I was recently a guest staying at an elderly woman's large house.

The room I slept in was full of junk, but what caught my eye were envelopes with stamps from the 1950s/1960s. The "From" name was the woman's late husband, and they were all from two African countries that were then part of the British Empire.

I had heard her talk about when her husband was working in Africa, but until I saw the big pile of letters I hadn't considered that this was the only way the young couple could keep in contact when someone's work required long periods of international travel.