A random thread for small things that don't really warrant a thread of their own

[Auntie Helen]

In Germany the postman isn’t allowed to deliver unless the name on the letter is on the letterbox.

Our household is 5 people with four different surnames so we have a big sticky label on the letterbox with all our names.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I'd hope it was a problem with the address rather than lack of surname. Not everyone has a surname. Imagine being a Brazilian footballer in the Bundesliga, you wouldn't get any post from home!

[Cudzoziemiec]

In Germany the postman isn’t allowed to deliver unless the name on the letter is on the letterbox.

Our household is 5 people with four different surnames so we have a big sticky label on the letterbox with all our names.

Wow! What if you have a long-term but temporary visitor, say someone staying for a month?
And there must be exceptions to this rule for post delivered to eg companies and hotels?
Though there's an obvious upside – no junk mail! Or at least no unaddressed junk mail.

[citoyen]

Wow! What if you have a long-term but temporary visitor, say someone staying for a month?

Presumably the householder is allowed to add names to the letterbox.

Though there's an obvious upside – no junk mail! Or at least no unaddressed junk mail.

Yes, presumably that's the whole point. It's an excellent idea.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I'm sure they're allowed to add names, I was thinking of the practicalities of doing so. Or of having your name on the letterbox full stop.

[hellymedic]

When I was a kid and stayed with grandparents in Copenhagen, there were several households at that address, which comprised several flats around a courtyard.

We were instructed to address mail as <us>
℅ <grandparents> (whose name was on a permanent nameplate outside flat's letterbox)
<Address>

Sister's schoolmate omitted <℅ name> and missive was returned undelivered to sender.

[Mr Larrington]

Wow! What if you have a long-term but temporary visitor, say someone staying for a month?

Presumably the householder is allowed to add names to the letterbox.

Though there's an obvious upside – no junk mail! Or at least no unaddressed junk mail.

Yes, presumably that's the whole point. It's an excellent idea.

I expect adding names to the letterbox requires a form to be completed in triplicate with copies deposited with the local council, the post office and the taxman, and woe betide anyone foolish enough to use a blue pen instead of a black one.  Kafka would have loved it 

Miss von Brandenburg used to have a note stuck to her mail box when she was a Penniless Student Oaf reading "Kein Verbung, Kein Extra-Tip" to keep out unwanted junk mail - Extra-Tip was the local free "newspaper" - which mostly seemed to work.

[spesh]

I thought "Kein extra-tip" was what the hausfrau tells the service engineer when it is only the washing machine that wants seeing to.

[Giraffe]

In the UK the address is used - name of addressee isn't, although local posties sometimes use it. I've been out in the village and the postie has given me a parcel to save him calling. Illegal but useful.

[FifeingEejit]

GCSEs start today. French is my son's first, reading followed by writing. He's nervous but confident. (I find it slightly odd that they still have to go to school to pick up the algorithmically produced results.)

I never understood the photos in the papers/newsreels of that, the seb/scotvec/sqa ones were posted out to us (mid/late ninety), it now appears for journalistic reasons some kids are hand picked to go to a hand picked school to show them reopening the envelope and pretending to be shocked/surprised at their results.

Edit: I've just realized that sending results enmass to the exam centre would be considerably cheaper for the exam boards, where as the sqa is a quango and more than happy to spend public money on postage.

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[FifeingEejit]

The postage thing is interesting, ish.
I got an email from Åland Post the other day asking for my full address because I'd cocked up and the stored address in my browser is German format for the benefit of bike discount and so doesn't fit normal.

They wanted to know my street name.

Ive successfully sent a postcard to my gran with the following address.

<my grans name>
<street>
Cupar
Fife

I suspect the street name is unnecessary.

The fact that if I was to omit my grams first name and simply state Mrs <familyname>, Cupar, Fife it would get to one of my relatives does kind of confirm what is said about fifers, but you'd also manage it with the same surname and Manchester England so...

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[Cudzoziemiec]

In the UK the address is used - name of addressee isn't, although local posties sometimes use it. I've been out in the village and the postie has given me a parcel to save him calling. Illegal but useful.

A postman I know has told me that he's supposed to recognize surnames on his route. Makes it seem a bit like London cabbies and the knowledge.

[Tim Hall]

Back in The Olden Days there was a person on umra* with an unusualish surname who lived on the Isle of Wight. A several of umrats tested his theory that postcards addressed to $Surname, IOW would get through.


*a newsgroup for the sort of people who might listen to The Archers.
 

[Cudzoziemiec]

And? Were they delivered?

[ElyDave]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/may/30/what-nocturnal-primate-is-named-from-the-dutch-for-clown-the-weekend-quiz

I diet do very well on this.

On UK addresses, shirley postcode/number is sufficient to get something delivered?

[Tim Hall]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/may/30/what-nocturnal-primate-is-named-from-the-dutch-for-clown-the-weekend-quiz

I diet do very well on this.

Eight and a half today. 

[Tim Hall]

And? Were they delivered?

In at least one case

[Giraffe]

When a certain AUK moved to France I looked for the house in Google Earth. With Name of House+France it went straight to the place. As nobody, including local historians, knew how the house got its name it might be unique in the whole world and Potters Bar.

[CAMRAMan]

On Thursday it's 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Trianon; a side tickle to Versailles. On the face of it, Hungary lost 2/3 of its territory, but that is utter bollocks. Sure, 1.7 million Magyars ended up in the 'wrong' countries, and that was a tragedy, but most of the land was Slavic or Romanian dominated. Just so you know, should you hear a Hungarian bleating.

[Gattopardo]

On Thursday it's 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Trianon; a side tickle to Versailles. On the face of it, Hungary lost 2/3 of its territory, but that is utter bollocks. Sure, 1.7 million Magyars ended up in the 'wrong' countries, and that was a tragedy, but most of the land was Slavic or Romanian dominated. Just so you know, should you hear a Hungarian bleating.

Pah, you should hear the Sienese bleat about losing wars against Florence in the middle ages.

[CAMRAMan]

Well, the treaty was implemented badly for the Magyars who lived up to 40Km north of the present day border with Slovakia. The allies should have seen that and made adjustments and a million people would have been 'saved'. That wouldn't have been difficult, but it was victors' justice. The Magyars in Transylvania, however, were a sizeable enclave, well cut off from the majority of their compatriots and the surrounding land was overwhelmingly Romanian, so it's difficult to see how they could have been made happy. Ensuring a measure of autonomy would have helped, but Trianon was a side show and didn't get the attention it deserved. What doesn't help is the populist PM, Orban, whipping up a frenzy about the injustices. I'm glad I don't live there still, as my Trianon Palace t-shirt wouldn't go down well.

[Cudzoziemiec]

On Thursday it's 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Trianon; a side tickle to Versailles. On the face of it, Hungary lost 2/3 of its territory, but that is utter bollocks. Sure, 1.7 million Magyars ended up in the 'wrong' countries, and that was a tragedy, but most of the land was Slavic or Romanian dominated. Just so you know, should you hear a Hungarian bleating.

Pah, you should hear the Sienese bleat about losing wars against Florence in the middle ages.

Or Hastings 1066.

[ElyDave]

I'm still irked about the Romans, I mean, what did the Romans ever do for us?

[Kim]

Well, there was their complete and utter disregard for hills...

[Cudzoziemiec]

Not quite true. Their roads went over individual hills but were generally aligned to avoid ranges.