Hetty Feather's Christmas

Although they are written mainly for girls, the Hetty Feather series is one I like for looking at past lives and attitudes.

Seeing the weather isn't up to much, I though this would be a good time to read this recent addition to that series.

Hetty Feather is thirteen years and a "Foundling" that's to a say a resident of the Foundling Hospital for children of 'fallen mothers' where children are divide by age range and by gender.

It is forbidden for a mother to have any kind of contact with her children so any kind of link however unofficial is highly prized even if for both it may be punished.

Hetty is with Shelia who snores like a pig at night and other girls of a similar age where through an unofficial link she receives a present from her Mom which she keeps safe overnight knowing that all she will have on Christmas day will be an orange from Matron and Christmas Duck dinner that contrasts will with what they'd normally have IF she behaves herself.

That morning she opens the present and find it is a small home made dolls house but then Shelia sees red quite possibly out of envy and in the the ensuing melee tugs at it breaking and ultimately ruining it for Hetty.

Hetty is devastated and very angry so goes to attack Shelia on the head leaving a broken cut that the commotion needless to say bring Matron Bottomley out and Hetty hits her.

Hetty apologizes which is accepted but finds herself being escorted upstairs to a dark cupboard with nowhere to sleep and just a chamber pot which she is to stay missing out on her Christmas dinner or indeed any dinner.

Fortunately for Hetty, Miss Smith, a Governor of  the Foundlings gets to hear of Hetty's situation from another child and manages to get permission to take Hetty out for Christmas w here she consumes a much needed turkey sandwich before every at Miss Smiths including some children she is looking after have Christmas lunch and play.

Through the dialogue around the other children, we learn Miss Smith takes a more liberal approach to managing their children, certainly not locking them in cupboards and allows them to play and generally be children although if are really naughty, they will be punished.

The children take a big part in the Christmas games such as Charades where through mime the other teams have to guess what the topic is.

Although Hetty is meant to be returned in time for supper, between Miss Smith and Hetty they decide if they're going be in trouble for being out for long it may was well be longer so they set out in time for Hetty to go bed being prepared to tell a 'white lie' to explain why they are so late.

As it happens Matron it appears isn't much for sharing presents being the worse for consuming  all the Punch, being fast asleep.

 Hetty gets ready for bed for having the best ever Christmas present she could hope for without having to explain a thing.

What is more, in that time a remorseful Shelia has painstakingly repaired the home made dolls house, not perfectly , but good enough to be enjoyed that enables both of them to move on and be friends.

Shelia has clearly  learned what upset Hetty  more was she attacked a symbol of Hetty's mothers love even in enforced absence just because it was something she herself didn't have.

What I think is the strength of this installment of the Hetty Feather series, is how Jacqueline tells the story, explaining from Hetty and the children's viewpoint how Victorian society blamed their mothers for being born out of marriage and whilst clothing them, starved them of affection and the right to be children rather than just been seen as objects to be trained to be of service to others.

Wave me goodbye

It was just about three months ago that I was given by a kind relation who enjoys reading, a gift voucher for a well known book and stationery store and in early June, a new book by a favourite author of mine came out so I called in and used it to buy this book.

Entitled Wave My Goodbye, it is about the world of one Shirley L. Smith who lives with her Mom who works in an office and Dad who has joined the Army in the centre of London in Nineteen Thirty-nine.

It has been decided all the children need to be evacuated as the threat of war with Nazi Germany for their own well-being from bombing and it is being done on a school by school basis.

The whole of Paradise Road Junior School is called up, so Shirley has to have a suitcase packed with a change of clothes including night wear plus her favourite dolls and  books before her mommy sees her off at London Victoria railway station which after some fuss she is allowed to sit with the girls of the St Agatha's Convent School of whom it transpires seem to get the best of everything, enroute to Meadow Ridge way out in the countryside.

Arrangements for billeting the children and staff seem very rushed as nothing had been prearranged between the W.V.S. and W.I.and the children are taken around the village until someone claims  them. Unfortunately Shirley plus two east end boys, Kevin and Archie appear to stuck with nowhere to go until with some reluctance Mrs Waverley and Chubby who is her assistant at the Red House, decides to take them in although it appears they hadn't enough food in for them straightaway nor beds .

The children are bought new clothes which for Shirley includes a School Tunic and tie as she only had a pleated skirt with attached bodice and a party frock to change into plus Mrs Waverley also loves reading so they have something in common.

The story sees them attending school in extra classes of the villages local school with lessons by  who is brisk, kind in some ways but not opposed to strapping misbehaving children.

They appear to get on although life has it's ups and downs not least with one of the boys having a problem with bed wetting that creates a lot of work but following an accident  when Kevin follows Shirley who can look at Mrs Waverley's dolls house from the end of the war and to which is a kind of model of the life who had hope to have until her husband was killed in the Great War (W.W.1) and in the course of playing with it breaks the arm of the dolly of him, she gets upset and Kevin and Shirley run off back to London where she is met by her dad for a few days.

He returns them and smooths over the misunderstandings with Chubby and Mrs Waverley so they feel at home and so stay there until the war is over.

The story is one that is undeniable moving, based on what happened across much of Great Britain during the build up and shortly after World War Two, when our major city areas were deemed to unsafe for children and they travelled often more in hope that everything would work out being without their parents.

It is also true that some didn't want 'city children'  and their ways around and others only wanted them for much more for what they could bring them on say farms for labour rather than providing a safe place to live and yet for others it did bring changes for the better in their lives having access to fresh air and countryside.

As a book I found it highly enjoyable although a bit sad in places, telling an important story about the social history of being a child caught up in the storms of war having to adjust to vastly different realities.

Christmas 2014

It is a few days past it as unlike last year the publishing schedule didn't align with Christmas day so I'm doing the entry today in my red sweatshirt, grey pleated skirt with matching grey socks with a pussy bow on them.

The first thing to say is Christmas for me is first and foremost a littles affair, practically a children's one starting with the great anticipation, the week before and building up on Christmas Eve where I sat with Mommy watching the Carols from King's concert on tv in one of my Pinafore Dresses before eating.

I was wake around Half past  Six Christmas Day with anticipation about which list of Santa's  I was one, hoping it wasn't the naughty one, getting washed and dressed  to comedown stairs (in our family you absolutely never come down stairs without being properly dressed, ever) before getting my breakfast.

It wasn't long before the sacks were found so with breakfast things away and washed up, I started on opening my present sacks neatly.

There were a number of Annuals, those perennials from my childhood where you got a softback book featuring cartoon strips from your favourite comics, extra features, quizzes  and games.

As the initiated know, I do read this comic a lot loving the adventures of Minnie The Minx, Dennis The Menace and the Bash Street Kids so here's this years annual.

A comic I used to love as a boy but has folded from weekly publishing was the Dandy with Korky the Cat and Desperate Dan of Cow Pie fame but they do specials such as this years annual so I was mighty glad to get that one.

 An author of books I love to read is Jacqueline Wilson and every year there's an annual out about her, the many stories she's written featuring Tracy Beaker (a heroine of mine) with tips on writing and drawing. I also got the Hello Kitty annual with stories and pictures you can colour.

Talking Kitty, I got a note pad and pencil from my Brother and partner who understand my feminine boy side which was pleasant surprise.
But the biggest surprise was yet to come.

Yes, my parents actually surpassed themselves and bought me this Grafix Build your own Teddy Bear kit that you stuff, sow the back and badge onto and fill out the Birth Certificate for!

I mean, you couldn't get so little with me me if you tried as this suitable for anyone over the age of five  bear you can carry around with you hugging after completion.

After going out for lunch, I got changed into a Tartan skirt coming down the stairs in the late afternoon watching tv for a bit before we had a light evening meal as I was feeling a bit full.

A Christmas where I could be open about my feminine side was just great.

Christmas 2013

It's Christmas which for me means it one that is back in the past even if its Twenty thirteen which means we have comic annuals from the past in them such as the Beano.

It is the 75th anniversary of both the Beano and Dandy this year which is a mighty long time in history of comics and in the Beano remains many of the characters I loved such as Dennis the menace, Minnie the mix, Roger the dodger and of course the Bash Street Kids.

The Dandy ceased regular weekly publication this time last year but had a Summer Special this year which was a pleasant surprise.

This years annual leads off with Desperate Dan on the front but includes favourites such as Keyhole Kate who's always nosy, looking into other peoples business and the great Korky the cat.

My copy has a poster included.

Also included was Diamond, a new hardback novel by Jacqueline Wilson continuing the Hetty Feather story. I like her books loads.

Mummy bought me a new and very feminine pink pair of pull on fur lined slippers and some cute socks.  By the way that bell is old and loud!

I also had this Hello Kitty hand towel and face cloth set for when I go away with friends.

The trouble with being a sissy gurl tends to be less the boy stuff you get but the lack of anything feminine even when people know you are so things like gloves end up being converted to smaller girls gloves that do fit and ditto the socks as my feet are child sized and not man sized.

So while I'd rather that kind of stuff didn't happen, there's no point obsessing over it as you can deal with and anyway not everyone is fortunate to receive presents at all.

The Literary Round Up

 I think I'll begin this blog with a few words on the death of Maurice Sandek who was born on June 10th 1928 and who sadly died Tuesday last (May 8th 2012).

Maurice you see was a writer and also a children's illustrator  when he wasn't doing that, he work on stage sets and  a few other things.

As stories go he give us a big one "Where the Wild Things are" which was later adapted as a play and a good many others.

Maurice knew childhood sadness all right having lost many of his family in the Holocaust but he also knew of children's resilience and the the ability to find fun in the most trying of situations.

He'll be missed.

Having converted  a few book vouchers I had as birthday presents for my bigger self for something well, you know - littler - is so easy you'll wonder how come more don't, I've finally gotten around to reading them.

I think we all know I love Jacqueline Wilson's  work so I bought three books with four stories  with a bit of a common theme that of emotional ups and downs.

Dustbin Baby is a title for 'older readers' by which I think they mean people my age and is the story of April Showers attempt to piece together the whole history of her life through all the carers, foster parents back to the teenage boy who found her in the bin all cold and lonely.

It's a very moving and thoughtful  story that does have a happy ending.

The Bed and Breakfast Star is the story of a families struggle having fallen on hard times  told  mainly though Elsa, lost their home and goes through the revolving door of no homes available and dumping grounds otherwise know as Bed and Breakfast accommodation that  is run down for welfare benefit claimants.

Elsa is a happy go lucky kind of a girl who we learn misses out on her education but in the end is the heroine raising the alert as the fire risk accommodation actually catches fire!

The Suitcase Kid talks about some that ought to talked about handling family break with Andy having to spend alternate weeks at each parent, custody battles and new step families.

The Lottie Project on the other hand is Charlie's discover of her Victorian twin through a school history project where she discovers as bad as her life is her twins is much worse.

It also tackles the difficulties of employment for single parents.

Christmas special

 

Ho ho ho! This wasn't the kind of Christmas entry you would of expected a year back don'tcha think but it says a lot about how I feel about me that it's here

This year was a load of fun as got to know a number of others online who have this more still a child thing about them and I had found ways of letting that out at work too which made things less of a problem than they had been in the past.

The other crazy thing was my sister in law came on over and both of us were singing and making actions to along to that great rockin' number Wombling Merry Christmas by the Wombles as it was on the local radio station as she arrived! This didn't phaze her partner either.

One thing I missed for long time was a tradition of boxes containing a selection of candy usually chocolate children always have presented to them and this year the Hello Kitty selection box put in an appearance.

As well we had annuals and this year I had the Beano annual a comic I grew up with remaining a barrel full of child like fun I could sit on the floor and read. I like Minnie The Minx and the Bash Street Kids.

I also like the Dandy with Korky the cat, Bananaman and Desperate Dan and had this years annual too.

The initiated know I love reading not withstanding the difficulties I have with both holding books and also with my reading abilities and so I had this years Jacqueline Wilson annual which apart from having some drawing sections, also has some new short stories to read and I adore her books loads.

After going out to eat, I watched Ratatouille on the tv which was fun as for some reason I'd missed seeing it at the local movie theatre and made a note to get the dvd as anything that funny could help on either rainy days or when I'm not well.

Xmas 2007

It wouldn't be a Christmas for me without my annuals so here's this years set for endless fun for me reading and doing the competitions in while the groan ups talk about stuff that really doesn't interest me.

And here's the other, The Dandy's that my Gran used to buy me copies of the regular comic of as a kid.

Desperate Dan is sat by his fire on the range singing folk songs with his horse.

Jacqueline Wilson is more my kind of authoress writing more for girls that works very well for little sissy gurls like me so this is so so up my alley.

I go out for Christmas lunch with mummy and daddy and siblings after meeting up locally so mummy gets a day off from cooking.

Candyfloss

Recently I had this new in paperback book that originally came out a year ago that's really for girls but I've always loved reading girls fiction as a boy.

Floss's parents are divorced, and she divides up her week, spending five days with her mum, her new stepdad and her baby half-brother. 

The other two days Floss spends with her dad, helping him to run his greasy spoon café but their simple arrangement is thrown into disarray when Floss's mum decides to move to Australia.

Making the difficult decision to stay at home, Floss moves in permanently with her dad and they muddle along happily together, surviving on chip butties and enjoying visits to the local funfair. But disaster strikes - Dad's money troubles catch up with him and they have to move out of the café. 

They're homeless - but can their new fairground friends help out?
This is what the story explores.