Surface mail update, and an oops

The story so far...

Surface Mail was posted for the 5pm collection on Friday 7th March.

I have had reports back that 2 have already arrived - one went to Toronto in Canada... and the other went to Massachussetts.....  12th March.... However, in the one envelope, I had enclosed a letter to someone else in my surface mail experiment! Oops. Never done this before, although I have heard stories on a penpalling forum about this happening occasionally.... I wonder if it was just 2 letters getting mixed up or whether I wrote two letters to the same person..... Never write 13 short letters in one evening!

Surface Mail Experiment

With the impending price rise, the cost of sending a postcard abroad will go from 88p up to 97p for Europe and £1.28 to the rest of the world by "airmail" or International Standard. There has been talk amongst UK Postcrossers about sending postcards via surface mail (or, International Economy).  Current price for upto 20g to rest of the world is 78p and will rise to 81p.. a "considerable" saving. However, how long will the post take to reach the destination. Royal Mail, according to their website, aims to deliver surface mail to the USA within 28 days.... and I've had a look at other selected rest of the world countries and to them, RM's aim is within 56 days. So, I thought I would test it. On the 7th March, I posted in the postbox with 5 minutes to spare for the 5pm collection, letters (note, letters, not naked postcards), to people in: Canada - Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia; South Africa; USA - two people in TX, and one in MA, FL, IA, MI, and Hawaii; and one in Australia. 13 items in total. I didn't write "Surface Mail" on any.
May send another batch of surface mail stuff later in the month or next month and hopefully to other countries...

How was February?

I sent 5, and received 18 surprises (across LetterMo, InCoWriMo and SendSomething)

Replies to these surprises, I sent 9 replies and received 1.

With existing penpals, I sent 16 letters and received 16 letters. 

Other items, 1 package went out, 2 came in. I also received 3 other items of mail from existing contacts, and send a letter to someone new via another hobby.

I sent 66 Postcrossing postcards plus another postcard sent to Portugal for the "boss" and received 23 postcards.

Annoyed, to say the least...

Royal Mail has announced details of postage rates coming in effect on the 31st March 2014.

• First class will go up to 62p (from 60p)
• Second class will go up to 53p (from 50p)
• Europe upto 20g airmail will go up to 97p (from 88p)
• Rest of the world first weight band will be upto 20g - there'll be no 10g rate currently 88p. The cost of sending upto 20g airmail will still be £1.28 (although this is a 40p increase for lightweight post under 10g, and for postcards)
• Some weight bands have been removed. Some heavier letter rates will be "cheaper" 
• Airmail will be renamed International Standard
• There'll be a letter size for International post, not exceeding: 24cm length, 16.5cm width and 0.5cm depth.

Overall, I am not a happy bunny. 97p can sort of cope with that... but a 40p rise for outside of Europe for postcards........... well, I think I will need to do some serious thinking about whether I can send postcards around the world. I know this will hit many UK postcrossers hard and think some will even give up.

Post wet again

I have just come home from a few days away visiting my mother, to a pile of wet post. Some of the envelopes became see-through and getting the letters out was not the easiest task. Some of the stamps also peeled off easily. There are also wet postcards, one is panoramic and is curling at the ends. I have the letters drying on a clothes airer although I am eager to read them. A couple of letters escaped the damp.

Postcrossing postcards, stamps and an envelope drying on a towel....

On a happier note....

Look at my new toy!!

Crosswords and surprises.

I buy a paper almost daily... and have a look at the puzzles page.

You may be able to make out clue 16 Down - Letter-writing friend (3,3)

And do you know the answer to clue 14? Item studied or collected by a deltiologist (8)

I have had some surprise post through LetterMo and InCoWriMo. This sealed & parcelled letter came from the Czech Republic.

Inside was a nice letter, a postcard and a bookmark. I will be replying to this.

Postal Art

A couple of months back, I went to an art exhibition.

This caught my eye...

Little metal "postage" stamps...

and a letter ....