This is an aerogram:
In case you’ve never crossed paths with them, aerograms are a very basic way to send messages internationally that have been left behind in a world of e-comms. The writing area and address are on different sides of the same sheet of paper, making them lightweight and cheap to send.
Much like many of my anecdotes, they’re quite dated and unfold in a very simple way.
I’ve always been fond of the idea of shoving a message in a bottle, perhaps due to a childhood spent overfeeding on pirate stories and a love of things both seafaring and whimsical. Without a specific destination, a message in a bottle can be both very public and as personal as the sender would wish. There’s something cathartic about that.
Days later, I scribbled this:
On the back I wrote some contact information and, because I’m not an ungovernable savage, a sentence pleading with the recipient to recycle the bottle. Later, I rolled it into this:
Before you ask, Tizer. In a hapless attempt at waterproofing I doused the underside of the lid in some old tile sealant. Then, in late August 2011, I went here:
Behind me, a number of cows watched on uninterested as I launched it over the side of the bank. Due to my unorthodox throwing style (and a distinct lack of regard for the wind) the bottle landed about two metres short of the sea. The rising tide no doubt dragged the bottle only a few feet up the channel. That's the chance I took.
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If you’ve come across this site because you’re in possession of the bottle, please email me. I’d love to have a cup of tea with you.
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