Stuff...

I am still here, in the background, somewhere writing some letters, and doing hobbies when the time allows. I have not forgotten about this blog, but have been using my time to write letters, do hobbies, do other things too... So much has been happening this year but not always wonderful; I have not been in the headspace to blog, and have barely posted anything to (un)social media. I'm still on Instagram, but with the hashtags no longer fit for purpose (cannot see most recent posts for a hashtag, and it also repeats posts in the feed), and the algorithms forcing content on me as I scroll, OK, some of it is decent and inspiring, but most of it is uninteresting to me. When I do post, not much in the way of reaction nor comment, as if Meta is deliberately hiding my content from my followers and friends. So, maybe I should post more to forums, and to blogs, comments and such, places where you are not fodder for the unsocial scroll (if lucky). I am visiting a couple more forums I used to visit years ago, for another hobby or two. Small, quiet, but still friendly. 

I used to love taking pictures of postboxes, especially with woollen toppers created with care and talent. However, I can't pinpoint when, but at some point, the joy of the postbox has diminished.  Maybe the stories of postboxes being stolen - there was one about 15 miles away from me I wanted to photograph, attached to a post, but thieves nabbed it... Perhaps Royal Mail vandalising them turning them into parcel boxes, accepting packages that may damage/crush the post already inside the box... and I won't post my letters in them. They no longer seem that magical... 

Another concern I have is AI. AI is everywhere. Do I want my blog-ramblings to be used to train AI? Early on in my snail mail forum, I decided the forum shouldn't have everything visible to all, not even to new members who've only logged in. AI wasn't my concern for that, but possible rogue / not lovely accounts grabbing addresses (some threads have mailing addresses posted). New members don't automatically gain full normal access.  

I have used AI - I was for a while, using an "art" website with AI things to create images. I can't draw well at the best of times. It did seem "fun" in the early years, with its too many limbs, bad spelling, and such.. For writing though, not tried it other than to follow what Letters of Note did a few years ago asking ChatGPT for missive sign offs, and I wanted some German options - Alles Marmalade was one! 

Postage is rather shockingly expensive to send a postcard/letter abroad. Currently, it is £3.60 and asking Google shows this is just shy of 5 USD. Domestically, I use the 91p second class rate, so writing to penpals within Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland doesn't seem so expensive. If postage was more reasonably priced, then maybe I would want to do more promoting of snail mail, encouraging more people to discover the joys of penfriendship. Don't need expensive tools for the job: the nice smooth quality letter writing paper I use was under £5 a pad for A4; although I do use fountain pens, the cost of mine doesn't break the bank. My enthusiasm for promoting snail mail, for bringing new people in, has been very much dampened by Royal Mail's postage rates and attitudes (parcels/tracked does take priority over letters, even NHS ones), and the cost of living crisis (water rates/utility bills going up, gotta pay those fat cats / shareholders, even though quality of service goes down; food prices rising too). 

I'm going to cry...

This morning, I was monitoring a Royal Mail webpage. Before 8am, they had announced business and retail postal/service rate changes... but no mention about personal customers... was I lulled into a false sense of security?

I had a letter to affix postage to, so while I ummed and arred about which stamps to use, Royal Mail had updated the webpage announcing postage rate changes for personal customers. I noticed around midday. The postage rate changes come into force on 7th April 2026 

• Ist class to rise 10p to £1.80

• 2nd class to rise 4p to 91p

• Airmail up 20p, to £3.60, still 2 x 1st class.

I still have 1st class stamps, some bought when released at less than 60p. I have tried to somewhat futureproof my snail mail hobby, and am lucky I have been able to do this. For those who try to get by financially on a day-to-day basis, they may need to limit how much joy they can mail into the world... 

I'm off to cry in my cup of tea after I make it. Maybe I should use one of the many teabags penpals have enclosed in letters to me! 

February is the shortest month

 As we approach February., I look for new people to write to, hoping for more than a one-off correspondence, though whether they'll become good penpals is another thing. I know I cannot write to every one (even with money for postage, and time unlimited). InCoWriMo, International Correspondence Writing Month should be about friendship, connection, making the world a better place. I was disappointed to hear on a podcast that it isn't about any of those things. Instead, write a letter to your representatives (politicians, councillors), and to other public bodies and services. LetterMo is similar, having had the call to write to representatives before, but also prisoner penpals allowing an account to seek addresses for someone in prison (for not an easy to forgive crime). No wonder it has an 18+ policy. I don't recall if this was so back in 2012 when I joined. The change over to the new site lost a lot of information, connections and comments, and they've also lost me. 

The new InCoWriMo address exchange page was eventually created, but, Disqus has been marking genuine posts as spam. The frustration has turned somewhat nasty. Ahead of the frustration, I knew would be coming (posts marked as spam last year), I started a new forum for address exchange behind a login and approval process. Getting interest in it was hard work, and I've stepped back from promoting it (in the past, I've been thanked for helpful contributions and more). It seems many prefer the in the moment instant gratification of social media, with or without addressing privacy. I take privacy very seriously, and was utterly mortified when I accidentally shared an image with someone else's address (deleted as  soon  as I found out, and have apologised to them for it). I am human. I know my forums are not perfect, and I accept I am not perfect. 

Instagram has become dysfunctional. I searched the #InCoWriMo hashtag - the results terribly disappointing, repetitive, same posts a couple of rows down, and very little recent or even relevant for a hashtag with over 21K of posts to choose from, but would I ever be able to see even 100 of them?

I have been deleting Instagram posts, and don't have many shown at the moment (says 24, but I don't see that many). I did venture over to Threads, and while more wordy, and can see recent post results for a search, the algorithm shows me stuff I do not want to see. I've decided I can't deal with it, all the forced on you click-bait, dis/misinformation supposed hacks/advice. Browsing it was also glitchy, especially if you comment on a comment, it loses your place; stealing the bookmark from the novel you are reading. So, my account there is scheduled for deletion at the end of Feb. The comments and posts I made, although attracting some likes, didn't really mean much. Did my input interrupt you and to fob me off, you click like to say, "That's nice!" but it doesn't mean anything. 

I'm reminded that it is quality not quantity that matters. The great connections made through my main forum mean the world to me. So, while I don't have enough new people on the forums to write to for Incowrimo, Let's Write Letters Month does not have a minimum letter quota.

I know some members have not logged in for a while. That's fine. Some people want to have screen-free evenings away from work. I know mobiles are not the best devices to read forums/messageboards - the interface doesn't like you seeing the full picture. If I browse forums on my phone, I use the desktop version, and I think it is much easier to navigate. Yes, a phone may be handy, but you do lose something with the convenience. Typing on a phone isn't great either! 

February is Let's Write Letters Month

It is a shame a February letter writing project I loved, and have actively supported has become more or less unusable. The main issue is the use of automatic something-or-other, marking posts as spam and therefore not visible. Another project also has an automatic something-or-other so can't even make a new comment with updated information. It is a pity, as both projects are about human connection, with the chance to build friendships. Some of the friendships I have through these sites have lasted over 10 years. I do accept/understand that life/events can get in the way of things, such as for the alternative incowrimo site - I too had lost my enthusiasm for a while.... 

This I think went off to a penfriend found at a February letter writing project

Does this look like spam to you?

So, I've come to the conclusion to do something myself. Whether it will work or not... A work in progress. Anyway. Let's Write Letters Month hopefully promotes what it says on the tin... to write letters... No target number of letters, no need to write every (postal) day... As I write this, inco hasn't put up a new public address exchange page. So, Let's Write Letters Month is on a forum. Although still relatively public, it is behind a login, and also behind a manual approval process - https://febletters.boards.net/. Though at this rate, people would much prefer unsocial media, or a site that allows someone in to collect addresses for someone in prison for pictures/abuse. Can't compete with that.

Edit, 15th January - the inco site has been updated, but... still the same problem remains with many posts being marked as spam. Across a few sites, I'm aware of at least 5 people have had their posts marked as spam, on the new address page.

End of year review, 2025 edition

On the stamp front, the year started with an issue of stamps celebrating the British TV series, The Vicar of Dibley with Dawn French as the vicar. I did buy some of this issue. I am an atheist but did enjoy the episodes of this show I watched. 2026 will start with Stranger Things!

The music giant issue chosen for this year was AC/DC. I do like their music and did buy stamps. One of my favourite AC/DC songs is Thunderstruck. 

Nature appeared in a few issues this year. Garden Wildlife, Fungi, and Ducks, all worthy subjects but perhaps could have been better. 

Children's literature was celebrated with The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (I didn't mind The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but didn't read any others), and also somewhat by Peanuts, comic strip and cartoon about Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy. 

Another reasonable issue was Myths and Legends, with Beowulf among others. 

World War 2 was marked yet again on stamps, perhaps not a bad thing considering the state of the world at the moment... with horrors forgotten.

Large stamps but otherwise good were the stamps commemorating 350 years of the founding of The Royal Observatory at Greenwich (I've stood either side of Greenwich Meridian), as were the Monty Python stamps too. 

Trains also made another appearance, with the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Choo choo!

October saw some fun stamps - celebrating the board game, Monopoly. I haven't played this game in years (prefer other board games), although we do have a Welsh version. 

In November, I hardly bothered with the Christmas issue, no secular option again (no snowmen, no winter scenes with postboxes, no panto...). However, I did buy some stamps later in the month celebrating the stamps of Queen Victoria's reign but Royal Mail has been marking some mailings with these as postage as, "No longer valid for postage," which is absolute !!!!!!!!! 

On the letter writing front, I ran into snobbery - with etiquette and all that malarkey inferring that there's only one way to write letters and that is on expensive heavyweight unlined paper using a fountain pen with blue/black ink... again, utter !!!!!!!!!

The February letter writing challenges weren't as good as before... what with posts either being automatically marked as spam with no comeback, or when trying to update postal rates, unable to correct because it looks like I'd already said the same thing (but not the same - different numbers). Royal Mail raised postal rates twice, with airmail going from £2.80, to £3.20 in April, and then to £3.40  in October. The only small silver lining is that £3.40 can be made with just 2 1st class stamps, with so much choice of 1st class stamp available! £3.40, according to an exchange rate today is $4.58. USPS postage from the US to the UK is only $1.70. 

In July, my forum turned 10. With summer weather being decent, I was needing to do non-snail mail activities... It is still small... but the connections made make up for it. New thread for Five Questions, Answer by Snail Mail for January 2026 is open. 

I know I can't write to everyone... clash of personalities maybe, or topics of letters not interesting perhaps... Letters can't all be sweetness and light... Letters can be mismatched in length, content, may seem somewhat superficial with small talk (the weather... urgh, Storm Bram wasn't particularly wonderful for us), but if you can't write about things important to you without the recipient empathising at the very least... well.. you find out who your real friends are when you are in trouble/difficulty. 

Plans for 2026... Perhaps a silly idea but I've started something new for February. Putting final touches to Let's Write Letters Month. It'll be on a forum... 

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. 

What would you like to see on this blog?

 

Welsh stamp

 What would you like to see on this blog?

• More regular blog posts?
• Variety of snail-mail associated topics? Which ones?
• More what?
• Do you want to make blogging about snail mail great again? There used to be a load of snail mail blogs...
• Is this worth it?

Gimmicks

Earlier this month was the 185th anniversary of issue of the Penny Black stamp. Did I mark it? No. An old blog post of mine mentioned giving myself the day off from writing letters on World Letter Writing Day. Seems gimmicky, a one-off, a one-night stand. While a brief intimacy may be a good thing... penfriendship isn't a one-time wonder. To me, it is a connection, a conversation, dialogue, contains meaning, emotion, compassion, thought, humanity, friendship. When I write a letter, I put a piece of my soul on the page, but if there is no response, no acknowledgement, unrequited, then I am lessened. I sent a fan-letter to an author several years ago, but afterwards felt empty. I have also written to two actors, but have had acknowledgement and thanks. According to Meatloaf, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. 

There are snail mailers out there who've never participated in the February daily snail mail challenges. Those 2 February projects seem to be more about checkbox ticking rather than anything meaningful. While I have taken part in both, supported both, promoted both, the one thanks me by having the software automatically marking my posts as spam, and the other did not allow me to correct outdated information (and was just one of the reasons I deleted my account there) To send a postal response internationally for something that barely said anything now costs over £3 (currently over 4 USD). Sadly, I cannot justify spending more than £3 on postage just for a postcard, very often. Such a shame as I'll unlikely not be sending my full allowance of Postcrossing postcards 

Lest we forget. VE Day, 80 years on.

 

Bah humbug

Oh what deep joy: Royal Mail raised postage rates this month. On the domestic front, the rates aren't too bad, with 2nd class up 2p to 87p, and 1st class up 5p to £1.70. However, it is on the international rates we are being stung/stunned. To send even a mere postcard overseas costs over £3. International economy for outside "Europe" goes to £3.10, and airmail goes to £3.20. I think my Postcrossing days are more or less over and this is such a pity as the project will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Postage rates around the world have gone up, and with the cost of living crisis, may even be out of reach for the many - even though the joys of receiving a Postcrossing postcard from strangers around the world, or a letter from a penpal can bring joy and is good for mental health. I shall still continue to write letters, to penfriends internationally as well as within the UK. 

I bought the book about The Great Post Office Scandal, and am still making my way through it. Shocking so far... I know some people have trouble with arithmetic, but the errors in the Horizon system seems to make 1+1=3, and 1-1=2. So far, a good read. I haven't finished watching the docudrama Alan Bates vs The Post Office.

Happy St. David's Day

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus.

February has ended and has brought to a close another International Correspondence Writing Month (InCoWriMo). I have managed to write at least one piece of snail mail each day of that month. I'm not expecting any surprise letters because I did not publish my postal address. That's OK, as there was someone seeking addresses for a prisoner. I also didn't have my address up via FB penpal groups, though have done in the past. 

In early Feb. Disqus allowed me to post again to the inco address exchange page, after marking my posts as spam in January. However, this week, I wanted to reply to someone's question, but my comment was yet again marked as spam. Irony... seeing as Eric (who owns Inco), neglects a fountain pen forum he also owns. which is full of spam and zero moderation. 

I am still in the process of deleting my Meta content. Social Media has become rather unsocial over the last couple of years, be it politics, unpleasant views, scams (and plenty of those were from "verified" accounts)... 

In removing a lot of my Meta content, I have been reminded of various groups I joined, and posts I've made. One group for penpalling has so many posts in the format of a job application - really! Titled "Penpal application" and it does not suggest a joy of penfriendship. Would you do friendship applications for real-life/in person friends made during school/college years or via employment or hobbies? This application process makes me think letters are a task/chore or essays/homework for school/college. A burden rather than a joyful activity. 

Then, there are the posts from people who cheat the system. Just because a stamp hadn't received a postage mark, they feel entitled to reuse for postage again. Or, in the case of one person, postmarked stamps bought from ebay are "new to her" and she had stuck on her outgoing letters for postage. 

I posted lots of photo content to both Instagram and FB. I do need to organise my digital photos; perhaps some should be printed out. I have taken pictures with smartphones over the last 12+ years, but some of those early picture have been corrupted though for a few, can still see thumbnail images. 

Many of my Instagram posts were of postage stamps, received on post or I've used for postage. One combination was with Captain Mainwaring telling a 007 off: You Stupid Boy! I still have the digital photo files. Maybe I will share some pictures on this blog. 

Letter writing snobbery

Penfriendship is a wonderful thing; connections across the globe makes the world a smaller place, making me care more about natural events in case a postal friend is affected- floods, forest fires, wind, earthquakes... The uniqueness of people; their lives, hobbies, interests, families... Can get to know people by the written word. It can be a façade, but the written word tends to come out of thoughtfulness, slowed by the flow of ink (or graphite) across the page. In typing, on computer or touchscreen, autocorrect may get in the way. Words appear quicker, maybe even angrier, and less thoughtful, less kind. How many electronic messages have been typed and sent in haste? I know I'm not immune.

I don't take much notice of etiquette guides: these are relics of the past, when misogyny was not considered wrong, a woman couldn't open a bank account on her own, wife-beating was allowed (but not between 10pm to 7am in case it disturbed the neighbours) and the ability to withdraw consent was removed on marriage. You do NOT need expensive heavyweight papers for genuine penfriendship, nor is a fountain pen a necessity. You don't need to have master penmanship nor need to do calligraphy. A letter can be a work of art, mail art, written on almost any paper, lined/plain/dotted/square, monogrammed or with  motif or without, adorned with stickers and photographs and washi tape. 

But, none of that matters if what is written is wonderfully thought out, meaningful. It is the words that matter the most; it is the purpose of the letter. Kind words written on a serviette in a cafe are still kind words. Fuck Off! written in calligraphy on expensive paper is still Fuck Off! no matter how well written (certain bits of this sentence are in a text colour matching the background, so if you really want to see two words, one beginning with F and the other with O....).

On social media, I have come across letter writing snobbery. One post linked to an etiquette guide and complained about not being able to get fountain pen friendly letter writing paper. I'm afraid that is poppycock; the person must be in a very uncivilised part of the world otherwise. I receive a wide range of letters, from college note-taking paper (taking fountain pen ink rather well), to Santoro, to Diddl, to Basildon Bond, to Clairefontaine Triomphe, and others: they are great. To me, it doesn't matter if the paper is lined (some prefer that is it helps the writer to write straight), or having holes punched down the side to go in a ring binder (if I use this, I tend to cover the holes with stickers).  It doesn't even ,matter what writing implement is used - fountain pen, dip pen, gel pens, rollerballs, ballpoints, pencils... yet to receive one in crayon though. 

Snobbery also haunts another associated hobby - philately. On stamp messageboards, there's sad news about 2 philatelists, men, of a good age, passing away, but very little sadness around the death of another philatelist - a woman, aged 34, who was the managing director of a stamp auction house. She was so young, so full of life, so full of colour and adventure. She touched me postally with a few postcards, with humour. Punk Philatelist wrote some words about her at https://punkphilatelist.com/2025/02/02/vale-constanze-dennis-the-greatest/

It is almost February...

Just a week and a bit away until the start of February. I should be excited, but this year, I am not. I have participated in the February letter writing projects since 2012 but this is the second year I am not ecstatic about both A Month of Letters and International Correspondence Writing Month. Both want you to send nice mail every (postal) day. However, for some, it is just a check box exercise, rather than seeking meaningful connection and penfriendship. 

Also, the decision to allow an account on LetterMo to seek addresses for a prisoner have worried some people, even declining friendship request is met by another request with no ability to say F OFF. It is one of the reasons I deleted my account. And while prison penpals can be a good thing, it should be for the "free" person to seek postal contact with an inmate via a prison penpal website. 

Then, this year, a post appeared on the InCoWriMo address exchange page for 2025, from this same person requesting penpals for the inmate. It has since been deleted as has the LetterMo account (edit - 6th Feb 2025 - there appears to be a new account for him). The person claims not to be grabbing addresses for the prisoner, but I'd take that with a pinch of salt. 

The account I set up for myself on disqus is having comments marked as spam. Even my upvoting is invisible. (edit - 6th Feb 2025 - I can comment again).

It is such a shame... the idea for the projects is good, but... 

End of year review, 2024 edition.

General enthusiasm for social media, sharing postal insights on those platforms and even in blogging, was at an all time low this year. Fed up of the competitiveness of it all. I took a long break from blogging, and even considered giving it all up, along with the snail mail forum I have. The internet has changed so much over the years, and the quality of content decreased, with tons of misinformation, conspiracy theories, hatred spread around the world. I do sometimes fear for my safety when I am out and about.  I'm so glad I have penfriends around the world, else I would feel very much alone in this town. 

Stamps this year haven't been too bad, but some issues have been better than others. New Year's Eve celebrations in many parts of the UK have been cancelled due to nasty weather.  Royal Mail celebrated the 170th anniversary of the UK Meteorological Office.

Perhaps one of the not so great issues this year was Porridge. A TV comedy drama series set in a prison first broadcast 50 years ago. Not something I watched, though have caught the odd episode here and there, however, not memorable.

I surprised myself by writing & sending more than 350 letters this year. Some have been written out and about in the fresh air under blue skies. Most though have been written at home this year. However, have received just over 300 letters in 2024.

The year ends with the sad news of the passing of a philatelist and Postcrossing acquaintance. She had arranged many a Postcrossing meetup in London, and even attended one in Ireland for the launch of the Postcrossing stamp from An Post. She was only in her 30s, but she had lived such a full and colourful life, with adventure, and had a job she loved. I hadn't met her in person, but had received a few postcards from her over the years. They will be treasured.

Looking forward to 2025, I'd like to get back into blogging, but maybe would start afresh with a new blog. I'd like to see more blogs out there, rather than social media posts...