Latte Delivery

The post was delivered six days a week at Barmeath by a postman on a bicycle. He pedalled up the drive and sometimes got a nip on the ankle from an elderly, testy Labrador for his trouble.

The role of the postman has been marginalised by private courier companies. It is hard to know when they will make a delivery and often the item will not fit through a letterbox. Fortunately neighbours are willing to take in parcels. The most reliable and efficient deliverer is The Wine Society (see A Mixed Bag). I used to buy Nespresso capsules from one of their London shops but they are heavy; I typically buy 1,200 capsules. Now I get them delivered. The nearest shop is in Knightsbridge, about three miles away. I placed an order online at 4.00 pm and next day delivery was promised. Later that evening an e mail told me that my order had been dispatched by courier from their warehouse. Overnight I got an update that my order had been received at the couriers (sic) hub in Wednesbury at 1.30 am. Wednesbury is a town on the North West outskirts of Birmingham. It is 130 miles from Barons Court. At 07.47 am my order  arrived at the couriers hub at Hayes, twelve miles away. It is delivered at 5.30 pm, not much more than twenty-four hours after the order was placed.

I have started keeping the used capsules and returning them to a Nespresso shop for recycling. Is this eco effort negated by my ordering online and sending them on a long road trip before the coffee gets into my cup? It was all so much simpler when the postman came on a bike and Father Christmas delivered Christmas parcels down the chimney.