Posted by John Wilson on October 14, 2000 at 14:01:32 from 203.96.26.98:
In Reply to: Re: More Ransome posted by Dan V on October 11, 2000 at 11:48:44:
The Amazons could have had green (or brown) instead of red hats for use on land, but they do not seem to have any other children for company locally when at home from school. At the beginning of SD they are tired of each other’s company and keen to earbash the Swallows ie John & Susan (Titty & Roger go exploring). Nancy rabbits on like Peggy and is louder! In both SD and GN when Nancy says “shut up and listen” Peggy points out that Nancy is making the most noise! Good for her!
There are only two other children in the Lake novels apart from the S, A and Ds: Jacky Warriner, in SD briefly and more in PM. Although he is about Dick’s age, he has quite a lot of work on the farm milking etc so he gets up long before the D’s. And the boy at the boatbuilders not much older than John (SD), probably an apprentice. In the 1930s, was the school leaving age 13 or 14, and going to secondary school was not universal ?
Someone from the groves of academia will know, does academia still have groves? Or grooves?
Incidentally Billy Lewthwaite lives with his mother not far from Beckfoot as they can just pop along to get him for driving or odd jobs, but Old Mother Lewthwaite’s place is not shown on any map. The GA nearly goes along to her to complain about Sammy in PM. Her older son Sammy the policeman lives elsewhere, probably in a Police house?
PS The Highlander’s Gaelic is “foreign” to most Scots, who speak English. Robbie Burn’s poetry is in dialect English or Lallans.