Today's Advent Book Photo................
This book kept popping up on the recommended pages on amazon last year and I bought it without really knowing what it was (Stupid Woman!). If I'd known more about it and looked at her website I probably wouldn't have bothered.
Gillian Monks is a Quaker, Theosophist (had to look that up....... THEOSOPHY,
n. An ancient faith having all the certitude of religion and all the
mystery of science. The modern Theosophist holds, with the Buddists,
that we live an incalculable number of times on this earth, in as many
several bodies, because one life is not long enough for our complete
spiritual development; that is, a single lifetime does not suffice for
us to become as wise and good as we choose to wish to become. To be
absolutely wise and good—that is perfection; and the Theosophist is so
keen-sighted as to have observed that everything desirous of improvement
eventually attains perfection. Less competent observers are disposed to
except cats, which seem neither wiser nor better than they were last
year. The greatest and fattest of recent Theosophists was the late
Madame Blavatsky, who had no cat.)
...........and I was none the wiser after
reading that! and she is also a practising Druid and lives in North
Wales. The book is a pot-pourri of writing about aspects of Christmas,
with recipes, history and little snippets from her own Mother's diary.
I've dipped in and out of this book - published in 2018, and there are several interesting pieces but a lot I knew or already had information about in other books. It will be sold on after Christmas.
Because there isn't a Post Office in my village I tend to take parcels and things that need weighing whenever I'm out doing something else, I picked the wrong time last Saturday and had to wait for ages in a queue in the Co-op in Debenham - that day I got all the cards off except those with letters. Then yesterday, on my way back from swimming I went to the PO in Eye and walked straight in and no queue - very unusual - so all the Christmas crime books and all the rest of my Christmas cards with letters are now winging their way around the country. We may moan about them but I think Post Offices and postmen/ladies do a brilliant job. When you think that it's cost me the same to send a parcel all the way to Tiree in the Inner Hebrides as it does to send a parcel to Essex that's pretty good. I wish PO's could have stayed open in more villages but there are a few left to use.
And compared to Hermes Parcel delivery service they are 100% better. I'm hoping that something I ordered will get here eventually but emails keep telling me there's been a delay and haven't heard a thing since Monday. On the village face book page I see I'm not the only person and apparently a new Hermes driver gave up after just two days due to the difficulty in finding some properties - in a place where there are no road name signs and houses are tucked away up lanes..... I don't envy them. Yet other companies like DPD who collect book parcels for ziffit never have any problem.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
Round here Yodel are the worst, closely followed by DPD (their driver told outright lies as the reason for non delivery of a parcel to us). Hermes we have no problem with at all, we've had the same Hermes driver for years and he's highly efficient, reliable and friendly.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly depends on the driver
DeleteDon't talk to me about Hermes! We had dreadful problems getting the climbing frame delivered to Manchester. In the end we finally got a refund and went with another courier. But like you, I've found the ziffit collections worked very well. I took parcels to the PO yesterday. There were 3people in the queue when I arrived - but by the time I got to the front, there were eighteen behind me. Considering the service we get, small parcel prices don't seem that unreasonable. We can send a small gift to Essex, Aberdeen or Anglesey or Londonderry for the same price as a coffee in Starbucks! (cannot remember when I last visited Starbucks)
ReplyDeleteSmall parcel prices are very good. Not sure about large parcels - tend to avoid sending anything too big
DeleteThanks for the definition of Theosophism, but like you, I'm not much wiser! I think it's terrible that Post Offices have been allowed to close in small communities. They are an essential service in my opinion. xx
ReplyDeletePost Offices are a use it or lose it I think and the definition makes no sense at all - think I found it on a strange website
DeleteI think with Hermes it's pretty hit and miss which courier you get as they are mostly self-employed. If it's someone that is reasonably local, as our is, and knows the idiosyncrasies of the area well you are fine, if it's some poor bloke that has to rely on his Sat Nav to find you in an area that 26 houses all over a hillside or country lane all with names and no numbers then basically you don't stand a chance!!
ReplyDeleteThe Post Office does a sterling job but like you I do wish we still had out smaller offices. My nearest one is tucked in the local One-Stop Shop and the next nearest is in the Spar.
My Post code here covers the whole hamlet of houses and house names are often invisible until you get right to the front door!
DeleteYes same as us in Wales, if we give someone our postcode and they drive to it following their Sat Bag they end up at the top of the hill a mile down the road ... we always know where they are as that's where we ended up the day we came to view Isfryn 🤣🤣. We give people that need to get to ours our neighbours postcode now, it brings you virtually to our front door as he lives across the road.
DeleteI should have added "that 26 houses all over a hillside or country lane all with names and no numbers ... and all share the exact same post code" OOPS
ReplyDeleteWe are fortunate as our local PO stayed open, manned by a trusty band of volunteers, who also run the little store it's in. That's 3 miles away. When we move, the PO in Builth is 2 miles away so we could walk there and back (in summer!)
ReplyDeleteLike Sue and Sooze, I think My Hermes depends on the driver. We used to have regular pick-ups, but now I don't bother with that as no-one bothers to turn up!
Yet the local driver for deliveries is ultra reliable.
Have to say, much as I moan about Royal Mail with their cubic parcels, I'd be lost without them.
I'm sure Hermes was OK up until a couple of months ago but now it's gone to pot.
DeleteSue, I am a total Hermes fan over and above the PO. A parcel to NW Scotland took just Friday lunchtime to Monday lunchtime last week. A parcel from here Ludlow to Durham just 24hours, plus I do so love to track them... sad, but there you are! Memo to self... I must get out more... then I think, I can’t, I can’t, Boris won’t approve!
ReplyDeleteLX
Tracking is OK until it says "with your local delivery person" and then it doesn't appear!
DeleteI agree with you about Royal Mail. Parcels are delivered efficiently. Have experience of Hermes, unimpressed, same with Yodel. My award for the worst delivery driver goes to the man who delivered my father's birthday present, a large carrot cake from Sponge, by posting it through a small window (top of the porch). Needless to say, the cake arrived upside down. Shout out to Sponge though, they gave me a fulsome apology and refunded my money.
ReplyDeleteOh what a disaster for the cake and I'm glad you got a refund
DeleteAlthough I have had complaints about them in the past, I am a Post Office/Royal Mail fan too and hate to see them being reduced and messed about with.
ReplyDeleteI have read a lot of complaints about Hermes, especially on the blogs, but I always take as I find and I have no complaints about them at all. It must depend on the driver, as in Wales we had two part-time drivers who fitted deliveries in with their other commitments, one was a gardener so did seasonal work and the other was a young mother who worked around school times and I never had cause to complain about either one. Here in Devon we have another excellent delivery driver who, knowing I'm disabled, leaves the parcel in the porch. All three are a credit to Hermes.
Hermes has gone downhill here recently. I'm glad you have good drivers locally to you
DeletePeople are having awful problems with Hermes here. Mainly parcels delivered to the wrong house, parcels getting wet because they have been thrown over a fence. I am just off to our Post Office in the church to post a small package. It should be open this morning.
ReplyDeleteA PO in the church must be unique but a good idea to keep it going
DeleteThe book sounds like a real mis mash of beliefs and customs...I have 2 naughty kittens...son't ever think they'll become angels...Wilbur has discovered the fun that is sliding down the bannister! x
ReplyDeleteThe book has some interesting bits but I shouldn't have bothered with it
DeleteThe explanation of Theosophy makes no sense! Plus I would argue that it's religion that holds all the mystery and science has the certainty. Here there was a blatant attempt to slow down our PO, but there was too much push back thankfully. Where I live it's still very efficient. Celie in Wisconsin.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the explanation - made no sense after reading twice!
DeleteThank goodness your Postal Service is hanging on
Glad the Royal Mail is holding up. I'm a little disgusted by the US Postal Service in my area at the moment, though I know they are stressed, but I've watched (online history that originally said it would be delivered Nov 30) a package mailed almost three weeks ago from NJ to MD (a distance of less than 200 miles) be sent to multiple distribution depots in NJ, MD (sitting in each for days at a time) and now sent back out to DC center as of this morning. Needless to say, I still don't have the package. Teeth grinding.
ReplyDeleteOh dear that doesn't sound very hopeful.
DeleteOn a different subject, how is your search for a new home going? Roderick
ReplyDeleteI think the post offices do well, but the prices here in the US have gone up ridiculously in the past couple of years. I used to be able to send Mum a flat rate envelope for 13 something now it is 34 something! They have done away with the cheaper cost parcel post too. I have taken to ordering in England and have it delivered for free or low cost!
ReplyDelete