Calling Long Distance


Going through Dad's letters reminded me of a number of things; like the fact that though Dad has written to me every week, my letter writing was sporadic.

I may not have written many letters, but I was very casual about using the phone to call home to New Zealand. It was expensive, but even in the mid 80's long distance calls were a lot cheaper than they had once been. Maybe it's a generational thing, and we approach technologies not as they are, but how they were when we were first introduced to them.

 My grandmother, particularly, found long distance calls a little discombobulating. One time I was baking a cake and the recipe said “cook until done.” I had no idea what that meant, so I tried calling my mother and, after getting no answer, called my Grandmother, who was quite amazed that I’d called all the way from Australia to find out how to bake a cake!

May 1992 - Grandma said you’d rung, but apart from the fact that she was thrilled with the call and the news, she couldn’t really remember what you told her.Talking tonight someone mentioned that their parents had never really accepted phones as they are used today as they were raised in an era when long distance calls were for important or even crises events. And Grandma still tends to get flustered - and is the first to admit it.


Amazon: Letters From New Zealand: Farming, Fishing and Golf

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