Author Topic: Writing letters  (Read 6440 times)

Ruthie

  • Her Majester
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #25 on: 11 January, 2021, 10:13:21 am »
It’s more the fact that someone had this in their hand, two days ago, and now it’s in my hand as they talk to me. I hear their voice as I read their familiar handwriting.  The letter my ex wrote me when it ended is stored away safe, like the treasure it is.

My email inbox is way, way more cluttered and disorganized than my drawers! But email is still there. Although I can send photos, links etc via WhatsApp.
Milk please, no sugar.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #26 on: 12 January, 2021, 12:37:18 pm »
Quote
After she died, the house lay unused for nine years, until I bought it. I found her old ration book and letters from her sweetheart, who died in the first world war, under the floorboards. The letters were quite upsetting to read, knowing how he died young.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jan/12/modern-life-is-rubbish-the-people-whose-homes-are-portals-to-the-past

I also used to know an old lady whose sweetheart had died in the First World War. She never married and lived to 104. I don't know if she kept his letters.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #27 on: 12 January, 2021, 03:08:43 pm »
I don't entirely agree that printed photos have more staying power than digital ones though. They're less easy to ignore due to their physical presence but for the same reason it's easier to regard them as clutter, throw them away, then regret it decades later. But I expect Jaded has his all organised in albums.  :)

Printed ones need no equipment to be read/seen. Digital ones need two things - the medium is still readable, and the file type is still readable.

JPGs will probably be fine, but ORFs, or similar, will they still be readable in 30 years time? I have some od Zip disks - no working drive, so to me they are unbearable. On them will be some files for whom the original application is now obsolete, and there won't be much chance of finding something that will read them.

Oh, and I have a filing system for my photos. At least, that's what I call it.
It is simpler than it looks.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #28 on: 12 January, 2021, 03:14:05 pm »
Oh, and I have a filing system for my photos. At least, that's what I call it.
This is what makes you a photographer.  :)
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Writing letters
« Reply #29 on: 12 January, 2021, 03:40:08 pm »
My youngest who was only 6 at the time back in late November/early December asked to write to Julia Donaldson as she had made some paper dolls inspired by JDs book

To her delight just before Christmas she got a card with a little note in from Julia. Def not joining the other Christmas cards in the recycling/gift tag bag

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #30 on: 22 January, 2021, 08:48:29 pm »
I wrote a letter on Tuesday evening and posted it in Southend on Wednesday. It arrived in Toronto today.

I sent it "International Standard" which costs £1.70. In what appears to be a remarkably astute bit of joined-up thinking, that is precisely the same value as two first-class stamps.

(click to show/hide)
The loss of humanity I could live with.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #31 on: 22 January, 2021, 09:19:38 pm »
There is an Essex County in Ontario. But not a Billericay, as far as I can find. I wonder if the Canadian equivalent of Billericay Dickie is Toronto Tonto?
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Writing letters
« Reply #32 on: 22 January, 2021, 09:20:00 pm »
Did it arrive in Toronto, Co Durham??

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #33 on: 22 January, 2021, 09:35:11 pm »
There is an Essex County in Ontario. But not a Billericay, as far as I can find. I wonder if the Canadian equivalent of Billericay Dickie is Toronto Tonto?
I believe there is a Billerica in the US of A.

Did it arrive in Toronto, Co Durham??

No, curiously: the Canadian one.

Edit: Billerica, Mass. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billerica,_Massachusetts
The loss of humanity I could live with.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #34 on: 22 January, 2021, 09:42:35 pm »
"America's Yankee Doodle town" no less! So their equivalent of Billericay Dickie should be Billerica Macarona...

https://youtu.be/uZW4vbIstoo
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

ian

Re: Writing letters
« Reply #35 on: 22 January, 2021, 10:01:22 pm »
The place-names of New England always amused me. I had a Manchester, Coventry, Norwich, Scotland, Lebanon, Bozrah, obligatory Salem, Colchester, Mooween, Sprague, Windham, Brooklin, Canterbury, Preston, Lisbon, Willimantic, Ledyard, Mystic, Hebron, Voluntown, and a cheerful shout out for Gay City (south of Bolton, not really a place, I think it was just the name of the state park). Virginia names were more American (Ivy, Crozet, Profitt, Earlysville, Ishootyourmother, that kind of thing).

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #36 on: 22 January, 2021, 10:40:14 pm »
My aunt is currently in hospital in France having suffered a stroke. Bizarre as it may seem in 2021, physical letters are the only way of communicating with her right now.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #37 on: 22 January, 2021, 11:34:45 pm »
I have recently received a hand-written letter (for which, thank you!). I am trying to source the materials, skill and inspiration to reply. I'm not sure I can marshal all three at the same time!

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #38 on: 22 January, 2021, 11:39:13 pm »
There is an Essex County in Ontario. But not a Billericay, as far as I can find. I wonder if the Canadian equivalent of Billericay Dickie is Toronto Tonto?
I believe there is a Billerica in the US of A.

Did it arrive in Toronto, Co Durham??

No, curiously: the Canadian one.

Edit: Billerica, Mass. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billerica,_Massachusetts

I've actually been there :smug:

ETA: every time this thread rises to the surface I cannot help but think of the Bonzos doing “Postcard”

(Sings)
Writing letters home
What a lovely view-EE-ooo (blah blah blab blab) (Dear Mom)
"What the Butler Saw" was a bit of a drag
The captain says he's going to heave, too

Bored with Bingo, we went for a swim
Fat sea cows with gorgonzola skin
Semi-nude!

After lunch, we grabbed our trunks
And we all got cramp!
Trousers rolled, the sea is cold
But it's good for chillblains

On the prom, white plimsolls and blue shorts
Brass band playing by the tennis courts
Love-fifteen! Love fifteen year olds

What a lovely view-EE-ooo, I've written at last
What's the rudest one? Just for a laugh
Just married and it sticks out for a mile!
We wish you were here x lots
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #39 on: 23 January, 2021, 12:08:35 am »
You don’t accidentally come across an old email in the back of a drawer. Or a bundle of old emails tied together with ribbon. See also: paper photos.

I dunno.  The experience of setting things up to read some obsolete media or coaxing an old computer back to life and sifting through the filesystem just to see what's on it is pretty comparable.  I don't think there's much difference between decoding handwritten letters from the back of a drawer, persuading the reel-to-reel tape recordings your granddad made before your were born to play, or scrolling through some of your childhood adventures in cargo-cult BASIC programming.

What's more useful but isn't anywhere near as satisfying is when it's all carefully archived on a live system, xkcd://1360-style.  No fun, maximum cringe.


PSA: Please to be removing the batteries from your old computers, so they don't leak and corrode the circuit board and ruin some future archaeologist's day.

Re: Writing letters
« Reply #40 on: 23 January, 2021, 10:24:18 am »
There used to be a special rate for postcards, less than a letter, provided the message was no more than "five conventional words of greeting".

So that was the message I wrote.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #41 on: 23 January, 2021, 10:30:54 am »
There used to be a special rate for postcards, less than a letter, provided the message was no more than "five conventional words of greeting".

So that was the message I wrote.

I recall that, when I was very small, that postcards cost ½d less than letters. I think postcards were 2d at the time, but I do remember the price going up by ½d for each and there being consternation and uproar. I think the Chancellor of the Exchequer would have been either Selwyn Lloyd or Reginald Maudlin.
The loss of humanity I could live with.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #42 on: 23 January, 2021, 03:30:10 pm »
I think the Chancellor of the Exchequer would have been either Selwyn Lloyd or Reginald Maudlin.
Nominative determinism? I mean, you can't have a cheerful Chancellor...
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Writing letters
« Reply #43 on: 16 November, 2021, 08:15:28 pm »

I dunno.  The experience of setting things up to read some obsolete media or coaxing an old computer back to life and sifting through the filesystem just to see what's on it is pretty comparable.  I don't think there's much difference between decoding handwritten letters from the back of a drawer, persuading the reel-to-reel tape recordings your granddad made before your were born to play, or scrolling through some of your childhood adventures in cargo-cult BASIC programming.

What's more useful but isn't anywhere near as satisfying is when it's all carefully archived on a live system, xkcd://1360-style.  No fun, maximum cringe.


PSA: Please to be removing the batteries from your old computers, so they don't leak and corrode the circuit board and ruin some future archaeologist's day.

Under certain circumstances you are, in this instance, wrong. Those circumstances? The very faintest waft of a scent. Marks on the paper. The handwriting reflecting mood. The feel of the words reminding you of the feel of the person.  The choice of paper. The feel and thrill of the envelope. Just anything that connects you with the writer and the time it was written. With email, all you have are antiseptic words.

ian

Re: Writing letters
« Reply #44 on: 16 November, 2021, 08:48:51 pm »
I am pretty sure that many of my words are filthy.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #45 on: 08 December, 2021, 03:05:05 pm »
I have just received a handwritten letter. Two pages of beautiful cursive script in black ink on crisp white, neatly folded paper. From a stranger.

Addressed to "The Householder", what could it be? A Christmas card from the neighbours? No, because it had come through the post (second class but hey). Handwritten envelope, so nothing official or even spam official. Open it and find out.

Good morning,
My name is Italo Albomo and I am one of the millions of Jehovah's Witness volunteers who carry out a Bible education work around the world. I am contacting you to share a thought that might be useful and comforting especially in these rough times the globe is facing.


And similar for another five paragraphs, including 2 Timothy 3:16 (which I will leave for you too look up). I've no idea how they got or chose our address but it's a form of spam which I find, irrationally, quite charming. Cold calling from an age before telephones. Though it does end with an email address we can contact "for any other query". 
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Writing letters
« Reply #46 on: 08 December, 2021, 05:55:44 pm »
I send a handwritten letter to two people at Christmas. A cousin in USA and a friend in Australia. I hope they can read them. My handwriting was never very good but it seems to get worse every year. Admittedly there must be an element of being out of practice but I suspect old age (68) with a slightly wobbly hand also plays a part. It may be that next year printing will be involved.
There's no vibrations, but wait.

Re: Writing letters
« Reply #47 on: 08 December, 2021, 06:15:33 pm »
I send a handwritten letter to two people at Christmas. A cousin in USA and a friend in Australia. I hope they can read them. My handwriting was never very good but it seems to get worse every year. Admittedly there must be an element of being out of practice but I suspect old age (68) with a slightly wobbly hand also plays a part. It may be that next year printing will be involved.
I've found that writing most stuff that I need to write, using a keyboard, has turned my handwriting and signature to shite. Dealing with legal stuff recently, I've had a solicitor comment along the lines of 'These signatures of your's - where is the similarity between any of them?'.

Re: Writing letters
« Reply #48 on: 09 December, 2021, 08:47:50 am »
Not handwritten, but a computer typed letter from the Border Agency was an absolute shocker.
It started off by inserting several spaces between my first name and surname.

This was followed by them referring to me as 'madam', with several spaces between 'Dear' and 'Madam'.

There was also the use of commas instead of full stop, not using a question mark when
asking a question, and finally, mis-spelling the word 'morning'. They typed 'mornig'.

In my reply to the issue I have with them, I inserted a photocopy of their letter with
the errors I noted highlighted in red.

I worked in the Civil Service and in the Military (communications). If I typed any sort
of letter/report/communication with those calibre of errors it would have not have left
the building.

I don't have a degree in English (only CSE grade 1), but I think I can spell to a decent
level and have a basic enough grasp of grammar to ensure I do not make the howlers
that I came across in Border Force's letter to me.

Re: Writing letters
« Reply #49 on: 09 December, 2021, 09:02:44 am »
My youngest daughter writes me actual letters from time to time.
They make me cry, mostly, being thoughts and feelings rather than the day to day communications we usually share.
I send cards. Fewer words, same sentiments.