Return Banana from Anna

The other day we had a visitor come for a few days.  I had never met him, he works with Patrick but I felt like I knew him from overheard Skype calls. After dinner one night I tried to explain mail art, by showing him examples.  The visitor was French and lives in Tanzania.  He was open to mail art, but what perplexed him was that he thought from my description (obviously faulty) that there was no correspondence in mail art.  This return banana is proof that even if it takes a few months some of us correspond.  For me, mail art is one way only if the person you send to doesn't respond. But what is responding? Soemtimes I don't have time at the very moment I delight in something to blog it or respond to it.  But at the moment I delight I have responded…  Ideally, for me, mail art is about communicating, sometimes with words, sometimes with images, sometimes with ideas sometimes with all and more. 

I sent Anna a sewn banana and an mini banana book, 'Almost a Banana' a few months ago.  While Anna's art life revolves around bananas, mine goes bananas annually. So it's encouraging to get a note on the back of the postcard where Anna thanks me for my mini-book and says,  'I love the variations I receive… on bananas — a truly amazing demonstration of human and human creativity.'

Anna also told me about other artisst who stitch their mail art.  One artist, Angela Behrendt even stitches banana stamps! Anna included a generous supply of stamps too!  Many many thanks!

New Year's Wish from Richard Baudet

Such a joyous wish from Richard! Many thanks.  I have great hopes!

I got one of those beautiful envelopes from Taidgh!

I have been hoping for a Taidgh Lynch envelope for some time... I sent T. something after New Year, so when I found this in my letterbox, I let out a little cry of joy.  'It's OK, I told my husband, Patrick, it's something from Taidgh - I recognize it'. He used to be the recipient of things like this.  Now I just get them and he looks on in wonder. 

This morning I brought Taidgh up at breakfast.  I do that.  I talk about my IUOMA friends, bring them into our life. My family have some pet names, even. I asked about Taidgh's name.  Patrick knows a lot about a lot so I expected a satisfactory answer, but he knew nothing. Because I hate not knowing,  I consulted Wikipedia:
The commonly accepted meaning of Tadhg is "poet"^[3] or "storyteller". An alternative derivation from the Celtic *tazg(j)o-, meaning "badger", has also been proposed. 

Well Taidigh is certainly a delightful mailartist 

but he is also a poet: 


As well as all those goodies, Taidgh wrote me a note.  He tells me that he's been busy and is finishing off envelopes so he can clear the decks for other new projects - a 'myths and legends' project! (Note how, true to his name, Taidgh is also a storyteller) and he teases me with: ' I'd love to make you a buoki (boekie, little book?).  He asks if I'd mind a first attempt... No TAIDGH I'd be honoured and delighted.  You have a wonderful day too, Taidgh, and thank you, they brightened my thawing Saturday.