Juggling life through a bi-polar lens. Sometimes up, sometimes down. Mostly trying to tread water in the middle. Creating a likeness to a normal life. Whatever "normal" is...

Wednesday 29 April 2009

My cards have gone AWOL - again!!!!! :(

Kirsty Wiseman has been collecting handmade cards for some time now, to be sent over to our soldiers in Afghanistan, so that they have access to something nice to send home.

My brother was in the first Gulf War with the RAF and, although he wrote to me lots, he said he didn't send many letters home to mum because there wasn't much to say that wouldn't just cause worry. And there is a limit to how often you can just fill a page with small talk. So I can understand that having access to some blank cards would help them keep in touch, let alone sending something nice home for birthdays.

So! At the beginning of April I completed 10 cards and sent them off to Kirsty. It was a busy day at the Post Office so I didn't pester them for a 'Proof of Posting' slip. I had tons of Easter cards to weigh and the queue behind me was muttering. So I thought, ah, it'll be all right.

WRONG!!!! The package never arrived :(

Undeterred, I double-checked I had the right addressed (yep) and made another eight cards and sent these last Friday. This time I sent them "First Class, Signed For". I thought that the glaring big orange sticker that this put on the front of the package would help steer it in the right direction, if the other one had just been lost, and put off any thieves, if the other one had been taken.

Today I checked the tracking number at the Post Office website. AND rang them. Guess what? They don't know where this one is either!

I asked them to investigate and they said they can't until 19 days have passed, so I have to wait till 14th May, then fill in a form. When they've got the form, then they'll look into it.

I am so annoyed! I know stuff does go missing by genuine mistake, but to me this is too much of a coincidence- two parcels to the same address in under a month gone missing????

Earlier this year someone online very kindly offerred to stamp up some images for me and sent them, first class. THESE never arrived here!

So now I'm afraid I'm rather convinced that somebody in the Colchester area sorting office is being very dishonest, and is skimming the post for packages that might have something valuable in them, i.e., anything that looks like it could have a gift inside.

Although he spent most of his working life in the Royal Navy, my dad worked as a postman for a few years in the 1960s. I have 'postman' under 'father's occupation' on my birth certificate :) I'm sure there was a time when this was a friendly, respectable job. Certainly you could trust the post. It's a sad sign of our times that when you send something now, even if you pay to have a signature the other end, there is no guarantee it will get where you sent it if it looks like the contents might be of interest.

))))SIGH!((((

Well I hope they get there eventually. But at least this time I remembered to photograph the cards first :) although they weren't as nice as the first batch, as I was rushing this time........

I made them all using just 2 stamps :(Oh! Hullo, Dilly! Fancy seeing you there!)

They were coloured with my Pro-Markers and most were decoupaged a wee bit.
Here you can see what I mean, with the middle section of the design double-layered.They were all lined inside with heavyweight white cartridge paper to make them easy to write long messages on.

Matching envelopes, too, and each sealed in a cellophane bag.WAAAHHH!!!!!!!!! I hope they turn up :(


*** *** *** *** ***
UPDATE!!!!
*** *** *** *** ***
They've arrived!!!!!
Horray!!!!!
(But I wonder what happened to the first lot....)

10 comments:

Angel, Kirby and Max said...

That is terrible! It is hard to believe it is a coincidence when both packages were going to the same address. It is even more disheartening since they were for a very special purpose. I hope they show up!

Julie said...

The cards are beautiful Helena. You would think the Post Office would be more interested, wouldn't you? I hope they do turn up. It does seem that the post is not as reliable as it once was.

My brother was involved in the first Gulf war too and said the same thing.

Michael House said...

What beautiful cards, do hope they turn up. for my birthday a few months ago, I received a card whose envelope had been slit open so that the card was just held in still and this seemed like an inside job too.

ChrisJ said...

Beautiful cards, but why nineteen days??? Who thought of that weird number?!!!

Anonymous said...

As others have said, Beautiful. I'm glad the second batch arrived.

I was at the post office yesterday. When I went to fill out the customs form "picture, book, pencils, candy" the clerk told me to leave "candy" off the list. He said it marks the package as a target for theft.

I also used the word "picture" instead of "watercolor" for a small uninsured gift painting.

Mrs Mac said...

:)

Roz said...

Glad your cards arrived at their destination, finally. I hate it when things go missing in the post, thankfully it's not too often.

Great cards too Helena, I love medallion stamps.

Love Roz x

Timaree said...

I guess it's the same world wide anymore. We get our mail in a box in our local little store now because people were stealing our mail (my husband's medicine comes to us by mail). They found part of the stealing (not all) was being done at the post office.

Glad at least one of the packages has made it.

Anonymous said...

Hey Cuz

We've had a lot of issues at work with the Royal Mail Recorded/Signed For service. Only thing I can say is maybe try Special Delivery next time. It means it will 100% be there next day - they track it all through the process!

x

Mrs Mac said...

Hay Cuz!

Yeah, I think Recorded would be the way to go. I hate that we have to pay the extra to get it safely sent though!