beach

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With love from Cornwall (2005)

with love from Cornwall

Hi Hilary – We’re in Cornwall at the moment – thought of you and Simon as we’re in Newquay today. Janet (Gra’s sister) is getting married on Saturday + Carrie + Ashlea are bridesmaids + I’m singing. Lots of excitement + my mum + dad are coming too. Getting about to different beaches with the children. Hope to catch up before hols are ended – will be in touch. Lots of love Sara + all xxx

Amidst all the excitement Sara has still found time to drop me a postcard – the style of writing suggests a very hectic time. Simon, my husband, comes from Cornwall, which is why she’s thought of us.

The postmark is very blurred, but I believe that it is dated 22.06.05  The other blurred postmark is asking us to ‘Please print the postcode’ – something which Sara has ignored on this occasion, and the card still arrived safely!

I haven’t seen Sara in a while, we both seem to have more time for meeting during the winter months…

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With love from Denmark (1981)

with love from Denmark

Hello Hilary! I send you many greetings from the danish island Møn. I stay here with 5 friends. We rent a house very near to the sea and the beach. The weather has been very good for the whole week and I got very brown. I’ll soon write more. Yours Claudia

This card from Møn is postmarked ‘STEGE 14.30 8 8 1981’ and carries a 1 krone 30 stamp commemorating the oldest Danish coin.

Claudia is enjoying some good weather in Denmark; she sent this card to me not long after I’d arrived in Norway.

There are now many cards posted here from Claudia – she continues to communicate regularly although these days it is usually via WhatsApp 🙂

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With love from Malia, Greece (c1987)

with love from Malia

Sunday.  so far so good, chickens and deckchairs aside. Having lots of fun – loads of swimming, snorkelling (have seen some great fish!), sunbathing etc Food – dirt cheap & the beer. We’re hiring scooters to see ruins of Heraklion tomorrow then a jeep to visit Vai (of bounty advert fame) & some other places. Have 2 trips planned too; a cretan evening with apt food & entertainment in scenic spot & an approx 10 mile walk along biggest gorge in Europe (apparently) + desparately needed boat ride! Loads of banana trees about. Malia‘s a pleasant combination of old traditional & new touristy. Hope to see you soon (after 25th) love Sara, Simon x

There seems to be an entire ‘rough guide’ to Crete contained in this message! Sara and Simon are certainly making the most of their trip.

Unfortunately, the card carries no postmark, so I am guessing this was sent around 1987

The 32 drachma stamp is from the Greek Gods series issued in 1986

Sara and I have been friends since school and continue to see each other regularly – I’m not sure if she still uses my nickname from way back, Hiral… that’s the thing about nicknames, you don’t notice them after a while!

 

 

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With love from Isle of Wight (1989)

with-love-from-isle-of-wigh

OK, so where has the sun gone? We had a really hot weekend, spent partly on the beach (the children were brave enough to go in the sea) and on educational pursuits – Carrisbooke Castle + Bembridge windmill. Today we’re off to the Blackgang Chine theme park and over the cliffs tomorrow. See you soon A + T xx

One of my favourite types of card – a map showing all the places that are mentioned, plus a great little riddle on the side!

It’s postmarked ‘PORTSMOUTH 30 MAY 1989 ISLE OF WIGHT’ in green ink, which is less common.  The other postmark is partly obscured, possibly it says ‘WE LEAD’, but who or what this refers to is a mystery.

An earlier card from Amanda and Tony.

 

 

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With love from Antibes (1983)

with-love-from-antibes

Sun 29/5/83 Dear Hilary, Hi! The journey by coach wasn’t too bad & we arrived with beautiful weather at about 3.30pm yesterday. The site & facilities are very nice & clean & the caravan is ideal. Right now we’re sitting on our little grass patch with table & chairs. The beach is just across the rd & the sea looks beautiful. On Wed 1/6 we’re going to St. Tropez & Port Grimaud. We also hope to visit Monte Carlo some time. Hope you and your family are all well. Lots of love, Wendy xx Hope you had a lovely time in Cyprus. BYE xx

Clearly postmarked ‘ANTIBES 15H 31-5 1983′ this card was written promptly on arrival to ensure that it would reach the UK before the travellers returned home.  Despite only arriving ‘yesterday’ Wendy has plenty to say about her surroundings and the weather, both of which she is obviously enjoying.  I suspect her travelling companion is her boyfriend at the time.

The stamp is a 1 franc 60 centime Marianne Liberté de Gandon engraved by Pierre Gandon.

This is another card from Wendy; I’m still trying to recall a surname for her, so at the moment we’ve not reconnected 😦

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with love from Daytona Beach, Florida (1992)

with love from Daytona Beach

Hi, How’s it going? Got down south for Spring Break with all the other millions of students. It’s pretty happening though and the weather isn’t bad! I hope you are all alright and hopefully see you in the summer. Regards Rob.

Is this ‘The World’s Most Famous Beach’, as is suggested in the description on the back? What about Bondi in Australia?  Maybe in 1992 Daytona was the most famous! Either way, Rob certainly seems quite impressed with it all.

The postmark is sharply legible, ‘DAYTONA BEACH FL 32120 PM 13 MAR 1992’ and the stamp is 40 cents featuring Claire Chennault, part of the Great Americans Series of stamps which were issued between 1980 and 1999.

Rob is my cousin, the only one my mother’s side. He spent several years working, studying and travelling abroad before finally settling on the other side of the world. I cannot recall if we saw him in the summer of ’92 as mentioned in his message; I believe the last time we met was in ’93 at a family wedding. We keep in touch via email, and, excitingly, this summer (2016) Rob and his family are visiting the UK; they plan to stay with us for a few days 🙂 

 

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with love from Cannes, France (1981)

With love from Cannes 1981

Dear Hilary, At present I’m sitting on the beach at Cannes. oggling “Sorry Sight seeing”. Weather is so hot. I’m also as brown as you were after your topless and bottomless hols. Off to the rich mans land of Monta-Carlo tomorrow. Hope to see you at xmas Love Martyn

Post marked ‘Cagnes sur Mer Alpes Mmes 5-8-1981’ (Mmes is an abbreviation of Maritimes), with a 1 Franc 20 centimes stamp.

Cagnes sur Mer is about 22km (15 miles) from Cannes on the French Riviera.

A simple update from a teenage boy more interested in the bodies on the beach than the history of the area!

I cannot recall Martyn, but the content suggests that we were friends at 6th form college. Topless and bottomless refers to a recent trip I’d made with the Canadian boyfriend, when we’d visited the naturist beach at Studland, Dorset. This card would have been gratefully received just after my arrival in Norway, when news from friends and home was such a treat.

 

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with love from St Ives (1974)

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Dear Hilary, At this moment I am on a camp-site in our tent in bed.  I have been to Sennen-Cove today and after a gastly shower I am still sandy.  I had a nice time at the Wye-Valley we did lot’s of things.  I shared a room with Helen, Tracey, Anne and Clare.  Hope you are well and your family.  I didn’t manage to get to boarding school this year but I’ve got another chance next year.  Hope to see you sometime.  My mum gives her love to your mum, lots of love, Ida

Another postcard from my childhood – the postmark date is 9 August 1974.   We moved areas earlier in 1974 and it took me a long time to settle in my new school.  My friend Ida was committed to keeping me up to date with news from my old friends.

The other postmark is still asking us all to ‘Remember to use the post code’ which by 1974 was supposed to be included on all addresses.  As I recall, it was quite hard trying to find out  what the correct post codes were.

In 1974 a first class stamp had gone up to 4½p

St Ives is still a popular destination for tourists and artists.  The photo appears to have been enhanced by tropical vegetation – I think the main shot has been taken from the end of the harbour wall where there are no plants.  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Ida and I were at infant school together, we have not seen each other for over 20 years, but continue to enjoy catching up via regular exchanging of Christmas cards.

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with love from Teignmouth (1972)

Dear Hilary, Having a lovely time, I have just been to my uncles farm And seen all his horses And we went to the beach a few times and went in the sea Love Helen

This is one of the oldest postcards that I have – the postmark date is August 1972

The other postmark is asking us all to ‘Remember to use the post code’.

The stamp cost 3p (first class) which is approximately 37p in 2014

The view of the railway along the coast remains unchanged (although it was devastated by the storms in early 2014) however the trains have been updated slightly.

I have lost touch with Helen.