The Philatelic Bureau used to be based at the main Waterloo Place Post Office in Edinburgh, at the end of Princes Street. That was in the days when a car could drive along Princes Street and trams were in the past. It was easy to go to the Post Office and buy the latest "pretty" stamps. I used to enjoy First Day Covers and collected them for years.
Then the Waterloo Place PO was sold (allegedly too cheaply) and the Philatelic Bureau moved, I had given Jonathan the Classic Album Covers stamps in hope but he put them up on his wall as too beautiful to use. So I bit the bullet and ordered some from the Philatelic Bureau (it's the cost of post and packaging I don't like!) and browsed through their catalogue. I like writing letters and I do enjoy putting an interesting stamp on the envelope. It's rare that I receive a pretty one back, mind you, so many folk like the self-adhesive boring ones. But I can dream. And when the price of stamps goes up again next year I'll probably have a few in hand.
Today's word in NaNoJouMo is nicely appropriate. One of the best ways of forging a friendship is by letter writing, and blog commenting isn't far behind. There's no virtue, though, in saying that, at this moment, Dawn is linking to my blog and I face with equanimity the fact that I may be late for my next meeting. But maybe all these references are too esoteric!
