Letter from a dear mail friend

It has been a long time since I posted here. Most of my online time nowadays is captured by instagram.
Today I heard sad news: a dear mail pal, a mail friend to many people, has passed away last weekend. We so much will miss him!
And I realized I never had posted this piece of mail here, of which both John and I, and many (snail)mail lovers with us, thought it is an amazing and funny coincidence.
John started to blog in the early years. As blogger might be more accessible than instagram, I copy my instagram post from 2019 to this blog:

John brought a lot of humour, wisdom, thoughtfulness, post-related postcards (and in my case also cute critters on postcards and stamps) and mail art, into many mailboxes. He will be dearly missed, not only by his dear family who he loved so much, but also by me and many mail friends.
Thank you for all joyful mail you sent to me and to so many people.
May you rest in peace, dear John.

In: from the United Kingdom

Last Sunday I posted some 'molens', (wind)mills. Some weeks earlier I received this beautiful windmill card from John. It is named the Argos Hill Windmill and is located near Rotherfield.

On the back John added great stamps, showing Ladybird (children's) books. The now London-based Ladybird publishing company traces its origins to 1867.



As far as I know there is not a Dutch equivalent of Ladybird Books. I remember several Dutch publishing houses, but none of them is specialized in children's books, and they are not as widespread / monopolist in our country as were/are Penguin, Puffin and Ladybird books in the UK. Except for the 'Gouden Boekjes', but as far as I know the 'Little Golden Books' have their origins in the USA.
I read these Little Golden Books in a translated version in my childhood (Among them this one).
The first publisher of the Dutch Golden Booklets, 'Bezige Bij', also published books for grown-ups. The logo, however, matches more or less with the Ladybird logo: 'Bezige Bij' means 'Busy Bee' :-)

Thank you very much, John!

In: from the United Kingdom

Just this morning I realised that this postcard would have matched very well with the postcards shown in the recent Postcards for the Weekend. The weekend is over now, but during the working week nice things happen, which, at least in the Netherlands, don't happen in the weekends. For example this emptying of the mailbox, the daily pick-up of our sent mail.

Great photo, taken by John and made into a postcard, which I am very pleased to receive.

On the back pretty stamps:



Thank you very much, John!

In: from the United Kingdom

From John I received several pieces of wonderful mail.
Among them this peculiar mailbox (indeed a mailbox!).

And pretty stamps:



And on the back of the envelope some sign of a coming holiday:



Thank you very much, John!

In: from the United Kingdom

It is still winter, here in the northern hemisphere. After a few days of plus 6 to 8 degrees Celsius I was hoping that my favourite season, spring, would be back again. Alas no, more coldness on its way. The weather forecast predicts frost in the coming days, and maybe snow.

Reflecting about the four seasons, I came across this postcard John had sent me last October, two days before an other kind of spring (off-spring?) would enter his life :-) .
I love trees, and this European oak in the autumn sunlight makes a nice picture.



On the back side John added two postal related stamps: the Falmouth packet ship which traveld in the 1820s and a Traveling Post office (1890s).

Thank you very much, John!

In: from the United Kingdom - of Mail and more Peter Rabbit

To do something 'post haste' means to do something quickly, I learned from John who sent this pretty postcard. Which gives a clue where this phrase comes from: the mail coach travelled faster than any other vehicle.



On the back of the postcard a matching illustration, and an other postage stamp from the Beatrix Potter stamps serie, showing Squirrel Nutkin:



Sent three weeks before the postcard above, but arriving a week later than the previous one, is the following postcard, showing the Port Sunlight Post Office. It has been built in 1891 and is part of the model village, built by Lord Lever / Lever Brothers to accommodate workers in their soap factory.



Jemima Puddle-Duck, also created by Beatrix Potter, more than a century ago, is the character on the stamp on the back of this card:



Inbetween the arrival of both cards, John as well as the Royal Mail and Dutch PostNL surprised me with a nice envelope (well, here I'm showing the two stamps only):



'Surprised' because the size of this envelope was far below the minimum sizes Royal Mail and PostNL prescribe, nevertheless the mail carriers did pick up and deliver the tiny envelope without complaining!



Thank you very much, John!

In: from the United Kingdom - of Mail, Transport and Peter Rabbit

Mail transport, a tram and the railway station, to my opinion always nice themes to see. And I was happy that John sent these in one postcard!

On the back side more vehicles:



Also related to mail is of course the mailbox, a famous one from the United Kingdom is the red pillar box:



The stamp on the back side of this card is a 'bridge' to a postcard John had sent me some time ago, namely an illustration by Beatrix Potter of a character from the tales of Peter Rabbit. This is Benjamin Bunny, Peter's cousin:



The card sent / received previously shows Peter Rabbit himself, plus a squirrel and Jemima Puddle-Duck:



Peter Rabbit also shows up on a stamp, accompanied by a stamp of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, the hedgehog:



Thank you very much, John!

In: from the United Kingdom

Some time ago John sent me a great postcard, showing a postman in former days. And now I like to share you this new old photo of another postman in uniform. The text on the back learns that this is William Gates, pictured circa 1897. The 'good conduct' stripes on the breast of the jacket were awarded by the Post Office to individuals of long and good service.
John adds that until fairly recently uniforms were obligatory for postmen. Nowadays his current postman can only be distinguished by the fact he has a Royal Mail bag.

Also on the back side of the card a pretty stamp, showing one of the characters designed by famous Peter Rabbit illustrator Beatrix Potter.



Thank you very much, John!

In: from the United Kingdom

"Rural postman in summer uniform delivering mail", year unknown, from the National Postal Museum collection (then located at King Edward Street). See the happy face of the boy while receiving his mail! As happy as I was, and still am, by receiving this great postcard from John.
Today it is like tropical weather, here in our usually 'cold frogland', with over 30 degrees Celsius. So this 'summer uniform' seems even too hot to wear today!

John added these beautiful stamps:



Thank you very much, John!

In: from the United Kingdom

Beautiful illustration of a dragonfly, issues as a postage stamp and a maxicard, sent by John.
On the back more insects: a fly, on a stamp issued for the 150th anniversary (in 1989) of the Royal Microscopical Society, and my favourite butterfly, the Atalanta.



And this interesting stamp, or even intriguing as long as I don't know the meaning. I see a lady, a deer, the lady rowing a boat, horses, a building, trees... Please let me know if you know what this stamp is about!



The same day this postcard arrived. I had to look several times, wondering if is it a photo or a painting. It is a painting! Created by Robert K. Calvert, who has painted more trams in that era.



On the back two great matching - metro - stamps.



Thank you very much, John!

In: from the United Kingdom

Some weeks ago I received this lovely scene from John: a parental polar bear reading for the little kid.



And last week I received this postcard, also sent by John and showing this beautiful charcoal drawing. The flute player has been created by Shelagh Popham:



On the back not only these interesting stamps (of which the eggplant is my favourite), but also a kind message with good news.



Thank you very much, John, and congratulations!

In: from the United Kingdom

John sent me this postcard, showing the Billericay Windmill in Essex.
The postcard traveled in only 2 days, from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands! And was accompanied by a special stamp on the backside:



Thank you very much, John! Thank you also for the other postcards, very much appreciated! I'll post the other cards later, but for now I couldn't wait to share this shaped bat stamp!

In: from the United Kingdom

One day before the Sunday Stamps was themed 'spineless invertebrates' I happened to receive this postcard from John. Being an insect postcard and not an insect postage stamp, I waited until now to post it here.

For the UK insect stamps which I showed on the Sunday Stamps blog post I am grateful to John.
Also on this postcard John has added interesting and beautiful stamps.

There isn't much "ict" on stamps yet, while many of us work almost daily with one or another form of information communication technoilogy. So the stamp on bottom, which shows the evolution from ancient hieroglyphics via a books library to IT is a very actual one!



Thank you very much, John!

in: from the United Kingdom

I love to read, but alas there's too little time to do so. Instead I can find time to enjoy seeing other people reading. For instance this reading woman in a comfortable chair, illustrated by SusannesArt.

Sent by John, who loves reading people, too. And he added great stamps, among them this seven spotted ladybird:



And this foot painter:



Thank you very much, John!

In: from the United Kingdom

This extraordinary house postcard I received from John.
It has been completed circa 1610 and is named 'Little Moreton Hall'. How large this National Trust site is, you can see the beautiful pictures by John, on his blog post of 3rd of March.

In: from the United Kingdom

I was wondering why John had sent me a postcard showing a boat, until I read the description on the back side. It is a Floating Post Office!
The photo was taken in 1934 at the Liverpool Docks (photographer unknown, alas), and now is in the British Postal Museum & Archive.



And I keep on learning thanks to stamps! The postcard was sent one day before Commonwealth Day, an unknown day to me until now. This year the day happened to be on the same date as in 1983 (I learned thanks to wikipedia).

Thank you very much, John!