A life in letters: Blue Circle Cement

When I was in Primary 7 our teacher Miss Angus distributed a magazine containing full-page advertisements for a range of different businesses. Each of us was told to choose a company whose wares we found appealing, and write and post a letter to them – in return, we would receive some promotional material. I chose Blue Circle cement, and in due course had a reply – ever since then, I have felt an affinity with this product and had a homely sense of ownership every time I’ve seen a concrete transporter sporting the familiar logo (Blue Circle was taken over in 2001 by the French company Lafarge which continued to use the ‘Blue Circle’ brand.) But what I particularly recall was my embarrassment at asking my father at the age of 11 for a real stamp to send a real letter. Other than the mandatory thank-you letters after Christmas and birthdays, I had hardly ever posted anything in my life. Eventually, one day in the garden, I blurted out my request and was questioned quite closely as to why exactly I needed the stamp before one was handed over. I didn’t occur to me to go and buy one for myself.