He had not long been going out with a young lady of a mere 22!
That young lady was of course myself.
In those days neither of our parents had a telephone, nor had we internet, mobile phones or any other devices which gave us instant access to communicate with each other.
This meant we wrote to each other, mostly daily, for three years, when Stephen was at Churchill college.
These letters are now numbered, dated, and kept in a box. Very special memories.
This blog has been prompted by our friend's daughter going up to Cambridge University this past week.
She has instant access to all her friends and her family, via Facebook and mobile, amongst other things. I sometimes wonder if letters will become obsolete, notwithstanding the actual price of a stamp!
However, Stephen and I survived his first term apart for 8 weeks. I was a young primary school teacher living at home, which was in Rossendale, Lancashire, many miles, or so it seemed then, from each other.
The letters dropping on to the mat each day were anticipated with a sense of warmth.
We got engaged on Christmas Eve 1970, and when he went back to University in January 1971 there was a 7 week postal strike. It was so hard. We relied on a 3 minute phone call, me from a phone box in the next avenue to our road, and he having to book or wait his turn in halls.
Yet we still wrote to each other most every day, and at the end of the strike, we each posted a big fat packet of letters!
So as you can see, should you be reading this blog, the post box in the photo is very significant. It is Just down the road from Churchill College in Madingley Road, and I wonder if it is still there!
This meant we wrote to each other, mostly daily, for three years, when Stephen was at Churchill college.
These letters are now numbered, dated, and kept in a box. Very special memories.
This blog has been prompted by our friend's daughter going up to Cambridge University this past week.
She has instant access to all her friends and her family, via Facebook and mobile, amongst other things. I sometimes wonder if letters will become obsolete, notwithstanding the actual price of a stamp!
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Stephen at the post box in 1971  |
The letters dropping on to the mat each day were anticipated with a sense of warmth.
We got engaged on Christmas Eve 1970, and when he went back to University in January 1971 there was a 7 week postal strike. It was so hard. We relied on a 3 minute phone call, me from a phone box in the next avenue to our road, and he having to book or wait his turn in halls.
Yet we still wrote to each other most every day, and at the end of the strike, we each posted a big fat packet of letters!
So as you can see, should you be reading this blog, the post box in the photo is very significant. It is Just down the road from Churchill College in Madingley Road, and I wonder if it is still there!
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