Every now and then someone tells me they think I am very patient - if only they could see inside my head!  If patient means allowing people to make mistakes, yes I'm patient.  If patient means tolerating disagreement, yes I'm patient.  If patient means accepting that sometimes things they longer than I think they should, yes, I'm patient.  But if patient means sitting benignly waiting all day for a parcel that does not arrive, then I am so not patient!

This week I ordered two items of furniture to be delivered to my home, a desk and an office chair, all part of my Grand Plan to create a nice work space in heaps of time for my sabbatical this summer. (Readers will notice I'm starting to talk more about this; it's getting nearer and plans are starting to shape up: exciting!).  I received an email to tell me the chair had been dispatched, and using an online tracking system, I found it had left the depot for delivery, so sat patiently, working at home all day... no chair.  I kept checking online to see if it had been checked back to the depot so that I could rearrange delivery... it never was.  Yesterday morning I logged in bright and early - to discover it had been sent out again before 6 a.m.  So I sat and waited, and finally it arrived.  It's a good chair, I'm happy with it but not impressed by a certain international parcel company whose initial letter seems to stand for 'Useless'.

Today I am waiting for the desk to arrive.  A different company, a different system of notification.  Having been out in the evening on Wednesday, I returned home to a message on my answerphone to tell me they would deliver between 7 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. today, and if there were problems or I wished to change that, here was a tracking code and phone number.  Time will tell if this promise comes good, but I feel more charitably disposed towards them already!

My time has not been wasted.  I have worked well at home, prepared a sermon I'm happy with, done a reasonable amount of reading on mission, attended to various admin matters and even held a small meeting (in which Holly cat participated in snoring observer status).  This morning I will play the fun game of 'picking hymns' ready for next Sunday, and spend a bit more time thinking ahead to Lent and Easter (ulp!).

Patience may be a virtue, but benign tolerance of incompetence it is not!

EDIT (10:10 a.m. or there abouts)

OK, so I sit in my flat working away at hymn picking etc. and the phone rings just six minutes before the end of the delivery window... we're really sorry, your item hasn't reached our depot yet so we can't deliver, we will call you again when it arrives to arrange a new date.... HUH???

• don't shoot messenger, be polite
• stamp round room
• update blog with whinge
• remind self that at least they did let me know
• be very grateful I can work at home
• and b-r-e-a-t-h-e! :0)