Spring Has Sprung

The change in shopping habits had quite an impact over the last 24 hours.  Firstly we had two deliveries scheduled for Monday.  Neither arrived, despite the frustration of being able to track one delivery vehicle being within half a mile of our property at one stage.  More frustrating was to receive an email saying a delivery attempt had been made at 5:46 pm.  Of course, I might be mistaken, but as I was in the kitchen, overlooking the front of the house from about 5:15 to 6:00 pm, I am squarely of the belief that someone was telling porkies!  A call to the company resulted in an apology, but we still had to wait in for part of today for the rescheduled delivery.

As for the other parcel, we're still waiting, despite getting an email from that company this morning, wanting feedback on our experience now the item has arrived.  They got it!  Then it was off to the local post office to collect another parcel.  

Afterwards we walked around Walsall Arboretum to get some R & R.  It's the first day of spring tomorrow, but nobody has told the plants in the arboretum.  Whether it was magnolia or berberis, the spring flowering shrubs and trees were in full colour.  I'm sure it is within the realms of variation, but I'm sure this is one of the earliest flowering years I've ever known.  I get the feeling we're riding for a fall.

Finally, bumped into an ex-colleague in the visitor centre while having a drink.  He left the council in 1997 to work with the newly formed housing association, before retiring in 2004.  I'm sure my eyesight isn't what it used to be but he hadn't seemed to have changed at all.