Just some postcards and stamps

Today's post is a selection of outgoing mail posted on Friday.

 

There were other postcards posted too.

There  is just enough room on some postcards (as long as the address isn't too big), to use 1st class stamps with 3 more stamps to make up the airmail postage. 

Some of the postcards have already reached their destinations. 

6-7 June post

I have decided to show pictures of outgoing mail, of the stamps. No addresses (mine or the recipient's) will be shown.

Yesterday, I posted just two letters, eager to travel after the long Diamond Jubilee and Spring Bank Holidays.

But today, I posted some Postcrossing postcards. I posted more than are shown in the picture. 

These are the stamps I received on incoming mail, a postcard from Denmark, letters from The Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom, ( but the London postcard was enclosed in a letter), and a very special Postcrossing postcard.

It has a special Postcrossing postmark cancellation. Woo hoo!

Stamps

Last week saw the release of special issue stamps commemorating Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, however, not may people knew about these stamps, and not all post offices had them for sale (other than presentation packs, not likely to be used to send mail).

Royal Mail issues stamps celebrating the best of British, such as various eminent Britons, and the British institution, The Royal Society (with members from around the world, including Benjamin Franklin, an American, featured on the stamp for his work on electricity).

And then there are the fun stamps, featuring characters from Harry Potter (I didn't get many of these stamps, and they are no longer available from Royal Mail), to Discworld characters, music legends, and great stories...

Stamps can evoke emotions. On one letter I sent, I used a train stamp (not Thomas the Tank Engine or his friends) and this reminded her of her father who worked on the railways.

Then, as well as reminiscing about reading stories from Roald Dahl, there are comics, and cartoons... The Gerry Anderson issue even had a lenticular miniature sheet.

Plenty of great stamps issued by Royal Mail!
The next issue is out on 19th June 2012, celebrating the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth.

Omegle

A Postcrossing acquaintance mentioned the site, Omegle, on her facebook status. I googled it of course. It is a site allowing you to talk (text or video) to a stranger. I gave it a go but was inundated with asl? Anyway, I noticed that you can ask a question and watch two strangers talk about it. I posed the question:

"When was the last time you wrote and posted a letter (not an email) to someone?"  

The first two to respond:

Stranger 1: oh wow
Stranger 2: uh...
Stranger 1: thats going back
Stranger 2: never...
Stranger 1: i dont think i never did
Stranger 2: same here

Not a very good start..

Stranger 2: a long time ago
Stranger 1: Whats a letter?
Stranger 2: lol

That is even worse....

New question: "When was the last time you sent a postcard?"

Stranger 2: Never
Stranger 1: I really need to
Stranger 1: thanks spy
Stranger 2: XD

There's hope!

Long Bank Holidays

For the corrsepondence fan, long bank holidays are tough.  After Saturday's delivery, no post will come until Tuesday, or in this case for the Diamond Jubilee, Wednesday. This is particularly hard for me because now I  await letters to reply to. I still have a letter to finish but by not completing the letter, there is a chance I will have something else to say. I am also in the middle of a surprise letter to some who participated in A Month of Letters Challenge in February.

Perhaps I should be making the most of not having letters to reply to, and instead, spending quality time with my family, playing board game, having fun, making muffins and maybe even writing a blog entry or two. I am looking forward to Tuesday night, when I could request Postcrossing addresses and write the postcards ready for Wednesday's collection. And by lunchtime Wednesday, I may even have some letters to read and reply to.

87p

Royal Mail still haven't issued special issue stamps with the value of 87p, for posting postcards and light letters by airmail to Europe and the World. I know I could get an 87p country definitive, for Wales, that would be a blue daffodil but I still have some blue daffodil stamps, though these are marked 60p (current first class rate!!). Also, from the old rate, there isn't a single add on stamp available to make up to the new postage. Europe was 68p, and Worldwide was 76p. I can fit 2 add on stamps onto postcards, OK with the 76p stamps, but to use 1st (now 60p), I'd need 27p. Royal Mail used to sell a 22p stamp (I still have a couple), but they've withdrawn it from sale since before the previous price rise. Royal Mail issues some really fantastic first class stamps but with not having a single add on stamp to make it up to airmail rate, it puts me off from using those nice stamps on postcards as there isn't a lot of room on them for 3 make-up value stamps too.

I feel a bit betrayed by this huge price rise. Many would have "accepted" a penny or two price rise, but 14p extra for 1st class, 19p extra for Europe, and then even more on top for the higher weights, and parcels (no more discount for printed paper/small packets than airmail letters)....... Royal Mail started being only available to the rich, now it is going back that way. 

I know Royal Mail is losing money, but they should be encouraging people to use the postal service, not pushing them away (e-mail is "free"). 

But, I like post, so I will continue to send and receive postcards and letters. I may not send as many postcards as I used to though: I am not a postcard collector and prefer more meaningful post.

I am not a blogger!

As you can see, I haven't updated my blog in ages... Instead, I have written and posted many letters and postcards... Blogging means less time writing letters...

I did participate in the Month of Letters Challenge for February, and other than missing the post on a couple of Saturdays (collection is rather early), I enjoyed writing letters to new people, not that I have been actively looking for more penpals.