Yesterday I delivered some flyers about an upcoming function to letter boxes in my street. I've done it before. Often. I do the deliveries for the Neighbourhood Watch too.
For some reason yesterday I looked closely at the letter boxes. I don't know our Postie, but feel sorry for him. Access to many of the letter boxes is not easy. For a start, on one side of the road the houses are up a slope - some 2 meters above "flood level" - it doesn't flood, but the council thinks one day it might.
If the Postie has something to deliver to some houses, "he" would have to get off "his" motorbike and walk up to the letter box. One has a big tree in front of it too. It would make his job a little bit harder and take extra time.
I guess it won't be long before letterboxes are obsolete - in fact one house in our street doesn't have a letter box now!
Apart from the access, I noted the condition of the letter boxes. I'll start with the one out the front of my house. It is brick. You'd think that somehow a brick letter box would not allow water inside. Wrong. I am lucky I have a post office box, as all mail gets soaking wet inside my letter box. Sorry, I didn't mean to whinge about MY letter box.
Many of the letter boxes are metal - a small box arrangement on a pole. They are ok. However, there are many made of styrene foam with a thin layer of cement over them. I was surprised to see how many are breaking down - falling apart. They could only be 5 - 6 years old, and some of those are discoloured badly. Rotting in more ways than one. As many of these properties are rental, I can see that in the not too distant future it will look like a slum.
I sadly am critical of many home builders who seem to have the motto "near enough is good enough" as if you look closely at many of the houses, which are not very old, there are faults that will soon need repairing, and if everyone's experiences with real estate agents/owners, they are not too quick to fix a fault.
I could write pages about the trouble I have had with my agent/owners!!!
Well, I guess, in a few years time we will not need letter boxes at all. For a start, few people are writing letters or even cards these days. Will ALL communication be via phone or Internet?
I read the statistics about the ability of children to write these days. I can't find them at the moment, but there are concerns around the world that students are challenged with handwriting these days. Some of us (older folk) see the way young people hold a pen or pencil. It would be so hard to write much if they don't learn how to do this properly.
I remember a year or so ago, asking my now 12 year old grandson to write to me. His response was that he could not. He finds it very hard to write - it is hard and time consuming apparently. I was only after a few lines. A thank you actually.
As my now deceased father used to often say "It's a strange world".
For some reason yesterday I looked closely at the letter boxes. I don't know our Postie, but feel sorry for him. Access to many of the letter boxes is not easy. For a start, on one side of the road the houses are up a slope - some 2 meters above "flood level" - it doesn't flood, but the council thinks one day it might.
If the Postie has something to deliver to some houses, "he" would have to get off "his" motorbike and walk up to the letter box. One has a big tree in front of it too. It would make his job a little bit harder and take extra time.
I guess it won't be long before letterboxes are obsolete - in fact one house in our street doesn't have a letter box now!
Apart from the access, I noted the condition of the letter boxes. I'll start with the one out the front of my house. It is brick. You'd think that somehow a brick letter box would not allow water inside. Wrong. I am lucky I have a post office box, as all mail gets soaking wet inside my letter box. Sorry, I didn't mean to whinge about MY letter box.
Many of the letter boxes are metal - a small box arrangement on a pole. They are ok. However, there are many made of styrene foam with a thin layer of cement over them. I was surprised to see how many are breaking down - falling apart. They could only be 5 - 6 years old, and some of those are discoloured badly. Rotting in more ways than one. As many of these properties are rental, I can see that in the not too distant future it will look like a slum.
I sadly am critical of many home builders who seem to have the motto "near enough is good enough" as if you look closely at many of the houses, which are not very old, there are faults that will soon need repairing, and if everyone's experiences with real estate agents/owners, they are not too quick to fix a fault.
I could write pages about the trouble I have had with my agent/owners!!!
Well, I guess, in a few years time we will not need letter boxes at all. For a start, few people are writing letters or even cards these days. Will ALL communication be via phone or Internet?
I read the statistics about the ability of children to write these days. I can't find them at the moment, but there are concerns around the world that students are challenged with handwriting these days. Some of us (older folk) see the way young people hold a pen or pencil. It would be so hard to write much if they don't learn how to do this properly.
I remember a year or so ago, asking my now 12 year old grandson to write to me. His response was that he could not. He finds it very hard to write - it is hard and time consuming apparently. I was only after a few lines. A thank you actually.
As my now deceased father used to often say "It's a strange world".
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