The winged and otherwise messenger

Waited in today for Robert to come in the red Post Office van to deliver my tennis raquet from London and a packet of mail. It was a walk day, sunny intervals, bright and only a bit of drizzle, which is good weather here. Everything revolves around the sun, as they say, that means that if the sun is out here, so must you be too, it may not happen for a while.

Gave up by two pm, he was supposed to be here by 1pm. So right on cue for the
eclipse I started walking to St Buryan. I had only taken a few steps before a loud honk made
me jump. Clive, a kind neighbour who has no teeth, stopped to pick me up. We'd only gone a few yards and reached Laburnum cottage and lo and behold there was the lovely red Post Office or is it Royal Mail van? Royal Mail sounds more interesting. In this Gemini eclipse, ruled by Mercury, all things communication seem to be highlighted. But you never know what to expect. I had listened yesterday to a programme on Radio 4 about the history of the Royal Mail. Originally set up for surveillance purposes during Cromwell's reign of terror it eventually transformed when people needed some way of communicating and keeping family and friends together when people emigrated and travelled more. So we see there the link between Gemini and its ruling planet Mercury and communications and the opposite sign of Sagitarius ruled by Jupiter which would signify foreign places, travel and probably the content of the letters and the imparting of words of wisdom, one imagines from parents to offspring who have gone abroad to work or fight in wars and so on. We all know a letter from a loved one was a huge boost to morale to troops in the 1st and 2nd wars. I know myself that I used to write letters to my brother Pete, when he was in the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy and to an unfortunate friend who went to prison in the US for ten years. Letters are important historical documents and it is one of the wonders of the world that we can read in letters and journals what people wrote in the 1600's. I was rather surprized to realize how far back we started writing letters.

Henry VIII created The Master of the Post in