Some of you know that as well as collecting old and new postcards of canals, I also collect greetings cards featuring them; as you have guessed, around Christmas my collection gets a boost and 1998 was no exception as I received some fabulous cards. By the time you read this all of them will be tucked-up safely in one of my albums. One card (see above) gave me a bit of a problem as to where it belonged. It is a greetings card, it is a railway postcard, it shows Little Bedwyn lock of the Kennet and Avon canal as well as a goods train passing through Little Bedwyn village and - would you believe it, it is a postcard as well!

These clever publishers have printed a PC back on the reverse of the picture, then perforated the fold of the card so that you can tear off the picture to obtain a postcard - just like those in the IWA calendars. I think it is a brilliant idea; the publishers are Rail Photoprints of Bristol, BS18 5DT.

I also had a card from Roger and Linda Butler, addressed to me but designated for all the officers of the Circle. As I already have the picture on this card it is now in Avril's greetings card album.

Incidentally, our editor has taken to printing the answers to mystery cards before they are sent to her. I have a similar card to that shown on the inside cover of the last issue that I had been meaning to send in, but thanks to Avril using it last time, I do not need to.

It's me again . . .