Had a couple of deliveries yesterday. Actually, one I'm not moaning about so this is sort of partly a happy grumble. The first was food as we've been buying some of our meat from Scotland.

We don't eat a lot of red meat and we eat small portions anyway. I wanted to try mutton so sourced out a supplier. They do other meats and I have to admit having tasted Galloway Beef...well, you know if you buy your meat from the supermarket, try a butcher some day. You suddenly realise most of the meat in the supermarket is tasteless in comparison. Then try it from a fresh supplier and that's even better than the butcher. Yes, it is a tad pricey but as I said we don't eat much. I filled up my freezer yesterday and it will likely last ages. I buy chicken and fish from average sources. I have to say though I've been getting a bit fussier about what we're eating. I cooked a Tesco chicken in my slow cooker and it was still tough. That shouldn't even be possible. Aldi have cheap West Country chickens that are tender.

Anyway, took that delivery fine. The delivery man was very solicitous. "It's a big box, it's heavy, are you okay?" I had to assure him I could carry it fine.

The other item was a second Adirondack Chair. I managed to find one that matched the one we bought about five years ago. The first one we had came in pieces to assemble. This one was supposed to come in two pieces (you just put the back on). Nope it came fully assembled. That was fine and rather nice in a way but it came wrapped in just a thin layer of bubble wrap. Even that wasn't really a problem. They are tough chairs.

The delivery van backed up onto our drive. He then rang the bell and proceeded to 'move' parcels out of his way. This largely meant standing at the back of the van, picking up a large box and 'lobbing' it all the way to the front. Smaller boxes he just tossed casually over his shoulder without looking. I'm sure I heard something 'tinkle'. He then finally drags the chair out, dumps it on the drive, gets me to sign...and sods off.

Okay, I know they technically deliver to the 'door' but it's raining and I'm standing there staring at a chair wondering what to do with it. I tried to carry it in but no way was it going through the front door. I knew I had to take it down the side. Rush in, get side gate key, rush out, open gate, pick up chair, can't see where I'm going, promptly bang it into the wall. Stop to wonder if anyone is watching me. There are some workmen on the roof across the street and I'm praying they've taken a tea break and aren't peeing themselves with laughing. Shove chair through gate, just (I'm not focussing on my struggle here), and realise it's almost as wide as the alley. Quickly accept there is NO WAY I can carry it the length of the side path especially as there's a drainpipe and other things to navigate. Push it is as far as I can (who left those bags of gravel down on the floor?) and then try to close gate which refuses to close. It's swelled in the rain.

Text Dear Husband to tell him the tale and that chair is out in the rain. It does have thin plastic around it and it is supposed to be an outdoor chair so should be okay. No one can tell the gate is open and they'd have to drag chair out (which I would hear) or try to clamour over it to get through and likely hurt themselves.

When he comes home we carry the chair through, one of us either side (if the side path was any smaller we'd have had to lift it over the back fence or something and had to lift it high anyway) and then he closes the gate...no problem. It just closed. It just closed. It must have contracted again but he's staring at me as if I'm an idiot, of course. I just know he's wondering why I couldn't close the gate because I'm wondering the same thing. Oh joy!