Postcrossing Blog

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

When choosing this month’s writing prompt, I’d just happened across some news articles about a pretty weird… sporting(?)… event in the UK. So it seemed like the perfect time to ask you all about unusual and conventional sports you have in your country. Or maybe even really, really local events!

The item in the news that I happened across today was… cheese-rolling. To be accurate, the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling event, held at Cooper’s Hill near Gloucester. Apparently there’s a cheese-rolling event in Chester, too, but the one at Cooper’s Hill has been running longer, and gets in the news each year because. Well. It consists of rolling a cheese down a really steep hill, then having people chase after it, and inevitably people get themselves hurt!

Apparently the event hasn’t been run officially in a while because of the safety concerns, but rogue cheese-rollers go ahead and organise it anyway. If you catch the cheese, it’s yours, which admittedly is some slight temptation to me because I do love cheese—except I know that I’d be well behind the competition, and also, I could just get cheese that hasn’t been rolled down a hill on a warm day.

Are there any weird sporting events local to you? Something famous from your country? As ever, we’d love to hear about it in your comments, but also on your postcards this month if you don’t know what to write!

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

A while ago, Eva (aka lauranalanthalasa) suggested on the forum that we ask about people’s favourite scents for our monthly writing prompts. Scent can be really powerful and nostalgic, so that definitely made me curious!

I’d say my favourite scents are vanilla and old books, which aren’t quite so different as they sound! Books are made up of paper, which is made of wood pulp; that contains a lot of cellulose and lignin, which are tough components of the original wood. They can last a long time, but they do break down partially—and it turns out that lignin is closely related to vanillin, a compound which gives vanilla its scent and flavour.

I don’t know about anyone else, but some books smell better than others (I have one in front of me right now that smells delicious, though it’s quite new!) so I don’t think lignin breaking down into vanillin-like particles is the the whole story, but it does neatly make sense of things!

How about you? What’s your favourite scent? You can write about it on your postcards this month if you’re stuck for what to write, but you can also answer us in the comments on this post!

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

Here in the UK, the days are getting bright and sunny, there’s warmth (and pollen) in the air, and people are beginning to plan their summer holidays. Given that, and the fact that I keep telling you how lovely Wales is, I thought it would be a good time for this prompt…

My family all come from the Cardiff/Caerphilly area, and I went to university in Cardiff, so you’re not going to be surprised when I recommend Cardiff. If you’re into shopping, it has a compact city centre that’s easy to walk around, with lots of “arcades” which contain smaller (often independent) shops of all types, and an indoor market. While you’re in the market, you might like to pick up some Welsh cakes to try from Cardiff Bakestones. Once you’ve nibbled one of those (preferably fresh and warm), then if you love books, don’t miss a little detour into the arcades to find Troutmark Books, a second-hand bookshop that I love and which kept me stocked up on books throughout my time as a student. And while you’re in the city centre, there are plenty of places to get postcards, don’t worry!

If tourist attractions are more your thing, Cardiff is a great base camp for visiting them. You can start with Cardiff Castle, right in the city centre—give yourself some time to catch a tour and hear all about it, and don’t forget to look up: some of the ceilings are absolutely astounding. There’s also the National Museum in Cardiff itself, which combines art and natural history. However, my favourite museum experience is St Fagan’s, which is full of old buildings and reconstructions that give you a glimpse at Wales through the ages. My most recent trip was on a “ghost walk”, which was a pretty fascinating way to explore, but if you do that then I recommend going back during the day to see how it looks in the light as well! It’s worth the time.

You’re also within easy travelling distance of Caerphilly, if you want to visit Caerphilly Castle and learn about the history and conflicts of the area, and Castell Coch, which I’ve always loved best and is absolutely beautiful.

And if you’re more the walking and hiking sort, the Brecon Beacons National Park might suit you… But by this point, I hope I have folks convinced! Is there somewhere in your country that you love like I love Cardiff? Tell us about it, on your postcards this month and in the comments!

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

This is the writing prompt for March, so it seems only appropriate to pick a prompt suggested by Dax (alter3ch0) in the forum, suggesting members could talk about their country’s flag. I’ve been under no pains to hide where I come from in these posts, so if you’ve read a few you probably know that I’m Welsh… and 1st March is St David’s Day, usually observed in Wales by a celebration of all things Welsh: wearing daffodils and leeks, eating traditional Welsh food like cawl and bara brith, and donning traditional Welsh dress. I must confess that the most I usually do is wear a daffodil!

In any case, it seems like an excellent time to tell you about the Welsh flag—and talking about flags is our writing prompt for this month for everyone.

The Welsh flag is, of course, “Y Ddraig Goch” (the Red Dragon). In the terms of heraldry, it’s a red dragon passant on a green and white field. The green and white are technically the colours of the Tudor family, who were descended from a Welshman, Owen Tudor. The dragon is a symbol of Wales because of a story that’s linked to Arthurian legends (which are also Welsh in origin), in which a king called Vortigern (Gwrtheyrn, in Welsh) is trying to build a fort in a place called Dinas Emrys, but every night, every stone is shaken down and every day the building has to begin again. He’s told by a boy called Emrys (who would grow up to be Myrddin/Merlin) that the building is being toppled by two dragons trapped beneath the ground, who fight during the night and rest during the day. One is white and the other red—and the red one symbolises Wales.

The dragons come from an older story again, recorded now in a collection of old Welsh stories called The Mabinogion, in which the dragons are one of three “plagues” disrupting Britain. They get trapped and then buried in a stone chest by a king called Lludd… in Dinas Emrys! So that’s how they got there…

I always think the Welsh flag is one of the coolest, since we literally have a dragon, but I’m ready to be wrong! Do you have good stories about your own regional or country flag to share? You can post them in the comments here, or write about them if you’re not sure what to write on your postcards in March!

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

Recently, Barbara (bjhowden) wrote to us about a theme she suggests in her profile for people writing to her: what are your earliest memories? Over time, a lot of people have answered the prompt, and she shared some of the themes with us—the birth of siblings, time with grandparents, pranks played as a child, and sometimes ones which are more bittersweet or painful. Either way, a lot of people seem to want to talk about it.

It’s a lovely project, and we’d like to invite everyone to participate this month in the postcards you write!

Both of my earliest memories are from when I was just barely two years old, so I’ve often been asked if I’m sure I really remember, and don’t just know the story. But my family are pretty certain that I do, because I wasn’t told the story. I remembered it myself, and only shared the fact that I remembered it with my mother much later. It’s surprisingly vivid still, all the same; I remember my grampy (my father’s father) holding me and teaching me to make a strong Lego house by overlapping the bricks instead of just clipping them one on top of the other in a column. My other very early memory is about him as well, probably a few days later since he was no longer sitting up.

As you might have guessed, my grampy died not long after; I count myself very fortunate that I have these precious memories! Funnily enough, I also remember teaching my younger sister to build a secure Lego foundation, in the same way, some years later. So in a way, Grampy taught both of us, even though he didn’t meet my sister.

What about you? Are your earliest memories something important, or something small? How old are you in your earliest memory? We’d love to hear your reminisces on the cards you write this month—and in the comments here too, if you like!