Another light snowfall fills the lanes. Work gets even busier as the winter starts taking its toll, with more people than usual on sick leave. By now many more customers are also housebound by the weather or seasonal illness and we bring them supplies, news, and gossip. There are still many farms and houses I can’t reach by road because the lanes are blocked either by snow or a sheet of ice. I park the van as close as I can and walk the rest of the way. I don’t mind except when the only post is junk mail, the unsolicited mailings that most people loathe. I’ve had customers get quite cross with me and either give it straight back, or tear it up in front of me. I don’t blame them. I decided once to simply stop delivering it, as there wasn’t one of my customers who wanted it. But then Susie, another postie and a mate of mine at the Royal Mail, told me that what I was doing was a big no-no; that we were legally obliged to deliver the wretched stuff. Today it’s a small package from New Zealand that I’m delivering, and I know who it’s from.
