Posting Cards!

 Seriously, I have NO idea where today went. How I ever managed to work full time, I shall NEVER know. The beautiful weather continued on, so I chucked a load of washing in the machine first thing, and made some lemon buns for His Lordship Malarkey’s packed lunch before the kitchen grew too hot for baking. I then phoned my boss at the farm to give her an update on the previous two weeks because she has been on holiday, allowing me and my colleague chum to run riot managing the place in her stead. All was well, I hasten to add. We like to think we are renegades when left to our own devices, but we are sensible and organised renegades. 

Next job - a mass postcard writing frenzy. It has been on my ‘to do’ list for a couple of weeks now, and since the post lady delivered my recent order of 48 stamps this morning (to save me going into the post office, and boiling and panicking in a face covered queue) I cracked on and wrote 9 postcards plus a get well soon card. Sending postcards is a habit I indulged in a lot many years ago and it is one I am keen to resume.

And then I decided to post the haul today rather than wait until on my way home from work tomorrow. How dynamic is that?! There is a post box about 15 minutes walk up the road on the edge of the next village, so I thought, ‘I can get a half an hour of brisk walking in as well!’ 

Now, I’ve never seen this post box, but Andy has assured me it is there. He told me the location, so off I set, marching along in the sunshine, feeling jolly cheerful and at peace with the world. However, on approaching where I thought the post box ought to be, I could not find it. I wandered around a bit, up a side road, and then on to the little garage where I take my little car for its service, repairs and MOT etc. There, I dinged the bell in reception and duly the Mechanic Man arrived. 

‘Sorry to disturb you,’ said I. ‘But is there a post box nearby?’ 

‘There is,’ said Mechanic Man. ‘But it is hidden. I’ll show you...’

So out of Garage Reception we went and he pointed back up the road to the lay-by where I thought the post box should be but couldn’t see it. 

‘See that blue car?’ said Mechanic Man. ‘It’s behind that. Inside the hedge.’

I thanked him for his trouble and retraced my steps. 

And there, behind the blue car and inside the hedge, was the tiniest post box I have ever seen in my life! Who decides it is a good idea to locate a tiny post box INSIDE a hedge, for goodness’ sake?? 

This isn’t the actual postbox, but it is something very like it...

Tiny! In a HEDGE! 

Anyway, I posted the cards and went home, and over lunch I investigated the post box malarkey. It seems that once there had been a shop behind the post box, and at that point in time the hedge did not exist. So the post box, although tiny, was obvious to all. However, over time the shop closed and became a private residence, the homeowners grew a hedge along the border with the pavement, and the hedge grew up and up and enveloped the post box ergo, post box in a hedge! It’s all very simple once you know. 

I spent the afternoon entering a short story competition, chatting to Number 1 Son, eco-cleaning the oven (don’t ask), making a sausage casserole for Andy’s dinner, chatting to Number 1 Granddaughter on the FaceTime, writing another short story for a writing app I have joined and being cross because a First Novel for New Writers competition I found says I can’t enter ‘Clive and Min’ because I have published it on my blog! But I am thinking I can enter ‘Indigo Anscombe, Violet and Blue’ because NO-ONE has read that. Not a sausage. I also ordered myself two pairs of woolly tights - one fuchsia pink, one teal blue, and a short cord skirt, also in teal, and in the sales. Well pleased with THAT little splurge! 

And there is a new series of ‘Ghosts’ starting tonight at 8.30 on BBC 1. Perfect end to a pretty fab day.