Dear LPG, 

I used to be an early riser and it is easy to blame the pandemic for being responsible for the change in the times of my going to bed and getting up habits, although as I live alone, I suppose that I have the right to please myself really.

But there is a lot that we can blame the pandemic for, and I have to say that it has caused me to have to get up early in the mornings again for quite a different reason.  When we were unable to get out at the height of lockdown, my children started ordering my groceries online for me and that worked out really well.  They would ask me when it would be most convenient for me to expect my delivery and I really got quite used to choosing times where my favourite television program would not be interrupted, and I was happy to fit in a convenient grocery sorting session.

We had two years of all that and I got so used to it that I could do the shopping all by myself in the end.  I soon graduated from food, which came in handy, to buying other things online.  I started buying Christmas and birthday presents during lockdown because I could order them and get them delivered to the homes of the people the presents were intended for, and I got quite used to watching the un-opening moments via a video call although it is not quite the same.     

And now I buy all sorts of odd things which I really enjoy the arrival of.  So now I like to think of myself as a reasonably experienced online shopper.  There is also something quite special about the day the delivery arrives which, although you know what is in the box, becomes a bit of a present opening experience because you have yet to see the reality.  

That is until you are woken up at seven in the morning by the harsh sound of the doorbell, and as you come back to reality panic sets in.  Finding your dressing gown and rushing to the door can be a hazardous business, especially if there are stairs between your bedroom and front doors, and when you finally get there blurry eyed, there are the five alternatives.

1,    The note that tells you that they are sorry that you weren’t there when they called

2,     You trip over the parcel which has been dumped on the doorstep if you are not careful

3,     It is hidden somewhere in the garden bush, the dust bin or next door

Or

4,     You get to the door just in time to watch the delivery van pull away

…And the worst thing that can happen (and that has happened in my case) is that, as you open the door, your neighbour over the road is leaving home, not only looking immaculately turned out, but also looking at a very dishevelled version of you, while saying a cheery ‘hello’ as they shut their front gate.  

I have decided that the worst thing about online shopping is more often than not, not knowing the hour when your delivery will arrive, but it has happened to me quite a few times recently and the whole scenario has done one positive thing for me.  I now get up and ready for the day a lot earlier in the mornings again… 

IC, Lewisham