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According to an Instagram post authenticated with an image, a Swedish delivery driver left a large parcel of fresh fruit and veg jammed into a pram occupied by a sleeping baby. I had found yet another example of everyday creativity through which the routine is elevated into a memorable event.

The mother rang the company to complain and the driver, apparently stricken with remorse, turned up with flowers and sweets to apologise, and a modest cheque from the company.
Other examples of unexpected deliveries make news briefly from time to time. There’s the parcel cunningly concealed in a bush. And on bin day, left in a refuse collection bin.
One was reported as having materialised in the purchaser’s living room, presumably via an open window, rather than through one of Santa’s secret helpers.
Another was wedged behind a car’s windscreen wipers.
A less successful drop sailed over a fence, landing in a swimming pool.

Fake news?

I’m not saying these and other stories all happened. This is the possibility of urban myths springing up to enliven social gatherings.
But my guess is the hundred or more drop-offs required every day forces the driver (no assistant, for this type of work) to discover out-of-the-ordinary responses.
Excellent examples of everyday creativity, don’t you think.

[Acknowledgement: I am grateful to two anonymous journalists for the examples I borrowed here, from the Guardian column Pass Notes No 4,501, Delivery Disasters, 5 January 2023. 
TR]

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Newly released from their hospital beds, the EC pensioners were persuaded to face the might of Blue Stilton CC. 
Leaving their guide dogs at the door and supported by the (relative) youth of Captain Ahab and New recruit Steve Gouda, they were shown to the tables. ‘Remind me how a knight moves Gouda', wheezed Gorgonzola George. Shocked by a surprise e4, he moved the first pawn his shaking hand met, the c pawn, and exclaimed, ‘Oh dear, I’ve never played the Sicilian before’. 
Oldbutfit John, squinting through his cataracts, tried to remember whether White or Black moved first. 
Captain Ahab tried to complete the results card for the league, but several players said they could not remember their result. Oldbutfit John, discovered at the nearby Pawn and Pestle, couldn’t even remember taking part.
Captain Ahab filled out the form saying every player won, and posted it to the League Secretary, which led to the headlines which shocked the Chess World ...

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Twitter continues its new uncharted course, with Captain Ahab (aka Captain Musk) at the helm. His willingness to accept tweets 'in the interests of a libertarian philosophy' begins to have unexpected consequences. 

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Billy Bobble and the Poynton Pelicans. A Football Fantasy

Chapter 1. The Grudge Match against the Urmston Outlaws

Billy Bobble is the star of the Poynton Pelicans junior football team. He plays on the left wing.

In a match against their bitter rivals, the Urmston Outlaws he is injured by Ryan Clogger, the dirtiest player in the league.

He is out of action for the vital league cup final, where the Pelicans will again face the Urmston Outlaws.

But Billie has a plan cooked up with his two friends, Martin, the Pelican’s Mascot, and Sophie, the captain of the Pelican’s cup-winning Girl’s team … 

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John Keane is alerted to problems at Meniscus by an old colleague, the brilliant scientist Hari Antonocropolis. Hari arranges a secret meeting with John. Hari finds someone watching John but is able to communicate his news. He was recruited by Dr Trescothick before the explosion which killed the head of the laboratory to help identify someone at Meniscus working for some powerful enemy of the company..
They arrange a way of communicating with each other. Shortly afterwards there is an upheaval at the University with results in the sudden departure of Dr Beamer, who recruited John from Meniscus. 

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I have a tale to tell, full of personal blunders and their consequences... 

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Once upon a time there was a little girl named Megan who lived with her mother and father close to a forest, far away from their nearest neighbor.

One day, while walking in the forest, Megan said to herself, ‘I wish I had a friend I could talk with’. Then a voice said, ‘I could be your friend’

‘Who said that?’ There was nobody around. ‘Down here!’ Megan looked to the place where the voice was coming from, but there was nobody there. Suddenly something moved. ‘What was that?!' It looked like a mushroom… it couldn’t be… But it was! The mushroom was talking to her!

‘I can be your friend’ said the mushroom again. ‘I would love to go home with you, to a nice place, where it is calm and safe’. ‘What are you talking about?’ said Megan. She had been walking around that forest since she was 5 years old and had never considered it to be a dangerous place.

Suddenly, she heard a noise right behind her. ‘Oh no!’- the mushroom screamed ‘It’s too late. Run little girl!’ 
Megan could see a tall shape running towards them. Without thinking, she took the mushroom and started running as fast as she could. Luckily for her, she knew the forest perfectly. There was a hole in the side of the mountain, with an entrance so small
only a little girl could fit ...

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Tudorama celebrates Christmas with its own version of a festive message: 'Not the Thought for the Day'

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The great Twitter resignation debate

December 2022 saw the great resignation debate on Elon Musk as CEO of Twitter. The story so far: 
In October, The BBC featured the life and adventures of America’s wealthiest entrepreneur. Aleart famed for business brilliance and eccentric lifestyle. 

At that time, the lengthy acquisition of Twitter was being finalised. It had begun in April, when Musk, already an enthusiastic tweeter and investor indicated his intentions to clean up the site, and restore what he saw as free speech to it. 
The board rather quickly accepted an offer of $44 billion, but then things went sour. The ‘cleaning up’ may have confirmed suspicions about the reality of some of twitters purportedly billions of followers. Fake accounts by the million were revealed as coming from armies of electronic bots. Fake news, Donald Trump might have put it.
Musk, Trump like, screamed foul. Started to pull the deal. Lawsuits began. Around the time of the BBC documentary, there was another U-Turn and Musk accepted the original offer, and fired most of the board. As you do. Or, as Elon did, anyway.
A consensus view is that he had his way into a communication channel, at a price of an early Christmas present for the richest man in the world. There followed a bizarre series of tweets and interventions by the new King of Tweetland. 
Among the side dramas was the complex relationship between Elon and Donald. The Trump Presidency was marked by his enthusiasm for tweeting often in the middle of the night, sometimes with hilarious or incompressible results. 
Twitter banned Trump after the White House rioting of Jan 6. Musk argued for reinstatement, but Donald, to date has remained outside the Twitter community.
Then as if nothing more bizarre could occur, the new head of Twitter announces his intention to stand down, and will put to matter to the vote.

The great Twitter resignation debate begins ...

(Don't miss the musical piece performed by Dr Glycol at the end of the podcast).

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John Keane meets up again with the 'old man' who has been guiding him towards his mission as the next chronicler within the ancient society known  Fellowship of the Lead.
He reveals himself as Paddy Mac and tells Keane he is to continue his search for the messages left by John Maynard Keynes, an earlier Chronicler, in  his master work.
He later arranges a meeting at which he leaves an original copy with a puzzle to solve of the identity of the person mentioned only as E.R. in a dedication by the great Economist.
John enlists the librarian Charmers to help him identify E.R. 

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