Iris Pearce, having been ill for part of last year is now almost her old self again and she and her family are planning new travels and adventures. She sent me a number of cards, among them two of Foxton locks that are new to me and have been added to my collection. (They may well appear in future issues of Gongoozler.

The card below is another that I have not seen before and is part of the Derbyshire Heritage Collectors Card series. This one is exclusive to R. A. and V. M. Johnson, Canal Bridge Stores, Shardlow. Some of us visited this shop when we went to Shardlow during Cardmeet in 1996.

Iris also sent me a fascinating leaflet published by Leicestershire County Council about walks in the Soar Valley. The leaflet includes a map and information about exploring the Grand Union Canal, parts of the Charnwood Forest and The Wolds. There are some beautiful pictures and travel information that includes canal boats that can be hired for a day or even an evening as well as boats for holidays and a children's 'Rosie and Jim' trip boat from the Waterside Centre in Leicester itself.

These local amenity booklets and leaflets are well worth collecting as long as one puts the year date on them when acquired new. Unfortunately most of them are undated and they do go out of date as new amenities are opened in the areas. At the Weybridge Museum, when I was curator, there were similar booklets going back into the early years of this century; they were a great help in studying the local history and seeing how the area had changed, but the staff had to do a great deal of detective work before they could be dated and of use to researchers.

Occasionally I have come across cards dated by the photographers; how I rejoice to see this, these cards will be invaluable for future collectors interested in history.