Anna Campbell

May 2010

 
 

Hey, Mr. Postman!

I’ve been raiding my postcard collection again and come up with some real gems. I keep looking at more. I might have to revisit this subject. People sometimes think I’m joking when I say, “Send me a postcard.” Nuh, uh! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE getting postcards in the mail! Read more…

First up is a rather cute punning card which always gives me a giggle. Meet Jacques Kati (as opposed to famous French comedian Jacques Tati). Does this cat look happy to be dressed up in a groovy striped jumper and a naff beret? No, I didn’t think so either. This card is courtesy of my friend Amanda who did such sterling service as the interviewer when I was talking about Captive of Sin. Amanda always sends wonderful postcards and generally there’s something a little quirky about them so there’s a smile with the picture!

Next is a card that would probably be about ten years old from a work colleague in Sydney. Isn’t that the coolest picture of an Oxford student you’ve ever seen? Again, it never ceases to make me smile.

The photo of the jetstream above Osterley Park, beautiful National Trust property just outside London (highly recommended for a visit if you’re going to England), is just plain lovely. It was actually a free postcard I picked up in 2004 when I visited – what a treasure! The photographer Edmund Clark was holding an exhibition of his works and this was used to advertise the show. I love the bleak wintry field and the elegant house with that wonderful deep blue sky streaked with white above it.

MFTMay10-5Another postcard I picked up (rather than having it sent the old-fashioned way!) is the rose garden at one of my favorite stately homes, Haddon Hall in Derbyshire. This gorgeous romantic manor house not far from Chatsworth is still in the hands of the family and it really feels like a home when you go there. The day we visited was stormier than the picture but the roses were beautiful, climbing over the old stone and scenting the air with their fragrance.

The Scottish postcard always brings back wonderful memories to me. I sent it to a friend in 2004 and she very kindly passed it back to me – clearly she’s not as possessive about her postcards as I am. This view of the Silver Sands of Morar with Rhum and Eigg in the distance is one of the loveliest in the world.In 2007, I was lucky enough to stay at the hotel on the headland from which this picture was taken. My bedroom window looked straight across the sands and the sea to the islands. Enchanting!

My good friend Sharon Archer, who writes wonderful Medical romance for Mills and Boon, did a huge trip over western and northern Australia last year. Knowing my postcard obsession, she kept me supplied with wonderful mail for months. I’m eternally grateful. I’ve always wanted to see the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight that edge the Nullarbor. I’ve seen them from the air and they look absolutely spectacular. Sharon very kindly sent me this shot to show that she’d been there on ground level!