h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you saw the recent entry on BookCrossing on the FP (A9193269) or you have heard about it, but like me don't want to part with your books, how about this.

Postcrossing
http://www.postcrossing.com/

The idea is you sign up, leave your name & address (secure - not handed out to just anybody) and a bit of info about yourself (if you want)

Then you can request an address, you can request up to 5 at a time. You receive an email with an address of someone else from the site, with their snail address, and - importantly - a code number for the postcard.

You then send them a postcard,with the reference number on it.

When they receive the card, they go to the website, log that they have got it (and often leave you a message too) and your name goes to the top of the list for addresses to be given out.

You never receive an address in the same country as where you are.

So far I have sent 4, but my fist just arrived so I haven't got any yet.

I've joined up, I like seeing postcards and so does Alex, she'll like to see where all the cards come from

and it's a great way to teach geography!!

I sent my first postcard to Brazil this morning and I'll be sending another one to Thailand soon

got my first postcard...

From Yorkshire!!!

That's great - I haven't had one from Yorkshire yet, but had a few from Liverpool and from South England and London -without doing the post crossing

lucky you!!

I got one from Lanzarotte, which got my hopes up -but it was for my mum. and it wasn't for me, it was for the Gruesomes!

I'm confused now - was it for your mum or for the gruesomes ? Or was it from your mum for the gruesomes ?

My second card reached Thailand in 5 days, my first card to Brazil hasn't been registered yet, my next 2 are off to the USA one to Michigan and one to New York

the card was from my mum (on holiday in Lanzarote) to the Gruesomes. I got a separate one at work.

Reefgirl, somewhere else (or was it in this thread) you had an idea about our daughters sending a postcard to each other.

Do you think yours would fancy it? My 7 year old has a penfriend (one of my mum's neighbours kids) and my 9 year old is a bit jealous.

Anyway, if you thinks she would be up for that, let me have your address by email and we'll see how they get on.

I remember when I was around 9 or 10 I got a penfriend in Malta, via my headmaster at school, and we wrote for years. Somehow we lost touch around my O-level time at school, which was a shame. But I well remember how exciting it was to get post from exotic places.

I think it was here, I'll send you my snail mail post (Har har) haste

Sho, today I got a postcard from a girl in Finland.

On my bio at Postcrossing I asked for "space related" and "butterflies" and "where you live"

She sent me a picture of an Aurora Borealis.

To say I was overwhelmed, speechless...!! doesn't cut it.

She'd written on the back "This is the only "space related" postcard I could get, I hope it's what you like.

*sob*

It's my lifetime dream to see an Aurora Borealis for real.
A postcard of one is the next best thing.

again for introducing me to this, I've even got my daughter interested...

I've seen some pics of the Aurora Borealis and I'd love to see it 'Live' too, I'd like to see the Midnight Sun. I think my Mum and Daughter look forward to the Post more now to see if I've got anymore postcards, it can be guarenteed that wherever the card has come from it's will start a discussion on something.

h2g2 has been on Postcrossing's front page, they've got a link to Sho's EE and the FP

I've seen the Aurora Borealis

It was truly breathtaking.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this - I recently got a card from Rochester, NY, from a woman who used to live in the same group of villages as me (Waldfeucht). Her husband was posted to the nearby NATO base. We were there at the same time. Spooky, eh? (and the subject she is now studying at uni, is something I have done with the gruesomes, so I'm telling her about that for her thesis. )

Glad you're enjoying it - it really is one of the better ideas I've seen come off the internet.

That's freaky!

lucky you seeing the Aurora.

that sort of thing happens to me all the time!

as for the northern lights (because I can't spell its proper name) I was surrounded by Marines at the time...

"as for the northern lights (because I can't spell its proper name) I was surrounded by Marines at the time..."

you lucky so and so

Yes, I recall a conversation I had with my ex-, when he was in the Army he was asleep when the guard came to rouse them all, to show them the aurora. The ex- was annoyed that he'd had his sleep disturbed

It never ceases to amaze me how something so wonderful is so rarely appreciated (or seen by people who would appreciate it), but at least some people do enjoy it

I was in Northern Norway in about 26 layers of clothing... it really took my breath away, I do believe that comment was made on the 5 minutes silence it seemed to force on me!!