Last week I was having the best flat white I have had the pleasure of drinking in a long while, in a delightful coffee shop, aptly named,
'Bean in Dingle'. ( you know, where Leap Year was filmed?).
If you ever find yourself there, I recommend you pop in.
I spied these adorable covers among other equally hilarious titles, stemming from those beloved books from my childhood era - Enid Blyton's Famous Five series. Actually my favorite which is out of shot is the 'Five on Brexit Island'.
The Dingle bookshop, which sadly I did not have time to pop into, was the brains behind this ingenious idea I believe.
Those of us in England and apparently Ireland too, who grew up in the 1970's era will immediately know what I am talking about.
Apologies to you if you aren't in that category but perhaps you can enlighten me with your own favorites......
This couldn't have been a more perfect photo opp given that my blog was already planned to talk about books from my childhood......and specifically Enid Blyton! Talk about meant to be....
it was because I had one of those instant mad urges a few weeks back to clear out the garage and more specifically the tubs which reside there full of baby clothes, scrapbooks and the like.
Those of you following may recall my mentioning this in blog post #1.
I came across my favorite childhood books – I have a whole collection IN the house for when my grand-babies (yet to be a twinkle in someone's eye), want a story and I can read to them all over again. But the gems, the real keepers are the aforementioned Enid Blyton's Famous Five, along with Nancy Drew, and The Secret Seven.
A little further back, and for me, story telling was that delicious time when tucked into bed accompanied by a mound of cuddlies, the day was done, and my Daddy especially (mum often worked nights) would tell and retell made up stories but we would work our way through books too. I was enthralled.
He would do the voices and I would be enraptured by the creativity he worked into it.
You could say I have him to thank for my passion with voices now.
Soon after I would play teacher and position my cuddly brood in a circle and read for hours to them – which allowed for my later teacher skills to develop.
Words, voices, mimicking - all was set in my DNA many moons ago.
Back to the gems though, or maybe I could call them antiques now.
Who of you wanted to be sent off for the day with a hearty packed lunch full of, 'lashings of ginger beer", and be allowed to run loose and come upon some dastardly deed in a cave
or some vagabond character up to no good?
Who else created their own Secret Seven club if there was an accommodating dad offering his beloved garden shed in which to meet?
Or who secretly desired a handsome boyfriend just like Ned and wanted a convertible like Nancy?
They just don't write them like that anymore.
Truth :Some of those Nancy Drew books terrified me not helped by reading under the covers by flashlight I suppose.
Some things truly never really get old.
What about you? Do you have a favorite book be it Nancy Drew, Famous Five or Secret Seven or something entirely different?