Hey,

Walking back through the Parks today, I noticed the new gate had the numbers 18 and 20 printed on. How odd, I thought, that the Park would have a postal address. It certainly, at least to my mind, did not seem the sort of place that would attract much mail.

I had just walked past an elderly couple briskly jogging and had almost left the Park when I noticed a small pile of envelopes lying on the ground by a nearby hedgerow. No-one was around so I picked them up. Indeed, in my confusion, I opened the first one.

"To the Groundskeeper,

Please find enclosed the supplies you ordered for the coming summer season. We thank you for you continued business and welcome all future enquiries.

Yours sincerely,

Janine"

In the small package inside the envelope, I found four acorns, 19 blades of grass and some loose pebbles. The assembly instructions directed me to arrange the acorns near a large tree, attach the grass with its adhesive strips, and scatter the pebbles evenly along the path. However, as I went to open the packet, it ripped, spilling the contents. The effect seemed to be very similar to the one in Figure 2a.

Spurred on by curiousity, I opened a second.

"Dear Mr. and Mrs Winston,

While we most certainly welcome your dedicated jogging routine as a healthy and productive leisure pursuit, we did wonder if you were ever planning to return to Friendly Smile Homes. Only its been three days now, your dinners are getting cold, and we'd had enquiries about your room.

Yours sincerley,

Janine"

I had to read more. I opened a third, then the other two thirds, of the next one.

"For the attention of Mr. Squirrel,

Our records indicate that it has been two years since your last opticians examination. Please pop into our shop to book an appointment or call me directly on the number, above. If you can't read this letter, we suggest booking immediately.

Yours sincerley

Janine"

At this point, the postman came and left another letter. It was addressed: Craig Holmes, 18-20 Park Road, Oxford. Confused, I quickly opened the letter.

"Dear Mr Holmes,

We, the inhabitants of 18-20 Parks Road kindly ask you stop reading our mail, and that you move along now.

Many thanks,

Janine"

The elderly couple who I had passed some minutes previously finally caught me up. "That's nine, I think", said the man.