The idea behind this is as follows:
I'm going to write fan-mail to people/organisations I admire and post copies of it here. I aim to do this fairly often, but to no fixed time scale. I'll also explain a bit about who/what I'm writing to and why. I'm going to write hand written letters which may include illustrations and diagrams. I'll do my best to put any pictures on the blog, but I make no promises as I'm not very au-fait with blogger yet... Let's see what happens. I'll post any replies I get here too.
So without further ado.;
The first lettter:
This letter I'm writing to my twin because he's my favourite person in the world and because I need to reply to the last letter that he wrote to me.
('Wrote to me', not 'wrote me', that's a pet peeve of mine. is it something to do with whether 'wrote' is transitive/intransitive? I don't know, but I know what I like.)
The First Letter *Fan fare and rejoicing*
Dearest Twin,
It is my sincere and heartfelt wish that this missive finds you in robust health and jubilant spirits. I received your last letter with unbridled elation, for from few things on this earth can such simple yet profound pleasures be derived than the perusal of a letter penned by yourself. I hope you do not think me too bold when I proclaim that your penmanship and idiosyncratic use of the English lexicon are amongst the finest in the Anglophone world.
The enthralling likeness of a 'goblin shark' which accompanied your letter was a particular source of delight, the wonders of the natural world are rendered all the more miraculous by virtue of your formidable skill in using the medium of Biro and note-paper. The diagram which you drew, concerning Greek mythology, will doubtless prove a vital reference point in my future studies on that subject.
I must confess at this juncture, that I am not entirely without ulterior motives in writing this letter, as I have decided to make it the first entry in a new 'web log' or 'blog' which I have elected to begin. Each 'blog post' shall be a fan mail letter sent to a personage or organisation I regard as particularly worthy of praise.
Naturally, I have chosen first to write this letter to your good self, being as you are, the person most worthy of praise of whom I am aware.
Since the genre of fan mail dictates that I be a 'fanatic' I hope you will not feel too abashed to learn that your drawing of 'Wordy' may be the very best likeness of that literary robot ever produced by human hand and I feel very sure that many generations will pass before another likeness of near equal worth is produced. Let me make clear, that this praise is sincere, I only mean to say that normally I would not be so forward as to make such a remark as I know that your great modesty will revolt against such commendation and so it is fortunate that the framework of 'fan mail' allows me to write more candidly in your favour.
As your letter was so enriched with scholarly material I naturally felt duty bound to reciprocate in kind. Alas, for many days I could envisage no subject matter which would do justice to your towering intellect and cosmopolitan tastes. This, my dear twin, is the reason for the tardiness of this letter, which I trust you will forgive with all haste. Fortunately, the solution came unbidden, as such instances of good luck always do, in the shape of a conversation I had concerning 'Capital letters' and why we use them.
I will not answer merely that specific question in this letter, rather I aim to provide for you a brief history of the English Alphabet.
The letter will continue with the next post... but that' enough for entry no 1 :)
