Meridian Index

A five-foot putt to win The Open Golf Championship. The chance I've always dreamed of. But wait, what's that noise? It can't be my alarm already. Alas it is and another dream is ended. Yes it's five o'clock and another day begins. Out of bed, a shower, a coffee and if there is time, a small breakfast. Then I put my uniform on and cycle down to the post office to arrive at six a.m. The van bringing the mail from Cambridge has just arrived. The mail is sorted overnight in Cambridge for delivery the next morning in Swavesey.

How much mail will there be today? The driver opens the van door and we see the amount of mailbags there are. We realise that another busy day lies ahead. The first job is to unload all the bags from the van and then empty them onto the sorting room floor. Next, the mail is sorted into the various walks or rounds in the village. Once that is completed, the mail is then sorted into roads or streets and then finally into the numerical order ready for delivery. This whole process can take anything from two to four hours to complete, normally nearer the latter.

Now comes the best part of the job for me, the delivery. Out in the fresh air, meeting people, passing the time of day with them. There are some really nice people on my walk and although I have lived in the village for over five years, I have only been doing this delivery for just over a year. I have though, been lucky enough to get to know a lot of the people. Also, I get to meet their pets, especially dogs. Small ones, big ones, young and old, they are all great, all with individual characters. Fortunately, none of them have taken to biting me so far. Prior to working in the village, I was nine years in Cambridge with Royal Mail, but I much prefer the village delivery.

My delivery can take anything from three to four hours, depending on the volume of mail. This does mean that some people do not get their mail until late in the morning or early afternoon. But I have to say that most people are very understanding about it and hardly ever complain. The houses vary in shape and size from small flats to large houses with long drives. The letterboxes also vary in size. Some of the older houses have letterboxes that seem to have been designed for one letter, whereas others have boxes that will receive larger A4 size letters and packets. The letterboxes also vary in terms of viciousness. Some will take the skin off your fingers if you are not careful and tear letters and packets, while others will accept small parcels with ease.

Summertime is perfect for my job, light mornings and warm days. Wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts, it's the best time of year for me. People often say, "Yours is a great job" in the summer, but they are conspicuous by their absence in the winter when it's cold and wet and I am trying my best to keep the mail dry, but sometimes fighting a losing battle. But still, on reflection, it's not such a bad job. After all, it does keep me off the streets!

John Jullien