“I’ll Be Along to Beat You Shortly!”

The ridiculously pompous expression of today’s title was originally favored by the ridiculously pompous Headmaster of a school I attended (and yes folks, back in the day, they were allowed to speak to us like that). Personally it always made me feel inclined to pop him on the hooter but it does have all the necessary theatrical resonance for getting the point across so I use the phrase liberally throughout the Woody Back to School Unit saga.

At the Woody Unit the whole punishment ritual often starts with the ceremonious production of the red card. I think Dave Ell captured the ritual marvelously in the opening panel of Woody Toon 1 – Six of the Best for Jojo. Even though Jojo knows that once it has been produced the chance of a red card being rescinded is non-existent she can’t resist the temptation to show her dissent. I can almost hear her saying, “Ya gotta be kidding!” It was actually My Beloved Jojo who first suggested introducing the concept of red cards into the Woody stories, so she only has herself to blame!

Of course being ‘sent up’ invariably involves the unfortunate inmate being obliged to take up the time-honored pose of ‘nose and toes’ while she waits to be caned. Once again I think that Dave Ell captured the ritual perfectly.

Visitors who have rummaged through my assorted ramblings may have observed that I am almost as fascinated with the rituals that surround corporal punishment as the punishments themselves (well, almost). Clearly many of our guests share this interest as two vintage posts, ‘Outside the Punishment Room Waiting to be Caned’, and its companion piece ‘The Punishment Room’ have now moved to first and second place, respectively, as the most viewed Woody posts.

Over the weekend I redesigned the Woodettes Publications Page to give direct access to the five volumes from the Woody Back to School Unit saga that are available for download for the very reasonable sum of $4.99 each. I have included a brief synopsis of the content of each book and of course I have kept the free preview chapters available for your enjoyment.

Due to an over-abundance of sporting events available on the box today, (including the Chelsea vs. Liverpool match live!) I don’t have time for writing HTM-Hell but I will post a new story over the next few days … meanwhile kick-back, enjoy a glass of wine and have a good rummage around the site … Bottoms Up! … RH