Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, Jun 1997 #4

[PhilOlivettifan]

It says:

Dearest sister + family
Hope you are well
It's so special being back
in this beautiful country
after 30 years. This little
village of Rye is SO quaint
+ historic. Not far from Hastings
+ the battle of 1066.
Lots of interesting ruins
+ castles etc. Not so impressed with the beaches
+ cobble stones - no sand!
+ people are still sunbathing!
It's a gorgeous warm sunny day
today - great after a chilly rainy
few days. Food is great though
quite expensive. Antique shops +the most gorgeous hanging baskets you've ever seen
are unbelievable + I feel quite
(next line is the last and cut off image and hard to read but I think it says)
thankful at being + staying in an old town (or farm?). (rest?) with a nice family. Have seen squirrels + rabbits

really can't read the last bit which is written upside down at the top but she mentions blue spruce and silver birch trees.

Couple of thoughts :

Back in this country after 30 years - I thought Marion hadn't travelled to the UK before?

"with a nice family" - if this DOES say that she was staying on a farm with a nice family then this is new information. But she goes on to talk about rabbits and squirrels which makes me think I have misread this and she's talking about mice.

Postmark - definitely says Hastings, but can;t make out the date. Smaller places will have mail postmarked in the nearest large town so that does tally with what she says in the postcard.

Weather - could we check to see what the weather was like?

Beaches - she's right that most beaches are pebbly.

Comment about food - we know Marion isn't short of money, can other Aussies who visited the UK in the late 90s shed any light on whether they found eating out in pubs/cafes to be particularly pricey?

deleted - repeat

 

[PhilOlivettifan]

It says:

Dearest sister + family
Hope you are well
It's so special being back
in this beautiful country
after 30 years. This little
village of Rye is SO quaint
+ historic. Not far from Hastings
+ the battle of 1066.
Lots of interesting ruins
+ castles etc. Not so impressed with the beaches
+ cobble stones - no sand!
+ people are still sunbathing!
It's a gorgeous warm sunny day
today - great after a chilly rainy
few days. Food is great though
quite expensive. Antique shops +the most gorgeous hanging baskets you've ever seen
are unbelievable + I feel quite
(next line is the last and cut off image and hard to read but I think it says)
thankful at being + staying in an old town (or farm?). (rest?) with a nice family. Have seen squirrels + rabbits

really can't read the last bit which is written upside down at the top but she mentions blue spruce and silver birch trees.

Couple of thoughts :

Back in this country after 30 years - I thought Marion hadn't travelled to the UK before?

"with a nice family" - if this DOES say that she was staying on a farm with a nice family then this is new information. But she goes on to talk about rabbits and squirrels which makes me think I have misread this and she's talking about mice.

Postmark - definitely says Hastings, but can;t make out the date. Smaller places will have mail postmarked in the nearest large town so that does tally with what she says in the postcard.

Weather - could we check to see what the weather was like?

Beaches - she's right that most beaches are pebbly.

Comment about food - we know Marion isn't short of money, can other Aussies who visited the UK in the late 90s shed any light on whether they found eating out in pubs/cafes to be particularly pricey?

repeated - delete

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I had a UK internet equivalent of a penfriend and they used to tell me how expensive food was to buy, if you were eating out, back then.
They mentioned an ordinary cheese and tomato sandwich that I worked out as $12 Australian.

I was there in 2000 and the exchange rate was terrible so things were very expensive, particularly food.

 

[Seriallyaddicted]

Wow, great find JLZ. It could be that for sure, excellent sleuthing. Brilliant find

Yes very well picked up! This farm oast is only a few kilometers west of Rye so a very good chance it is the one.

 

[SaintGertrude]

Agreed I have absolutely no idea what this word says. It looks like *a*l (I think there’s a 6 in the barcode behind the L).

I saw a comment on the fb page saying they thought the blue writing about hanging baskets looks like someone else’s writing but it looks the same to me. The commenter also said that they thought ‘gorgeous’ was misspelled ‘gorjeous’ too.

Ps: can’t wait to see the one about Maz and the dentist, maybe they lived on the farm [blank] haha

There is a Mazz I found in Rye and I am still looking into the connection. I recall one of her family works at a B&B so will look back at which one.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

It says:

Dearest sister + family
Hope you are well
It's so special being back
in this beautiful country
after 30 years. This little
village of Rye is SO quaint
+ historic. Not far from Hastings
+ the battle of 1066.
Lots of interesting ruins
+ castles etc. Not so impressed with the beaches
+ cobble stones - no sand!
+ people are still sunbathing!
It's a gorgeous warm sunny day
today - great after a chilly rainy
few days. Food is great though
quite expensive. Antique shops +the most gorgeous hanging baskets you've ever seen
are unbelievable + I feel quite
(next line is the last and cut off image and hard to read but I think it says)
thankful at being + staying in an old town (or farm?). (rest?) with a nice family. Have seen squirrels + rabbits

really can't read the last bit which is written upside down at the top but she mentions blue spruce and silver birch trees.

Couple of thoughts :

Back in this country after 30 years - I thought Marion hadn't travelled to the UK before?

"with a nice family" - if this DOES say that she was staying on a farm with a nice family then this is new information. But she goes on to talk about rabbits and squirrels which makes me think I have misread this and she's talking about mice.

Postmark - definitely says Hastings, but can;t make out the date. Smaller places will have mail postmarked in the nearest large town so that does tally with what she says in the postcard.

Weather - could we check to see what the weather was like?

Beaches - she's right that most beaches are pebbly.

Comment about food - we know Marion isn't short of money, can other Aussies who visited the UK in the late 90s shed any light on whether they found eating out in pubs/cafes to be particularly pricey?

Johnny Warren and Marion were in the UK from Sept 1968 to Jan 1969. This was on the recommendation of Scottish footballer George Yardley whose sister just so happens to live in Tonbridge

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

I have access to the Yellow Pages for 1997 which will show all the B&Bs advertising in the locality. Just need to borrow it again.

 

[Mjjj14]

There is a Mazz I found in Rye and I am still looking into the connection. I recall one of her family works at a B&B so will look back at which one.

AMAZING! Any idea what their version of Mazz was short for?

 

[SaintGertrude]

AMAZING! Any idea what their version of Mazz was short for?

That is their name, the only Mazz I can find in Rye and a well known family in the town.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

The other postcard to Sally where Marion says "love you heaps and don't worry about me. Very clearly has the word George at the top of the page.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Another Oast House B&B in Rye

 

[Mjjj14]

The other postcard to Sally where Marion says "love you heaps and don't worry about me. Very clearly has the word George at the top of the page.

Do you have a photo of this one? I just looked and can’t find it again

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Do you have a photo of this one? I just looked and can’t find it again

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Been looking at my old diary for 1997 trying to work out Marion’s weather report. It might be Monday 22 July 1997 which I have written was a lovely warm day following a few colder days with a bit of rain. I live 40 minutes from Rye.

 

[Bibno]

This card doesn't say red squirrels. There are white squirrels in that region. White Squirrel sightings in the UK

I was replying to a post which specifically mentioned red squirrels. Grey squirrels are extremely numerous in Kent. White squirrels are rare.

 

[SaintGertrude]

What about this place tucked away. Old House Farm, TN31 - Farm Locations or this abandoned building but will have to sleuth if it is anywhere near Rye.

 

[Meligator]

Rye is where the Barclay bank is location.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I found this earlier but then got distracted. It's most of the UK yellow pages. Starting from 1975.
Not a free service though.

The yellow pages archive | The Berkshire Record Office

This includes old copies of Yellow Pages from across the UK.

It's not free and the charges look pretty steep with a minmum 16 pound charge for half an hour.

I thought of not posting it but maybe it might be useful to someone.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Oh that's Rye-t

Rye is where the Barclay bank is location.

 

[SaintGertrude]

What about this place tucked away. Old House Farm, TN31 - Farm Locations or this abandoned building but will have to sleuth if it is anywhere near Rye.

Edit to my link, I have just checked and The Old House farm is a working farm
just 10 minute drive from Rye station. However, I think Marion being a lady of means would have not had to earn money as part of her trip to the UK.