Yesterday was my birthday, and I still have some friends across the world who take the trouble to send me greeting cards by post! (Thank you!)
Even more greetings kept dropping in during the day via FB and Messenger etc, and they were of course appreciated too.
I also spent a lot more time talking on the phone than I normally do in a week - not least because one friend called with whom I don't chat all that often, but when we do talk, we usually end up talking a lot!
Otherwise I did not really do very much. Weather warnings had been issued well in advance for that day, for both high temperatures and high risk of thunder and torrential rain. So I had ended up deciding beforehand to just stay home - and if staying home anyway, I might as well also order my usual grocery delivery for that day... At least that would bring me a lot of "parcels" to unpack! (haha)
The delivery arrived early, so after that I also managed to fit in a half hour walk - before lunch, before it got "too" hot, and before the expected rain. As it turned out, however, the rain and thunder passed us by here... The afternoon just kept on being hot and humid.
This morning we were back to fresher air and cooler temperatures again, though - a much more pleasant day for a walk downtown for some belated "birthday shopping" (and no need to even bring an umbrella).
My main errand was to the pharmacy - not all birthday-related, but besides a couple of prescriptions I also had a number of non-prescription things on my list for which it turned out that I could make good use of various membership discounts (one of them birthday-related). Checking my receipt now, it seems I ended up with an astounding $37 discount in total.
After that I popped into the book shop next door, because they too had sent me a birthday discount offer, and I decided to make use of that to buy myself some 'luxury' stationery, which is something I haven't done in a long time. So I bought these, below (which should last me a while, as I don't write all that much by hand nowadays).
Adding up the discount from the pharmacy + the discount from the bookshop, I actually got these luxury items for ... nothing! (Now that's the kind of magic math I enjoy...)
Before I returned home, I also went to my favourite tea shop and stocked up on three kinds of favourite teas. (No discount, but never mind! - I just love the atmosphere in that shop...)
I did not know it was your birthday, or I would have sent you a card. But anyway I am very glad you had such a good shopping trip. The stationary is beautiful. It is almost impossible to get pretty stationary now except at book stores. Your photos of outside are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ginny :) I think the tradition of sending cards by post is on its way out, with postage going up combined with delivery of letters getting less reliable... Here, we only get post delivered every other weekday now; which makes it impossible to be sure that someone gets a card or letter on the exact day. While on the other hand, Facebook (for those of us who use that) reminds us of friends' birthdays on the day, and makes it easy to send off a digital greeting... I'm guilty of having forgotten several birthdays myself this year (as in not remembering to send off a card in time). Especially those that occur at the beginning of a month!
DeleteHi girl. I see my card on your display. I mailed it so early, on the 11th, so it would arrive on time. I would spend time in that tea shop, all those choices. I like loose leaf teas, the shop looks charming. Happy Birthday.
ReplyDeleteThanks Terra. Yes, your card arrived in good time :) I've been buying my teas in that tea shop for as long as I've lived here, I think. (Which is 38 years now!)
DeleteThe atmosphere in the shop is very boutique and bougie
ReplyDelete'Bougie' was a new word to me, Ro - had to look it up! :)
DeleteGreat to see my card made it on time, too - it had come back to me after the first sending, claiming "not enough postage" - even though I had taken it to the stationery shop's post counter... the young man obviously had not realised the address was for outside Germany.
ReplyDeleteThe writing sets are so beautiful! The left one looks like a William Morris design. It's been a long time (since my 50th birthday) that I bought anything like it, when I sent letters to some people as well, not just the invitation card.
And in your case, they were a proper birthday present to yourself!
Meike, that mistake about the postage (from someone who definitely should know) sounds like another symptom of how rare it is becoming that people send letters at all! ;-) Your card arrived on the 30th, but we only get post delivered every other day now, and the 29th was not a delivery day!
DeleteThe writing set on the left is indeed of Morris design. It turned out that all the book shop has to offer now when it comes to decorated writing paper is a few exclusive design sets like these. I suppose they assume now that if people can afford the postage, they can also afford expensive paper...
The stationery is beautiful and what a lovely treat for you. I used to love buying pretty stationery sets both for myself and as a gift for girlfriends. It's a long time since I've actually hand written a letter - mine all seem to be done on the computer these days and just printed off - so easy!
ReplyDeleteYou had a nice selection of cards too. On my last birthday I received one actual card, but lots of emails with suitable pictures attached. Unfortunately it's something I'm guilty of myself these days. Post isn't alway reliable and it can be expensive.
Carol, back in my youth I used to write long letters either by hand or on type-writer, but later on with computers and printers and email and internet etc that has changed. An old injury to neck/shoulder also still makes it difficult for me to write too much by hand. But sometimes still postcards, and *short* letters or note cards.
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