It’s 01/01/2015, around lunchtime.

I crawl out of bed (oh please, as if you got up any earlier after those New Year’s festivities), listen to some of BBC’s Cabin Pressure while I get ready and then get a call. A parcel was left for me next door.

Weird. For once, I don’t have any Amazon orders outstanding, and the two posters of Richard III at Trafalgar Studios that I’d been after since September arrived on December 30.

What could it be?

The parcel had been stuffed into a plastic bag, secured with zip-ties. That’s odd. Once I remove the bag, I see the original package is flat and wrapped in brown paper and clearly marked “Fragile.” It also has a massive rip on one side so the entire parcel is pretty much open.

One glance at the sender’s address tells me it’s from ma choupette Ronni, my French best friend from England. Inside the parcel are two presents wrapped up all Christmas-y.

The first is a book, or so I think. Closer inspection reveals it is titled Literary Listography – My Reading Life In Lists. In essence, it’s a reading log, in which you keep lists like “Favourite authors”, “Books I hated”, “Characters I fell in love with”, “Literary families I’d like to be part of” and so on.

This is brilliant!! I love reading and I do love me a good list. This makes my German, list-loving heart very happy! And this is a book that encourages me to keep a list of my reading lists!

The second gift is square and flat. Knowing Ronni loves music and she knows I own vinyl records and a working record player (the player itself is working, just the speakers are not) and the parcel was marked as fragile, I think for one moment she could have found a record I might like. But when I open the gift it’s so much better than that!

She got me the official 2015 BBC Sherlock Calendar!! Hopefully this will make having to wait another year for a new episode easier! Plus, I now get to have my favourite TV show on my wall and every other month a picture of my favourite actor (Martin Freeman). Excellent!

My best friend really knows me well!!

Merci beaucoup ma choupette!! Tu déchires grave et tu me manques vraiment! xoxo