Ephemera

I have just got home and immediately regret not taking a photo of the two lovely friends I have spent a wonderful 4 hours with. Isabel and Lynn are friends from Guides, and Isabel and I used to write each other letters. In fact I think Isabel wrote more than I did. The shoebox on the bottom left has all my letters in it. They are from so many different friends, and mostly from the time when I was at Chester college in the 80s. So many are from Isabel. So this evening we have been reminiscing about those old guiding days and how we have got to where we are today. It was really lovely. I was especially lucky as Lynn gave me a lift so I've had a couple of gin and tonic's this evening too! Thank you Isabel for your hospitality and both of you for such wonderful company.

Funnily enough there hasn't been a lot that I could do at mums today, so I found myself sorting through some very decaying paperwork containing dad's drawings and mathematical calculations from a time when he was making parts for motorbikes (bottom right pic) I put it into folders for someone else to decide what to do with at some point in the future when they decide what will happen about motorbike stuff. At least it is now in relative order.

Lastly, the top photo is another bundle of papers - more letters. This time not mine but dad's. Dad kept everything. This bundle are all the key bits from his National Service. A few letters from his parents and sister when he was stationed in Egypt as well as in Chatham and Farnborough and Long Marston from the time while he was training before he got out to Egypt.

I think all of these letters, 1940s and 1980s are important for social history. I'd like to find a way to record them and will scan my own and try to date them. I was amazed and how many different people had written to me. People I had forgotten all about. I think the current generation will miss out on this as my friends and boyfriends all wrote letters almost daily, and a text just will not have that impact in 40 years time. What will they look back on? I know I am a hoarder, but I'm really glad I kept these. There must be a book in this lot somewhere!!