22nd childhood

It sounds funny to call a book published in 1930 refreshing, but that's how I found Arthur Ransome's "Swallows And Amazons" (added to a recent Amazon US order out of curiousity). There's nothing unique about the story of six kids camping, exploring and making believe on their school holidays, except perhaps for the emphasis on sailing lore. But in our "nanny state", where so many outdoor activities are restricted, it was great reading of children climbing tall trees, lighting camp fires, boating at night and even staging a mock sea battle involving a replica cannon. What's more, they come through it all unscathed because they've been raised to go about things - even dangerous things - in the proper way.

The first in a series of twelve tales (which I now aim to collect for the future enjoyment of my nieces and nephews), "Swallows And Amazons" is chockers with charming aphorisms like, "There's no room in anybody for a cold if they're full up with hot porridge" (p338). Today's kids could do with being fed more of that.