February Letters - 2023 Edition

Want to take part in Incowrimo but can't manage a whole letter-a-day to send? Maybe you could compromise and do this challenge instead. It doesn't matter if you can't do it every day. The main thing is to enjoy writing letters/postcards.

28 challenges for this month, one for each day. When writing a letter, please answer the question or use the writing prompt or do the task for that day, or just pick one you fancy doing (or at random).

• 1st: What was the last fiction book you read?
• 2nd: Doodle the weather
• 3rd: What was the last game/sport you played?
• 4th: What book(s) are you currently reading?
• 5th: What was the last film/play you saw in the cinema/theatre?
• 6th: What is your favourite hot beverage?
• 7th: Do you have any houseplants?
• 8th: Do you collect anything?
• 9th: What has made you smile recently?
• 10th: What was the strangest/oddest thing to happen to you in 2022?
• 11th: Write a sentence with your non-dominant hand
• 12th: Writing prompt: local geography
• 13th: What languages have you learned (including ones you've learned in school)?
• 14th: What sort of picture(s) do you have hanging on your walls?
• 15th: What was the last decision you made with a coin toss (or via random number generator)?
• 16th: Share an interesting quote.
• 17th: What outdoor activities do you enjoy?
• 18th: Do you do any arts and crafts?
• 19th: What was the last museum you visited?
• 20th: Write a sentence backwards
• 21st: What sport(s) do you like to watch?
• 22nd: Do you belong to any clubs/societies for your hobbies?
• 23rd: Where did you go for family holidays when you were young?
• 24th: What are the closest orange, red, and yellow items to you?
• 25th: When was the last time you got wet in the rain and where were you going?
• 26th: What was the last music album on vinyl/cd/cassette you bought?
• 27th: Have you played bar billiards, pool, billiards, snooker or darts?
• 28th: Do you send postcards while you're on vacation or from somewhere on a day out?

Royal Mail hit by ransomware - international outgoing affected

 It has been a week since Royal Mail reported a cyber incident affecting their International Export Services. For me, I thought this would only mean parcels, as due to Brexit, all parcels heading out of the UK would need a CN22 or CN23 customs declaration form affixed, and postcards & letters don't require customs declarations. So, I posted a letter to a penpal in the US on 12th January bearing a new postage stamp celebrating Iron Maiden - sorry R.C., it'll be a while before my letter should arrive. International outgoing mail problems started on the 10th (and public notified on the 11th). So, everything is affected - no outgoing letters, postcards (bah humbug for UK-based Postcrossers), parcels... for the time being. The cause wasn't reported in their service updates, but elsewhere, it was announced as ransomware. It doesn't look like a ransom has been paid, but I wouldn't expect them to confirm if they've paid one if they decide to pay. 

Royal Mail's parcel competitors must be laughing and rubbing their hands with glee at all the extra business that could come their way.. So much is exported from the UK and quite a bit of that in small packages was sent via Royal Mail. Royal Mail's parent group rebranded themselves last year as International Distributions Services. How's that working out?!  L.O.L. !!! 

Royal Mail have no competition on the ordinary letter / postcard delivery front. They are required by law for 6 days delivery a week, and cover all UK addresses (I suppose weather/tide exceptions happen in the highlands, and islands). My hobby relies solely on Royal Mail being able to do their job. Without a postal service, this snail mail hobby of mine cannot survive. The only other choice is to quit snail mail and correspond directly with people only through electronic means - that is not a prospect I would relish: I love the texture and feel of paper; the flow of ink writing words across the page; the stickers & washi tape I use to decorate the missives; the postage stamps I use for postage and see on replies; the offline-ness of the hobby; a few moments of calm while I write.....

When that Icelandic volcano erupted a few years back bringing to a halt practically all air traffic in the northern part of the globe, Royal Mail sought other means to get post overseas. There's ferries from quite a few locations on the UK coast, and then there's the Channel Tunnel. Mail to continental Europe didn't seem to be delayed much. They made the effort to get capacity for shipping across the Atlantic. This time, with the cyber incident, they don't seem to be a in a particular hurry to sort it out (from what I can see).

I do hope post will be moving again abroad before February starts, when there are the letter postal projects of INternational COrrespondence WRIting MOnth (InCoWriMo), and A Month of Letters (LetterMo). I'm signed up and all on the latter, but am undecided about InCoWriMo as I write this. 

Mail is still making its way to the UK. This week, I've had letters from Canada, and from MN/USA. 

[edit 18th January 2023 - letters and postcards, those that don't need customs declarations, can be sent abroad, from 7pm today]

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.

What are your first memories of letter writing?

I can't remember what age I was, but I remember my mother writing letters to her brother in Australia, sending them off in first day covers, and seeing the pretty stamps on the replies.

I remember writing postcards and/or letters home from camps I went on with The Woodcraft Folk (I was an elfin, and later, a pioneer, but didn't venture onwards due to homework and other things). There was an international camp in Loughborough and the elfins went on a trip to a lemonade factory, while the pioneers went down a coal mine. Then, the following year, just before I started secondary school, I went to France with The Woodcraft Folk, and stayed with the group who'd stayed with us at the international camp. I wrote home. 

Penpalling didn't start for me until 3rd year in secondary school. My German teacher was wunderbar. She organised a school exchange with a Gymnasium in Germany. I wanted to go, and those who also wanted to, were paired up with students from the Gymnasium beforehand so we could write letters (auf Deutsch). We had school trips both here and over there: Les Misérables was my favourite trip on this side, but over there, maybe Phantasialand! Weeeeee.

Sometime after the exchange, my French teacher passed round forms for the International Youth Service, for penpals. I ticked a few boxes and received letters. One was from Frédérick from near Toulouse, and another was from Singapore but I got her name wrong. I didn't know it was surname first, but then in public life, some people are referred to by their surnames (e.g. politicians). There were a couple of others, but with all of them, correspondence didn't last long as pressures of homework, and that... 

I moved around for a bit, and that isn't exactly conducive to penpalling, but I did manage to keep up a correspondence with one penpal made through an advertisement I had put in newspapers around the world. Correspondence however slowed down for a while as other things in life have a habit of taking over. That correspondence lasted on and off for almost 25 years before he passed away.

Living in a somewhat rural area, not connected that well with big cities through public transport (no proper railway), and being an outsider here even after 20 years, it feels a lonely place. I have made some friends here and it is nice to see them for a chat, but that isn't always possible/convenient. OK, that may be just an excuse. But penpals are always there for when I write, it doesn't matter if they are asleep, or working, or having fun, or busy... Emails - I could send them but perhaps nowadays, these can be intruding on screen time of some sort or another, and maybe we need to get away from the computer (or other connected screen device). There is still a place for email. I have tried email correspondence but found it demanding - the email impatiently waits to be replied to. One person demanded almost immediate responses to daily emails. 

However, I do also communicate with some penfriends outside of writing letters, be it through forums and discussion threads, or social media. Sometimes, a faster response is required, such as finding out how quickly letters are arriving, as events and circumstance can affect mail delivery (e.g. THAT Icelandic volcano a few years back halting most aviation in the more northern parts of the northern hemisphere, Covid, other natural events,...).

On that note, there is industrial action affecting Royal Mail. I'm on the side of the posties (could they end up on zero hour contracts, self-employed, earning less than current times...) but I do miss days without a delivery. There is quite a backlog of post (parcels prioritised over letters, but only Royal Mail have a monopoly for letter delivery), and there's warnings that Christmas Cards could arrive as late as February. I'm guessing that includes domestic, but hope my international post isn't that delayed - would Royal Mail like to pass on the international mail so it gets it out of their hands and away? However, they've brought forward the last recommended posting dates, with all the international ones passsed. They want us to allow almost 2 weeks for second class post to arrive, when it should take no more than 3 working days. I do have a couple of cards or so left to send overseas, so perhaps as wishing Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year, I should also wish them Happy Valentine's, Happy Birthday, Happy Unbirthday....  and ask them to apply as appropriate! 

Summer update

Summer weather has arrived in the UK, with sunshine and warm temperatures, I have been able to enjoy the outdoors, from walking well-trodden routes, to gardening closer to home. So much time taken away from letter writing, but I have written bits of letters in the outdoors; overlooking the Irish Sea, or the great Welsh countryside.

I've also been writing letters in cafes, while sipping lovely cups of tea. Something quite civilised in it, deep in conversation with a friend over drinks, even if that penfriend is asleep on the other side of the world. I may look to be sitting on my own, but I am in good company. However, I see people sitting together but they are looking at their smartphone screens rather than taking notice of each other: there's nothing more lonely than being alone in a crowd. 

Over the summer, there has been a lot of misinformation about Royal Mail stamps. 

Yet, not all stamps without the datamatrix code (barcode) will be invalidated. The special issue stamps are fine for the moment, as are Christmas stamps (though they had been for the chop). However, the country definitive stamps (small stamps with symbols/icons associated with the nation, e.g. for Wales, this is the leek, dragon, and daffodil) will go, but new ones with datamatrix codes have been issued to post offices.

Deutsche Post has datamatrix codes on some of their stamps, and I think they look rather good. Definitely not as intrusive/ugly as those Royal Mail have issued.

I'm especially liking the new definitive stamp series, Welt der Briefe, World of Letters. Wow, the ones I've seen so far look great. Perhaps this spells the end of the Flower series. 

Spring update

I know it has been a while since my last post. Spring has sprung in my little corner of the world, and that means that the great outdoors beckoned - not just up in the hills and mountains, or down by the sea, but also the call of the garden. Weeds grow so fast! But the first bloom of dandelions is quite a sight, a wonder, and the bees love them. So, have been out and about more, enjoying some of my other hobbies.

A postbox spotted on a walk

You have to try and live life. A friend has, even though he's experienced so many events, some extremely sad and heartbreaking (the type that never gets forgotten in the public mind, "natural" disaster), some horrendous events caused by other humans (war, he was an army nurse), illness & disease, bereavements... but even with those, he's delivered babies (a midwife), saved lives, stitched up wounds (so as you wouldn't notice - one person he told me he sewed up became a model), volunteered, fostered, cared, photographed people on their happiest days, written stories,...

Living life, rather than just existing, gives me things to talk about in letters. I have also taken my camera out and have had some photos printed in small size so I can affix these in my letters, so am spending less time in front of the computer.

I still love letters. I have a nice friendly snail mail forum, but don't want to be in your face about it. I do sometimes get annoyed at the constant marketing/advertising of things, it puts me off.

Letters via snail mail may not be for everyone (perhaps someone doesn't feel great writing about things to strangers at first, or financial issues as postage stamps can be quite expensive in world where prices of essentials rise, or do not feel comfortable giving out a home address...). We live in a world where prices are going up for the essentials, and although I class snail mail as essential for my mental health, I'm lucky to have already saved up some postage stamps.

Sunday Stamps - Birds

For today's Sunday Stamps theme, Birds, set by See it on a Postcard I have delved through my blog archives and have come across these:

The Taiwan Blue Magpie miniature sheet from 2008. A postcrosser had sent them to me along with a postcard, all because I mentioned that we like stamps and my son also had an interest.