We had to use up our stamps by July 31st … the deadline was looming … I had a few – not enough to worry about swapping out for the new ones, but definitely not waste.
I thought of whom I could drop notes to (not proper letters) … mostly, believe it or not, bloggers – so the cache were scattered out onto the table … as I had 1p (one penny stamps), 10p, 5p ones- dating back to who knows when … well I guess the 1990s, when I came back to live here.
One of the old stamps -
featuring our Eastbourne
band stand.
I also had to ascertain the cost of stamps in July … we had moved on to … I had some 'World stamps' and some 'Europe' ones … a right mix – but the priority became more urgent as the July days ticked by.
 |
| The particular version - I sent to Damyanti |
Competition kicked in – business ideas changed etc etc … so I guess the change up in July was to be expected … now that we had a new monarch: King Charles III (first time I've written that).
Amazingly the British postal service was founded 507 years ago – when Henry VIII was on the throne. Name changes have occurred – and it is now the Royal Mail as a brand – the government's remaining share was sold off in 2015, ending 499 years of state ownership.
These Origami inspired crafted letter-envelope combinations appeared at our Towner art gallery and I always rather admired them – so decided they'd make a few journeys across the seas or up and down the country: using up said expiring stamps.
Louth (Lincolnshire) to London Royal Mail
(1820) by Charles Cooper Henderson
Apothecary Pigeon ones
Pigeon post – suggest you send a pigeon.
Here we have Apothecary Pigeon letter-cards ... Fern, honesty, witch hazel ... these medicinal marvels were picked from the artist's (Jake Lever) garden.
Simple instructions for the letter Reinvented:
Write.
Fold.
Send.
Feel more connected – send a Pigeon.
I dutifully followed instructions: I may have sent them in plain envelopes … so I (or the various mail systems) didn't mess up the actual design.
Wildflower ones
Their motto – 'A more satisfying way to communicate' – I couldn't agree more … I've heard back from most – perhaps they haven't arrived, or sickness reigns, or it's summer holiday time still …
… and one post from Singapore appeared – jogging my posting mind that this could be my first autumnal one, getting into the way of normality again (I don't do normality – but there we go!). Damyanti has/had nesting birds on her balcony - so this choice of pigeon post was appropriate.
So another reminder for us all – do write hand-written letters … they can inspire and uplift friends or family.
To round this off – here's a quote from the long poem Musophilus by Samuel Daniel, first published in 1599 in his Poeticall Essayes:
O blessed letters that combine in one
All ages past, and make one live with all,
By you we do confer with you who are gone,
And the dead living unto counsel call:
By you th'unborn shall have communion
Of what we feel, and what doth us befall.
Thanks for visiting – and congratulations to the IWSG group, Alex in particular, which/who celebrated 12 years yesterday … my first A-Z, which led me to IWSG, was in 2011 … and I know many of you have been around for as long as I have.
Midnight Garden Pigeon ones
I certainly wouldn't still be blogging if it wasn't for this incredibly supportive group of blogging friends ('you' in other words) … and learning from each and everyone of you.
Damyanti's post: When was the last time you wrote a letter by hand?
Pigeon Post website ... well worth a visit ...
Please Read the Letter prompt for the WEP entry in June 2022 - here's my entry ...
Musophilus - see Wiki entry ...
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
35 comments:
I had no idea the government isn't involved in your postal service and your stamps can expire. The price of our stamps keeps going up, but we have "forever" stamps that we can buy at the current price and use, well, forever. I like writing letters and do exchange letters with one friend. Most people don't seem to want to write anymore. Everyone is sticking to email and texting and sometimes not even bothering with that. We lose an important research resource when we no longer have an important person's letters to read.
Love,
Janie
That's a cool idea. No one sends cards anymore.
Handwritten notes are the best! As things change in these modern times, I worry that art will be lost. I hope not.
Receiving something handwritten is a rarity - such a shame. As for Christmas cards, my family is divided - half do, half don't but it's always the women who write them.
Hi Janie - yes in the 1980s there was a big sell off ... as I was in South Africa I'm not exactly sure what was happening. We had everlasting stamps - but those have been swapped out now.
I understand people email and text, but I'm sure important people's correspondence will be kept somehow. The mail service still works - but mostly bills - and then birthday cards, and perhaps Christmas cards.
@ Alex - the stamps needed using up - so off these Pigeon cards went ... to those whose addresses I had ...
@ Holly - I'm afraid the handwritten notes were pretty miserable - my handwriting isn't great and I was up against various deadlines - so a rush post out. Still they were appreciated, which is the main thing.
@ Janice - it is a rarity now .. we do tend to send thank you letters and cards - and yes ... some do, some don't - and you're probably right re the women mostly writing them ... it's the way of the world!
Cheers to you four - lovely to see you and thanks for popping in - Hilary
I find myself in something of a dilemma - I bemoan the death of letter-writing, but I haven't actually written one myself for many a year. Strange how easy it is to slip out of old habits.
Hari OM
I used to write soooo many letters and cards. However, I rarely received them. One can only keep giving out so long for next to no return. I do enjoy sending online cards and greetings. And they don't clog up drawers or file boxes (yes, they can be saved if they really want to hold on to them.) I am grateful for Royal Mail, though; they are far and away the most reliable courier service around here! YAM xx
You fold it - that's so pretty!
As one of the lucky recipients I can only say again THANK YOU.
The origami based cards are truly beautiful - and so was the thought.
I love how letters connect us. Thanks for sharing!
Those are great little envelope thingies.
@ John - I can quite understand ... and perhaps there wasn't a need - you were near your family and hadn't moved away for long periods, so you regularly saw everyone ... which made the need for posting a letter a 'non thing' in life! Sometimes it's getting others to write letters might be the other side of the coin ... your work might have brought that about.
@ Yam - oh yes when we're overseas we write letters and postcards left, right and centre - well I know I did. At least the recipients knew what was going on and I do enjoy getting letters occasionally. Yes Royal Mail have that requirement - and we get regular deliveries.
@ Diane - they are pretty and clever. I loved Damyanti's pigeon one - so appropriate for the birds nesting on her balcony.
@ EC - so pleased yours has arrived ... I knew you'd enjoy it ... and as you say the Origami based cards are a clever invention.
@ Tyrean - yes that's a good way of looking at letters ... connecting us.
@ Liz - they are fun aren't they.
Thanks for the visits and thoughts ... cheers to you all - Hilary
I love the Louth to London Royal Mail image (1820) by Charles Cooper Henderson. How did someone get hold of the original version and make it into that small size?
Hello Hilary. Greetings from your old stomping grounds in Victoria, BC. We have forever stamps now, which is a very good thing, since the postal rates are increased every year, to the point it will soon be cheaper to use a courier! In fact, however, I use actual mail so infrequently it’s not a big factor for me. All the romance has gone out of postage stamps. Now they are peel and stick, like a price tag in a supermarket. It must cause great consternation to philatelists. I remember with great fondness the days when airmail correspondence from overseas came in special envelopes with blue and red edging, and wonderful stamps to be carefully soaked off. Those were the days! I shall think of you daily as we explore the grand nature of the island. Hugs - David
@ Hels - I found the picture on the Royal Mail wiki site ... but I've not idea as to your query - you might find something looking at where I found it. I hope so ...
@ David - I sort of realised you were popping across the continent to my old stomping ground. Enjoy the various visits and nature areas you manage to spend time in ... Canada does have some amazing places to visit. I'll remember so much.
I understand the stamp scenario - I too was buying in advance ... but I'm not sending many letters now - but didn't want to waste the stamps ... so I used the Pigeon Post origami letters ...
Cheers to you both - have fun and all the best - Hilary
I hadn't heard about British stamps being replaced. Did you know you could exchange expiring stamps for new-style ones rather than rushing to use them up?
Hi Hilary!
Email will never have the colorful history letters have, eh?
@ Ian - not any more the deadline was the 31st July ... hence the rush. So the Pigeon post used up the stamps ... !
@ Denise - no, I can't believe email has the same personal history - and have to combine Instagram, email, and all those other apps together to me is a nightmare! So I'm happy with the letters or cards ...
Cheers to you both - Hilary
Hi Hilary!
The subject of stamps slips into conversations here as well. We have what they call "Forever" stamps. If you happen to unearth a stamp worth .29 cents, you need to find 3 more to cover the current .66 cents cost to mail a letter. I appreciate email, but I love to send and receive greeting cards, though cards are pretty expensive these days.
Wishing you blissful autumn days!
Interesting you should mention pigeon posts. I just finished reading an article a few minutes ago on what an important role pigeons played in WWI in getting information back and forth.
YOU have a great one. Cheers,
@ Birgit - yes ... some of us enjoy sending letters/cards out - and I know you love making cards and thus will post some out. Believe it (or not) our first class stamps have gone up again - less than two months after the July deadline. Cards too are expensive - still it's worth it ... I've a few coming up this month - family and friends' birthdays.
@ Sandra - yes the WW1 Carrier Pigeons were extraordinary and in WW2 the Dickin Medal was instituted. So thank you for getting me to include these details here ...
Maria Dickin was the founder of the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) and she established this award for any animal displaying for conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty - pigeons, dogs, horses and a ship's cat ...
Cheers to you both - and thanks for your interest ... Hilary
We also have all new stamps here, we use the post so little these days though.
Sorry I am so behind. Things are very busy here, One day maybe I will catch up again. Keep well Diane
I love your pigeon post cards - very fun. I still write to my father every two weeks, even though I do talk to him too. Just so he gets some fun mail, and also reinforces whatever I told him. Lots of repetition.
Back in the pandemic, I think I wrote everybody I send a Christmas card too in the summer, so they got some bonus mail. I love sending cards. Are stamps getting more expensive - sure, but everyone likes to get mail that is not a bill. I do my part to keep our postal service in business. I'm a lefty and I end up with pen smeared on my pinkie. That's a good day!
@ Diane - I know you're busy at this time of year ... your garden, visitors and celebrations. I think most people use the post so little - I do keep in touch ... or try to - and I found when Mum was ill - it made a lot of sense as I got letters/cards back for her - made her feel a part of life - albeit she was in a Nursing Centre.
@ Joanne - these cards are fun aren't they ... I was delighted to find them, and use them. That's great you write to your Dad - as I mentioned above to Diane (in France) it helps our parents so much.
That's good you wrote out to all and sundry (family and friends) during the pandemic ... I think I'd done my bit by then, and quietly retired into zoomless quietude! Email contact was enough ...
Oh - yes ... we're not lefties, but two uncles were (one maternal, one paternal) ... so can understand the splodges ... they're unique to you.
Believe it or not our first class post has gone up again!!
Cheers and thanks so much for your visits and comments - Hilary
Yeah I definitely would've stopped blogging a long time ago if not for the group.
Nothing like a hand written card/letter! To write or to receive. Just wonderful.
IWSG has been a part of my blog life for a long time, though less than 12 years.
Hope all is going well with you and your September.
I didn't realize you could get world stamps. Good to know.
I used to faithfully write to my mother and grandmother when I moved out of state. It wasn't a task, it seemed normal. It was a joy. Of course, they faithfully wrote back. I have some of the letters to this day.
@ Lynda - I agree the various friends I've made via blogging is just such fun and so enlightening ...
@ Nila - I agree ... nothing like getting some thing personal pop through the postbox. IWSG and WEP - all part and parcel of my blogging life ... like you ... for a long number of years ... September's running away with time!
@ Sandra - we do (?did ??!!) and European ones ... I'm not sure now - but I must get some stamps, so will find out ...
@ Rosey - yes I think we were brought up that way to always write home and when I was overseas ... I'd write out to family and friends; then kept it up on behalf of my mother when she was near the end of her life. I've lost over the years all our letters - or most of them.
Thanks to you all for visiting and for your comments - cheers Hilary
Those origami envelopes look very neat. Letter writing is the definition of a dying art, sadly, when it's so easy to send a Facebook message. So it's a very special thing to make the effort like that.
I can't remember the last time I handwrote a letter to someone, although it's always so nice to receive one, isn't it? Perhaps I should make the first move among some of my friends and see what happens!
Your postal service is over 500 years old? That's amazing.
I love handwritten letters! Very happy to be on your mailing list <3
I like your instructions for reinventing the letter:) Heh.
@ Nick - these letter-cards are a delight to know about; as you mention letter writing is a dying art - yet important for many (elderly, ill and children) - it is easier to use social media - but not the same.
@ Annalisa - well - that would be an interesting test - see the reaction you get ... I hope you try.
@ Sandra - yes, the postal service is over 500 years old, but then it was for the nobles; now today we have the universal postal service for us all.
@ Deniz - thanks ... I know the kids love their letters, so I'm happy to send them ...
@ Sandra - yes ... Pigeon post's instructions are so simple ...
Thanks to you all ... I hope a few more letters get posted out to loved ones - cheers Hilary
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