Monday Mail Out: Keeping it Real.

One of my favourite things about blogging is that it is a great way to meet a whole bunch of really fun, friendly, fantastic people who share similar interests, but sometimes it doesn't seem very real when so often we hide behind our internet masks.

Today, rather than write about mail I thought I'd just write it.

I'd like to write you, dear blog reader, if you will let me.

I won't keep you long, I promise; just a little note on a card that you can read over your morning or afternoon tea.

If you'd be so kind as to let me I would love to send you something real and tangible from my real and tangible world.

All you have to do is leave a comment with the means in which to contact you (an email address would be perfect) and I shall do the rest.

I require nothing in return.

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.

The Week in Pictures...

* Tried pruning. I lost confidence after the second branch.

* We have daffodils!

* Some liquid fertiliser, a bit of mulch, warm days followed by some gentle rain - all good for the garden.

* A slow week at work. A short week at work.

* Bailey-dog went to a new vet for his vaccinations and an ear infection. All good!

* Many postcards and a little mail art.

* Potted succulents.

Monday Mail Out: Postmarked.

When I was a kid I used to help my Nanna soak the postage stamps. She'd collect them for charity and we'd sit at the dining room table on the farm and spend an entire afternoon preparing them. I had a small stamp collection and I'd take the stamps I liked best and/or didn't already have and add them to my album. I still have that stamp collection, in storage somewhere. I was always fascinated by the postmarks and I'd get excited when mail had originated from a location I'd not heard of before. The majority of the stamps I'd soak as a child were Australian and it was mind-boggling to imagine they'd traveled so far, because as a kid Australia just seemed like an endless expanse. Those stamps were an early introduction to geography.

Today I soaked stamps to be used in a mail art project, but these days most of the stamps I receive come from other countries. I still love to read the postmarks, though, and marvel at the distance they've covered.

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.

Package Pals Project 2012: The Big Reveal!

At the end of May I signed up for the Package Pals Project hosted by the lovely Shannah at Write Before Your Eyes. The project entailed being given the name and address of a complete stranger and sending them a package of pretty things!

My send-to partner was Beth in the USA. I stalked her blog for a couple weeks before sending her package. As a result of said stalking I discovered that Beth is an avid snail mailer who likes handmade items, playing golf, and dabbles in the culinary arts.

In the end I decided to send Beth items relating to those particular interests. I handmade a pocket envelope and filled it with blank greeting cards, stickers, postcards, post-it notes, handmade envelopes and letter seals, a stamp issue pack from Australia Post (I went with the Farming Australia theme as I live in a farming district), a recipe book, some ephemera, and a selection of herbal (caffiene-free) tea.

In return I should receive a package of pretty things from a complete stranger, however at the time of writing this post it had not arrived. In fact, I've been waiting on numerous parcels to arrive this week that have not, so I've been left feeling a little deflated, not to mention completely disappointed with the postal service. I am sure the items are on their way, but a weekend seems like such a long time to have to wait for the next postal delivery...

Words.

Today I keep losing them.

For me words are everything. From the moment of our birth until the time of our death words describe and define us. We have names and titles. We have job descriptions and an address. Tax records. Insurance policies. Bank statements.

We live our lives through words. We are entertained by words and we communicate with words. We speak, send birthday cards and letters. In today's world we also Facebook, Twitter and Blog. We use words to record our entire existence and after death it is the words that remain. Words tell our history and become our legacy.

But today I am frustrated by the absence of words.

Perhaps tomorrow I shall find them again?

Monday Mail Out: The Awesomeness of Postcards.

"Night Terrors" mail art postcard from Cheetarah in Holland - painted by hand, which makes it totally awesome. I was completely surprised by its arrival but love the theme and admire Cheetarah's patience in making it...

And this is the other side of the postcard from Cheetarah. I love the stampers! I'm a bit partial to prettying up the written side of a postcard with stampers too. Stampers are awesome.

I added some sparkles to this picture since these postcards are super awesome: Middle sister KJ just got back from a month in the USA. I asked her to send me a postcard. She wrote me 9...

And delivered them personally over the weekend when she came up for a quick visit. I'd still be waiting for them had she relied on the post! Each one is a continuation of the last and read like a journal. Supremely awesome.

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.

At Home...

"Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration."

~ Charles Dickens

Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn.

Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Silent in the Sanctuary is the second novel in the Lady Julia Grey Chronicles by Deanna Raybourn, a delightful murder mystery series starring the equally delightful Lady Julia Grey.

The second novel begins with Lady Julia on vacation in Italy with two of her brothers, Plum and Lysander, their Italian friend Alessandro, and Lysander's new bride. However, their holiday is cut short when their father, the Lord March, commands that they return to England. Upon their arrival at Bellmont Abbey (the family home) they are surprised to learn that their father has arranged for an elaborate Christmas event for the family and their closest friends - including the dark and mysterious Nicholas Brisbane.

Despite the events of the first novel (Silent in the Grave) and the resulting distance and time apart, Lady Julia remains deeply fond of Mr Brisbane and believes that he feels the same of her in return. She is therefore shocked to learn of his apparent attachment to another woman, yet before she can come to terms with Brisbane's sudden change of heart, a murder is committed at the Abbey and there is a jewel thief on the loose!

Not one to leave it to the professionals and desperate to prove her worth to Brisbane, Lady Julia stumbles her way through her own investigation as she seeks out a murderer and a jewel thief. The romantic tension between Lady Julia and Brisbane is evident, and has been turned up a notch since the first novel. I found myself nail-bitingly impatient as I urged it to be resolved - in one way or another!

Whilst I found the first novel to be rather slow-moving, Silent in the Sanctuary has much better pace now that most of the central characters and the customs of the time have been presented to the reader. The fact that Lady Julia is not a conventional Victorian Lady makes her escapades more thrilling, and the characters all the more hilarious when seen through her eyes. I doubt these novels would have the same allure if Lady Julia was not the antagonist.

Recommended!

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Monday Mail Out: Transporting Germs.

I had the most wonderful plans for the weekend:

Baking!

Gardening!

Woodcutting!

Letter-writing!

Had.

Because at 8pm on Friday night I came down with a fever and the worst case of vertigo known to humankind (no exaggeration, of course), which persisted through until this morning. Monday. Making me well enough to drag my sorry self out of bed and into work.

Life can be oh! so! cruel!

Because one should never fall ill on days when one cannot take sick leave from one's place of employment, right?

You might be asking what all this has to do with mail? Absolutely nothing, aside from the fact that the fever and the vertigo kept me from the letters as it did everything else on the weekend. So, in today's post went one lonesome letter to Laura, whilst Ulrika's sits half-finished on the dining room table, along with a postcard to Katja that I forgot to buy stamps for.

Forgot to buy stamps?

I am clearly very ill indeed.

Which has me wondering: Can germs be transported through the post?

For Laura, Ulrika and Katja's sakes, I hope not.

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.

Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt.

Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"The said Elizabeth Southerns [alias Demdike] confesseth, and sayth; that about twenty years past, as she was coming homeward from begging, there met her near unto a stonepit in Gouldshey, in the said Forrest of Pendle, a spirit or devil in the shape of a boy, the one half of his coat black, and the other brown, who bade her stay, saying to her, that if she would give him her soul, she should have any thing that she would request." - Thomas Pott's in The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster, 1613

 

Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt is an historical novel based around events as recorded at the Pendle Witch Trials in Lancashire, England, in the year 1612. England at this time was under the rule of King James I and Catholicism was outlawed. As such, Papists were forced to practice their faith in secret and anyone caught doing so was tried by the local magistrate. James I also had a particular dislike of witches and declared that anyone suspected of practicing witchcraft should be prosecuted.

Daughters of the Witching Hill tells the story of these witches - some herbalists, others Papists - from the point of view of Elizabeth Southerns (Demdike) and her grand-daughter, Alizon Device. However, it is not a book on the trials per se, but rather a fictional account of the lives of the women at the forefront of the 1612 trials.

The story begins with Demdike as the narrator, who tells how she came to be in possession of the knowledge, skills and power to heal the sick through her relationship with a familiar spirit. She is able to provide a living for herself and her family through the provision of these services and goes on to teach her grandchildren in the way of her craft. However, her grand-daughter, Alizon, yearns to be normal and resents her magics for the fear they instill in other people. Yet when she is offended by a travelling pedler, her harsh words become a curse and from there begins the infamous Lancashire witchtrials of 1612.

Daughters of the Witching Hill provides an interesting insight into what life may have been like for those herbalists, midwives, cunning men and women, and even Papists who were accused of witchcraft during the 15th and 16th centuries, and of how even a seemingly small and innocent occurance can leave a permanent mark on the pages of history. Daughters of the Witching Hill gives voice to those women who are often regarded as some of the most feared and ruthless witches of all time.

I liked that the author decided to write this novel in first-person narrative from the points of view of two of the accused, however I think the story would have provided an even greater insight had Anne Whittle (Chattox) also been given a voice. Having lived her entire life on the fringes of society and being feared for a witch long before Demdike and Alizon Device, I cannot help but feel somewhat disappointed that her perspective is missing from this novel. However, for someone with a keen interest in the Pendle Witches (they are my favourite witches in history, afterall), I found Daughters of the Witching Hill to be a passionate re-telling of one of history's darkest and most intriguing moments.

 

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To Recipe or not to Recipe...?

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all".

~ Harriet Van Horne

I was asked recently where I find all my recipes. The truth is, I rarely refer to cookbooks. Sometimes I'll stumble across a recipe online that looks interesting and print it off to make at a later date, but rarely does a recipe ever stay the same once I get to it. I like to make changes to suit my taste and my budget.

Often when deciding what I want to eat I simply head to the refrigerator and/or the pantry and make a quick mental note of possible ingredients. Then I'll sit down at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, my "recipe" notepad and a pen and scribble away until I come up with something that:

(a) satisfies the craving, and

(b) doesn't force me to make a trip to the supermarket (I really am terribly lazy).

On the weekend it was cold and I felt like soup. I went to the refrigerator where I found pumpkin, a bunch of carrots and some sour cream. The pantry revealed an abundance of potatoes and onions, and a score of spices. When I sat down at the kitchen table what came about was a rough plan for a Roasted Pumpkin, Carrot & Potato Soup.

It could probably use a little more garlic and larger quantities of the spices to add a greater depth of flavour, but otherwise it is really rather delicious. Very filling and perfect for our chilly, chilly evenings.

[If you'd like to make it yourself, you will need the following ingredients:

1 kg pumpkin, chopped roughly into 1" cubes

400g carrot, cut into roasting pieces

400g potato for roasting

1 large brown onion

2 cloves garlic

Olive oil

1/2 tspn dried coriander

1 tspn cumin

1 tspn turmeric

1 tspn garam masala

1/2 tspn chili flakes

1L vegetable stock

Extra water (if needed)

--> Roast your pumpkin, carrot, potato, onion and garlic at 200*C for approximately 30 minutes.

Then in a large saucepan heat oil and cook coriander, cumin, turmeric, garam masala and chilli for 2 - 3 minutes, ensuring they do not burn.

Add to the saucepan roasted vegetables and stir through spices, then pour in vegetable stock. Simmer for 30 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before blending to desired consistency.]

How do you create in the kitchen?

Monday Mail Out: Letters for Miette...

It is tax time in Australia and I'm drowning in paperwork!

At least I have the art of letter-writing to keep me sane: When the constant stream of numbers begin to blur and the pounding in my head returns (numbers always do this to me), I return to my mail and seek solace in the written word.

I seem to be forever proclaiming how wonderful it is to receive a handwritten letter. There's something curious and exciting about the post when it brings more than just bills and junk mail. Letters make people smile and can turn an otherwise mundane or miserable day into a bright one. They are a dark cloud's silver lining, yet such a simple pleasure, an uncomplicated delight.

Last week Rin from Papered Thoughts shared with her blog readers Miette Skiller's story. Miette is a five-year-old girl from Queensland, Australia, who has been diagnosed with an incurable brain stem tumour - you can read more about her journey here.

Miette's simple, uncomplicated wish is to receive as many snail mail letters as she can. I figured I was more than qualified to help with that, so on the weekend I took some time away from the cash book and the tax receipts to pen a little letter to Miette.

If you too would like to send some postal magic Miette's way, you can do so by writing her at:

Miette Skiller

PO Box 2134

Brighton QLD 4017

AUSTRALIA

Go on, just do it: Get the kids involved, the pets, the work colleagues and write a letter to make Miette's day that little bit brighter.

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.