A letter? A letter? What is this — 1897 (Editor's note: incidentally, this is when Country Life was first published)? Do I have to cycle to the post box on a penny farthing?
Ahem, no it’s not, and no you don’t. There are various occasions now when you can get away with a thank you text — someone picked up the tab after dinner, someone gave you a book they thought you’d like, someone dog-sat for you, someone gave you unwarranted and ultimately quite unhelpful love life advice, but the thought was there. A brief WhatsApp or even a voice note (under a minute, please!) can work in these situations.
Alas, there are still moments when you still have to sit down, like a reluctant child after Christmas, and bash out a few thoughtful sentences by hand. After a wedding, after staying with someone for the weekend, or after a particularly inspired present.
That said, I’m a big fan of a postcard. Did you take an adorable snap of their baby during the weekend? Did you take a photo of the bride and groom, emerging from church, confetti floating into their open mouths? Go online and knock up a photo postcard, in that case, and write a few (heartfelt!) lines to go on the back of it. Quick, easy, still personal and delivered through the letterbox, but most importantly the website sends the postcard for you, which means it’ll arrive promptly rather than rolling around in the bottom of your bag until you remember to stick it in the post five months later.
Alternatively, make like my godson, Jack, who sent me a terrific thank you letter a few months ago. Jack is five, so it wasn’t a long or notably articulate letter. ‘Dear Sophia’ it said, in wobbly orange, felt-tip pen letters at the top of the page, and underneath that was a very rudimentary felt-tip drawing of a camera since I’d given him one for Christmas. ‘Love Jack,’ said more wobbly letters below his picture. That was it. Just a drawing, but I loved it so much I’ve framed it. So you could always try that after a wedding, and send a ropey sketch of a salmon canapé.
-
'Fences have blocked wildlife corridors, causing the wildebeest migration to collapse from 140,000 individuals to fewer than 15,000': Is the opening of the Ritz-Carlton in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve a cause for celebration or concern?In Kenya's iconic Masai Mara region tourism is an important and necessary part of the economy, but the arrival os several large hotel groups — including Ritz-Carlton — have some on edge.
-
‘I get all twitchy when I see people wearing something that really doesn’t belong’: A watch for every summer occasionThere’s a watch for every social summer occasion, from the Mediterranean to muddy festivals. Chris Hall selects some of his favourites.
-
‘I get all twitchy when I see people wearing something that really doesn’t belong’: A watch for every summer occasion
There’s a watch for every social summer occasion, from the Mediterranean to muddy festivals. Chris Hall selects some of his favourites.
-
Henry Holland's consuming passions: 'I started my career as the fashion editor of Smash Hits magazine and I am still a pop tart at heart!'Henry Holland, fashion designer and ceramicist, reveals who he'd like to play him in a film and why he's impressed with model Karlie Kloss.
-
Listen up puffins, peregrines and seal pups — Big Brother is watching youThe Wildlife Trusts have installed more than 25 video cameras around the country that live stream activity from barn owl nests to popular puffin sites.
-
'Comfortable, cosseting and far from the madding crowd': The recently refurbished Cornish cottage that proves Victorian decor is making a comebackPlum Cottage in Padstow, Cornwall, has been brought to life by Jess Alken and her husband, Ash — and is the latest addition to their holiday cottages on the north Cornish coast.
-
Coco's crush: Chanel's century-long love affair with Britain and its menFor the past 100 years, Chanel — the person and the brand — has left an indelible mark on the UK and its cultural institutions. Amie Elizabeth White takes a look at how the relationship came to be.
-
Critics be damned, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral gets Grade I status on advice from Historic EnglandLooking a bit like a large piece of moon-landing equipment on which you’d best not sit, with indoor lighting that wouldn’t look out of place in a nightclub, the building has ever divided opinions.
-
Corinne Fowler: Exploring the hidden history of the British countryside, one walk at a timeProfessor Corinne Fowler joins the Country Life Podcast.
-
Whatever floats your moat: Tower of London's former waterway receives help to adapt to the pressures of climate changeIt is one of five gardens across the globe that have been selected by the fund for aid in adapting to the growing pressures of climate change.
