Vocal Voices

..... all the beggars you knocked off your Christmas Card list this year send you cards right at the last minute?

Seems I've been in a constant procession to the post box these last few days ...

That happened to me on Saturday. I'd honestly just walked in through the door from the post office, feeling very smug, and the post came just as I was taking my coat off

I only do about 8 cards now. Back in England, it was 60 something

But, people have died, moved, not told us - wonder why

And as I've said before they're blasted expensive here.

Now I know Iceland do English cards, I'll get some for next Christmas. but it's not the same as Portuguese cards.

We haven't had all that many cards this year, and I'm worrying about our old neighbour Joan from where we lived before here. She always popped round with a card well before Christmas, each time we've been past her house in the last six months or so her car hasn't been on the drive so I don't know if she's had to give up driving or what. I'm going to drop by with a card over the weekend.

We have a friend in Cornwall, used to live near us, then moved when she got divorced.

She had eye cancer and had to get her family to write cards for her and also read them.

I wrote and told her we had moved, sent a card the following year but not heard since. So guessing, sadly, that she's no longer with us.

We get fewer each year, I think I did think I'd sent them all, then a card arrived yesterday from Z in Germany. We usually do emails and ecards So I queued up at the PO this morning to send her a card that she probably won't get now until the NY

I don't send many cards now it's my own decision not to just to special people still in my life

I've cut down a lot on cards. Presents too. I was buying for cousins and their children and we weren't even getting so much as a card from them. Actually one cousin used to 'buy' us something. I say 'buy', she works for M&S and is quite high up in the company working as a marketing manager and we always used to get something which was obviously damaged stock and not fit for sale

Blimey Jo That's a bit off