Letters

I'm usually very late in getting round to listening to podcasts, because I have so many of them on my iPod. I think I am collecting them. My current subscriptions are:

• The Archers
• Books, from The Guardian
• The British Library
• Craft Sanity
• Craftypod
• Crossing Continents
• Excess Baggage
• File on 4
• Front Row
• Midweek
• Nigel Slater's podcast
• Nigella Express
• The Penguin Podcast
• Radio 4 Choice
• Ramblings with Clare Balding
• This American Life
• The Splendid Table
• Woman's Hour
  

You see? Its no wonder there's usually a backlog of about 40 or more waiting to be listened to.

So this week I finally got round to listening to Craft Sanity episode #69 from February of this year. Jennifer interviews Samara O'Shea, author of For The Love of Letters, and they talk all about their mutual love of letter writing and letter receiving, and how in this era of emails and instant messaging, the letter has not gone away.

This really struck a chord with me. I love letters, parcels, postcards and notes - both sending and receiving. I think for me it originated with a childhood obsession with stationery, that has not gone away as I've grown older. Really, I could just buy notebooks, paper, pens, envelopes, postcards and stickers until I was down to my last penny. I find it impossible to go into a museum or art gallery and not come out with a few postcards, slipped into a small paper bag (and I love those small, perfectly sized, paper postcard bags too!).

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Here is a photo of my stationery box, that sits on my desk at home.

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And here is a photo of the whole desk, which also shows Samara O'Shea's book ( I ordered a copy after listening to the podcast, and I'm very pleased I did - great book), a parcel waiting to go in the post, an email that I need to reply to, plus a beautiful correspondence folder that my parents bought me for my birthday many years ago. It is made from red leather and I love it quite a ridiculous amount.

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In it I keep a few letters that are too precious ever to throw away. They include this one sent from Iraq by my brother-in-law while he was on duty there last year.

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Has there been anything in your postbox this week that has made you smile or think fondly of someone far away? I hope so! If not, here is some stationery love to inspire you.