Armchair travel

I remember when my son went to China we were only able to communicate with those thin blue airmail letters. A few years later we were able to email - what a blessing that was.

Now my other son in Malaysia is able to send a quick picture via Whatsapp etc and we can feel closer as a family.

I was recently reading a book about the Highland clearances, and can't imagine the feelings of those left behind on the quayside waving goodbye to their sons, daughters and grandchildren travelling to Australia or America - knowing that they would never see them again.

You've had a fantastic day with all your connections - the wedding sounds wonderful !!!

Oh I agree! My daughter lives quite far from me, and a generation ago I might not have seen her for years once moved away. Imagine only hearing about their lives from letters.
It is wonderful to facetime with my daughter and her two little ones. When we do visit every few months the little ones are not at all shy with us. I can sing them songs and read them bedtime stories., and Grampa can always ask them silly questions about their day. Love it.

I think it’s great. I sent a random thing to my SiL yesterday that I could not have done when they moved overseas twenty odd years ago. It’s just like having a quick word with someone and keeps us close.

Your last sentence resonated with me beechnut- my mother died in 1970 and although she drove, worked etc there’s so much about my life that would have delighted her, especially the travel I do.

My grandparents barely left their farm in Wales with just the occasional trip to market once a week ten miles down the road and I hop on a plane more often than they did on a bus!

As for technology to keep in touch.....their minds would boggle!

When I first moved to NZ in 1973, my Mum (who would have been 104 on this day) used to record cassette tapes: The Archers and a lot of chat from her - and send them out.

And we thought ourselves at the very cutting edge of technology doing that

I like to travel to exotic places via the telly. I have just put on record Simon Reeves travelling through the Americas starts this Sunday at 9.00pm I think on BBC2. He is such a nice young man and concentrates on the travels not himself.

We lived in Jamaica with our young boys in the late 70s, early 80s. We used to book a telephone call to our parents for Christmas Day at great expense. We thought twice about any phone call.

We did fly home for six weeks every year which was so important to my Mum and Dad. I have never seen such a huge grin on my mother's face as when she was my first born coming out of the security at Heathrow. She grabbed him so fast for his first cuddle; he was 6 months old. How times change.

Yes technology is wonderful GrandmasueUK.
We don't travel far, but DS, DiL and DD do.
DS often travels to Copenhagen with his job and he and his wife have lovely holidays, we were able to experience a cable car ride in Banff and pictures of their flight over Everest this year all on the family WhatsApp.
DD is currently on holiday in Malasia and Skyped us last night. She Whatsapped wonderful pics/videos from Singapore, including having a Singapore Sling in Raffles Hotel to watching Wales v Australia in an Irish bar last Sunday. She just sent a video from Borneo of some Orangutans. I shan't sleep easy until she's home though.
It is another world and I often think about what my parents would say about it all.
I'm looking forward to the Simon Reeves series too NanKate.

Just my kind of programme NanKate thank you for mentioning it - I shall definitely watch that!

I love Simon Reeves too - his second programme on Greece is on this evening and it’s just what I need to get me in the mood for my trip there next week. Will also watch the series starting on Sunday as his delivery is brilliant and all about the places he visits.

You’re right about Greece and cats (on Good Morning thread) Urmstongran- millions of them! All scrawny, mostly feral with very few kept as pets as we do in Britain.

In the 80's I had a video camera and recorder as did my family in Oz and we used to send each other our news and pics that way. Mum was still alive until the mid-80's so used to be delighted to watch the video's along with my stop-off in Singapore at the Raffles hotel.
I had a washbag from there and put a few extra bits in it for mum when I arrived home and she was so delighted because it had the hotel name on it, she showed everyone and took it with her into hospital for the last time bless her.

I still have a video machine and a couple of family video's but can't bring myself to watch them because my late H is on them too. All the GC when they were babies as well.

I do agree that modern technology is brilliant for keeping in touch with family members who are a long distance away, especially when it allows grandchildren to know their grandparents and other extended family.

But...as I said on another thread..... I have letters written by ancestors who had gone to live overseas and were keeping in touch with 'home'. They're very informative and I expect they were read many times over. That sort of link is lost with Skype and Facetime.

A case, maybe, for using both methods of communication.

The wedding was wonderful Wildswan, especially as we had the IPad linked to the television, so we could watch it on a big screen.

I agree Septimia. I lived in Canada for a year in the 70s and my mum kept all the letters I sent, which I have now. She also kept the letters my children wrote to her when they were at University and living away.

BradfordLass we used to send cassette tapes too . My lovely family used to get together and make them for me. One of my aunties used to ask me questions and then answer them herself. One of them was "Have you got a boyfriend? Oh have you not, what a shame!" I used to play them over and over.

Lully I also made a phone call home on Christmas Day. That made me more homesick than ever.