Not seen that in a long,long while

My post lady drives up in a little red van which she leaves at the end of the street. She trolls up and down with a cart to the individual houses. Another van comes around later with the heavier parcels.

I got out of my car in town the other day and actually saw a policeman! A pedestrian rushed up to him and felt his arm - she was so excited at seeing the real thing, walking about. Several people said they couldn't remember the last stime that had seen a living breathing member of the Police force in the town.

JackyB

Our Deutsche Post posties use e- bikes. (Is that what they're called in the UK?)

They are fitted back and front with huge baskets. A different chap comes along in a van with the parcels.

In Danish cities the postmen and women use either push-bikes or e-bikes with front carriers like the German ones shown in the Jacky's photo.

In country areas and small towns they use motor bikes for letter delivery and vans for parcels.

What I haven't seen in donkey's ages is a chimney sweep riding a bike and carrying his ladders on one shoulder and his brushes on the back carrier. They were an everyday sight in mý childhood, Our present chimney sweep drives a little red van, but still wears his tradition clothes.

I think the P.O. could be more environmentally friendly round here. I accept that they have to drive to our village (of around 1000 residents) because we are at least ten miles from the nearest sorting office but three red vans in the village at the same time! I've seen all three at once on our housing estate and there's no through road! One vehicle with three posties would be better.

Nuns. I can't remember the last time I saw nuns. In my mind they always used to be out walking in towns, but maybe that's my mind playing tricks on me (not for the first time)

We have a milk delivery for the lady next door. (She was her milkman where she used to live and she decided to keep him, despite having a corner shop near us. That’s loyalty.
We also have a rag and bone man, every Friday..

My pronouns and brackets have gone to pot ?

Chewbacca. In Birmingham the rag and bone man used to give us a goldfish. They didn’t last long.

Hurdy Gurdy I have noticed the same thing and asked a nun who I met in the course of work. She said numbers of nuns were right down. Mostly new nuns are in South America. Also nuns don’t always wear a habit. They are in plain clothes.

Knittingnovice

I saw policemen walking.

Gosh, I thought they were extinct!

A couple of months ago I saw two policemen on horseback passing our house. Haven't seen mounted police since we left London!

In answer to some of the postie suppositions.... the bikes were taken away because someone did a costing and found vans were cheaper.

When we had bikes it involved a dedicated duty to maintain and service them, so that job has gone, and wages saved. They also had to be replaced every 5 years (that was health and safety) and the Pashley bikes were not cheap. And as most posties have between 6 and 8 bags to deliver, these had to be loaded on a van (sometimes 3 or 4 vans, depending on the size of the delivery area) and dedicated drivers delivered these to various shops, post offices and kerbside lockable boxes for the postie to collect as he finished each bag. These shops etc were paid by the bag so another expense spared.
Now the postmen have vans and can take their own bags, so bag delivery drivers wages were saved, a shop remuneration recovered.

As I said, someone did the sums and decided vans were cheaper.

The reason you can't put 3 posties in one van is that there are usually only 2 seats and there wouldn't be room for all 3 postie's bags, and they may all be parking on the estate because that is the easiest place to park, but dispersing throughout your village.

I have worked in a few service industries, including Royal Mail, and had to bite my tongue on many occasions when harangued by members of the public about the reasons why this or that has happened. And there's always a logical explanation, but not the one they had thought of.

When I first became a postie, I was offered a lift home by a colleague's brother. As we sped down the road, he very closely overtook a postman riding home on his own bike, making him wobble and offering a one-finger salute. The driver just laughed and said "I'll go closer next time, there's plenty more where he came from!"

And in answer to the original OP the one thing I haven't seen for a long time is a mobile knife grinder.......Oh! and Spangles

A decent erection

GrauntyHelen oh yes! and that!

Just remembered another one - the coalman, who used to carry the sack of coal on his back, up the side of our house to tip it into our coal bunker.

Here in Aberdeen you can't get a window cleaner either on foot on bike or in van. I don't mind paying you just can't get one.

HurdyGurdy

Nuns. I can't remember the last time I saw nuns. In my mind they always used to be out walking in towns, but maybe that's my mind playing tricks on me (not for the first time)

Most of them wear fairly ordinary clothes now - a pleated skirt and cardigan usually.
I went to a convent school and can usually spot a nun in mufti a mile off.

me too