SNAIL MAIL

 

 

 

 

Those of you who know me will know I LOVE sending (and receiving!) snail mail. I write letters to pen pals, send postcards via PostCrossing and generally help keep NZ Post  in business!  

 

 

 

Every February I try to participate in LetterMo and this year I was very successful and as able to send a piece of mail every day-yay! Some years I have not been quite so successful but I figure that any mail sent is still winning.  :)

 

 

 

This year I have discovered a new challenge - Write On. The challenge is to write 30 letters in 30 days during the month of April which, apparently, is National Letter Writing Month!

 

 

 

 

I actually discovered this last year but circumstances meant that I didn't even get started on this challenge. This year, however, I am ready! I have quite a few pen pals that I need to reply to but I really need a few more people to write to  ensure I get 30 letters sent.

 

So if you would like a piece of 'real' mail instead of an email leave  me a comment and I will get in touch and get your address.  (Please don't post your address in the comments-I would hate to be responsible for you getting unsolicited mail!!) I will write about life in NZ (if you are international) or you can suggest a topic that I may be able to write about.

 

I wouldn't expect a reply (honestly, I REALLY do enjoy sending mail!!) but if you wanted to send a letter too, I would be happy to hear from you  :)

 

So, leave a comment below and I will be in touch or perhaps you may even like to join Write On too? Click on the link above and accept the challenge!

 

 

 





As most people who know me will already know...I LOVE SNAIL MAIL!!!
I had two penpals when I was younger (OK, a LOT younger-in my early teens) but, sadly, lost contact with them in my late teens. One was a girl from Japan and the other a girl from Finland. I still remember Eva-Marja's name and that she sent me the most gorgeous ceramic decorative plate from her country! I wonder where she is now?

A few years ago I discovered a couple of websites dedicated to sending/receiving mail. One is www.swap-bot.com and the other is www.postcrossing.com. I won't go into details as many of you will already know of them. If not, do check them out. And lately I have discovered a new site  www.25stamps.club And, of course, www.leagueofextraordinairypenpals.com.

I collected stamps as a child and then stopped for many years. I passed my collection on to my daughter who has done what I did-showed an interest for a year or so then stopped! So, meantime, I have taken my album back (don't want it to get lost in the debris of her bedroom!!!) and have since rediscovered my love of stamps. This is how I found the 25stamps club-you send 25 stamps to another member then your name comes up and someone else sends you 25 stamps. Perfect for moving duplicate stamps along and obtaining stamps from many other countries!

So, with all those websites (and I am sure there are PLENTY more) I have always got something of interest in my letterbox. Oh yes, almost forgot...every February is LetterMo www.lettermo.com which I have mentioned here on my blog in the past. Anyway, from time to time I like to post pictures of my mail and I just have to show you what I received yesterday. Imagine my surprise, and delight, to open my letterbox and see....not a bill in sight!!

 

 

 

Upon opening all these wonderful envelopes I found the following delights...

 

 

stamps, an RAK from a lovely lady on Swapbot and another from LEP, postcards and a penpal letter. What a fantastic mail day -it certainly brought a smile to my face! Who doesn't like to receive mail?

 

But, of course, as I tell my girls-to GET mail you must SEND mail!!! So, if you would like to have a "happy mail" day check out some of the above websites and ...send some mail! Or you can always write to me...I will certainly send a reply!!  :)

It's February...

and you know what that means! Yes...LetterMo is underway for 2016 :)

What??? You DON'T know what LetterMo is? Well, I suggest you quickly go and have a look at this site and see what it involves.

 

And, yes...I am participating again this year. I have already written at least one piece of mail every day so far. Obviously I don't SEND it on the weekends when the Post Office is closed (as per the 'rules' of the challenge) but I find it easier to tell myself that I must write EVERY day because if I stop for weekends my motivation stops and has trouble starting back up again!

 

Who do I write to? I send letters to my pen pals...I always have replies that I need to send! I also correspond with other LetterMo participants. Often these are just one-off interactions but I have gained a couple of new pen pals from this site. And, of course, there is always PostCrossing - a website dedicated to the sending and receiving of postcards. So I have no lack of recipients to write to!

Other countries have organisations such as PostPals who organise for sick children to receive cheerful mail to help brighten their day-what a WONDERFUL idea! I have looked and looked but cannot find anything similar in New Zealand :( I would SO take part in something like that for Kiwi kids! (Yes, I could, and probably will, send international  mail but would really like NZ children to benefit from the joy of receiving snail mail).

So, as you can see, there are no end of people I can send mail to! Woohoo!!!!

Why do I take part in this challenge each year? Well, apart from the pleasure of seeing exciting, colourful mail in my letterbox (as opposed to boring old bills) I love to send out cheerful, happy  mail to brighten other people's day. And, contrary to some people's beliefs, you can and do make a connection with a person even if you have never met them personally. I write to a couple of ladies who have children and I feel like I am watching them grow up like my girls are, as I hear about incidents in their lives. Plus I love to learn about other places in the world-it is the only way I can travel at the moment!

I have introduced one of my daughters to the joy of pen palling-yay! She gets so envious of  the mail I receive and wants some of her own. So, via LetterMo she has now got a girl from the United States writing to her. Another generation of snail mailers :)

So maybe after reading this I have inspired you to write a letter? Tell me about it in the comments below-I'd love to know I have inspired someone! And if you would like to receive some 'Happy Mail' in your letterbox, just ask! I would be happy to oblige :)

A Month of Letters...

...also known as 'LetterMo'.

I discovered LetterMo 3 years ago and immediately dived in and began writing letters. It was just the challenge I needed to get my "pile of letters to reply to" down to a manageable level! I have quite a few penpals around the world and not enough hours in my days to spend writing a decent letter to them.

What is LetterMo? It is a challenge where you send a piece of mail for 23 days in February. It was started by an American so is based on the fact that their postal system runs every day except Sunday. Why 23? There are four Sundays and one US holiday.
(I just write a letter a day for every day except Sunday.)

This year is my third attempt at the challenge...last year was a dismal failure (4 letters was all I managed due to starting a new job!) but this year I am much more organised...and determined to complete the challenge. So far I have sent 2 postcards and 3 letters :)

Who writes letters these days, you ask? LOTS of people! Just check out the site and you will find a mixture of letter writers-those who have been writing for years and those who are new to the pleasure.  I personally think that in this day and age of 'instant communication' it is so nice to think that someone has taken the time and effort to sit and write to you. It is such a personal thing to do.

And look at the wonderful mail you receive in return! I love to check my mailbox...more often than not there is a colourful envelope or postcard waiting for me. Much better than boring business letters or bills!!

Not sure who to write to or how to get started? If you don't know of anyone to send a letter to then try a penpal site (I have 'met' a few of my penpals from Global Penfriends )  or a letter-writing site like LetterMo. There are so many people keen to write to someone; it is just a matter of finding someone you think might be a match. If the thought of writing to a stranger seems a bit weird :) then think of a friend or relative who might  like to hear from you. I write to our daughter at boarding school and I know it is something for her to look forward to each week.

And hey! I'm looking for people to write to as part of my LetterMo challenge so if you would like to receive some 'snail mail' then get in touch! I can send you a postcard, a quick cheerful note or a long-winded letter! Who knows what you might receive...and that is the joy of mail!

I'd love to hear if I have inspired you to send a letter-leave me a comment below!