The old man works as a furnace bricklayer for Derro Enamels. Most of his jobs with Derro have been in Italy, but he has worked in a dozen or more other countries as well. When he is abroad he sends us a postcard every three weeks or so. We line them up next to the clock on the mantelpiece in the sitting room. Usually the postcards are black and white, but now and again we get one which is in full colour (and sometimes with curled edges as well.) They usually show grand buildings: opera houses, concert halls, palaces, and splendid city squares with towerclocks and fine sculptures. When you look at them it is hard to imagine that these places belong to a continent which, just a few years ago, was soaked in the blood of slaughter!
The writing on the reverse of each postcard takes the form of neat capital letters and is always written in blue biro. Our address is written on the right-hand side:

24 Newtin Road
Twiverton
Somerset
England/Inghilterra

(Over the last six years we have had postcards from France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Rumania, Yugoslavia, and Portugal. The old man was set to build an enamels furnace in Turkey when the physical demands of the work got too much for him).

On the reverse left-hand-side of the postcard is a short phrase. This will also be in blue biro and capital letters. It will either be "LOVE FROM ME" or "ALL GOES WELL."