Tags
code, Enigma, fun, letterwriting, Monarch of the Glen, pen and ink, post, quills, spies, stationery
I freely admit to being influenced in the theme of this post by two things. Firstly, I am watching ‘Enigma’, caught up once more in the excitement of Bletchley Park’s search to solve the Enigma code, and secondly, the letters in the post today were distinctly handwritten in flavour…something that makes this heart sing and the kettle almost boil by itself in preparation for the reading-letters-cuppa 🙂
There are posts aplenty on the net waxing lyrical about the virtues of handwriting one’s letters, some bemoaning the loss of cursive skills, others laying the blame for decline smack at the feet of the now ubiquitous email, and still more upholding The Letter for its personal appeal, attached emotion, and place in history. Although I would agree with the sentiments of those in the latter (latter, letter, hehe), in this post I wish only to emphasise one thing….above all, handwritten letters are fun!Â
Apart from the obvious fun of opening a letter that someone has handwritten (with all of their quirks) just for you, giggling over news, and drinking copious amounts of tea, we have:
The Fun of the paper/pen/seal used.
If you haven’t tried making paper, do give it a go at some point. I found Stacie Naczelnik’s Step by Step Guide very useful. As I hadn’t a deckle, I made one out of an old picture frame and some gauzy fabric I had lying around. My sisters sent me letters earlier this year on their (rather uneven) homemade paper with pressed flowers from the garden, lemon gum scent, and their own handmade watermarks, and the letter immediately became even more special. We have more senses than the visual, so I figure we may as well use them, even in sending letters!
If you don’t feel like sloshing around making paper from pulp, how about using your trusty Microsoft Word and ClipArt to make some colourful pieces of your own?
Now, have you ever made a quill? If not, do you have a big feather, knife, and some ink? If these things are available, then your quill is a just a few minutes away. Start the first cut about 1.5cm from the pointy end of the feather (the end you’ll write with), and angle it down to the point of your quill. Pull or scrape all of the inside membranes out at this stage. Next make one small cut at the point of your quill running in the direction of the feather. Lastly, shape the triangle of your quill point until you have a quill ‘tip’ to easily write with. For those who are excited by the business of quill-making and want to make one that will last longer, I’d recommend having a look at Liralen Li’s detailed post on how to make a quill.
And seals…seals and sealing wax…hours of fun! I was given my first seal (the letter ‘M’) at the tender age of 8, and most of my personal letters have been sealed with that seal and red sealing wax since then. I would caution against using candle wax for sealing wax as this tends to form a spreading, oily splodge on one’s letter rather than a neat seal. Proper sealing wax can be found in sticks in some stationery shops, and online.
And then we come to The Fun of reading the letter’s contents!
I’m not just talking about the joys involved in hearing the latest about Aunty Jenny’s foot, or Grandad Bob’s garden, but rather, the fun of how the news is imparted…
Have you ever tried writing in code? My younger sister and I made a simple substitution code (each letter of the alphabet is represented by another letter of the alphabet) for our last exchange of letters, and gave each other code names for the heck of it (see picture below). Â The letters took a little longer to read, but it was great fun!
If ‘playing spy’ tickles your fancy, write your letters in teeny tiny writing with a magnifying glass (and make sure that your person has one too), or write them backwards, or make up a series of codes to be used at different times during the letter. Possibilities are almost endless.
Likewise, letters written in invisible ink definitely have their place, if only for the wow factor. Simply write in lemon juice rather than conventional ink, and instruct the person at the other end to hold their letter near a hot lamp or heat source when they want to read it. The writing will turn brown and suddenly legible. Admittedly, this has drawbacks when the letter is travelling in hot weather…
Lastly, I have to mention The Fun of the enclosed bits and bobs.
Growing up, I had many a letter arrive from my Big Girl Cousins. Every time, there was something interesting about the look of the letter, some news about interesting things written in an eye capturing way, and always always a little something extra.
Next time you’re writing to a little cousin, niece or nephew, or a ‘big kid’ who might also appreciate things, add in some bits and bobs to increase the ‘fun rating’ of your letter (and encourage them to write back). I always loved sticker sheets, but you can pop in almost anything that sits flat within a letter. Seed packets, postcards, snowflake decorations, pretty pictures or photographs, a decoding sheet, a recipe…anything that particularly suits the interests of the person to whom you are writing. Just remember, letters are mostly for the fun of it 🙂