parents

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With love from Pafos, Cyprus (2005)

with love from Paphos

Friday, Dear S,H,T,S,J&G. Just come out of the pool in Bob & Chris’s villa. They have a lovely house and are showing us the sights of Cyprus. Today we went inland & had spectacular views of the countryside. Last night we did quite well in the local quiz – home from home. It’s lovely to relax after our busy schedule – hope all are well. Much love, Mum & Dad

My in-laws are visiting friends who’ve recently moved to Cyprus – they are big quiz fans! Although the card features Pafos (Paphos), it is not clear if this where they are staying.

Interesting to see that the postmark here also reminds us (in English) to use the postcode. The postmark date is 16.05.05 and the stamps are the Refugee Stamp, which continues to be obligatory on all mail, together with a 25 cent stamp from the Jewellery definitive set issued in 2000

An earlier card from Simon’s parents.

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With love from Moscow (1986)

with love from Russia

Dearest Hilary & Simon From Russia with all our love! Just amazing x

Short and sweet in the distinctive handwriting of my mum, with a nod to Ian Fleming 🙂

This was during the time of Mikhail Gorbachev’s presidency and the period of glasnost, just prior to the dismantling of the the Soviet Union.

The card features the famous St Basil’s cathedral in Red Square and carries the 35 kopeck stamp ‘sable in a cedar tree’.

Another card from my parents…

 

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With love from Yorkshire (1989)

with-love-from-yorkshire

21/7/89 Dear Simon & Hilary, We are enjoying an excellent week in the Yorkshire Dales, not very far from Grassington.  The weather has been superb and we have been on numerous walks in umpteen places.  We are planning a week in Blaenau following a week at home.  Hope you are enjoying a holiday yourselves, much love Uncle Don & Auntie Morfudd

Look at the cars in this picture – they really date the card!  The picture is of Grassington, a popular base from which to explore the Yorkshire Dales, and on this occasion the good weather has obviously helped.

The card carries a 19p first class stamp.

Uncle Don & Auntie Mor are Simon’s aunt & uncle.  Don is the younger brother of Simon’s mum, and he has always shown a great interest in Simon and his brother, Paul.

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With love from South Devon (2016)

with-love-from-south-devon

11.9.16 Dear Hilary, Simon & Gus We’ve arrived safely & this cottage is fine but in the back of beyond with no mobile connection/service. However, tomorrow we are going further afield so hope to reply to your text at least Gus. Glad you recognised my talent! ☺ Hope weekend in Manchester has gone well too & the visit to Bangor. The weather is lovely & we’re all happy. Much love Mum & Dad xxx

Following on from previous post, this card shows the restored steam train that runs along the beautiful Dart Valley. It is not clear whether Mum & Dad travelled on the train, indeed, there is no news at all of what they have been doing on their trip, apart from seeking mobile signal it would seem!

There is no postmark, just a biro mark across the stamp indicating that the card has gone through the UK postal system and the stamp cannot be reused.

A recent card from my parents who continue to enjoy travelling, as well as embracing both modern and traditional methods of communication well into their eighties 🙂

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With love from P&O Aurora (2016)

with-love-from-the-aurora

Tuesday 5th Settled in to a great time on board Aurora!  Just arrived in Copenhagen after two sea days – flat, calm.  Walking one or two miles a day on promenade deck.  High quality concert yesterday – opera – Gilbert & Sullivan.  Like the balcony cabin!  Much love, Mum & Dad xx

We received this card back in July (2016) from Simon’s Mum & Dad who were enjoying, to the full, their Baltic cruise aboard the Aurora.

Postmarked Danmark, the card took some time to arrive – presumably due to the lack of stamp!

I suspect this card is freely available on all the P&O ships so that passengers can spread the word to friends and family – a picture of the ship would be preferable, in my opinion.

Another one from Simon’s parents, who continue to enjoy a full life…

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with love from Lanzarote (c1999)

With love from Lanzarote

Dear Hilary, Simon + family, Just thought I’d drop you all a line to say ¡Hola! from Lanzarote. Our stay here is nearly over in fact, but it’s been truely lovely. Plenty of sun, sea + sand + vino. We’ve explored much of the island by car, been on a camel ride, down caves, up volcanoes – all the usual sights. Some excellent meals out, lots of fish, mainly lunches easier with the chilblains. We’ve self-catered a lot too. Our appartment is right by the sea with views across the bay + pools downstairs (overleaf pic). Not too crowded anywhere and a nice size island to get about on. Oh well, back to the reality of B…..m soon! We definitely want to stay in your house in August to confirm – for two weeks, but not arriving until the Mon (16th) I believe Ali + Rachael will join us this year + my folks for a day or two. Much love Janice, Adam, Sam + Emily xxxx

Wow! Tons of info crammed onto this card, which sadly lacks a date and a Spanish postmark.  However, the sights and appeal of Lanzarote are elequontly described by Janice, who has obviously enjoyed the trip.

The card has been post mark stamped in Frankfurt, presumably while en route to the UK.  The stamp is an IFCC prepaid for a postcard.

This is an unusual card as I do not recall ever meeting Janice and family; we have never been friends! Janice mentions Ali + Rachael in the text – I am friends with Ali and have known her about 25 years; we were expecting babies around the same time. I stayed in touch with Ali after moving to live closer to the sea.  Despite being near the beach in the UK we would often go to France for two weeks in August, thus it made sense for Ali + Rachael to use our house for a holiday; Ali’s great friend Janice would also stay at ours with her family 🙂 I still see Ali regularly and she keeps me up to date with news of Janice and family!  

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with love from Senigallia, Italy (1985)

With love from Italy

30/7/85 Dear Hilary & Simon, Arrived Friday, so far weather wonderful. Hotel is great – plenty to eat and drink. Sea is lovely after initial shock. All we want is weather to continue as it is, we had nearly forgotten there was a sun in England. Hope you are settled in OK Love Bet, Mo, Margaret & Ted

It seems that Italy is a popular holiday destination! This card is from Senigallia on the east/Adriatic coast where the sea is apparently cooler. Bet, Mo, Margaret and Ted are enjoying the sunshine, which has obviously been missing during the English summer.

The card is postmarked ‘SENIGALLIA’ and carries a 400 lira stamp depicting Castello dell Imparatore-Prato from the 1980 definitive series of castles and strongholds.

The arches of the historical building beside the River Misa, featured in the image on the front of the card, are a stark contrast to the popular and crowded seafront beaches.

This was sent just after Simon and I moved into our first flat together, hence the ‘settled in’ reference. We were not married at the time; a cause for great consternation amongst some family members, but this card from Bet, Mo, Margaret and Ted suggests acceptance and support on their part. Bet & Ted are siblings and are first cousins to my mum. Bet was married to Mo (sadly Mo has died), and Ted is married to Margaret (they are both now in their nineties).  Mum continues to have a close relationship with her cousins, seeing them regularly. I see them less, but exchange seasonal cards and swap news via Mum. 

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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 Cumbria (2015)

With love from Keswick (2015)

Tuesday. Bowness by Bus Dear Hilary, Simon, Tallulah & Gus, Another beautiful day & we’ve come by bus to Bowness. It’s lovely with a busy ‘waterfront’ & we are going back to Ambleside later on a big steamer. Can’t remember when I last went on a steamer – on the Thames I guess. Counting my blessings a lot. Hope all is well with you all. Love A&T xxxx

The picture is of Surprise View, probably the most iconic view of the Lake District and A&T are lucky enough to be enjoying some good weather during their visit to the area.

The card is post marked ‘LANCASHIRE 13 OCT 2015’ and also carries the timely reminder to ‘REMEMBER TO USE THE POSTCODE’ – amazingly this is now four decades after postcodes became mandatory in the UK. Do we really still need reminding?

A&T are my parents, but because the card is to all of us and we all call them different things (mum&dad, A&T, Nan&Grandpa) my Mum has chosen the A&T moniker on this occasion.  As a child I enjoyed many family holidays in Cumbria, and this card brings back happy memories: long summer days, camping, sailing, messing about in streams, climbing mountains… As I mentioned last time, I feel very lucky to have both my own parents still alive and my in-laws, healthy and happily married – in both cases for 58 years! 

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with love from Chateaulin, France (1992)

With love from Chateaulin, France 1992

Dear Hilary & Simon, We have come 25 mls up the river to Aulne from Brest to Chateaulin a lovely town – All is well though rather wet. Our wedding at Plougerneau was a shambles! Lots of motoring. Love to you all Mum and Dad

A status update containing a tantalising hint at a much more interesting back story too long to include on the postcard!  There is, however, room for a brief comment on the weather.

The card carries a 2 franc 50 centime stamp and is postmarked ‘CHATEAULIN 18H 24-8-1992 SUD-FINISTERE’.  There is a further postmark promoting the area as a ‘Carrefour Touristique’ or tourist hub and a ‘green holiday resort’. This postmark also includes a map (which could be anywhere) and a picture of the town with its, no doubt famous, bridge. In addition, the postmark mentions the ‘Circuit de l’Aulne’ cycle race as well as ‘Pèche au Saumon’ salmon fishing.  What a wealth of information contained within a space that is 2 inches by 1 inch!

The front of the card is spoiled by the UK postmark which is dated Chard 27th August 1992, presumably the sorting office for mail from France.  The old favourite ‘Be properly addressed’ and ‘POSTCODE IT’ is also there – nearly two decades after postcodes became mandatory!

This ‘Mum and Dad’ are my in-laws, and the card is written by Dad.  Over the years they have enjoyed many holidays in France and have a great number of friends there who they continue to visit regularly. I feel very lucky to have both my in-laws and my own parents still alive, healthy and happily married – in both cases for 58 years!