Saturday 10 September 2016

Letters from Abroad



When I was a child we never travelled further than Cornwall
(by steam train!).
We had no car and I took my first flight aged 16 when I went on a school cruise.
Nevertheless I was set a holiday project at primary school
entitled Letters From Abroad.

I had to write and illustrate letters from imaginary friends
in six foreign countries.
This was a great trial to me and my mother that summer.
I remember sitting for hours at the dining room table surrounded by
piles of travel brochures brought home from the travel agents,
snipping out pictures of exotic locations
and laboriously writing stilted descriptions of the
wonders to be seen in (amongst other places) the USA and India.

This morning I am having an entertaining exchange
with JofIndia about this,
and am salivating over a picture of his breakfast of 
masala dosa, tuna fish curry, vegetable sambar and hot lime pickle.


I have also just uploaded a picture of grand-daughter 
sitting on the steps to her New York apartment.
Son One has been for a run in a Brooklyn park and met the Mayor of London.
Son Two (also in New York) has attended a Pilates class 
and been for an Indian vegan curry.
Daughter-in-law has unpacked a gazillion suitcases and got everyone 
settled in nicely.

Through this blog and others I enjoy letters from
families at Home and Abroad every morning.

My mother would have loved the internet.





10 comments:

  1. You're being far better about everyone's whereabouts than I would be . I always wish I'd got mine to sign a contract on their eighteenth birthday , comitting them to moving no further than a fifteen minute train ride away .

    The 'secret' English rules article made me laugh , too . My father , who taught English , simply advised , if in doubt , saying it aloud . A lot less useful at the beginning in a foreign language ; but then the trick is simply to switch the brain off and treat it as music .
    ( And no , no one's ever asked me to play in their band . )

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  2. I got on my first plane at 20 and spend way too much time on them now. When our kids scatter we have to track them down.

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  3. Your little granddaughter is just the cutest.

    That breakfast looks worthy of a celebration.

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  4. I just knew that was a Brooklyn doorway!

    Being able to communicate regularly with folks from all over the world is pretty wonderful.

    xo

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  5. What a great post Lucille. I often think how my father, who had a great sense of wonder, would have loved the internet.

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  6. I guess you will soon be posting from New York, Lucille, with so many reasons to visit! As you say, thank goodness for the internet for keeping in touch. My sons are all still in the UK, but might as well be in another country... busy with their lives, so I just keep busy with mine.

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  7. Oh, I love this post. So many in NYC! Well, come on over and visit.....

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  8. When are you going over there?

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  9. If you'll swing by Chicago for a cup of tea, I promise to ring you up the next time I find myself browsing Borough Market. The dumpling on the doorstep will be sorely missed, I'm sure.

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  10. I forgot to say - I miss Jofindia's blog and I do envy his breakfast.

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