Wales

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With love from Criccieth, Wales (1982)

with love from North Wales

Tues 10/8/82 Dear Hilary, Having a great time, & thank God!, the weather has brightened up today. Yesterday we went to Porthmadog, & got soaked! Visited Aberdaron today & the beaches & coves are lovely. The site just outside Criccieth is ideal & we’re just about surviving the meals we make for ourselves! Going to the Pwllheli market tomorrow & maybe Nefyn. We’ve just plonked down in a car park & making a coffee. Love to all. Wendy xx  P.S David is a better cook than you!! (only joking).

Despite the unpredictable Welsh weather Wendy and David seem to be enjoying their visit to the area. It’s not clear if they’re in a static caravan or camping in a tent – I suspect it’s the latter.

Wendy has helpfully included the day and date of writing, and the postmark is clearly visible. This was just after we’d both returned to our family homes at the end of our year working in Norway. Wendy was enjoying a much anticipated holiday with her boyfriend.

The card carries a 12½p stamp, the carriage for a small postcard in 1982. The stamp features, in the top left corner, an image of the Welsh Dragon, reflecting the regional identity.

It seems that Wendy wrote to me regularly with all her news, so now I’m sad that we have lost touch. I’ve been trying to remember her surname, but at the moment it eludes me. I do know that she came from the Rhyl/Abergele area of North Wales; if anyone out there recognises this Wendy, please let me know 🙂

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with love from Caernarfon, Wales (1981)

With love from Snowdon

5th/10/81 Dear Hilary, Enjoying the rest here away from it all. The weather has been very kind to us. We arrived in glorious sunshine (usually raining in wales all the time!!) We hope to visit Caenarfon tomorrow. Its supposed to be quite large. I hope you are enjoying yourself Lots of luv Janet xx

Here’s another one from Janet, having her second week in Wales that year!

The card was written on 5th October and she obviously did visit Caenarfon the next day, as the post mark reads ‘Caenarfon 6 OCT 1981 Gwynedd’. She’s put plenty of stamps on it to ensure safe arrival to me in Norway.

The other post mark somewhat bizarrely reads ‘Today’s POST OFFICE in business to serve you’ – an admirable sentiment at the time, but one which seems ironic today as much of the POST OFFICE is privatised!

The cartoon on the front illustrates the famous mountain train which runs from Llanberis to the top of Yr Wyddfa (Mount Snowdon).

 

Janet and I have known each other for over 40 years… 

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with love from Dolgellau, Wales (1981)

With love from Dolgellau

14th June 1981 Dear Hilary, Just to let you know that I’m having a good time here in Wales. The weather has been awful but never fear all is not yet lost. We have tried to go out as much as possible because there is such a lot to see. The cabin we are staying in is lovely. It is so well planned and equipped. I promise to write soon. Love Janet xx

Here’s another one from Janet making the best of a wet week in Wales!

The post mark is illegible, but Janet has helpfully dated the card. The other postmark says ‘Be properly addressed Post Code It’ – this is now seven years after post codes became a requirement on all addresses in the UK

The stamp is 14p first class, which is equivalent to 54p in 2015

Dolgellau, in the beautiful Snowdonia National Park in North Wales, still looks much the same – although today the cars driving through are more modern and probably more numerous!

 

I have recently been in touch with Janet to tell her about this blog and she had ‘a good laugh’ reading the words of her younger self which brought back memories of many happy holidays. 

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with love from Llangollen (1974)

5 blog 26 11 14

Dear Hilary, I hope you are well.  On Saturday we went to the sheep dog trials at Llanrhaeder and it was very hot.  What sort of weather did you have?  On Sunday we went swimming.  On Monday we went for a picnic in the mountains & had a nice day.  love from Julia

Fantastic Welsh traditional dress features on this card.  Julia was my new best friend at the school I joined when we moved, she lived just down the road and made me feel very welcome.  Julia was bright and clever -see how she’s broken up her holiday report with a question back at me.

The postmark date is 8 August 1974 and the stamp is a second class 3½p which approximates to 37p in 2014

I was only at that school for one term before we all moved on to senior school.  Julia went to a different one and we both made new friends.  It was difficult to maintain the friendship with Julia and we lost touch.   On reflection, this was probably more my fault than hers.