The parcel post

person came yesterday.
I had already been alerted by email to expect two parcels. (No, neither of them for me.) 
Now the parcel post person is supposed to ring the door bell even if the parcel can be left "in a safe place". As our "front" door is at the side of the house it is considered safe to leave things there.  I like to be home if I know a parcel is coming.
And I was. I was  picking up some "junk" mail from the neighbour's yard when the parcel van arrived. I  dumped the advertising material in the bin and waited for the parcel person to find the parcels in the van.
The parcel person is a woman. She's nice. She's friendly. And she is totally disorganised. The back of the van was in no sort of order at all. It wasn't loaded high as it sometimes is but it took her almost five minutes (I timed her) to find two parcels.
     "I know there were two!" she kept telling me.
     "Yes, I'm expecting two," I told her.
I described what the parcels would  be. The two elderly people I was getting them for had given me the tracking numbers and told me the contents. 
She couldn't find them. It didn't surprise me. The parcels were piled up in no particular order. There were big parcels on top of small parcels too so it wasn't as if she had packed them according to size.
     "I just put them in," she told me, "I know what's there."
I bit my lips together and said nothing although I had been about to suggest I go inside. She could bring them to the door when she had found them.
      "Here's one!" she told me triumphantly and passed it over. I waited some more...and some more.
       "If you can't find the other one...."
       "No, I know it's here. The e-bay one is white with their sticky stuff."
I waited again.
Yes, eventually she found it and passed it over with a cheerful, friendly smile.  I reminded her I had to sign for them.
I can't get cross with her but I wish she was more efficient.
I put both parcels in the trike  basket and, when lunch was over and the Senior Cat was snoozing I went and delivered them to the elderly.
      "Thank you so much dear. I hope it wasn't a bother. I can never get to the door in time and then someone has to go to the post office for me," one of them said.
I didn't like to tell her that even she would have had time to get to the door.