New member

Hello everyone I'm a brand new member of TARS and have just received my welcome pack. I'm in London and would love to join in some of your regional activities. Any plans for anything soon? Victoria http://victoriaconnelly.com

Hi Victoria,

Welcome to TARS! I hope you really enjoy it.

You should find details of forthcoming events in Signals: if I recall correctly there should have been a copy of the latest one in your welcome pack?

Ideally information about forthcoming events also appears in the events portlet on the right hand side of the website front page. But it sometimes takes a little time for volunteers to get the info up.

Next May the Society's AGM weekend takes place at Shotley, on the shores of Harwich Harbour. There'll be details appearing in due course, no doubt. That should be a great chance to meet other members and isn't too far from London.

 

Welcome Victoria.  I'm sure you will enjoy being in TARS.  What's your favourite AR book and who's your favourite character?  I joined in 2000, and have met lots of lovely enthusiastic people.  You'll get an idea of what's happened and what's planned in Signals, as Geraint said.  Being in London, you have good transport links, so feel free to attend events in any region, not just Southern!  I love the photos and quotes from the Lake District on your website, by the way.

Hi everyone

Thanks for the lovely welcome.  I got my welcome pack with plenty of back-issues of Signals to keep me happy and get me up to speed.  The regional meetings sound brilliant and I was sorry to find I missed the walk from The British Museum as I've been practically living there this year whilst researching a novel!  Here's to future meetings ...

 

Pippa - So glad you liked my Arthur Ransom page on my website.  I'm very new to Ransome.  I write romantic comedies but recently began writing for children too so wanted to read lots of classics and just fell in love with his books immediately.  Favs so far: S&A, WDMTGTS and Pigeon Post.  Also loving Winter Holiday (reading it now).  Have lots more to luxuriate in, though.  What are your favourites?

 

Favourite characters?  Nancy!!  She gets all the best lines, doesn't she?  Love Titty too (the Titty Alone chapter in S&A was brilliant) and Roger's a great character too.  Feeling close to Dorothea in Winter Holiday as she's a writer and I think like her!  Also love Mr Dixon ("Champion" - my granddad used to say that a lot - he was from Carlisle) and loved Jim B falling asleep on the table in WDMTGTS.  Wonderful books.  I wish I'd written them!

 

Victoria

http://www.victoriaconnelly.com

I love all the books, and find it nearly impossible to choose a favourite.  Perhaps my top two are Secret Water and Missee Lee.  Research a few years ago showed WDMTGTS and WH to be the most popular amongst TARS members.  My favourite character is Titty, and I have a son called Roger!  I love Nancy too - what a spunky character, always full of good/mad ideas, egging  the others on to more adventures.   Captain Flint is great too (Lord Mayor of San Flancisco in ML!), and the S&As are all blessed with lovely parents  (though of course sadly the Amazons' dad died when they were little), who had adventures of their own in their younger days and are happy to let the next generation do its own share of exploring and having new experiences.   

Living on the edge of the Lakes, but having gone to secondary school in Norwich while living in Wroxham, means you can guess my seven favourite books. But I've been re-assessing my most favourite book, and I reckon its Picts and Martyrs (Winter holiday being a close second). This was the first I read, aged about 9, as it happened to be in the house, so maybe this is down to pure nostalgia. That could be a factor in enjoying the whole series of course. I think Nancy Blackett is one of the great creations of children's fiction - it must have been pretty radical in the 1930's to give such prominence to a female character. I also like Dick, but I see myself as a Captain Flint - working behind the scenes to create situations where children can do things for themselves and enjoy adventurous activities. Rob