More Milly-Molly-Mandy Sweetness

I love the Milly-Molly-Mandy books by Joyce Lankester Brisley. Clearly I am not alone in this, as a post I wrote nearly two years ago shortly after starting my blog, is still my all time most popular one according to Blogger stats. (You can read it here!) 

I was lucky enough back then to have found 'utility' copies of the first two MMM books, both published in 1949, reprints of the originals published in 1928 and 1929. 

 Now I have managed to find another to add to my collection...

This one is from the 1960s, originally published in 1948.

The first story tells of how Milly-Molly-Mandy's dress got ripped to shreds by an over-excited Toby dog.  Our poor heroine has to head home to tell Mother, and is greeted by Uncle who cheerfully says, 'Now you'll catch it.  Tell Mother to send you out to me if she wants you to get a good spanking.  I'll give you a proper one!' 

Fortunately, Milly-Molly-Mandy was not reduced to a quivering wreck by this - she 'knew Uncle was only joking'.
Mother, along with the other womenfolk of the household, were very understanding saying that it wasn't going to last much longer, being faded and outgrown.  

Mother and Milly-Molly-Mandy head to Miss Muggins' shop to buy some 'stuff' for a new dress - something quite different from her usual pink and white stripes.  There they meet a girl called Bunchy, also buying 'stuff' for a new dress, with her Grandmother.  In the end there is only pink and white striped fabric or one with daisies and forget-me-nots to choose from.  And there's only enough of the daisies and forget-me-nots for one dress, so dear little Milly-Molly-Mandy gives up her desire for something quite different so that Bunchy can have the flowery fabric.  Ahhh!

Here's Milly-Molly-Mandy still wearing her pink and white stripes whilst sledging.  Brrr!

But do not fear, for Milly-Molly-Mandy does get a different dress at one point in this book!  Mr Rudge, the blacksmith, marries his sweetheart, and Milly-Molly-Mandy and Little-Friend-Susan are bridesmaids in pink dresses nearly down to their feet, with bunches of roses in their hands.

But life was not all sweetness and light, even back then in the little village where Milly-Molly-Mandy and friends lived. 

 For one of the stories is worryingly entitled...

The gang in question take pleasure in knocking off people's hats, setting chickens loose, leaving field gates open and undoing washing lines.  

Milly-Molly-Mandy, Billy Blunt and Little-Friend-Susan form a gang of their own to un-do all these misdeeds, meeting secretly in an old cycle shed to make up rules and such like. In the end, the real 'gang' seem to tire of their naughtiness and, in twos and threes, ask to join Milly-Molly-Mandy's gang.  Then they all have fun playing rounders.  

If only modern gang culture could be cured as easily!

The Idyllic Life of Milly-Molly-Mandy

After enjoying the day-before-yesterday's historical trip down memory lane with RJ Unstead, I was reminded of another set of books that induce a warm and fuzzy, nostalgic feeling.

The Milly-Molly- Mandy stories by Joyce Lankester Brisley, were published from 1925 onwards, first in the Christian Science Monitor, then as books in their own right. 

 I am sad to admit that I never read any of these as a child, only discovering their charms when I began reading them to a very small Miss U-t-B.  They are such delightful, sweet stories about a bygone age, and each chapter is a story in itself and the perfect length for a bedtime story.

The perfect little English village!  Joyce Lankester Brisley was born in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex.  Wonder if Milly-Molly-Mandy's village was based on somewhere nearby?

Setting off for a picnic with a little-friend-Susan.  This was the sort of freedom I had as a child, and I wish all children these days could have too!  

In another story, Milly-Molly-Mandy wakes up early when her parents are still asleep and creeps out of her 'cot-bed' in the corner of the room, gets dressed and goes for a walk in the fields nearby (stopping off on the way to wash her face in the brook!), finds little-friend Susan, then Billy Blunt, then another little boy all out for early morning strolls and  then they all pick mushrooms for the little boy to sell to Mr Smale the grocer.  I remember Miss U-t-B being so charmed by this story that I thought she'd take off by early one morning in search of adventure!  She still laughs when she recalls my warnings not to do so!

I don't think Milly-Molly-Mandy is the only one who wishes for a shop like that!

This story is about when M-M-M  goes for tea with Jilly and Miss Muggins and falls in love with the crazy patchwork tea cosy.

She then sets about gathering bits and pieces to make one herself - some red satin given to her by Miss Muggins, a bit of green ribbon from Muvver's 'piece-bag', a skein of black silk which she bought with the penny Farver gave her for sweets, some velvet from Grandma's dress alterations, some coloured cord bought for her by Grandpa,  a length of lavender ribbon cast aside by Aunty when retrimming her hat, and a blue and yellow spotted tie that Uncle didn't like . A girl after my own heart!

Finally,  she presented it to Muvver.

In this story,  if I remember rightly, Uncle creates this lovely den and fits it out with all kinds of attic finds - very thrifty!

And in this one, poor little M-M-M gets locked in her room by accident and, after failing to attract attention by shouting out of the window, makes use of the time by crochet-ing a bonnet for little-friend-Susan's baby sister, Doris.  What a clever little girl - I still can't crochet anything useful!

Milly-Molly-Mandy - a life of simple pleasures!