Christmas post from England

[Ragged Robin]

Just a thought. It used to be a regular thing that post (even correctly addressed to the TRNC via Turkey) was redirected by an ill wisher in the London PO to the South. It was supposed to be handed over to the UN, but that didnt happen and mail was just left in a stack in the South Nicosia PO and an English lady who regularly visited the South kindly used to collect all the mail for the North and bring it over.

She hasnt been here for a long time, and I dont know if anyone (BRS?) now checks if mail has been misdelivered to the South. Maybe someone from BRS or someone who has a po box in the South could make enquiries.

The other thing is, Marion has a point about the extra influx of mail at Christmas. Turkish speakers do have problems with English names (well admit it happens vice versa) and some may have gone in the wrong box, and we may have to wait till the swallows return and hope they take the trouble to hand over misplaced mail. Also I have found mail in my Girne Box for people with the same surname but different initials, and also for the same number in Lapta.

[Owl Lady]

Agreed Ragged Robin, but non of that explains why it sits in Lefkosa for 2/3 weeks before getting to Girne and surrounding villages!!

[waddo]

Agree that Turkish speakers may have trouble with English names BUT names do not matter for P.O. Box delivery!!! It can be any name that goes in your box so long as the box number is displayed. All mail for P.O. box numbers is delivers to P.O. box numbers!!!

[Heaven]

To all Lapta people. 1 Christmas card today but just as I am leaving the post office the delivery van pulled up and dragged out a bigger sack tha n Santa´s of mail so who knows tomorrow?

[Ragged Robin]

Owl Lady; I dont know about the other villages, but Girne Po only delivers to Ozankoy Muhtar on a Thursday so if mail reaches Girne on a Friday or on a Thursday after the delivery has already been made that accounts for 6 or 7 of the missing days. On at least two occasions to my knowledge they have completely missed on Thursday so that could account for two weeks' delay.

I dont think there is one single cause of delay but after living here 18 years it has been my experience that delays and missing post are much worse at Christmas time, this got even worse after 2004 with the increase in the expat population and this year has been the worst yet.

We also have to take into account that having to go through a third country increases the risk of human error (which is inevitable anywhere) by a third.

[Heaven]

Just to let you all know - my Christmas post turned up today stamped lefkoşa 26 th NOVEMBER. MMMMM! wonder where it has been!!! Thanks to all those who have joined in this topic. I will let David Brown know.

[Ragged Robin]

Three cards at Ozanköy today. One of the cards postmarked postmarked Royal Mail North and West Yorkshire on 4th December. The other two cards had no post mark by Royal Mail but all the cards had a row of short orange lines stamped across the front of the envelope. Is this a new system of franking introduced by Royal Mail/ the EU to ensure the recipient cant find out when the letter was posted? Presumably it is computer generated. I wonder if the TRNC has the equipment to read it?

There was also a routine communication from a large UK insurance company who obviously use some form of alternative private postal system in the EU. This was not posted marked by sending PO but the content was dated 28th November.

Not one of them was postmarked in either Lefkoşa or Girne.

I regret to say that one of them was so badly written and misspelled that I can only be grateful to the Turkish and TRNC Post Offices for getting it to me at all!

[Owl Lady]

Yipee 14 mail pieces of mail today in Ozankoy, only 2 date stamped in Lefkosa. One posted in the UK 13th November, form enclosed to be returned no later than 19th December!!!!Only 11 missing card now!

[foodie]

Wow received 8 Christmas cards today just as I was taking my others down to donate to Tulips.

[Smiler]

I picked up two cards from my Girne box today and neither had any stamps from Lefkosa or Girne?! One posted 25/11 and the other 15/12 so at least they didn't take too long!

[Navek]

Update.
2 cards arrived on Xmas eve.
1 on Boxing Day, with 3 cards inside
All known post arrived.
1st time ever

[Owl Lady]

6 more yesterday, non stamped in Lefkosa. Some still missing, including one from Turkey!!!!

[sophie]

Yup, still coming in. Some without Lefkosa stamp, some without Girne stamp, and one yesterday with no foreign stamping at all.

[Ragged Robin]

Yesterday

1 from Isle of Man postmarked 4th Dec.

1 from South East Angia 15th Dec.

1 from Canada 12 Dec.

1 from Italy illegible postmark.

No Lefkosa or Girne postmarks,