When Is A Book Not A Book?

When it is an autographed cycling shirt! Confused? So was I!

A week or so ago, I decided to indulge my love of handbags a little bit more and buy another book on them. All in the interests of research obviously! I knew which book I wanted, so happily placed my order online through a certain well known website. However, I opted to buy the book from a private seller as it was cheaper.

A few days later, a parcel arrived that seemed somewhat squidgy to be a book. Upon opening it, I found not my book on handbags but a cycling shirt autographed by singers Beverly Knight, Shaggy, James Blunt, Gabriel and KT Tunstall, as well as actors James Nesbitt and David Schwimmer! A slightly odd mix but nonetheless, a great item if that's what you wanted. Obviously, I didn't.

Slightly bemused, I checked the parcel and found a delivery note for my book, so at least I knew where the shirt had actually come from. There was also a letter from a London radio station dated September 2007, offering congratulations on winning the shirt in a competition, together with a mountain bike. Not a bad win all in all.

I waited a few days expecting a frantic seller to contact me but heard nothing. I emailed her a couple of days ago to point out the mistake and she seemed very surprised as she had not heard from the intended recipient of the autographed shirt. Maybe they just preferred my handbag book. Who knows?

Needless to say, I have agreed to return the shirt to its right owner, who in turn will send my book to me. Well, that's the theory anyway!