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Beyond the Lone Islands

http://dawntreader-island2.blogspot.com

Friday 26 March 2010

Butterflies and Parcels



Not sure I've experienced it before: +14°C (57°F) with snow still covering the ground in many places. Strange! And I swear a saw a butterfly! although I was too far away from it to determine what kind. Seemed rather big and dark, so possibly a Red Admiral - I was just reading about those the other day and it seems they do hibernate and sometimes come out early. From its aimless fluttering over the middle of a town street I got the impression it was feeling a bit confused. Probably regretted getting out of bed, because there would still be some difficulties finding any breakfast...

Myself I've been to the supermarket twice. First in the morning, and then again in the afternoon, because the supermarket is also nowadays the post office.

Ordering things on the internet is simple, but the actual delivery is sometimes another matter. In this case, a couple of books. On the internet order form I chose a private delivery service, and to pick up the parcel at a small shop close to where I live. Then I got one of those double-checking questions: "Are you sure? Because according to our information, that's not the closest place to where you live." Well, excuse me! I live here. Trust me, it would be the most convenient place for me to pick up the parcel; that's why I chose it. Even if the zip code might indicate something else.

Okay, they seemed to accept that. Then I got an email: They had packed my books, and were feeling confident that the parcel was small enough to fit into my mailbox, so they were going to send it as a letter through the post. Well, good for them, although I did not quite share their confidence. Then I got a cheerful text message from the Post Office: They just wanted to let me know that a letter had been handed in to them and was on its way to me. Isn't that nice? Being made such a fuss of, you almost begin to feel like an Important Customer, having ordered something really Valuable. But then of course today they ruined the illusion by another text message, in a harsher tone of voice: They could not deliver my letter. If I wanted it, I had to come and get it.

Ah well. Never mind. Two weeks ago it would have caused me problems. Today, with spring in the air and the pavements ice-free - not so much. Even if I really do think the parcel/letter would have fitted into my mailbox (=slit in the door)...

5 comments:

Ginny Hartzler said...

What a comedy of errors! It's just good that you ordered the books when the weather was decent! the pansies are georgous!! Did you alter them or is this straight out of the camera? Because they seem absolutly luminous!

GB said...

Oh the joys of the mail service. Sometimes they exceed all expectations and sometimes they confound us with their apparant (or real!) stupidity. Oh but then I forgot. Mail services are run by humans: frail as we are. But on second thoughts they may be humans but they are mail service humans. Hmmm. I wouldn't expect a post person to be able to remove a tumour nor the average surgeon to know much about postal logistics. But it would be good if each could at least do his or her job competently, professionally and politely.

Where, I ask, did all that come from?

DawnTreader said...

Ginny - The only alteration to that photo I think was slight cropping. It was taken using the macro focus on the camera.

DawnTreader said...

GB - I always suspected there was a profound philosopher hiding behind those sunglasses and beard! 8}>

MadSnapper said...

ok, you said i made you laugh today, now you have made me laugh. don't even get me started on the US mail service, that is one of my favorite peeves to climb up on my soap box and vent loudly. one of our HUMAN post persons delivered a Camera that would not fit in our mail box, delivered it afer dark, left it sitting in the middle of the drive way and when my husband backed out of the garage in his truck in the dark, he ran over it. I called Wal-Mart and told them what happened, they cheerfuly said, take it to your local Wal-Mart and they will refund your money. i said we are leaving on vacation tomorrow, that is why i wanted it, she said it will take a week to get one. I drove to Staples and told them my story and they honored Wal-mart price so i bought it from them. how is that for a tall tale and it is all true.

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