Life Path

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With love from Banbury (1980)

with-love-from-banbury

6/10/80 Dear Hilary, Just a quickie from me, while on holiday on the Oxford Canals. It is really good fun. We go to all the pubs en route and have had parties on the barge!! The weather has not been brilliant but we enjoying it so that’s all that matters! Today we are at Banbury. It is a really nice country town. I hope you are getting on OK at college. Bye for now Jan xx

A cheery status update from Janet,  who appears to have enjoyed at least two canal holidays in 1980!  As usual she is making the best of things, despite the inclement British weather.

The card is post marked is ‘BANBURY 1.15pm 7 OCT 1980 OXON’ and also carries the old favourite ‘Be properly addressed POSTCODE IT’.

In the UK we all hear about Banbury Cross from a young age thanks to a traditional nursery rhyme – although I suspect few of us have ever visited and some may not even realise the connection!

As I continue this reflection of my life through the postcards I’ve received, I am amazed at just how many messages some people have sent to me – Janet is one of the most prolific correspondents 🙂

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With love from Canary Islands (1982)

with-love-from-canary-islands

Dear Hilary, You will gather I’ve made it to the sun, well some sun, but also cloud, but it is warm.  The Island is beautiful – gorgeous flowers in profusion.  The Atlantic seems always to be in fury.  I tried to swim in it one day but the undercurrents were frightening so have stuck to the pool.  Hope all is well with you, love Auntie Joyce

What an evocative and descriptive status update from back in the day – the picture on the front confirms the colourful flowers and we can imagine the waves crashing to the shore!

Postmarked ’18 FEB 82 TENERIFE’ the card carries 20 pesetas of stamps featuring King Juan Carlos I from the 1976-84 definitive series.

It is unclear which of the Canary Islands Joyce is visiting, but the postmark suggests that it is Tenerife.

This is an earlier card from Auntie Joyce who appears to be holidaying alone on this occasion.  She has always loved cultivating flowers in her garden and is continually on the look out for new varieties.  I remember that Auntie Joyce was a strong swimmer; it seems that she was wise to stick to the pool.  About 6 months ago some of my family met Auntie Joyce with members of her family for a bit of a reunion and a saunter down memory lane – it was good to catch up 🙂

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With love from Fallingbostel (1979)

With love from Fallingbostel 1979

Dear Hilary! I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a lucky New Year 1980. I’m always totally stressed before Christmas, so I send you only this card with the hope that we can continue our correspondence also 1980. Anyway have a nice holiday, many Christmas presents and perhaps a party at Christmas Eve. Yours Claudia

This card features another Christmas Greeting from Germany – the cards are very similar and sent just a year apart.  The German text roughly translates as ‘A merry Christmas and a happy new Year’.

The postmark is clearly visible and is dated ‘FALLINGBOSTEL 21.12.79’  There is another postmark promoting the town of Fallingbostel with its Kneipp Spa and Luftkurort.

Schloss Rheydt, featured on the 60 pfennig stamp, is a Renaissance palace in Rheydt, Mönchengladbach. The stamp is part of the definitive series issued in 1977 featuring strongholds and castles.

Another card from Claudia who was not ‘stressed’ at all when I met her in London on Sunday! Having not communicated for some 20 years we have now managed to meet up In Real Life twice within the space of twelve months!  Happy Days 🙂

 

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with love from Kvaenangsfjell, Norway (1988)

norway

8.7.88 Hey Hilary, Greetings from the Nordkapp in Norway. It’s very beautifull to see the sun at midnight. I am in Norway for 3 weeks and it’s nice to see this country again. I hope you’re well. Take care so long Salutations Christine

The beautiful image on the front of the card is possibly the midnight sun mentioned in the text.

Christine has dated the card, which is helpful as the postmark does not give any indication of date.

The stamp is 3.80 kroner and is one of the definitive set issued in 1988

I met Christine in Norway in 1981; unlike me she has returned on at least one occasion! We continue to exchange news and postcards.

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with love from Townsville, Northern Queensland (1988)

townsville

Dear Hilary & Simon, G’day mates! Excellent choice of elective made here I feel. Baking weather mostly, seaview from my bedroom window. Beach 3 mins away – palm trees everywhere and masses to do Aussies have a great attitude – fun first – work much later. Very infectious! We’re planning bush weekend this week. Dying of relaxation. Love Marion xxx Letter soon coming.

Postmarked ‘TOWNSVILLE MAIL CENTRE 4-PM 25 AUG 1988’ this card features ‘a fine example of early North Queensland Architecture’.

Despite it being winter time in Australia, the weather is obviously good and Marion is enjoying full immersion in the Australian way of life.

The 63c stamp is from the Living Together definitive series issued in 1988

Marion was my brother’s girlfriend; she took this extended working trip to Australia as part of her medical degree. They planned to get married, but Marion changed her mind; inevitably we all lost touch. A quick Google search suggests that Marion subsequently emigrated to the Australia that she was so taken with.

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with love from Paignton, Devon (1980)

paignton

Hello Hilary! I send you many greetings from Paignton. It’s really nice here. Also the weather is marvellous. The people I stay at are very kind. What I also like a lot is the beautiful landscape here. But the next time I’ll tell more. Yours Claudia

Claudia is enthusiastic about her visit to Paignton from Germany, although we are left wondering what the purpose of the visit is and how long she is staying.

I love the rhyme on the front of the card and the idea of leaving ‘Household chores’ behind!

The postmark  says ‘SOUTH DEVON’ but the rest is obscured, apart from the ’80 in the lower part; however, the ‘marvellous weather’ suggests summer time.  The stamp is a 10½p dull blue definitive.

Claudia and I recently reconnected as a result of this blog and are in touch regularly via email and Whatsapp – often while watching the same sporting event on TV’s in different countries…

 

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with love from California (2016)

With love from US

Here is a super special bonus card. it takes me hours to make something like this so i just want to let you know that you’re a great postcard pal! You’re so busy, always doing intresting places. You sent me cards when i wasn’t replying that really made me feel good. Love CBC “fish lips” 7/16

This is a beautiful original painting on a postcard, that I received the other day.  CBC has called it ‘fish lips’ – see how all the fish have big lips 🙂  I was lucky to receive it, as the number was wrong on the address; a kind hearted person obviously took it back to the post office for a second chance.

The card is postmarked ‘OAKLAND CA PM 25 Jul 2016’ and carries an unusual circular stamp, featuring an image of the moon.  This global stamp was issued earlier in 2016 and can be used to mail a one-ounce letter from the US to any country which has a First-Class international mail service.

CBC (aka Crazyruthie) follows this blog; about six months we began exchanging postcards via snail mail.  We do the odd email too, but receiving the postcards is far more exciting!  CBC always sends me an original painted one, or something hand drawn and coloured; they’re all different depending on what technique she’s experimenting with at the time.  We have become postcard pals as a result of this blog, maybe one day we’ll meet in person 🙂

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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 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 🙂