Just recently I found myself day dreaming back in time. I don’t even know what the trigger was for this dreaming, but I found myself thinking about stamps. I know it’s not exactly a wild subject but what else can I say?

I’ve talked before about my Grandfather giving me a 1p stamp and a matchbox when I was about 3. That was my introduction to collecting stamps. I still have my school collection of stamps as well as the stamp tweezers I was given by a stamp dealer. I also still have this book.

Well before the pandemic I found myself in WH Smith’s wandering around the book section trying to locate something. As I was turning away I caught in my peripheral vision a stamp packet. Instead of moving on to locate what I was actually looking for, I moved towards the stamps. There I regressed to my childhood, where I had first encountered these packs of stamps.  I assume I had been standing for a while as I was aware of someone talking to me, a member of staff probably relieved that I eventually responded. I confirmed I was ok and said that I was remembering when I was a child and they sold these stamp packs, and I was pleased they still were. The staff member didn’t look interested so I looked away and the staff member made her escape. I stood for a while longer before moving back to the original search, realising I should have asked the staff member whilst I had the chance.

I eventually gave up the search, coming home and ordered from Amazon, but the thoughts of stamps kept entering my mind. I asked my husband if he had collected stamps as a child and he looked at me saying no, before commenting that didn’t I find collecting dead people (genealogically speaking) enough?

I went up to my office and pulled out the plastic lidded box which contained my stamps, carefully exploring the pages, and memories of building the collection. I had no intention of returning to my former hobby, but I still quite enjoy reading about stamps.

Putting the albums back into the lidded box & returning the box to the top of my bookcase, I looked at my list of things to do and sat at my desk. The first email I came to was from Warner’s, the publisher who produces FTM. I then spotted a reference to a stamp magazine, with a tempting offer for a subscription, I decided that the cost was so reasonable that I would sign up, but there would be no resurrection of collecting  stamps, unless there was a link to my One-Name or One-Place studies…..