The Royal Snail continues to deliver an average of two Christmas cards a day to Chez Jocknroll. Being a saddo I have a spreadsheet of names and addresses for Christmas card recipients and was able to check those we’d received against those we’d sent and there were loads outstanding. Now, there are bound to be a few missing with people perhaps saving money (e-cards are such an impersonal idea, don’t you think), simply forgetting or running out of time during the hubbub of the festive season but the number we’re missing is extraordinary. (Can I just say, in my defence, that the Christmas Card spreadsheet is linked to a mail merge document, which produces address labels for the Christmas cards we send out, thus saving us a lot of time at a busy time of year. Honest.)
One card was sent from Loanhead (Midlothian) in mid-December and arrived in Dunfermline, via Mount Pleasant in London, in early January. We also received our annual mystery card from Karen and Andy. We’ve no idea who they are but that’s three years out of four they’ve sent us one. No postmark and no return address means we can’t reciprocate or work out who the hell they are. I even put out a plea via Andrew Collins on BBC6 Music last year.
I’m still awaiting two records that were ordered in mid-December. One is the Seasonal Greet EP from The Just Joans (ordered 10 December) and another a compilation, Compendium from The Second Hand Marching Band, purchased online on 14 December. The latter has now posted out another one and I’d put money on it appearing before the first one.
(STOP PRESS: The Just Joans CD has arrived, albeit in the twee-est packaging imaginable. There’s no postmark but I trust that Wee Pop sent it when they said they had so that makes it 28 days to deliver it. Not really good enough. Of course, I won’t be able to play it on my Christmas shows, as originally intended, for another 11 months).
The posties on the frontline are blaming a new delivery system called, rather ironically, “The Way Forward”, while “Management” are putting the blame squarely at the feet of Mother Nature. Other areas, such as Alloa, which had similar weather issues didn’t have the problems of Dunfermline so the weather excuse falls flat. Seems to me that spineless, faceless management types are sabotaging their own employer in an attempt to get the company sold off sooner than later.
The Scottish Transport Secretary resigned for his part in the transport debacle. The boss of Northern Ireland Water resigned for his inability to cope with their problems. Heads need to roll at Royal Mail too for the chaos their “Way Forward” has caused and also for blatantly lying to the public about the reasons for the appalling service throughout December and January.
This thread from the local paper Dunfermline Press has given us more real information about what has or hasn’t been going on that Royal Mail, including eye-witness acounts from the men and women on the front line. (Please note while reading the comments that some West Fifers have no concept of spelling, grammar, punctuation or netiquette!)
Jocknroll Ain't Noise Pollution 