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the stamps of Queen Victoria's reign but Royal Mail has been marking some mailings with these as postage as, "No longer valid for postage," which is absolute !!!!!!!!!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... 

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/

Musings for the new year, 2023

Snail Mail, the sending of letters through the post may seem outdated in the digital & internet age, but there are people finding doing this offline activity enjoyable, and stress-reducing. The analogue nature, the wait for the response adds to the relaxing nature of the hobby. Letters can demand to be answered but usually there is not the urgency that emails command. 

How do we attract new people to the hobby, when there is a cost of living crisis? As I type, to send a regular letter within the UK costs 68p with a second class stamp. What else can you get for 68p? The cost of stationery used for a letter can be mere pennies. You don’t need expensive paper, nor costly pens to write a letter. You don’t need to use papers specifically designed for letters, though when I have bought such sets (paper with matching envelopes), the ratio of sheets to envelopes is wrong for my requirements (2 pages of A5 is not enough, and these writing set sheets are mostly decorated on one side, and/or perhaps the other side is not suitable for writing on). Then, there are notecards, but for longer missives, paper needs to be added in. 

Maybe letter writing is an excuse for some people to use their fountain pens. It was someone associated with the fountain pen industry who started the February letter writing project called InCoWriMo, where participants write a letter every day in the month. A way to practise penmanship, cursive handwriting, or even calligraphy. The latter is more of an art form rather than a flow of words. 

But this can give the impression letter writing is a snobby hobby! I have received letters written with fountain pens worth over £1000. Does that make those letters worth more than ones written with cheap ballpoint or gel pens? No. It is the words / content of the letter that matters to me, but if writing with a nice pen brings joy to the writer… I’m all for that. 

How do you find penpals? There are various penpalling sites out there, both more traditional sites, and places on social media. I have tried a few, with very much a mixed success. One size does not fit all. My way of snailmailing may not suit everyone. It may also take you time to find your style as well. Friendships take time, and may not work for everyone. How many people in your classes at school would you refer to as good friends then, and how many of them now? 

When I started this blog, there were several more snailmail blogs. Now, there aren't that many regularly updated. A shame. Everything seems to be on Instagram, with pretty pictures, rather than words and something to read & engage the mind. I'm tired of the algorithms social media use making it harder to see what I want to see and so I missed out on many posts by penfriends & other snailmail people I was following. Pictures, images, instant gratification. And as for the birdplace, well... that is another kettle of fish.

Snailmail is not an elite hobby.

More Musings on snail mail, partial repost

Postage - do not cheat/defraud the postal authorities by using insufficient or invalid postage. A postage stamp can only be used once of sending an item of mail. If it has been postally used but remained unmarked, it is still not valid for postage. Also, many of the stamps offered for sale on ebay are NOT valid for postage, and some may even be forgeries (and could this even fund organised crime?). 

Royal Mail does have a reasonably accessible postage price finder on their website. I expect other postal authorities do too... Facebook groups have so much misinformation.

Seeing photos of snail mail on social media can be good for inspiration, discovering new ideas, and show that letter writing is not dead. Please, please do hide/obscure/blur the other person's address. UK postcodes are very specific and with the house number, it is just revealing as leaving the rest of the address. 10 / SW1A 2AA is the minimum needed for one iconic London address with a black front door.  Please do NOT share someone's address without their permission. I know I have on occasion, not realised an address was visible in a post.... and when I do realise, I remove the post. I feel utterly mortified I have not been diligent. Addresses can be out there in the public domain, but that doesn't give you good grounds to share them. 

As for sharing the contents of letters, the writer of the letter has more leeway. Incoming letters, the juicy contents shouldn't really be shared without permission, but the odd word or phrase... e.g. the date, greetings/salutations... maybe could be - you want to show off someone else's gorgeous (or not so neat) handwriting, or the ink they've used, ... It is a judgement call. A few years ago, I planned to do a blogpost on handwriting (not calligraphy), on the different styles of handwriting the letters arrived in. I did start preparations, so have photographed some common words (Dear, the date, Thank you for your letter, United Kingdom), but have yet to complete a post on it. 

Today's date is 11/02. What? 2nd of November? Much better to avoid confusion and write out the month. 

It does not matter if the letter cannot be finished in one sitting. I don't worry about pausing letterwriting, even after a short time. I do hope to have finished the sentence I am writing if I have to pause. I have started letters while writing for a friend on a night out (oh how I miss this). I am usually able to finish a sentence/paragraph when she turns up. 

It does not matter if you do not reply to letters in order of receipt. The content of some letters may demand a speedier reply than usual, or you need to delay a reply because someone is moving address and wants to get settled. People have their own rhythm. Mine tends to be a reply within a month of receipt. Occasional letters are fine too. Penfriendship doesn't have a set timetable.

The writing medium does not really matter. Paper meant to be written on, be it lined or blank or dotty or wavy, or with punched holes down the side and used by students to take lecture notes on (a school friend penpal wrote to me during her lessons), or reporter's notebook with pages on a spiral, or even actual letter writing paper. 

Embellishments, including stickers, washi tape and whatnot are not vital for a good penpal letter. I do use them myself though, because embellishing brings me joy. I cannot draw so some of the stickers can illustrate for me instead.

It doesn't matter if the letter is written with a fountain pen, dip pen, or ballpoint. I admit I find it easier to use a fountain pen as the ink makes the words flow across the page. 

The words matter! The content matters.

If you do not keep the letters/envelopes, consider saving the used stamps for charities (as they can raise money from sales to dealers/stamp collectors). There are plenty of charities in the UK raise some funds this way.

Letter travelling times may be slower than usual... One letter from France to the UK took 2 days in January, but a letter from the same person posted in June, only arrived this week! I'm not one for asking, "Did my letter arrive?" after only a few weeks/months. I know life/events happen making snail mail not a priority. However, sometimes a short missive, either postal or electronic, can make a big difference.

You can't be penfriends with everybody. Personalities can clash, beliefs can collide, or you just don't click. Penfriendship, like friendship, can wane... How many of you are in close contact with your best friends from primary or secondary school, or the neighbourhood you grew up in?

With the February letter writing projects, where you may receive letters from strangers, you might not feel able to reply to some of the letters. I know years ago before the Internet was more widely accessible, you could place an advert in a newspaper or magazine. One letter I received was from someone in prison (death row), and I didn't feel able to reply to it (I was a youngish adult), so did not reply. Other letters you might want to reply with a thanks (either via electronic message of some sort, or via the snail mail) even though you may not want the correspondence to continue, and that is fine too.  Though sometimes perhaps, you don't know if you want to continue or otherwise. Perhaps there's hope. Maybe something happens, a word is said or a place is mentioned, reminding you of a letter you received a few months ago and spurs you on to reply. Perhaps an occasional correspondence. There is hope. Life happens, stuff happens. Time. Patience. 

A to Z of Snail Mail - part 1

 I thought it would be fun to do an A to Z of Snail Mail. Easier said than done. Needed help & suggestions! 

A is for Address book, and also for Air Mail, Air Mail labels, aerogrammes, anticipation...

B is for Box of postcards, Best Wishes...

C is for Christmas cards sent by penpals, but also for cartridges fountain pens might use, calligraphy, and correspondence can contain caring and compassion.

D is for delivery, Diamine inks, and letters bring delight.

E is for envelope, and no matter how hard you push, it is stationery. Excitement & enlightenment.

F is for fountain pens. 

G is for General Post Office.

H is for Home (address), handwritten letters, and handwriting.

I is for ink, and also InCoWriMo, and international mail....

J is for Jolly letters written in J. Herbin ink (other inks are available). 

K is for the Kindness found in many letters, written perhaps with Krishna Ink.

L is for Letter, letter writing, letter writing paper, Lamy fountain pens & ink, letter openers, letterbox, and Love from..

M is for Mail, both incoming and outgoing missives mailed...

Part two later, but feel free to comment with your suggestions. Haven't gotten ideas yet for some of the other letters...

3 more sleeps to go for InCoWriMo-2019

February is almost here, woo hoo, the shortest month on Earth. Why am I looking forward to February? Well, it is a month of handwriting letters every day. For those wanting to use typewriters, manual clunky thunky things, then the project for you is A Month of Letters (handwritten letters also allowed there).  The basic premise is to write a letter every (postal) day. This can be to family, to friends, to strangers (both sites have addresses available to send to), a mixture.  

To write a letter, I first need some ink, I mean, drink - a nice cup of tea.

A little longer and it'll be ready for milk. I like my loose-leaf tea. This duck tea-infuser is one of the better ones.

Also needed is a pen and paper. It doesn't have to be plain paper. It doesn't have to be airmail paper for international mail. The jolly envelope was part of a letter writing set from Paperchase.

Who to write to? If I have a letter I want to reply to that moment, I will do. I have ongoing correspondence with penfriends, some even from 4 or 5 years back through the old InCoWriMo site. The February projects can lead to long term / committed penfriendships, but not every letter will lead on to years of penfriendship. 

What if I wanted to write to someone new, I could look at the incowrimo-2019 address book. The list is long, and I could go scrolling up and down, stopping at random, and pick an address on screen. Or, I could look for countries or keywords in the address. CTRL+F is your friend. Last year, I chose some addresses with trees of some sort in them. I haven't decided what I'll search for this time. Also, I may pick a few people from the comments they have left on the website.

Once the letter is written, and addressed. I'll need stamps. These Game of Thrones stamps came out in January 2018 and I used some of them during February last year. For international mail, other stamps were needed in addition to these 1st class stamps.

I've skipped what to write in the letter. That is a subject up to you, but what I've gleaned from experience, and from others is that it should be written with genuine interest in the person you are sending to, perhaps with stories, anecdotes, and is a conversation you are having with the person you are writing to. 

Yesterday was World Letter Writing Day

Yesterday, 1st September, was World Letter Writing Day. Did I participate? Did I write letters? The answers - NO! I do not need a special day to write letters. I write letters most days of the week, so gave myself a day off. I do though participate in a February letter writing project as a means to reach out to new people.

Letter writing is relaxing, calms the brain, but also allows me to think about the person I am writing to, and craft measured replies. I'm pretty sure at some point in our lives, we've all opened our mouths and said something without thinking. I know I have done and could well have ruined friendships if I hadn't realised straight away what I had said. Letters also allow me to communicate with someone while they are otherwise busy (work, chores, enjoying entertainment or socialising) or are asleep. Sending email would also allow for this but the ping (or other sound notification) on a mobile phone can be distracting at inconvenient moments. I found email social correspondence too demanding. "I know you have read my email, why haven't you replied?" was one follow up after not replying the same day. 

I write or start a lot of letters out in public, in cafes. I even take with me some washi tape and a means to cut it to size.

Although I have more than enough stationery to last a lifetime, I do look for more stationery. I couldn't resist this set, Emily's Cats originally sold at WHSmith, found in a charity shop for £1. The box had never been opened. 

On letterwriting, etiquette

I have so far been using the initial of my first name, M, wax seal to close my envelopes. However, is it proper? Should I be using my surname (my married name)? This question has led me to etiquette, tradition, good form written in the late 19th century and early 20th century.  The answer is that I should use the initial of his surname. The initial of my first name never changes, but the surname might and already has. So, I am content to use M. How many of you when telephoning someone, say, "It's me!" ? 

However, what is good form way back when seems to me to be artificial and inequal. There are rules. Who came up with them? There are ways to address the envelope. It is not etiquette to use Mr for a gentleman, but for tradesmen & mechanics. I rarely use titles, though if I am writing to someone who has a PhD, or is a doctor of medicine, I have used the form Dr to them. I won't address the envelope to a married woman as Mrs [her husbands's initial] [husband's surname]. There are still a few people around who say that the woman is property of the husband. Although I have taken my husband's surname, I still identify with my first name, and its initial. Forum posts sometimes have me signing off with this initial. 

Perhaps these rules constrain the feeling of the word/letter, the individuality and uniqueness of each correspondence, the creativity; emotions weren't to be shown, stiff upper lip. I hope my written letters have character and soul to them. I want them to bring a smile upon the recipient's face, and joy. 

Some of rules of antiquated social letter writing, taken from Arthur Wentworth Hamilton Eaton's book in the Good Form series, "Letter-Writing Its Ethics and Etiquette with Remarks on the Proper Use of Monograms, Crests, and Seals" (1890) I break are:

• Lined papers must never be used for social correspondence, they are extremely bad form.

• There was a local fashion, some time ago, to use violet ink, but colored inks are never correct. 

• Using papers other than cream or white in colour

• Using anything other than the initial of my husband's surname (or crest if he had one) as a wax seal. 

• The use of wax in colours other than red or black.

The night before InCoWriMo-2018

I have signed up to take part in InCoWriMo-2018, a handwritten letter every day, in February. 

In preparation, I am making sure I have enough return address labels printed. I have my own design now, to print at home. I still have a few other labels printed commercially I had forgotten about / misplaced!

I also bought more letter writing paper in the Paperchase sales. I will not run out of paper (I have for a few years at least).

I bought another fountain pen too in the Paperchase sale.

I will need to rinse and refill some fountain pens.

I have bought postage stamps. Many of my letters will need £1.40 postage, and I can make this up with 2 first class stamps plus 10p. There are so many wonderful designs for first class stamps, including the latest issue - Game of Thrones.

How to write the first letter

One size does not fit all and you must find your own way. However, I can tell you about my experiences.

Some people like to talk all about themselves. I started doing this when I came back to snail mail in 2008. I didn't receive many replies to those intro letters. A huge disappointment. Then, I thought about it - the all about me me me me letters could be selfish and one sided. 

Letters should be ongoing conversations. Questions should be asked but not too many - you do not want it to be an interrogation or inquisition.

I changed the way I approached first letters. Everyone is individual, and I would write different things to different people. I imagine we are already friends, or at the very lest, friendly acquaintances. I introduce myself through the conversation, even if it is through the mundane. E.g. the weather can affect many hobbies, and what you choose to do for the day: you wouldn't go swimming in the sea during a thunderstorm. 

Others have said that they like humour and stories in letters, and the letters to have personality. A letter is a gift of time and energy. Letters should reveal enthusiasm, sincerity, and passion.

Where you write could be of interest. Part of the draft for this blog post was written on a train. That then begs questions - where have I been, and where am I going? 

The original InCoWriMo was started by a fountain pen geek, and many participants were fountain pen users. Now, there are more participants who might not be into fountain pens, the colour of the ink (draft partially written with a Parker Reflex, Diamine Rustic Brown) and specific types of paper. Although I had fountain pens for use in 2008, I was using gel pens to write many of my letters.

What to write on doesn't really matter: a nice postcard; lined refill paper; or proper letter writing paper or notecards... Postcrossing expects you to send postcards of the same quality you'd be happy to receive yourself. There are some reasonable quality but not expensive letter writing paper out there. Paperchase may still have some writing sets in their sale!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I have been away a couple of times helping my mother. I came across a few things while there. The town I live in had a charity shop for Tenovus but I had never heard of it before then. I didn't realise that it was a well established charity, even featuring as a slogan postmark in 1968. 

My mother was a letter writer to friends and family, in the UK as well as overseas (mainly Australia). The letters have been mostly shredded but she kept the stamps on paper. I brought back this many with me. 

My dad liked covers, including first day covers. This is one I have of his - the inauguration of the car ferry between Southampton and Le Havre - 19th July 1964. I don't think I have taken this particular crossing across the Channel, but haven been sailings from Folkestone, Dover and Ramsgate, arriving at Oostende, Zeebrugge, Calais and Boulogne (not respectively). 

He also had penpals (like father like daughter, eh!). I don't know what happened to the letter inside (shredded, perhaps). I looked up the sender's name and discovered an online obituary. This person's special interests had included corresponding with pen pals all over the world!! That sounds like me! I think I would like that in my obituary! 

 So, what have I been doing recently? I have been buying even more stationery. I bought quite a few earlier this year from Paperchase in the sale. I like the jolly and cheerful designs. The main complaint though is that the paper allows you to only write on one side of the sheet, but sometimes that is a good thing as the designs will hide your writing and it won't show through cheap white envelopes. 

This was bought at Birmingham New Street station's Paperchase last month (I was travelling by train - and yes, I did take the opportunity to get some letters written on the train). However, I wouldn't be able to use scented stickers on letters to every penpal (some have allergies & intolerances I wouldn't want to exacerbate).

February creeping up - InCoWriMo-2017 is on the horizon.

It is almost that time of year for the February letter writing frenzy. I will be taking part in InCoWriMo-2017, organised by a snail mail enthusiast I have the pleasure of calling a penfriend, from an InCoWriMo event in the past. InCoWriMo-2017 is for "ordinary" people: I say "ordinary" in a good sense because everyone can take part and send some letters to each other, not just to fountain pen company CEOs and celebrities listed on the InCoWriMo site with currently nowhere for "ordinary" people to sign up. You don't even need a fountain pen to take part, but the project would like you to send a handwritten letter everyday.

A similar project, A Month of Letters Challenge (LetterMo) for sending letters every postal day also allows the use of typewriters. There are little challenges within the main challenge, e.g. posting at a different postbox, using nice stamps, wax seals.

The fountain pen is my weapon of choice, but the gel pen used to be an implement of choice before I rediscovered fountain pens. I am happy to receive letters written in fountain pen, ballpoint, Sharpie, fineliner, even typewritten... 

The paper can be ordinary. In my teenage years, a friend moved out of the area and went to a new school. She wrote letters on refill pad paper during some of her lessons! There are writing pads, lined or plain, white or cream or other colours, perhaps patterned or with a logo. If you are lucky, you could find some nice writing sets, but the ratio of paper to envelopes is often too low. If you have a printer, you can print your own designs (or use one of the many templates available online).

Some people like to decorate the letters with stickers, or washi tape. Some might say this is childish, but someone said that penpalling is only a children's hobby. I am in my 40s and I use stickers and washi/deco tapes. I have received letters with stickers on from people even older than me, and even received a missive from a gentleman in his late 50s on Diddl writing paper. 

I have differentiated between InCoWriMo and InCoWriMo-2017. The original InCoWriMo was updated in February 2015, and then nothing until this month. InCoWriMo did still occur on a fountain pen forum and the original site in the comments section of the 2015 list, for 2016. However, with the original site looking dead in the water, my dear penfriend and snail mail enthusiast took it upon himself to create a new website for InCoWriMo-2107 in October. There are over 60 real people signed up already and the first week of January is only just over. So, it is with pleasure I support InCoWriMo-2017, for real people. 

Letter writing is fun, both the writing and the receiving. I do hope newcomers to InCoWriMo-2017 will enjoy sending and receiving missives. Letters are for life, not just for February and you may find yourself finding new friends - penfriends are real friends too. 

Snail Mail - the book

Venturing in to an independent bookshop opens eyes to a different range of books. On the top shelf, I saw the spine of a book in the colours of international correspondence and I reached up to grab it when I saw the title was, "Snail Mail." The secondary title, "Rediscovering the art and craft of handmade correspondence," had me hooked.

I bought the book and proceeded to devour it. In it, there is a section on various forms of communication. The one on e-mail suggests replying within 48 hours. I had a brief foray into email friendship but one e-pal was not happy if I did not reply to his daily emails. There seems to be a sense of urgency with emails requiring attention. Now, the only emails I want to receive are notifications. I rarely read them but their titles are comforting knowing that my Amazon order is on its way.

There are pages on types of mail - writing to congratulate/celebrate events, love letters (does anyone keep love e-mails not printed out?), condolence, fanmail (not a huge fan of this) and even letters to your future self.

There's a little bit on signing on and off. I hadn't thought starting a letter with your penpal's name (with no salutation greeting) as being stern. I do vary the initial greetings depending on mood and penpal. I use - Hi, Hello, Greetings, Dear, Annwyl... As for valedictions, I usually use Best Wishes but the book lists this as a business sign off (I knew that it was from Simon Garfield's book, To The Letter - I'm still plodding through this). I occasionally use Hugs but this is not mentioned.

There are ideas for decorating the snail mail, and there are stickers and labels in the back plus templates for making envelopes.

Another section covers handmade - making papers to write on. One had lines sewn in. Caution though is advised if sending to Australia as they have strict import regulations and post could get destroyed.

There are pages picturing used postage stamps, and some old letters - I can decipher the handwriting. There's a section on fonts, typefaces and handwriting styles. For handwriting, the book suggests trying out both cursive and block, but...

Overall, I am happy I bought this book but it is preaching to the converted. It is a nice book and would make the perfect gift for someone just starting out in the world of penpalling and snail mail. 

Five Questions, Five Letters monthly challenges

I had been contemplating an easier (!) postal project than InCoWriMo/LetterMo, one that should be easier to complete. I came up with 5 Questions (you want answered), 5 Letters (you'd at least send answering their questions) in a month. I had initially thought to have the challenge for one month only, but there were people coming to InCoWriMo/LetterMo late so why should they miss out. You don't need to take part every month, and existing correspondents could ask/answer questions too. The challenge is being hosted by a new penpalling/correspondence forum called A World of Snail Mail

So far, the wording I have for the challenge is:

Have you ever wanted to write to someone but found it difficult to know what to write in yours letter? Well, this project could be for you. You could leave your address (or request people to ask via private message) in a thread plus 5 questions you would like answered. Then, you can pick (at least) 5 people (you can include current penpals & correspondents in that number) to write to and answer their questions. It would be nice if letters could be replied to, or at least acknowledged.

FAQ

Q. Who can see my address if I put it in the thread?

A. Only those who are logged in to the forum can see the Five Questions, Five Letters thread for the month.

Q. What sort of questions can I ask?

A. Anything. They can be trivial, e.g. “Which way do you stir the tea in your cup?” to things more ‘serious’, e.g. “Do you live near where you spent your childhood?”

Q. Can I write more than the answers to the questions provided?

A. Of course. You can even ask questions of your own.

Q. Can I ignore questions?

A. Well, you can say that you do not want to answer the question. Answers can also be brief, even one word Yes (or No) answers.

Q. What should I do when I receive a letter?

A. Read it. Then acknowledge the letter. You do not have to write back, but it is a courtesy to thank the sender.


The challenge for September is open and someone has already put their address and 5 questions up for answering.

Discussions....

Recent letters I have received have mentioned the lack of places to discuss penpalling and correspondence matters on the web. There may be threads or small sections on various other hobby boards to find penpals, such as InCoWriMo board over on the Fountain Pen Geeks (fpgeeks) forum, or Pen-friendship/Penpals board over on the Postcrossing forum.

The former already has boards to discuss and review inks, fountain pens, and paper. However, I don't think there has been any discussion on cute Diddl or other pictured / patterned letter writing paper / pads. I find the Diddl paper quite fountain pen friendly. 

What about other places? There are groups on Facebook. Have you ever tried finding old threads, or topics you are interested in on a Facebook group? What if you take a break, even if it is only a week or so, it is difficult to see what you've missed.

What about the forum over at Interpals? Well, I have never found a long-lasting reliable penfriend there. Instead, I've had people with explicit profile pictures post messages to my profile, some marriage proposals, and comments/messages from people who have not actually read properly my profile. As for the forum, there doesn't seem to actually be a specific section for discussing letters and associated topics.

Surely there must be other places? Well, yes. One I did join last year but have had no success with is aimed mainly for females only (judging by the site's name), and although there are boards for specific age groups, the one for the oldies starts at 30!

I haven't looked at the number of female and male correspondents I have...

Another correspondence project has a forum but outside the time of the project, the site is not maintained and administered. I've just been over to check what has been happening and there have been lots of spam accounts opened, yet again. Letters are for life, not just for February.

So, where does that leave us? I don't know. Is there appetite for a forum with sections where you can discuss correspondence matter, maybe find new people to write to, et cetera? Maybe I should start my own?

Paper, again

I have been away for the Easter holidays but have also been busy writing letters. More were posted today than I received on my return today.

 I just love this Diddl paper, although my fountain pens do not splodge ink everywhere.

When I receive a letter, I am on cloud nine, though the occasional letter could see me roll off the cloud in laughter!

 The other week, I came across some new writing sets. I love the back of the boxes with sample letters.

The designs are fantastic too. I bought a new set by the same people yesterday but I haven't yet taken a photo of it.

Non-plain papers

I have already reported receiving a letter on paper with rather strange printed wording/quotes. 

 "Being relieved will improve human relations."

Well, the latest strange paper has "Space Bonjour Will experience in a mysterious universe mustache" whatever that is supposed to mean. Lost in translation perhaps? 

At least the Diddl paper has just drawings and no silly wording (any silly wording then is down to me). 

Bits and bobs

I sent 3 Postcrossing postcards this month so far (I know, it is not many....). I got absent-minded and forgot...

 ... the price of postage.... I had grabbed a 2p stamp instead of 5p.... so had to use another 2p and 1p for postage. Still, the postcard reached its destination OK.

 I am in the middle of a reply to a correspondent in Japan. She used this cute kitten stationery.... but I'm a little bemused at the saying by the feline... "Being relieved will improve human relations."

I am a fountain pen user and was curious to see a nib on the box of printer ink.... I wish it were a variety box of Diamine fountain pen inks instead!