I'd like to know more about colds Back in the Day. Day = before 1750, perhaps. Did they kill you quickly? Linger all winter? Were people just sturdier and able to keep working despite snot running continuously from their noses and no 2-play Kleenex in sight? I leave blotched-snow mountains of Kleenex in my wake, and I'm one of those thrifty people who can get three to four good blows on a tissue, plus whatever I tear off to stick up my nose.
(Did people walk around with bits of flour sack muslin up their noses?)
Mamers has a tourism website that's very orange and shiny, but I'm not blehgungle to translate. Instead, I'll just flip the card.
(I'm in bed with the computer now. I keep sliding off the pillows. I think I'll email Mike in the next room and ask him to come shore me up with whatever he can find around the house. Towels, rolls of toilet paper, whatever keeps from lying flat on my back and blinking pitifully at the ceiling, silently drowning in mucus.)
This was sent to Mrs. Em Haynes of 6 Harborough Court, Belwell Lane, Four Oaks, West Midlands. Google Maps thinks it's more like "Sutton Coldfield" than "Four Oaks," and I just shake my head. Isn't that just the way. Sutton Coldfield. I bet it is.
(I stopped wiki'ing Sutton Coldfield to order a pizza. One path might've led to a lively archaeological discussion, but our path leads only to the Hutseum. Odd to consider that, for its first 22 years of business, Pizza Hut offered only Thin 'n Crispy crust.)
Turning over the card, postmarked 3 October 1988. (I had just turned 19 and had just started dating my first Serious Boyfriend. I know, I was such a hopeless old maid. Someday I will tell the story of why it's bad to introduce yourself, however jokingly, as "the axe-murderer" to your girlfriends' protective parents. I remember five or ten years ago, I still couldn't mention the poor guy without Dad getting a weird look on his face and changing the subject.)
"01 Oct
"Dear Marian(?), the weather has turned bright and sunny but the nights are cool so we are on one of our rare trips northwards not 100 miles from the Charnel(?) coast. It will probably be the last trip till the Spring since we prepped to stay put over the Winter months.
"Hope you are well and are keeping active.
"Livetbur lisles On"
I think I messed up the last line. I think it's time for Mike to walk over and get the pizza.
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