Our letterbox is a train carriage (incase you were wondering). It was handmade by previous owner H - a train buff - back in the 1980s. It's looking a bit worn these days: The paint is peeling and the wood has warped from constant exposure to the elements.
During the warmer months I have to fight the spiders for my mail, and when it's wet the letters end up damp. The slot at the front is big enough for passing children to fit their prying hands through, and in the past we've lost mail through their curiousity - but their mothers made them own up, apologise and promise to never to do it again!
SJ loves this letterbox. He remembers it from his childhood and refuses to hear any suggestion of its removal and replacement with something that keeps the mail safe and dry. It doesn't even matter that he never remembers to check it for mail. Ask him why he likes it so much and he'll proclaim it to be "a local icon" - the point is mute.
For me, it's all about the letters, but for SJ it's clearly about the letterbox.
Written correspondence has been a hobby of mine for a long time, & Monday Mail Out is a weekly feature whereby I can share my love for the lost art of letter writing. I hope my experiences will encourage others to send out letters on Monday too, and have them rediscover the joy of sending and receiving mail. If you have a blog, feel free to join in.
Oh, that is a gem...just fix it up!
ReplyDeleteRather than removing or replacing why not renovate it :) Strip the paint off give it a new coat - maybe replace the top if needed - patch the holes - sorted!
ReplyDelete