Thanks for the link to that "companion thread" consuelo - that was a treat! and thanks RhubarbCommando for reminding me of other childhood favourites - I loved Wind in the Willows too (still do!)....and even have a couple of Biggles books (my brothers read more of those than I did, I think - but I can still remember my favourite scene from "Biggles Flies North" I think it was: he crippled the baddies's plane by dropping a crate of spam or some such out the hatch of his plane onto their wing from above! priceless!)....I still love reading children's books and revisiting old faves from my childhood and youth.