Now and again, I find myself on a delivery round for one cause or another. I am just back from such a round with literally bloody knuckles from difficult letterboxes.
Now I know, living in the Perthshire countryside, that letterboxes can be a reliable source of drafts, and I understand why people fit brushes or sprung flaps to the inside. Sometimes both. But some letter boxes this morning had an unnecessarily strong spring-loaded front flap, then lavatory brush strength bristles with a final strong spring loaded flap after that. It is impossible to get stuff through without bending it, and posting material in is a two handed operation: fingers lift the top flap, in through the brushes and push the back flap open – the other hand then posts in the letter. But some letter boxes are designed well – they keep out the drafts, yet allow for easy posting. These have flaps, but not too strongly springy, and if they have bristles, they are soft. There ought to be a design standard which is acceptable to the Royal Mail.
And who thinks it is OK to put a letter box at ground level? It really isn’t. And if it is a Fort Knox type of letter box, it is nigh impossible.
And this morning is the first time that a dog had a go at me. I stood still and adopted a non threatening position, yet the dog still came at me. My thick jacket was good protection. Dogs usually like me. This one didn’t.
The very worst deliveries though are strong letter boxes with a fierce dog on the inside. The knack is to stuff the post in just enough to do the job, but before the dog gets your fingers.
Why not take the test yourself – take a letter, stand outside your front door, and try to post it in. See? Stop laughing – it is not funny! Posties have my sympathy.
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