When you read this post, I'll be swaddled in beach towels clinging to a Cornish rock like a heat-seeking mussel. But ever since Manhattan Brother asked 'Do people still send postcards?' on his recent visit, I've been giving it some thought. Was he reminiscing or simply considering a more traditional form of message-sending to overcome the universal lack of Wi-Fi on this side of the Atlantic? In a time when texts and Tweets rule, there's something deeply satisfying about a good old-fashioned postcard. Time spent picking out something special for a friend - French donkey in gingham leg warmers anyone? - so that they too can experience a little piece of your holiday, with the boring bits left out. Kind of like a Tweet but to someone you actually know.
So, yes, I do still buy them. Though fewer than in the olden days, now that technology has provided other ways to communicate with my family without talking. And I'm in good company. Alexander Shulman says, ' Postcards are an essential part of being on holiday, even if they don't get sent. There is nothing nicer than sitting in a bar with a delicious drink and a pile of postcards - scribbling as you watch the world go by.'
I never throw away a postcard - there's a special place in the kitchen where I keep my stash. This photo shows a small selection laid out on my Blackpool chest of drawers.
Wish you were here...
Do you still send and receive postcards?
Alexander Shulman quote: FT
Blackpool drawers: Zoe Murphy
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