Post Haste?

You remember the lovely new shoes mentioned the other week? I forgot to mention the bizarre way in which they were delivered.

Bob was standing looking out of the front window when a van drew up outside.

The driver got out of the van, carrying a parcel. He walked straight to the side gate, and threw the box over the gate – and then walked to the front door, and was about to push the “You were not in” postcard through the slot when Bob opened the door. Bob took the card and the driver went on his way.

He did not attempt to find out if we were in – he simply threw the parcel over the gate. If he had just bothered to walk to the door to ring the bell, he would have seen the box fixed to the wall.

It has a large, clear sign on the lid

I am told that the people who do these deliveries are paid a certain, rather small, amount per parcel, so the more they can deliver, the more they earn – so they do not want to waste valuable time, waiting for recipients to answer the doorbell.

So they automatically ‘assume’ you are out and deposit the parcel over a wall or gate. We have had computer parts over the gate, a friend received a bouquet of flowers like that, and another has told me about a parcel of books which split, having been dropped seven feet into a puddle [when she too has a large, labelled plastic box by the front door]

Full marks to Jaz from City Link Couriers, who makes every effort to deliver goods carefully to the right person] Thank you to our kind neighbours who take in parcels on our behalf [there always seems to be somebody at home in The Close to receive other peoples stuff] And full marks to Bob for creatively recycling the Glass Recycling box when the council binmen changed their system recently.

I won’t name the company who are responsible for the over-the- gate-slinging. But here’s a picture from the Sound Of Music for you.

That may give a clue. But I must warn you, expect a lot of S-of-M references from me over the next few weeks for another reason…