The postman, in this case, never rang at all

But he still brought the books, goshdarnit. This involved me lurking outside the tower block, leaping out at delivery vans and asking them if they had a crate of books in the back. Luckily I didn't intercept anyone's last-minute revision pack, but instead ended up with five boxes of shiny new copies of The Manchester Anthology.

And now the thunder's just hit. I feel like a mad professor who's just pulled the switch on the lightning generator to animate the monster. IT IS ALIVE. You can do your own manic laughter.

Anyway, here are the boxes. You get two camera angles, as if it's Jackie Chan leaping between rooftops.

I'm not ashamed to say that opening them felt a little bit Christmassy.

Actually, I haven't opened the other four boxes yet, so for all I know they contain dismembered pets. But I'm going to be optimistic and say they look much the same.