Some good news at the start of the month - that Helen Prescot’s stock has been retrieved following a dramatic Police raid on the home of a Wigan postcard dealer. I said, back in July, that it might take an alert collector to solve this case and that’s exactly what happened. The not-very-bright crook had sent some of the cards on approval to a collector, who recognised that he’d been sent the same cards by Helen shortly before.

There has been some bad behaviour by a new arrival on Pennine Way – a black and white tomcat, which has been terrorising the wildlife. His owner tried the bell on the collar trick, to no avail, so I tackled him myself with a few stern words, having rescued a pigeon from him. Since then he’s been leaving peace offerings of little furry creatures on my doorstep every morning – not quite the intended outcome!

After very little Summer we are hurtling into Autumn all too rapidly. At the start of a new term of the philatelic society, it was an ‘all show - new acquisitions’ night. There’s been a noticeable movement, in recent years, from collecting individual stamps towards the collection of the whole postal item, ie, postcards or envelopes complete with stamps and postmarks, with an all round story to tell. It was also noticeable that whereas ‘e Bay’ seems to be regarded as a naughty word, to be spoken quietly, in some postcard circles, here we had a group of senior citizens who were proud to relate how they had mastered the intricacies of modern technology to get what they wanted.

Now here’s one that tells a story. I was looking for one of Nelson’s Column, as the local council are considering erecting their own monument with a replica of the Lord’s statue, in the centre of Nelson. I came across this, which although perhaps not the best view, has an intriguing message (written on the front, as it is postally used 1903 with an undivided back used for the address only). It reads ‘This is where the old girl went to see the lions fed’ (from the days before pigeon feeding in Trafalgar Square, I presume!)