Pen on Paper

 

Richard Bell's Wild West Yorkshire nature diary, Sunday, 19th August, 2007

 

view through the patio windows
View from the
patio windows

Sunday

Dear Reader,

It’s so long since I wrote to anyone in anything other than an e-mail that it seemed strange to sit at my desk overlooking the valley this morning and write a pen & paper letter (remember them?) to Richard Tite of the Harrogate & District Naturalists’ Society who kindly sent me a copy of their latest bird report which he’s illustrated with lively line drawings (there's a section of colour photographs too).

envelopeSomehow sending a ‘thank you’ e-mail wouldn't have been the same.

I've gradually stopped writing letters, but then so has almost everyone else I know (except, come to think of it, a friend in Singapore, who sent me a real letter this week in her characteristically immaculate calligraphy - thank you for that, Tanya!).

stamp

It’s such a different medium to an e-mail or a web-page; the recipient is going to hold that same piece of paper.

When you’re composing the letter, it has a natural length - the length of the piece of paper you’ve chosen - while an e-mail can be as short or as long as you wish, without wasting paper if you stop half-way down the first side - something that I find hard to do with my innate Yorkshire sense of thrift.

Parker pen

It’s so long since I did any writing that I had clean and re-fill my old Parker Reflex.

It’s flowing smoothly now, so I hope I’ll find some excuse to write another letter soon,

Come to think of it, I owe Tanya a letter . . .

Best wishes,

Richard

Harrogate Brid Report

2006: 201 species recorded by John R Mather, including great white pelican, Eurasian spoonbill and white stork.

hand