Old Post

 It's an indoor day here. I did go outside and face down the lemon tree but retreated when my previous scratches complained.  The tree is way over stocked at the moment so I do have to tackle it soon. Instead I waded thru the literature library and got out two cards that were sent in 1983. One from Maggie Carruth whom we initially met in Tassie but who went holidaying to the US of A and stayed there permanently. She was living it up at the time, in San Francisco. The other describes skiing at Mt Hutt by Carol Tamburro (nee O'Rourke).  Seems going to NZ for skiing is not a new thing.

The Letter Box

 You can tell it is an indoor day when I am scanning old letters and correspondence again. Nasty squalls are hitting us from the West all day so far today and we have not ventured out as yet. I wonder what the time delay is in making letters public. I know the government declassifies stuff after a while, like 40 yar. The letter below was written 40 yar ago so I should be able to air it here by now.  There is a lady, pregnant for the first time, (always a scary business) describing her current state with 16 weeks to go, to a recently unpregnant lady.  She has also heard that Brendon and Cathie are considering moving to QLD and is that for real.  Meanwhile, back on the farm it is shearing shed season.  Ahh the farm life.

Letter from the Riviera

I mentioned a few posts back, about the lack of letters these days, so some weeks prior to that I sent a letter to Asher who is rapidly learning her reading and writing.  About 50 yar ago my note taking at RMIT destroyed any semblance of nicely formed writing that I used to have. If you wanted to take notes during lectures then you scribbled down what you could and the scribble stayed with me.  The below letter will be the first I have added to my correspondence box this century. In fact it is combined letter and artwork.

100% Asher's writing aged 5

fishes in the sea

Birthday Card

 Quite some time back last century, a group of us 20 yar olds was in Tassie doing a tour and some bushwalks as you do. We met a couple named Maggie and Loretta and I was digging thru my box of correspondence and found a birthday card from Maggie. It also had a letter attached and was written in 1977.  She later went to the USA and overstayed her VISA allowance but kept it quiet for years.  Security was ever tightening there and had to own up to her illegal status but a deal was arranged for her to return to Australia and then become a bonefide US citizen. I have not heard from her since.  I caught up with Loretta again last year at Josh & Alison's wedding.  These days it is online contact and no letters. There are jokes in this letter, one which I have reproduced

What's soft & white & flies through the trees?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .a Merangutang!

inside it said Happy 21st and arrived on my 22nd birthday

Post Cards

 Did some more box diving this morning and came up with some post cards written in the 1970's. Not sure how it is that postcards you have written and sent to other people eventually make their way back to the writers.  One is sent to Tim & Brian and describes a walk on Magnetic Island that we did 47 yar ago and we repeated that exact walk with Tim & Julie only last year but it never dawned that I had been there before. Another one was to the departed Big Dave which some how ended up in one of Beryl's boxes.  That one was sent from Tasmania and basically says we can't be bothered putting detail on this so can you go and read the last letter that was written.

A huge port area has been built in a new loaction on Magnetic Island so the above pier is falling into disuse but it is the one we hopped onto from the boat 47 yar ago.

Forts walk 47 yar later

The Archives revisited

 Today requires indoor projects, as first thing this morning it was all thunderbolts and lightning that lasted about two hours. Now we have settled into continuous steady rain. So much for that two day Spring Sun. I have gone back to the archive box for a few letters and cards. This lot is spread over a 10 year period from mid 1980s to mid 1990s.  I wonder if Andrea still has the chart Debbie made for her. See letter.  The two post cards are from Paul Stork, who seems to be distracted from his painting tour of Europe by mini skirts and the other is from Leanne who was travelling in WA. She mentions the tree they saw but did not climb however some yar later Debbie and I came to that same tree and did climb to the top of it. The last one is from  my friend Loretta who is the author where recently I had a lot of trouble getting her book delivered from her publisher.   

Andrea Chart

Gloriette

Paul Stork painting across Europe

Gloucester Tree

More Cards

I have been working thru more of the old post cards.  This one was written in Salt Lake City 30 yar ago.  I think the Taylors were there primarily on business from a laboratory science perspective.  After that they continued to tour the US of A and taking the three children with them.  Also there is another one from Jack Welsh where he learns about a possible music career for Garry Carlon. Brendon may have had a rival back then for family music supremo.  He also mentions how Pam fell in the water with her clothes on and was asking if it was cold water.

No stamp?

Missive or two

It is a cold day and I mean 12° this morning. It is still Summer isn't it? There is a box I have not delved into until today, as far as my project to take everything analog across to digital. This box could prove to be controversial.  I have selected two letters both of which were sent from afar before email was a thing. The first is from 1975 sent from QLD.  I think I was working while this lot were touring up North during school holidays. The second is from London where a budding artist was seriously boning up on the Masters in the mid 80s.

Note Christmas decoration & stamp

There were only two words on the back - Sister Leanne