Online local history talk: Gentle 'gentrification' in East Dulwich, Tuesday 4 April 2023, 8pm
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Post much better this Xmas. Sue posted about whether they send Xmas cards; how good the post is, is relevant. Think I will continue to stay off Instagram! -
These have reduced over the years, are "perfect" lives Round Robins being replaced by "perfect" lives Instagram posts where we see all year round how people portray their perfect lives ? The point of this thread is that for the last few years, due to issues at the mail offices, we had delays to post over Christmas. Not really been flagged as an issue this year but I am still betting on the odd card, posted well before Christmas, arriving late January. -
Two subjects here. Xmas cards, We receive and send less of them. One reason is that the cost of postage - although interestingly not as much as I thought say compared to 10 years ago (a little more than inflation). Fun fact when inflation was double digits in the 70s cost of postage almost doubled in one year. Postage is not a good indication of general inflation fluctuating a fair bit. The huge rise in international postage that for a 20g Christmas card to Europe (no longer a 20g price, now have to do up to 100g), or a cheapskate 10g card to the 'States (again have to go up to the 100g price) , both around a quid in 2015, and now has more than doubled in real terms. Cards exchanged with the US last year were arriving in the New Year. Funnily enough they came much quicker this year. So all my cards abroad were by email this year. The other reason we send less cards is that it was once a good opportunity to keep in touch with news. I still personalise many cards with a news and for some a letter, and am a bit grumpy when I get a single line back, Or worse a round robin about their perfect lives and families. But most of us now communicate I expect primarily by WhatApp, email, FB etc. No need for lightweight airmail envelope and paper in one. The other subject is the mail as a whole. Privitisation appears to have done it no favours and the opening up of competition with restrictions on competing for parcel post with the new entrants. Clearly unless you do special delivery there is a good chance that first class will not be delivered in a day as was expected in the past. Should we have kept a public owned service subsidised by the tax payer? You could also question how much lead on innovation was lost following the hiving off of the national telecommunications and mail network.
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Why have I got a feeling there was also a connection with the beehive in Brixton on that road next to the gym
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