not recognise. At first she thought she might be about to burst into tears, then she realised she was not upset, she was angry. This, she thought, must be what Margot felt like when she flew into one of her rages. Suddenly she understood her sister much better than she ever had before. Con realised that her anger was not directed against Elaine. She began to walk quickly, almost running along the road.

‘Come in, Con,’ said Mary Lou. ‘What can I do for you?’ Con entered the room and waited until Mary Lou had closed the door.
‘You can please stop interfering.’
‘What? What are you talking about?’
‘You spoke to Elaine, trying to make her take me on the magazine. You even used Mamma’s name. Now she thinks I asked you to do it. She thinks I’m a baby who cries for help when anything goes wrong.’
‘I was just trying to show her what an asset you’d be on the magazine. I thought it would be good for you to get involved in college activities, help you meet people and settle in,’ Mary Lou said.
‘Well, I didn’t ask you to, and you had no right to do it behind my back.’
‘Behind your back? You make it sound as if I’d done something underhanded. You really do need to be more careful about blurting out the first thing that comes into your head, Con.’
‘Well, wasn’t it? You didn’t tell me or ask me first. I know you were a champion butter in at school, Mary Lou, but as you told me, Oxford isn’t school. You’re not Head Girl here.’
‘I promised Joey I’d keep an eye on you, make sure you were settling in all right.’
‘I’m settling in perfectly well, thank you, without your help. And Elaine said you started preaching at her about being selfish and acting for the good of the college! How could you! You don’t even know her, and it’s none of your business. She’s very angry, and I don’t blame her!’
‘It is my business, Con, when I see someone who is so wrong in her way of thinking. Your mother would have done the same, and I’m sure Len would, too.’
‘When we were in Vb, you told Len that she’d be a fidgety old maid before she was thirty if she didn’t stop fussing and interfering,’ Con retorted. ‘I think you’re the one who’s in danger of that!’ She paused. ‘I can’t stop you writing to Mamma about all this. I’d rather you didn’t. I hope you’ll respect my wishes.’ Before Mary Lou had a chance to reply, she walked out and closed the door behind her.

Back in the street, Con looked at her watch. She had missed tea, she realised. She was still angry, and shaking inside after the scene with Mary Lou. She had never lost her temper like that before, or spoken to anyone like that. She was a little amazed at her own daring; part of her still saw Mary Lou as the Head Girl whose authority no-one challenged. She could not go to choir practice and sing sacred music while feeling like this, she thought. She could see the spire of Christ Church in the distance. She turned and began to walk in that direction.

It was getting dark as she slipped across Christ Church quad and into the cathedral. Inside, the lighting was low. There were a few people about, late visitors, members of the cathedral staff, but no-one disturbed Con. She sat and looked about her, at the rose window and graceful fan vaulted roof, allowing the peace of her surroundings to seep into her. This church was on the site of the convent founded by St Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford and of her own college. Con knew she did not have a vocation like Margot’s, but she imagined herself as one of the latest in a long line of women living and studying together in a community, just as St Frideswide had intended.

This was a Protestant church now, of course, although it had been founded by Catholics. Con could not recall ever having been in a Protestant church before. Maybe on expeditions to one of the Protestant cantons of Switzerland? She was reminded of Lucy Snowe, a staunch Protestant, entering a Catholic church and making her confession, during her time of loneliness and heartache. She felt she understood Lucy better, and realised what Dr Powell had meant when she said Con was not mature enough to understand the Brontes' work. She recalled Mamma at breakfast one morning in the summer holidays, reading aloud a letter from Nina Rutherford.

I'm practising in earnest now. The doctors have finally said I can get back to doing six hours a day. The week after next I go into the recording studios, and then I'll be deciding on the repertoire for the tour.

Mrs Maynard, do you remember telling me that the whole experience of the accident would make me a better player in the end? Well, you were right. I can feel it myself, and M. Lecomte has said so. I feel I understand the music much better, somehow.

Con smiled. It was ridiculous to think of her schoolgirl squabbles with Elaine and Mary Lou as being in any way comparable to Lucy’s deep loneliness, or Nina’s serious injury. But maybe, if she did one day try to write properly - not just the fairy tales she had scribbled at school - these experiences would help her.

On her way out, Con turned for a last look round. She had not yet been to Sunday service here, as Judy had suggested at the beginning of term. She must do so, she thought. She went out into the dark and set off back towards St Frideswide's.
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:49 pm ]
Post subject: 
Interesting to see how much Con's grown up and changed in a fairly short time - whereas Mary-Lou, however good her intentions may have been, is still acting like the Head Girl of the Chalet School.

Will also be interested to see if going to a Protestant church is the start of something for Con.

Thanks JayB :D .
Author:  PaulineS [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:18 pm ]
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I am glad Con at least tackled Mary Lou. She needs to write to Joey before Mary Lou interfers there as well.
Well done Con, I hope that she does participate in a service at Christ Church.
Author:  Pat [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:18 pm ]
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Good for Con. ML needed telling!
Author:  abbeybufo [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:41 pm ]
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Well done Con! That can't have been easy, but certainly needed doing.
Author:  Lesley [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:59 pm ]
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Well done, Con - but Mary Lou has no idea, does she? She's convinced that Con is not settling in, that she's still 'blurting things out' and is in need of help when actually Con is getting on perfectly - Len is the one that's not settling.


Thanks JayB
Author:  Pat [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:01 pm ]
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She's still stuck in the stereotypes the trips were labelled with at school isn't she?
Author:  JustJen [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 2:59 am ]
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Bravo Con!
Author:  Emerence [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:50 am ]
Post subject: 
Alison H wrote:
Interesting to see how much Con's grown up and changed in a fairly short time - whereas Mary-Lou, however good her intentions may have been, is still acting like the Head Girl of the Chalet School.

Will also be interested to see if going to a Protestant church is the start of something for Con.

Thanks JayB :D .


I agree, it sounds like Con feels much more on a level with Mary-Lou now and ML still thinks of Con as a bit of a kid.

I'm surprised Con hadn't been in a Protestant church before but now that I think about it it does make sense. I can't quite remember but when Joey was young and before she converted to Catholicism didn't she end up going to as many Catholic services as Protestant because of the churches in the area?
Author:  leahbelle [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:20 pm ]
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I'm glad Con confronted Mary Lou. I hope that ML can see that Con has a valid point.
Author:  Carys [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:11 pm ]
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Well done Con! Hopefully that put M-L in her place!
Author:  Travellers Joy [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:52 pm ]
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Good for Con! Hope ML hasn't ruined things for her.
Author:  di [ Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:44 pm ]
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Good for you, Con! Trust OOAO to interfere, even with the best intentions.
Thanks JayB
Author:  Elle [ Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:45 pm ]
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Have just re-discovered this, I don't know how I forgot it, but at least I had loads of updates to read!

Thanks.
Author:  Billie [ Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:05 pm ]
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Go Con! I hope OOAO at least stops and thinks about what she said.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Wed Feb 20, 2008 1:39 pm ]
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Well done Con for standing her ground and not allowing Mary Lou to intimidate her
Author:  Sarah J [ Thu Feb 21, 2008 2:34 pm ]
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I have just found this and read all the way through from the start. Thoroughly enjoying it. So glad to see Con emerging from the shadow of her sisters. It will be interesting to see how she copes back at home for the holidays!
Author:  JayB [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:18 am ]
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Con made a couple of attempts to write to her mother about her disagreement with Mary Lou, then threw her notepad and pen aside in disgust. At home, Mary Lou was always held up as a model of what a Chalet School girl should be. She was admired for her sensitivity, her ability to deal with difficult girls when even the Staff had failed. No-one ever suggested that she might sometimes be wrong. Con thought back to that whole business with Ted and Margot and Emmie’s clock. Margot had behaved badly, there was no doubt about that. But had Len, and Con herself, really deserved Mary Lou’s scathing remarks? She picked up her notepad, tore off the page, and began her letter again on a fresh sheet. She would just have to hope that Mary Lou did as she had asked and did not mention the affair in letters to Freudesheim.

The other four had all, even Di, enjoyed the visit to the pub with the folk music. Their accounts of the evening had made Con eager to go herself, so she was pleased when, the next Saturday evening, Jon suggested another visit. The pub was some distance away on the other side of Oxford. From the outside it was fairly unprepossessing, on a street corner at the end of a row of rundown shops. Inside, it was smoky, noisy and crowded with what seemed to be a mixture of students and townspeople. Peter and Jon led them over to a group in the corner whom they seemed to know. People sitting on benches against the wall squeezed together to make room for the girls to sit down.
'What would you like to drink?' Peter asked. Con looked around to see what everyone else was drinking. She was used to drinking a light country wine with a meal on expeditions or holidays, but she didn't know whether wine was the right thing to ask for here. The men, and one of the girls, had mugs of beer. Another girl had a glass of some golden brown liquid.
'What's that?' Con asked.
'Cider.'
'That's what I'll have,' Con said. Di and Judy each asked for shandy. Peter disappeared towards the bar.

The folk group consisted of three men and two girls, accompanying themselves on a violin, flute and small drum. Many of the songs they performed were familiar to Con, but they sounded quite different in this setting, performed by adult voices, rather than schoolgirls.
'What do you think?' the young man sitting next to Con asked her, as they applauded the end of the first group of songs.
'The soprano is very good,' Con said. 'The violinist is a bit off key sometimes, though.'
'Well, he should be,' the young man replied. He had an accent Con did not recognise. 'The people who made those songs weren't professional musicians. They were self taught. This is music by the workers, for the workers.' The group was ready to begin again, so Con did not reply.

When the singers took a break mid way through the evening, the stage was open for anyone in the audience who wanted to sing or play. Con's neighbour sang a song about Durham, and another about coal miners, both of which were new to her. The group came back for a second set. Later, when they had finished, Con found herself in a long, involved debate with her neighbour, whose name she still did not know, about whether classical, folk and rock and roll were all equally valid styles of music. At some point another glass of cider appeared before her; Con drank it thirstily.

Closing time took her by surprise; she hadn’t realised they had been there so long. She stood up and pulled on her coat, said goodbye to hew new acquaintance, and followed Di and Judy out into the cold night air.
Author:  linda [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:32 am ]
Post subject: 
Con is really broadening her horizons and relishing all the new experiences.

I hope Mary Lou does hold her tongue and not tell Joey about her interference. Con was probably wise not to write home about it. Joey just wouldn't understand.

Thanks JayB
Author:  linda [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:33 am ]
Post subject: 
Con is really broadening her horizons and relishing all the new experiences.

I hope Mary Lou does hold her tongue and not tell Joey about her interference. Con was probably wise not to write home about it. Joey just wouldn't understand.

Thanks JayB
Author:  Lesley [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 1:05 am ]
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Be careful of that cider, Con! :lol: - pleased she is seeing more of the world - wonder if Len would approve?


Thanks JayB
Author:  Alison H [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:45 am ]
Post subject: 
Glad to see Con out enjoying herself doing different things.
Author:  Elle [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:48 am ]
Post subject: 
Lesley wrote:
Be careful of that cider, Con! :lol: - pleased she is seeing more of the world - wonder if Len would approve?



Just what I was thinking.

Thanks for the update :D
Author:  Elbee [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:40 am ]
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I'm glad Con is broadening her horizons and making the most of a new life at University, but I'm a bit worried about that cider!

Thanks, JayB.
Author:  JackieP [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 1:58 pm ]
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Hmmm - I'm wondering if Con's going to feel fuzzy out in the fresh air...

That said - she could be a girl after my own heart - I still could walk home after 7 pints when I was at Uni :lol:

Thanks JayB

JackieP
Author:  Carys [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:15 pm ]
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Joey would have a fit if she knew her daughter was drinking cider in a public house!
I'm really enjoying this JayB!
Author:  leahbelle [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 4:00 pm ]
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Glad that Con is enjoying herself and broadening her horizons. She's really growing up. That cider may prove to be lethal, though!
Author:  Jenefer [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:04 pm ]
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Glad to see this back. Hope Con is OK after the cider but learning to drink is part of a student's education.
Author:  JustJen [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:42 pm ]
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My goodness, Len is going to freak when she finds out that her sister was in a public house and talking to man she didn't know! ;-)
Author:  roversgirl [ Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:22 pm ]
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thanks for the update :)
Author:  di [ Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:51 pm ]
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Good to have some more of this. thanks
Author:  JayB [ Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:52 pm ]
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There was a loud knocking. Con wasn't sure where it was coming from. She thought it might be inside her head. She wanted it to stop. Then it did stop. Then there were voices. She thought one of them sounded like Len. Then it was quiet. Con went back to sleep.

When Con woke properly, she could not believe what her clock was telling her. It had not stopped; it was still ticking, and the second hand was moving. Con leapt out of bed, reaching for her dressing gown and spongebag, then stopped. There was no hurry. She had missed breakfast by hours, and Mass, too, and it was a while until lunchtime. She put on her dressing gown more slowly and went to open the curtains, wondering why they were closed. She usually slept with them open. Looking around, she saw that her clothes were not neatly folded or hung, just thrown over the arm of the chair. She realised she could not remember getting ready for bed the night before, and had only the haziest memory of walking home from the pub.

Di must have been listening, for as soon as Con stepped out of her room to go to the bathroom, she popped out of her door, which stood ajar.
‘You’re awake! How do you feel?’ Con thought about it.
‘All right, I think. A bit fuzzy. Thirsty.’
‘Come in and have a cup of tea. I’ve had the kettle on, won’t take long to boil it up again.’
‘But - ‘ Con gestured towards her dressing gown.
‘Oh, never mind that. You’re perfectly decent, and who’s to see, anyway?’ Con really did want a cup of tea.
‘All right, I’ll come in a few minutes.’ She hurried along to the bathroom, washed her face and hands and brushed her teeth. Feeling slightly more awake, she made her way back to Di’s room.

Judy was there too, sitting on the hearthrug. Di handed Con a mug of hot, strong tea. She curled up in Di’s chair, her feet tucked under her, and sipped it.
‘Got a headache at all? Want some aspirin?’ Di asked.
‘No, thank you. I’m perfectly all right, I just slept very heavily. I’ve never slept that late before. And I don’t really remember walking home and going to bed.’
‘I’m not surprised,‘ Di said. ‘You were properly lit up last night.’
‘Lit up? What do you mean?’
‘Drunk, my dear!’
‘Drunk?’ Con exclaimed, horrified.
‘I thought you were knocking back that cider a bit too quickly,’ said Di. ‘But I didn’t want to say anything in front of everyone else.’
‘Cider? But - it’s just apple juice, isn’t it? How could I get drunk on that?’
‘Alcoholic apple juice!’ said Di. ‘Haven’t you ever drunk alcohol before?’
‘I’ve drunk wine,’ said Con. ‘In some places we’ve visited, it’s safer than drinking the water. But that never made me drunk!’
‘Cider’s very strong,’ said Judy. ‘Mum told me how she got drunk on cider once, when she and Dad went on holiday to Somerset, when they were first married, because she didn’t realise how strong it was. I probably should have said something, but you weren’t sitting near me, and as Di said, I didn’t want to call out in front of everyone. I’m sorry.’
‘Oh, it’s not your fault,’ said Con. ‘Just something to put down to experience. I’ll know better next time.’
‘Your sister was here,’ said Di. ’Wanting to know why you didn’t turn up for church. We told her you had a headache and were trying to sleep it off.’
‘We thought you probably did have a headache, so it wasn’t exactly untrue,’ said Judy.
‘Oh dear,’ said Con. ‘I don’t know what she’ll say when I tell her what really happened.’
‘Why tell her?’ asked Di. ‘I mean, I know she’s your sister, and your triplet, but she doesn’t have to know everything you do, does she?’ Con had always been accustomed to share things with her sisters. She remembered how, last term, they had talked about what setting she might choose for the historical novel she hoped to write one day. But Margot had almost certainly told Emmie things she didn’t tell Len and Con, and Len never talked about Reg.
‘No, I suppose I needn’t tell her,’ she said. ’I’d better go and see her this afternoon, though, to let her see that I’m all right. And I’ve missed Mass; I don’t remember ever missing before, unless we were in quarantine for something, or the weather was just too bad to go out. I’ll have to look on the noticeboard in the JCR to see if there’s an evening service anywhere.’
‘I’m going to Evensong at Christ Church,’ said Judy. ‘Why don’t you come with me? You said you would, one day.’
‘Yes, I will, I’d like to,’ said Con.

After lunch, Con went round to Howard to see Len. Len was concerned about her supposed headache.
‘I wanted to call the college nurse, or someone, to get into your room and make sure you were all right, but Judy and Di said we should just leave you to sleep.’
‘I’m glad you didn’t call anyone. It would have been a lot of fuss about nothing.’
‘Are you sure you’re all right? Not sickening for something?’ Con thought she had better give Len some explanation.
‘We went to hear some music last night. I think it was just too hot and too loud.’
‘Not rock and roll, I hope!’ Len said, laughing.
‘Oh, no. It was folk songs, just like we used to sing at school. The singer was very good.’
‘Oh. Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better now. But what are you going to do about Mass? There’s an evening service at St Edmund's - I’ll go with you, if you like.’
‘Oh, I’m going to Christ Church with Judy. I’ve been wanting to go to a service there.’
‘Christ Church? A Protestant service?’ Len said doubtfully.
‘Yes. What does it matter? Mamma would say it’s just another path to God.’

The singing of the Christ Church choir was beautiful, and made even more so by the surroundings. Schoolgirl voices never quite managed to attain the same unearthly quality as boys, Con thought. While the choir sang, she gazed up at the roof, thinking how easy it was to feel close to God in such a place. How much more difficult it must be if you lived in a hovel without even the basic necessities of life. Those were the people whom Margot wanted to bring to a knowledge of Christ. Con suddenly felt in awe of her sister and the path she had chosen. Such a calling made her own concerns seem petty and selfish. She looked back over all that had happened; her decision not to tell her mother the truth about the college magazine; the squabble with Mary Lou; virtually lying to Len about the reason she had missed Mass. She wondered whether she should tell the priest every detail at her next Confession, then realised that God knew all about it anyway; she did not need to wait for Confession to ask forgiveness. She prayed silently, and suddenly saw clearly one thing she needed to do.

On her return to college, Con took up her notepad and pencil.

Dear Mary Lou
I’m sorry I lost my temper the other day. I still think you shouldn’t have interfered, but it was wrong of me to speak to you as I did. I hope we can forget it and be friends again.
Con
Author:  Lesley [ Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:15 am ]
Post subject: 
For goodness sake, Len, stop mollycoddling Con - or trying to, anyway! I appreciate she was worried but considering calling the nurse? And being horrified at the possibility of Con going to listen to Rock Music?


Thanks Jay.
Author:  linda [ Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:27 am ]
Post subject: 
Really!! Len could be her own grandmother. What's wrong with Rock Music, anyway?

Poor Con, it's bad enough feeling rough with a hangover, but to add feeling guilty because she hasn't confessed all to Len.

Thanks,
Author:  Alison H [ Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:41 am ]
Post subject: 
Len really needs to get a life of her own at university.

Ahem, yes, I remember the first time I tried that Oxford cider, when I was 16 ... :oops: .
Author:  JayB [ Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:51 am ]
Post subject: 
In my student days I knew several people who fell into the trap of thinking cider wasn't a very strong drink. When I was trying to think of a first-term-at-university experience Con hadn't had yet, that came to mind.
Author:  di [ Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:51 am ]
Post subject: 
I first tried cider when I was 14 and at Guide camp :shock: shock, horror! It was the bottled sweet stuff and for years afterwards just a whiff of the smell made me very nauseous.

Len is turning out to be OOAO's clone! What a fusspot :roll: She needs to get a life.

Great writing, JayB... more please. :D
Author:  roversgirl [ Wed Mar 12, 2008 8:29 am ]
Post subject: 
my friend had a similar thing with cider :) thanks for the update! :)
Author:  MaryR [ Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
But Len is only doing what she was brought up to do - and what her mothering instincts tell her. It's so easy, being the oldest, to fall into that trap.

Love Con opening herself up to new experiences, like the Protestant service. Which was pretty brave of her for the late fifties - because it was classed as a very grave sin!! Says one who knows! :twisted:

Thanks, JayB
Author:  Lesley [ Thu Mar 13, 2008 6:07 am ]
Post subject: 
Joey had always been very ecumenical though, hadn't she? As had Madge before her. So don't think Con would have felt it a sin just 'a different path'.
Author:  Kathy_S [ Thu Mar 13, 2008 6:45 am ]
Post subject: 
They serve hard cider? And get away with it? :shock: :shock: :shock: Very sneaky.

I agree with Lesley on the amazing ecumenism of the Maynards and EBD's writing in general -- though it's true that at the time some Catholic priests even inveighed against attending Protestant weddings, and many would have judged premeditated skipping of Mass a mortal sin.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Sun Mar 16, 2008 3:34 am ]
Post subject: 
I think this shows Con is opening up to new events and experiences and sometimes you come accross as silly and immature but it does hopefully help you grow as a person.

Len has always been responsible and mature and in some ways she is but in other ways by not going out and finding new experiences and by keeping yourself confined by the walls she's placing around herself, she's never going to grow as a person and even Joey was open to new experiences when she was young.

I thought Con's letter to Mary Lou was typical of her honesty and courageous cos there's no guarentee Mary Lou will apologise for butting in. I hope she does cos I can understand why she did. In her eyes the triplets are the younger sisters she never had and it's hard sometime to back off and let them find their own way which is exactly what she needs to do for better or worse
Author:  Sandra [ Sat Mar 22, 2008 4:09 pm ]
Post subject: 
Is it rude to chant for more?
Author:  JayB [ Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Is it rude to chant for more?


oooooooooo :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: oooooooooo

There will be more before too long I hope, but I have a long list of RL things to do, I have a friend visiting one day next week and my mum another, and then I'm going away for a few days (to Oxford, coincidentally!) So when I'll get around to it I can't say.

We will be following Con home for the Christmas vacation; quite a lot of the vacation stuff is already written, and I know where I'm going with it. Then the story will probably take a break, because I need to work out the plot for the spring term in a bit more detail. I do have a rough outline, and there will be quite a lot more angst and family conflict for Con - which is the reason the story is in St Therese.

Ultimately I hope to take Con through the whole of her first year, but that's looking some way ahead.
Author:  Elle [ Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:17 pm ]
Post subject: 
JayB wrote:
Ultimately I hope to take Con through the whole of her first year, but that's looking some way ahead.



*Looking into the future happily*
Author:  JayB [ Fri May 02, 2008 5:27 pm ]
Post subject: 
Sorry this update has taken so long. Every time I sat down to write it, something else came out!

Con received a prompt reply to her note to Mary Lou.

Dear Con,

I accept your apology, of course. It’s not like you to fly off the handle like that, but coming to Oxford has been a big change for you, so I understand you might be finding it all a bit too much to cope with all at once. But if you’re developing a temper you’ll have to learn to control it, and your habit of saying exactly what you think! It was funny when you were a little kid, but it got you into trouble at times, too. You really should have grown out of it by now.

I don’t expect I’ll see you again this term, what with all I have to get through before then, and I won’t be going to the Platz over the vac. I’m spending Christmas with Verity and Alan and Roly. Then Clem and I and Vi and Betsy and Carola Johnstone are going to stay with Julie Lucy, as was. It’ll be quite a reunion! They live at a school, and the boys won’t be there, of course, so there’ll be pots of room. Julie says we can sleep in a dormy if we want to! Though I don’t suppose the boys have the pretty curtains and rugs that we had.

I’ll be writing and sending Christmas cards to Freudesheim, of course, but I’ll wish you a good vacation now, and will see you next term.

Mary Lou

But Professor Harrison had told her she must speak up in defence of her own ideas, Con thought, impatiently pushing her fringe out of her eyes. She still believed Mary Lou had been wrong to interfere between her and Elaine. Was she supposed to sit back and say nothing? But there was nothing she could do about it now. She put the letter back in its envelope and tucked it away in a drawer, then went to look in the mirror. She had to do something about her hair. If she waited until the vacation, it would mean a trip to Interlaken. And there was the concert fast approaching, and the choir master had lectured them about looking neat and tidy. There must be nothing to distract the audience from the music, he had said.

Con had only intended to ask for her fringe to be trimmed, and to have an inch or two cut from the long hair that hung to her waist, to tidy the ends. Then, when she was sitting in the hairdresser’s chair, her hair loose and spread over her shoulders, the girl asked,
‘How much do you want taken off?’
Con hesitated. Hardly anyone else at Oxford had hair as long as hers and Len’s. Nearly all wore it very short, or bobbed, like Di’s and Judy’s. She would save so much time in the mornings, and when she needed to wash it, if it was shorter. And she had always said she would have it cut short, when it was time to put it up.
‘Cut it really short,’ she said.

When the scissors sliced through the first hank, Con had a moment’s fear that she had made a dreadful mistake. But it was too late. She could always grow it again, she told herself.

When the long hair had all gone, the hairdresser persuaded her to have the rest shampooed and styled properly. Con looked in the mirror in amazement when it was done; she hardly recognised herself. The hair had been cut short at the back and sides, but allowed to curl loosely on the top. Her fringe had also been cut and most of it brushed back, so that only a few strands fell over her forehead. Without the deep, heavy fringe, her face looked quite a different shape, and her eyes much bigger. And her head felt so light and free without the weight of the hair. Con thanked the hairdresser profusely, paid and left.

Di let out a shriek when she saw her.
‘Con! You’ve had your hair cut! It looks terrific!’
‘I hardly recognised you,’ said Judy. ‘It does suit you, though.’
‘And much less bother than all that hair you had before,’ said Di.

Len was much more cautious when she saw Con’s new style.
‘You didn’t say you were thinking of having it cut.’
‘I wasn’t. I just went for a trim, and suddenly decided. What do you think?’ Len looked at her carefully.
‘It’s very surprising. It will take some time to get used to it. It does suit you, I think. But I don’t know what Mamma will say!’

Then suddenly it was the end of term. Tutors held sherry parties in their rooms. Con, warned by her experience with the cider, sipped cautiously and refused a second glass. The carol concerts were a triumphant success. After the second one, at Balliol, Con was too exhilarated to go straight back to College. She and her four friends, dragging Len along with them, walked arm in arm along Broad Street, singing carols.
‘Wow, Con, you really have got a voice!’ said Di, after a chorus of Hark, the Herald Angels in which Con’s voice had effortlessly soared above the others’.

It was late when Con turned out her light that night. The next few days would be taken up with packing, deciding what to take and what to leave. Then to London, where she and Len would meet Margot, and the long journey back to the Platz. Con wondered if home would seem different, after a term away. She wondered if she would seem different, to the people at home. She loved Oxford, and was already looking forward to next term. But it would be good to go home and see the family and Auntie Hilda and Auntie Nell and everyone else, and to have time to think over all she had done and learned this term. Finally ready to sleep, Con turned over and snuggled down.

Minor point - I don't know who Betsy Lucy's particular friends were. If anyone can suggest someone, I'll edit it in, because I'm sure Mary Lou would know!

Christmas vacation coming soon, I hope.
Author:  Lesley [ Fri May 02, 2008 5:57 pm ]
Post subject: 
Okay I really want to thump Mary Lou here - she has completely misread the plot - Con wanted to apologise for losing her temper - NOT for the reason why she lost her temper - and Con is perfectly entitled to have her own opinions.

Pleased that Con had her hair cut and that she had such positive reactions from everyone. Would like to think that Len's comment about what Joey will think is just the normal response whenever going to show parents something new - but have an idea it's because she thinks Joey will object - and feel she has a right to object.


Thanks JayB
Author:  abbeybufo [ Fri May 02, 2008 8:27 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks JayB - good to see this again :D

*echoes Lesley's desire to thump M-L and concern that Joey may make a fuss about the haircut*

Edited because I can't spell :shock:
Author:  Sarah_G-G [ Fri May 02, 2008 8:58 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yay, an update! Such a shame ML hasn't managed to use her time at Oxford to find a balance between caring and interfering- the lecturing in that letter was completely unnecessary and I can totally understand Con's frustration. :? I do wonder what Joey will think of the changes in Con, but suspect she'll have a more sympathetic listener in Miss Wilson and some of the other teachers, who will be able to see her new experiences for what they are rather than panicking about a little girl growing up and away.

*hopes that makes sense*
Author:  PaulineS [ Fri May 02, 2008 9:13 pm ]
Post subject: 
thank you for the update.
Author:  Elbee [ Fri May 02, 2008 9:23 pm ]
Post subject: 
Well done Con for getting her hair cut! It's her hair so it shouldn't matter what Joey thinks!

Thanks JayB, I'm looking forward to the next part :D
Author:  Catherine [ Fri May 02, 2008 10:07 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the update - I hope the haircut doesn't go down too badly at home!

Betsy was particularly friendly with Katt Gordon and Carola Johnstone at school, if that's any help.
Author:  Alison H [ Fri May 02, 2008 11:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the update :D .
Author:  Cath V-P [ Sat May 03, 2008 5:01 am ]
Post subject: 
I think Con has been extremely courageous and open-minded in accepting the opportunities that Oxford has given her, and has matured significantly. Mary-Lou and, to a less worrying degree, Len (she does have significantly more time ahead of her) have not. I do wonder how easy Con will find it to go back to the Platz though.

Thank you JayB.
Author:  di [ Sat May 03, 2008 6:53 am ]
Post subject: 
Bravo, Con for getting your hair cut. No chance now of Joey telling her that she is old enough to wear it up! As for Mary Lou, words fail me! What an obnoxious girl she continues to be. How come 3 years at Uni haven't rubbed the edges off her :lol:
Author:  clair [ Sat May 03, 2008 10:19 am ]
Post subject: 
If I'd been Con the reply I'd have sent ML would be unprintable! How on earth has she survived three years of Oxford yet not changed?!
I'm hoping that Con will gradually have a good effect on Len and they'll both get loads out of Oxford

Thanks for the update - looking forward to Jo's reaction
Author:  Karoline [ Sat May 03, 2008 10:22 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks JayB, I'm looking forward to the next installment
Author:  JB [ Sat May 03, 2008 4:18 pm ]
Post subject: 
Have just read this through from the beginning. I love seeing Con at centre-stage and I can so easily imagine that Len would have felt like this at Oxford.
Author:  Jenefer [ Sat May 03, 2008 5:20 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks JayB. I have enjoyed reading this and look froward to more.
Author:  JustJen [ Sun May 04, 2008 4:08 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the update JayB.
I'm looking forward to the next part
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Sun May 04, 2008 1:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for this. Am looking forward to Con going home and the rest of the year
Author:  Jennie [ Sun May 04, 2008 7:52 pm ]
Post subject: 
Well done, Con.

So much more mature than OOAO or Len.
Author:  Anjali [ Tue May 13, 2008 8:07 am ]
Post subject: 
This was lovely, JayB - a really likely scenario. I'm looking forward to Part 2 and more Con who is definitely my favourite triplet!

*someone who was always told off for being dreamy*
Author:  Elle [ Tue May 13, 2008 8:41 am ]
Post subject: 
Complete? How can this be complete? I want it to go on foreverrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!


Um, thanks by the way, I really enjoyed this!
Author:  JayB [ Tue May 13, 2008 1:07 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the comments, everyone. Part II is on the way, but a lot of it was written in longhand and I'm having to get it all on the computer before I can put it all in the right order and see what gaps I have.

For anyone who'd like a teaser, this is the last line I typed; highlight to read if you don't mind spoilers: The staff began to leave for their classes, Kathie last of all, the worried look still on her face. They certainly had a dilemma! End spoiler.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Tue May 13, 2008 6:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks, can't wait to see where it leads to
Author:  roversgirl [ Tue May 13, 2008 9:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
Looking forward to the next bit - Thanks :-)
Author:  Emerence [ Wed May 14, 2008 12:26 pm ]
Post subject: 
I've really enjoyed reading this story, looking forward to more! (Yay to Con for finally getting her hair cut! Joey of the once messy bob can hardly protest ......)
Author:  JellySheep [ Wed May 14, 2008 4:19 pm ]
Post subject: 
This is great, and the portrayal of Oxford is really accurate. Would like to punch Elaine's stuck-up nose though :hammer:
Author:  ghoti [ Sat May 17, 2008 7:42 am ]
Post subject: 
I've just read this through from the beginning, and it's brilliant! Looking forwards to more :)
Author:  MaryR [ Sun May 18, 2008 4:27 pm ]
Post subject: 
Looking forward to the next instalment, JayB. :D
Author:  JayB [ Sun May 18, 2008 9:24 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
This is great, and the portrayal of Oxford is really accurate.


Thank you. I've aimed for something halfway between Harriet Vane's Oxford of the 1930s and Oxford as it was when my friend was at St Hildas in the mid '70s - with a dash of my own student days elsewhere.

Thanks for all the comments. Part II, Vacation on the Platz, is now started, and this part has been uploaded to the SDL, for anyone who wants to read it straight through.
Author:  Emma A [ Tue May 20, 2008 6:36 pm ]
Post subject: 
Just read through all of this today, JayB - it's really good. I do like the way you have developed the characters: I can quite see them behaving like this! I do hope Con can overcome her bad start with Elaine in order to get some experience with the magazine. But Mary-Lou, while trying to help, is going about it in the tactless manner she accuses Con of. Hope Len can detach enough from the Platz to really enjoy Oxford: otherwise I can see her leaving at the end of her first year and returning to marry Reg, scared that she can't cope with the work and wanting to return to her comfort zone.

Will be eagerly looking out for updates to part 2.

BTW, is the title from Gaudy Night? I don't remember the exact phrase, but it seems likely...
Author:  JayB [ Tue May 20, 2008 9:27 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yes, it is from Gaudy Night.

And yes, I'm afraid Len has been so thoroughly conditioned to be the 'good' daughter and to do what everyone else wants and expects, that she'll find it very hard to break free and find out exactly what it is that she wants. At least she's managed to do it in your story!

Thanks for the comments.
Author:  crystaltips [ Thu May 22, 2008 11:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
read all of this tonight - it's good to see how Con is developing. Such a shame that Len seems trapped in a CS time warp though.
As for ML... :hammer: :banghead:
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