Postbox Toppers mystery solved!
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Thanks to Mary Cody-Cowdery (a ‘Friend of Life In…Magazines’ who helps with distribution and keeps her eyes open and ears to the ground when it comes to local news), we were able to get in touch with one of the amazing people who make the ‘toppers’ for the local postboxes. Sheila Adby lives in Orpington and runs an afternoon tea business with a friend. She began making the toppers last year… Q: How did it all begin Sheila? I joined a Facebook page - Random Acts of Crochet Kindness, where people crochet small items and leave them out for people to find. I was impressed by the postbox toppers I saw so I decided to give it a go. Q: Are they knitted or crocheted or a bit of both? I crochet, but I have included a few knitted items that friends have made for me. I get inspired by other people’s toppers or from magazines. Q: How long does it take to make them? The base takes a couple of evenings to crochet. The items on it can take a matter of days or even weeks to complete. I’ve made about ten toppers so far. The box I regularly cover is near Crofton school, but I have placed others in Orpington High Street and Carlton Parade, Orpington.
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them to be placed; in fact, they enjoy seeing them. The rule is that they must not prevent people from using the postbox. Q: What response have you had to the toppers and has this inspired other people to knit or crochet? I’ve received a lot of great feedback. I’ve now started a ‘drop in’ crochet session once a month in Orpington to teach people to crochet or help people with their crochet projects. Q: It must be frustrating when the toppers are taken? It is absolutely sickening when a topper gets stolen or has things removed from it. My first topper was stolen just 48 hours after I placed it. My remembrance topper near Orpington war memorial was stolen just before Remembrance Day which really upset me. I’ve had four stolen and three had pieces removed from them. Q: What’s next in the pipeline – any new projects? I’m currently making blankets for Ukrainian refugees with the help of a lot of people crocheting or knitting squares. I will continue making toppers especially for outside schools as I know they make people smile.
Q: Did you have to get permission from the Royal Mail? I don’t have permission as such. Royal Mail are happy for
Lines from Linda The flags, bunting and home-made cakes have been celebrated, and, as I write this, I know we are all still celebrating in red, white and blue, the 70 glorious years of our wonderful Queen’s reign.
the list as having contributed. Job done – or so we thought. Because, much to her horror, when my friend rushed in, first in the queue, the cake was nowhere in sight. The next week was the town’s street party. My friend and I took our seats at the line of put-together tables, but not before scanning the whole row to check for any sight of my shameful cake. To our relief, it wasn’t there.
My face is fully red as I remember my disaster and embarrassment of the 1977 Jubilee year. I was a young actress working in repertory theatre, which meant rehearsing a play all day, playing a different one at night and learning lines for another one in tea-breaks. Our relief faded as the woman who ran the Town’s The announcement from the lady that ran the Woman’s Guild walked in holding my cake. It looked Town’s Women’s Guild that we all had to make great from the outside and received many, ‘Oohs a cake for the church bazaar Jubilee sale, and Ah’s, and questions of, ‘Doesn’t it look left me reeling. I had neither the time nor So, I glued five pretty,’ and ‘Who made that? any idea of how to make a cake. Then I cardboard toilet-roll remembered I once had to make a prop holders together, discreetly No one spoke. I was the colour of a tomato. Then the Town’s Woman leader beamed. cake for a pantomime I’d been in a few attached them to a cake Obviously deciding this could be a chance of years before, and it had taken minimum base, covered the rolls praise and glory, ‘I did,’ she announced. I was time. So, I glued five cardboard toilet -roll in baking parchment and surprised her nose didn’t grow as she spoke. holders together, discreetly attached them cleverly set about My friend and I did an extremely slow head turn to a cake base, covered the rolls in baking icing my work. to each other. parchment and cleverly set about icing my
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work. (I could do icing, I once had done a course, and it took me no time at all). I decorated the cake with corgis and flags and it was ready to go. It certainly looked the business.
I left it in the church hall and scarpered. The plan was that my friend would be there when they opened the door for the sale, and would rush in and buy it, and no one would be any the wiser, except we had our name ticked from
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Then someone handed her a knife and said, ‘It looks too beautiful to eat, Marcia.’ Relief once again ran through my shaking veins. Until someone else said, ‘But we will anyway. You cut the first slice Marcia.’ My friend and I made a very quick and quiet exit.
For more about me and my crime novels see www.lindareganonline.co.uk
July 2022 Life in... BROMLEY 11
