Real Letters

[gemarriott]

Unusually in this modern day and age I got a real letter a couple of days ago. I got a bluey from a mate in Afghanistan and remarkably as I sat down to read it I realised how much more it seemed to mean than a collection of emails, vid clips and piccies sent by the wonder of the tinterweb. I'm not ranting about changing society or technology, just remarking on how good it felt to have a tangible connection with a mate as opposed to an email.

Strange to see a letter as opposed to junk, bills and bank statements through the letter box

 

[justintime129]

I watched an American tv show the other night (a cop show) one of the characters, an old in the tooth copper, found some old love letters of a victim. HIs mate 2nd generation Asian was texting a female who his parents had arranged for him to get to know. Anyway the old copper said how can you get to know someone by texting, get writing a letter he said. I know it's only a tv show but how true is it. We don't write letters anymore as you say.

Let's get back to letter writing

 

[techie_tubby]

I remember when I was a wee bairn, writing thank you letters at Christmas, Birthdays etc etc. I hated being forced to do them but even now I write thank you letters. Probably because I can hear my mum still telling me off for it...fear of God and all that....but as you say, it's good to receive a written letter. As my missus says, you can't argue in a letter.

 

[trash]

I remember when I was a wee bairn, writing thank you letters at Christmas, Birthdays etc etc. I hated being forced to do them but even know I write thank you letters. Probably because I can hear my mum still telling me off for it...fear of God and all that....but as you say, it's good to receive a written letter. As my missus says, you can't argue in a letter.

Get ya missus to spell check the next one?

I can't recall last time I got a real letter!

 

[Realist78]

Get ya missus to spell check the next one?

I can't recall last time I got a real letter!

Aren't personal letters just that, personal, not open to the spelling nazis? I say this as being one!DT_Xtremez_19:

 

[wgaf]

Couldn't agree more Gem. The only problem out here is that if you WRITE a bluey it takes 10 days to 2 weeks to get home, if you get online and do an ebluey it takes about 4 days! Now I love writing letters, mainly for the selfish pleasure of getting replies, but that extra delay is a bit of a pain at times. Spoke to my Mother about it a couple of days back and she reminded me that as a kid we lived all over the world and it was bloody expensive to phone home (plus a lot of countries we lived in didn't really have a top rate phone system) so the written word was the only way to stay in touch with loved ones back home, the delay just hightened the sense of anticipation. She seemed to think it was down to us and our need for instant gratification and lack of patience. She's my Mum so she's probably right!

 

[Oldstacker]

When I was on Ascension (mid 80s) and then FI(mid 90s) I wrote a bluey home just about every day, often just rambling about the scenery or local events. I still have all those blueys and used them, years later to write up a diary of the events, personalities and places - be it descriptions of Georgetown or Sea Lion Island. Coupled with the photos i took, I think I have something that my sons (and grandchildren, one day?) may find interesting and give them some insight into who I was in my 20s and 30s. Because the blueys are handwritten they make it seem so much more real than the typewritten page though.

 

[spike7451]

When I was on Ascension (mid 80s) and then FI(mid 90s) I wrote a bluey home just about every day, often just rambling about the scenery or local events. I still have all those blueys and used them, years later to write up a diary of the events, personalities and places - be it descriptions of Georgetown or Sea Lion Island. Coupled with the photos i took, I think I have something that my sons (and grandchildren, one day?) may find interesting and give them some insight into who I was in my 20s and 30s. Because the blueys are handwritten they make it seem so much more real than the typewritten page though.

Same here mate,I still have all the bluey's & cards my late Father sent to me from when I was serving in the mob,Like your's they were just sort of a diary of what you'd done over the time since your last one home.

Things nowedays are more 'throwaway'..Why spend the time writing a letter when you can send a text.

 

[gemarriott]

I'm glad it isn't just me then. I thought I'd finally turned into a sentimental old foolDT_Xtremez_42:

 

[FOMz]

I still like to recieve blueys (hint hint) especially the eblueys that you can attach really dirty pictures to (hint hint)

The problem is - I'm far too lazy to write back a lot of the time.

I agree with WGAF about his mum, but she's not as saucy as his nan.

 

[Ex-Bay]

Writing a letter was always a bit of a trial for me. It wasn't so much the fact that my hand-writing is terrible, I could not think of the right thing to say (especially as a kid writing "thank you" notes to relatives post Christmas).

I think my parents had almost given up on getting an intelligent letter from me; until, that is, I got a computer (Dragon 32) and a printer. Suddenly my parents had informative letters about me and the family.

The means to write is important.

 

[justintime129]

Writing a letter was always a bit of a trial for me. It wasn't so much the fact that my hand-writing is terrible, I could not think of the right thing to say (especially as a kid writing "thank you" notes to relatives post Christmas).

I think my parents had almost given up on getting an intelligent letter from me; until, that is, I got a computer (Dragon 32) and a printer. Suddenly my parents had informative letters about me and the family.

The means to write is important.

It must be a man thing not writing letters. As you say its what do I write about. It's like using the phone a man gets on the phone says what he's got to say then gets off whereas a woman will chatter on for hours. A woman can go away for the weekend to her friends then come back and phone her and talk for another couple of hours.

 

[Obi Wan]

I'm glad it isn't just me then. I thought I'd finally turned into a sentimental old foolDT_Xtremez_42:

You Sentimental Old Fool You .....................................................DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[gemarriott]

You Sentimental Old Fool You .....................................................DT_Xtremez_14:

thanks mate, now fcuk offDT_Xtremez_14:

 

[Vushtrri]

Seems like there are a lot of sentimental old fools on here including myself! I still have all the blueys from 'penpals' in '83 down the FI..including those from a lass who professed to be 19....which was closer to my age than she actually turned out to be!..say no more! Roll the clock forward to 2000 and i still have all the ones my missus sent me and I sent her whilst with the UN in Kosova for 12 mths...including some very nice watercolour paintings on the inside!