The previous post began the story of my re-arranging the locks on my front door. The mortice lock I was adding had a thumbturn on the inside. When I go out during the night or early in the morning, leaving the rest of the family asleep, I’d like to lock the door behind me. But you shouldn’t do that with an ordinary mortice lock like a Chubb because of the fire risk. So my new mortice lock would have a key on the outside and a thumbturn on the inside. (Naturally we can do the same for your door.)

But a thumbturn near a letterslot brings an obvious risk. So I thought about letterboxes and slot cowls. Then I remembered a story from an inventors’ web site: the Homeguard Mailguard. This is a smart bag that’s fitted over the letterslot. It keeps your mail from gathering in a large pile on the floor — a dead giveaway if you’re on holiday, it keeps your mail away from the peanut-brained dog, it means you don’t have to bend down to collect your mail, it stops fishing for keys or thumbturns, and should anything incendiary arrive through the slot the bag’s material stifles the flames.

And, naturally, we can fit one for you as well.