OK, so I had this phonecall in the middle of the afternoon.

“Hello, guess what’s in the middle of the living room floor?” my wife asked, and you could hear her grinning down the phoneline.

“Ummm, I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?” I answered.

“Oh, it’s this large box, shipped from Canada. Your mic has arrived.” she said.

“Did you open it? Is everything present and correct?” I asked.

“It’s your mic - your Christmas present - I thought you could open it when you get home.”

Now, that is going to make anyone’s day - it arrived early and I get to open it before Christmas! So I arrived home in record time, with a spring in my step. After I’d opened the box, poured the million or so packing chips into the trash (*note to self* must write a Stargate story where replicators hide out as packing chips) and checked that everything is present and accounted for what happens? She took it away saying, “Nope, got to wait for Christmas!”

Arrrgh! I was so close. Had it in my hand. Now it’s gone! Can she do that? Isn’t there a law against it or something?