Month: June 2016

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with love from Thailand (c1995)

With love from Thailand

Dear Simon & Hilary, We are in our third village – we have spent the last 3 days trekking through the Hilltribes of Northern Thailand – it has been quite an experience – spectacular setting but fairly rough – no facilities – have had my bath in the river the last three nights! Back to Chaing Rai + Chang Mai to-morrow then a few days of luxury on a small Island – Ko Somel in South Thai  See you on the slopes Kev

The stamp and postmark have been the victim of bluetac, I think.  So no clue as to the date this was posted. Also Kev’s travelling companion(s) are not named, so no timeline clues there, either.  I am therefore estimating this to be from 1995.

The trip sounds great – Kev’s obviously looking forward to better plumbing later on 🙂

‘Ko Somel’ could be either Koh Samui or Koh Samet both of which offer luxury beach front accommodation.

We got to know Kev 30 years ago, through Simon’s friend Andy. The four of us subsequently enjoyed several ski trips together – hence the reference to the ‘slopes’. We still ski with Kev (and his family) each year and always appreciate Kev’s wit and wicked banter 🙂 

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with love from Ft Lauderdale, Florida (1985)

With love from Fort Lauderdale

12 September 1985 Dear Si & Hilary. Hello from the States! We arrived here the 10th & leave the 15th (Hurricanes permitting!) Coming back home after that and my ship goes into refit in Devonport. Thanks for keeping in touch back home…. Sheila says she heard from you recently. Hope all is well with the new home. Look forward to seeing you sometime soon. Take care, best wishes Gra xx

This card is helpfully dated by the writer; the date on Ft Lauderdale postmark is not clear. The 11 cent stamp features Alden Partridge and is another from the Great Americans series.

Gra is obviously enjoying some down time in Fort Lauderdale while his ship is in the nearby Port Everglades.

Gra and Simon (my husband) were friends through junior and senior school. As an officer in the Royal Navy he sent us postcards from all over the world and was also Best Man at our wedding. We got together with him and his family from time to time. A few years ago Gra made some life choices that were hard to understand and accept, so the friendship has drifted and we are no longer in touch.

 

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with love from RHS Garden, Rosemoor, North Devon (2007)

With love from Rosemore

On holiday for a week in North Devon. Have managed a couple of coastal walks so far without getting wet! Also found ourselves in a couple of gardens (see front of card!) Planning a walk to Clovelly tomorrow – weather permitting! Hope all well with you love Amanda + Tony

Rosemoor, featured on the front of the card, is one of the major gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society. Naturally, the weather is mentioned, and with good reason on this occasion, as this particular year was the wettest UK summer on record since 1766! We are left wondering if they ever made it to the extremely picturesque and privately owned village of Clovelly.

The card is postmarked ‘EXETER & DEVON 29 JNE 2007’ and carries a second class stamp, which at the time cost 24p.

When I stopped travelling, got engaged and settled down, I also got myself a ‘proper’ job with a large local company, which is where I met Amanda. Simon and I moved away from the area; Amanda still works for the same company and has long service awards for her efforts! Amanda always remembered all our children’s birthdays as well as being very generous at Christmas. The children easily recognised the distinctive hand writing on the parcels; the thoughtful and exciting gifts were eagerly unwrapped and much appreciated 🙂 We continue to meet up with Amanda and Tony.

 

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with love from Orta San Giulio, Italy (2009)

With love from Italy

Dear Hilary & Simon, We’re having a happy time in excellent company. The weather is good & the scenery beautiful. The hotel is grand but a bit haphazard & needs a new stair carpet. Hope all’s well with you all. See you soon. Much love to you all Mum & Dad xxxxxx

This card is from the lakes of northern Italy and features the 16th century decorative town hall of Orta San Guilio on Lake Orta. It is not clear from the text whether Mum & Dad are actually staying in Orta San Guilio; although it would appear that the stair carpet may also date from the 16th century 🙂

The clear postmark reads ‘NOVARA CMP poste 03.10.09 – 16 Italiane’ and the stamp is a 0,65 euro from the definitive series ‘Women in Art‘ issued 2002-2004

An earlier card from my parents, this time with the Mum & Dad moniker.  Taking full advantage of their retirement Mum & Dad travelled extensively, and to some extent continue to do so.  Although these days the cost of insurance is often more than the trip cost, so this is a limiting factor for them. 

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with love from West Cork, Ireland (2002)

With love from West Cork

30.7.02 Just a quick ‘hi’. Hope all’s well. Had a nice week in Co. Waterford – splendid weather, fab scenery, coves, seals, beaches, jelly fish & v. friendly people. Farm was great & now over at Bantry Bay generally poking about. Lovely mussels & boys enjoying it all! Hope to see you after 5/8 – love to all – Alison + Bells

Here’s another message waxing lyrical about Ireland; Alison and the Bells certainly seem to be making the most of it 🙂 It looks very picturesque, however, for a professional shot, it is a shame that the horizon is not level!

The card is postmarked ‘DURAS 01.8.02′ and carries a 41 cent Europa stamp.  2002 was the inaugural competition for the best Europa stamp design.

I became friends with Alison when our children were small. We shared a love of encouraging play in the countryside and enjoyed many days of riverside picnics, water fights, dam building,  football and rounders matches.  These days Alison and I still meet regularly for walks, which inspire our art and poetry 🙂