Domesday Book

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With love from Minehead (1986)

with love from Minehead

23.6.86 Had an easy journey here & weather varied. Sun & mist but warm. We are close to Exmoor & with a good pair of boots would love to walk up there. Sad but I think those days are past. Hope your Lake District holiday was a success. We return on Sat. Love Auntie Vi

Auntie Vi is in her favourite county of Somerset and coming to terms with the fact that she isn’t able to do as much as she once could. The Lake District holiday to which she refers was our honeymoon earlier in the year 🙂

The card is postmarked ‘MINEHEAD 23 JUN 1986’ and carries a 17p stamp which was part of a set issued in 1986 featuring medieval life, and commemorating the 900th anniversary of the Domesday Book.

(Great) Auntie Vi was a widow for much of her later life; she overcame her grief and regained her spirit and independence – an example to us all. 

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with love from Dulverton (1992)

With love from Dulverton 1992

Here for a week We are in a rural old fashioned cottage, all mod cons. We are up the little lane by the Rock Inn (top right on this card). Thanks for your letter and trust all goes well for you both My love Auntie Vi

Here’s Great Auntie Vi again; she loved Somerset and visited the county most years. It sounds as though she and her companion are very pleased with their choice of holiday let; character combined with ‘mod cons’ (modern conveniences), presumably a TV and possibly a washing machine!  Although she mentions The Rock House Inn, it is unlikely that Auntie Vi frequented it, being of the generation of ladies that hardly visited pubs, and certainly didn’t enter them unaccompanied by a man!

The top left picture is of ‘The Caravan Club’ park; an interesting choice of subject matter and a handy bit of free advertising for the CC The site still features on the CC website (2016).

The postmark date is ‘EXETER DISTRICT 23 JNE 1992’   The 18p stamp was the cost of sending a postcard second class in 1992 (this is approximately 35p in 2016).

Dulverton is mentioned in the Domesday Book so it is full of historical interest.

Auntie Vi would have been in her late seventies at this time, still enjoying a full life, but sadly her health deteriorated a few years later.Â