Oops, I've bought more stationery!

Oops, don't I have enough stationery for my letter writing hobby? Yes, but that doesn't stop me from buying more. This month, I have ordered and received enough ink for a footbath! 

The latest to arrive is the Diamine Inkvent calendar, 2025 edition. I wasn't going to, but...  Anyway, it arrived today, on 8th December. I bought it just after December had started, however, the company I bought it from must have been quite overwhelmed with orders, it was sent on its way late on the 4th. My postie was overwhelmed on Saturday with mail, and as I'm late on the round, he didn't get to deliver it to me. He's off for a few days, so someone else delivered it first thing.

I opened the door to day 8, but haven't yet unwrapped the bottle. Do I do day 8 first, or should I start at the beginning? 

I also received other items of stationery including washi tape. Why oh why does it say, "mt for kids" ??? It should read, "mt for all!"

I really should be OK for pens, ink, paper, stickers, washi, wax seals, postage stamps... but well... if not in financial distress, then why not... For me, snail mail is a long term hobby; it brings me joy, creates connections, makes the world a smaller place. And while there are postal services... use them or lose them. Just look at Denmark. 

Stamps of Queen Victoria

Last month, Royal Mail issued a set of stamps showing some of the stamps of Queen Victoria's reign. I bought some: 1 miniature sheet, and 2 rows from the two sheets. I used some of them as postage for Christmas cards sent via airmail. 2 x 1st is the current airmail rate. Not exactly cheap, but convenient. 

Postage stamps celebrating stamps of Queen Victoria.

Norvic is having a little guess the 2026 stamp programme over on his blog, and I've submitted my guesses. Plenty of ideas for issues, but only submitted 12. Some TV shows would look nice on stamps - comedies, though maybe not all of them age well with the humour (didn't stop Only Fools and Horses). Maybe Keeping Up Appearances and Fawlty Towers would be good - both Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales were the Ladies of Letters (on the radio - an excellent show). 

While Royal Mail keep us guessing, Deutsche Post via the Bundesfinanzministerium website have announced their intentions for 2027! And USPS has revealed some of its 2026 stamp program. So, I'll just twiddle thumbs, though that'll make it difficult to write more letters, send Christmas/Season's Greetings cards!

Is it too early for Season's Greetings?

No, not for me it isn't... I send Christmas/New Year/Season's greetings cards in the post, and many of those go overseas. Postal services can be on the slow side in the last quarter of the year. I have already sent some cards out, a couple to Canada were posted last month after the blanket strike ended. At least one of these cards has arrived. I did also receive a couple of Christmas cards in October, one was posted in Australia, and the other was from within the UK. 

Why do I even still send cards in a digital world when I am an atheist? OK, most of the cards will accompany letters so is a little extra for the recipient to smile about. It is still a nice thing to do, a physical reminder that I care. Digital greetings mean very little to me. Have some been written with supposed Artificial Intelligence? Have the words been cut/pasted from somewhere else? Are they even genuine feelings from the person sending them? Perhaps it is plain laziness, can't be bothered but better do something, let the computer do it. After all, Facebook reminds us of birthdays our "FB friends" have allowed to be somewhat public.

One in-law doesn't like cards, because they don't say much. She'd rather chat to people instead, and hear personal news. Fair enough. It is connecting. Some people send a letter with the card informing friends and family about the year's news and events, for example, someone might say that their eldest daughter passed with distinction a clarinet exam, or their son has started a degree at university.. These snippets of personal news may have been plastered all over social media, but then, not everyone is on every type of asocial media. 

I usually buy cards supporting charities I like. Though I've not been able to find many cards suitable for my needs - I don't like square ones as they may fall foul of international mail minimum sizing, or if they need  to be sent onwards in the US, they'll attract a non-machinable surcharge, or just inconvenient to use with the letter I've written folded to, say, A6 size, and then won't go into the envelope. 

 

Looking for penpals from specific places....?

I was scrolling through a couple of penpal groups on Facebook, and had forgotten that seeking penpals from every US state was a thing. I don't think I have seen an equivalent: Seeking penpals from every county of the UK.

Very historic counties of England, from Wiki.

There's counties, county boroughs, shires, unitary authorities.... 48 in England, 33 in Scotland, 22 in Wales and 6 in Northern Ireland, I think. Looking through my address book, I've had letters off to at least a dozen English counties. Not sure I would want over a hundred UK-based penpals, though should international postage become rather prohibitive (currently £3.40 airmail, twice the price of a first class stamp)... maybe I should look for penpals closer to home! 

Edit - I'm not seeking penpals directly from every county / state / country / city / wherever. Though perhaps in time, could say, "Oh, my penpal has been there!"

Monopoly - how easy is it to buy commemorative stamps?

I was unable to visit my lovely little sub post office for the Monopoly stamps on day of issue, because I was away on a short break. The stamps were issued on 16th October 2025. 

Monopoly stamp with dice

On the 17th, I visited two different post offices. One was in a convenience store but had its own counters. They only had a presentation pack; something I did not want, but luckily did not have long to queue! The other post office was inside a WHS TG Jones, again with its own counters. There was a small queue but when I reached the counter, the clerk said that he did not have the commemorative stamps at his counter, and that I should go wait at the closed travel money counter and await a colleague. I was served after a few more minutes. They had sold some of the Monopoly stamps already so bought a strip of 5 stamps (just in case my lovely sub post office didn't have any left by the time I was able to visit later in the month).  

A Monopoly stamp with dice

On the 18th, a Saturday, I had time before my bus left to go and visit another post office. This one was in its own building, likely to have been a Crown main post office. They thought that the Monopoly stamps were due out later in the month, and had not been brought out of the back for sale. The sheets were dished out between two counters, and I came away with another set of stamps. 

My little sub post office did still have Monopoly stamps when I visited earlier this week, so I even bought more Monopoly stamps, just one more set! They've already had the Christmas stamps in. I mentioned I'd seen the 2nd class and 2nd class large designs for the digital stamp mailings (shown up on the Royal Mail Wholesale website). I'm not convinced that this year's Christmas stamps are a well-designed issue. Perhaps not as good as the selection of Christmas stamps below.

A selection of Christmas stamps

 

Royal Mail, and, Post Office.

My beloved Royal Mail has increased postage rates for international mail this month, the second time this year. At this rate, it'll spell doom for UK-based Postcrossers. It is £3.40 to send a postcard to France. What can I get for that? £3.20 for a J2O in a village pub, £3.00 for half a pint of cider from another pub, a dozen free range eggs, large, £3.25 from a supermarket. £3.40 postcard covers up to 100g letters up to C5 envelope size, not too thick. I think the heaviest letters I have written have been around the 30g mark. There used to be lower weight limits, and Christmas cards would take a letter over the 20g "cheap" limit. 

Hay-on-Wye postbox with topper. Paralympic Gold - Josie Pearson 

Royal Mail are also vandalising postboxes, to make them accept parcels. It appears Royal Mail doesn't give a XXXX about the post office, nor the community. The first postbox conversion I saw was outside a small village post office. And if conversion is outside a post office, according to a comment on Norvic's blog, RM want the PO to install lighting for the solar panels, so the box can be used in the dark when the PO is closed.

Postbox being converted. Wrapped in plastic ahead of an adapted door to be installed.

I know RM is a business, one wanting to cream off profits for its shareholders, but there was a time the postie was a valued asset in the community, especially in rural areas. The regular postie would get to know the people on the round, and maybe wold be the first to pick up on something wrong, such as the milk not taken in, lights left on, ... at the home of someone living on their own. Now, the postie works to a stricter schedule, no time for a quick minute chat. 

As for the Post Office, they've had their problems - Horizon (reached p183 of The Great Post Office Scandal by Nick Wallis); the franchising out of the remaining direct-run PO (interrupting receiving commemorative stamps such as Ducks, and not receiving this month's new postage rate leaflets); and then there's some counter workers with little clue (one Postcrosser was erroneously told that it would cost £4.50 to send a postcard to the US because of tariffs). 

I do want to support this vital community service. The PO has lost services - I remember buying Premium Bonds with bonus money for doing well in my school exams umm, I'm not saying how many years ago! Could also do National Savings & Investments at the PO counter too. I'm lucky the one I go to is run by lovely people. They also have a great selection of cards, and I have bought a few to start letters in. If only it was bigger, and with a tea room! I do like writing letters in cafes and pubs... 

The Stamp of Innocence

 

Having been looking around a hardware store for various bits and bobs, I went to the garage next door for refreshments. I grabbed a drink, and when I got to the till, I noticed a book, The Stamp of Innocence about the local subpostmaster, one of the many hundreds prosecuted by the Post Office caught up in the Horizon Scandal. I still have not finished The Great Post Office Scandal by Nick Wallis. Some fiction books I can devour within a day. Non-fiction takes me longer to read, with me savouring almost every word. I'm on page 96, not even a fifth of the way through the book. Maybe when I finish, I will start The Stamp of Innocence; the inspirational story of Noel and Sian Thomas.