The Postman Always Rings Twice.

And usually brings a hefty surprise.

How do we know that our postman has been? Well, we hear the stop and go of his yellow van accompanied by music from the radio and an audible door slam at every neighbour in our street long before he even repeats the sequence at our house. Now and again, he ventures passed our front gate, a gate where the postbox has a home, and walks up the stony path up to our front door ready to knock.

The first time this week, it was a refund from our medical aid ( contrary to popular belief, a medical aid refund is not fiction but a reality ) and despite it not being too hefty, it was a lovely surprise and let's face it, getting unexpected money, is one of life's great pleasures!

The postman's second knock was yesterday. It was lunchtime and Bob was just about to go off to work, while I was lazying (ie snoozing ) in front of the telly. Before I realized what had awoken me from this divine lunch time slumber, Bob had already returned with a parcel in hand.

Yes, we had received a parcel and like a pair of hungry wolves we descended on the wrapping; ripping it instead of elegantly cutting it. Oh, you know how it is...receiving a parcel is very similar to opening your Christmas presents, only a bit better because you never really know what's in it!

My American parents, had sent us a parcel filled with the type of manna, which will get bibliophiles frothing at the mouth, or rather rearranging their calendars. A parcel full of books. Books of every genre, books promising a lovely time out from everyday humdrum and books that need a game of Eeny - meeny - miny - moe, because how else does one decide which to read first?

Even a parcel filled with Godiva chocolates wouldn't have made me as happy as receiving this treasure chest filled with the many permutations and combinations of letters and words, which have a tendency to transport me into a different reality.

The only other thing that might have measured up, would have been a box filled with wine...because reading a book does lend itself to sipping a glass of wine from time to time.

Biggi