3 Gets In The Xmas Spirit- Or When Sending Matters More Than Receiving

When the office girl told me my husband was on the phone, I glanced at my mobile to see if I'd somehow missed his call. Apparently not.

So I waddled downstairs, picked up the office phone and said "Hi, Sweetie."

"Your phone's dead," Sweetie replied.

"No, it isn't," I said.

Insert Argument Sketch as we eventually established that he'd left three messages in my voice mail without ever getting through to me, and I explained that my phone was neither dead nor silenced and had registered no missed calls whatsoever. Odd.

Back to work and more impossible pre-Xmas deadline rush.

Later, I call Skribe from Woolie's and find myself getting his voice mail instead. True, the signal is often lousy inside Woolie's, but even when I get a clear signal crossing Heirrison Island, I'm still getting his voice mail. Clearly, his phone or mine is not on the network, and it certainly isn't mine.

When he opens the door, I greet him with "Your phone's not on the network."

"Yes, it is," he replies. "I've been able to call other people, just not you. Your phone's not on the network."

We check each other's phones. We're both on the network. He switches my phone off and back on. My phone suddenly notices I have missed calls and an SMS waiting. He uses my phone to call his and gets his voice mail.

He decides to call 3 to find out what the feck is going on.

Seems 3 had been having a little problem all day with their network - nationwide: you can send, but you can't receive.

3 promises the problem is being fixed.

"What's the ETA on that?" my husband enquires.

"As soon as."

Ah, Xmas. Even 3 has got into the spirit of sharing.