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.