Cleft sticks?

Our postal services have outdone themselves this time. Are they still using cleft sticks? We received a letter today, which had taken 130 days to reach us from the UK. yes, you did see it correctly, 130 days. I wonder why? We have told friends and relatives in the UK and Holland not to be surprised if they get their Xmas cards sometime next summer, but using the alternative, Postnet, is prohibitively expensive, almost R300 for a very small calendar.