Sunday 29th Jan

Well I missed the linky widget for last week's post card challenge, so here are 2 weeks together, just scroll down for the China episode.
I have made up a few more 'rules' for myself - as if it's not already enough of a challenge.
The cards have to speak for themselves, so there's no extra info about the characters or their stories
The stories fit with the time they were written
The image and the text have to tie up fairly closely (already broken that one - see China)
I have to  try something new
But rules were made to be broken!

BRAZIL
Here I drew leaves and made stencils and masks. The text is deliberately (but perhaps not effectively) very rough)










It says:
"Dear Miss                 Rio July 1969
Bet you didn't think you'd hear from me again, but here I am. So much has happened. My Mum has become a hippy!! (probably a mid life crisis - I mean she's ancient) Anyway, here we are in Brazil. I wanted to be a hippy, but my mum says I can't be one (or have lipstick) until I'm older. I said hippies go to India, but she said it's groovy in Brazil too - they've got this TROPICALIA thing going on - all funky, psychedelic art and music 'n' stuff. Not that I'm allowed to go to hear any of it without her, and she's busy volunteering OUR services to help poor people living in a favela (Brazilian for slum!) Not that we have the requisite* skills for this - mostly they help us!! Bet Mum's hippy-hood won't stretch as far as my education - I'll be back in September. Still, the heat, the colours (and the smells!) will live with me forever, and will no doubt do me good, if ever I get to be a writer.
Love me
*fab word            PS Mum is making our post cards now (sorry)


CHINA

 For this I did a digital image, and printed it on some lovely old hand made Chinese paper (with strange bits in it) Unfortunately that meant a lot of the shading and detail in the image was lost, but I am treating this as a learning experience and trying something new each week.

It says:
                                             Aug 1969
Dear Amy
As you can see, I'm in England. Bernard's ill, so travelling is out of the question & so I'm sending you a card from somewhere no-one is going - China - what with the Cultural Revolution, earthquakes and a border war with Russia!! (For once I think your beloved exclamation marks are justified) Look it up if your sojourn* in a favela has left you out of touch with current affairs. I'm sure it's doing you good, but don't neglect your studies - I always felt you would do well (you already have "gone far" - ha ha, as you would say). Seriously though, I am concerned for you, and hope everything is alright at home (wherever that is right now). You can write to me, you know, between cards, if you'd like.
Take care
Mrs Ambleside
* a new word for you?     PS Thought I'd better put this in an envelope