I posted a birthday card on Tuesday last week to my grandson in Farnborough, which did not arrive by his birthday on Friday.

A first class parcel took ten days to the same destination. A letter sent air mail to Australia went via Indonesia and took five months.

A Christmas parcel to America sent surface mail early in October was delivered this week.

My personal mail was, last week, delivered to a house two doors away while the occupants were on holiday.

Royal Mail customer services say "95 per cent of first class mail is delivered next day". I must be the five per cent that goes adrift.

Thank heaven for email.

-Betty Field, Brighton