Saturday and a salute to Snail Mail!

As a child I had pen pals; half a dozen or so in various countries near and far. We would send each other letters, snapshots and gifts to and fro; learning about family life and different cultures. The procedure was long,  as the letters would take weeks to arrive.  Air mail was quicker but more expensive and there was a weight restriction. Service mail was cheaper but much longer we would have to plan letters to coincide with birthdays and Christmas with care.

Then there was the time spent absorbing the new knowledge and dispelling more with a perfect hand, spelling and even better grammar! 

My home life was not as happy and comfortable as I would have liked. Through these letters I was able to elaborate on the joys and not dwell too much on the less attractive bits. Looking back, my letters probably read little like  ‘Swallows and Amazons.’ All the delights of living on a river, sailing and firewood collecting ; overlooking the discomfort and the post war shortages.  

I also enjoyed painting and drawing I would spend hours in a world of my own imagining myself in colourful and rich surroundings.  Sadly, my girlhood dreams to be an artist and or a writer were not fulfilled until 50 years later when my family had all grown up and left home leaving me space to be creative. I now enjoy losing myself in my blog or artwork.  To add further joy I have found a pen pal she is a professional artist and lives in Wales. Not so far flung as I have previously enjoyed but still very sophisticated and able to share the delights and despair of being an artist.  

To day, I make wishes for a long and lasting pen and paint friendship with Amy no 2! (my daughter is Amy no 1) And also a salute to a friend who devised this cunning plan;  Jaz the one and only 😉 

PS the image is further romance from Google for which I cannot take credit but remain grateful xxx