I had enjoyed the televised serial of The Crow Road so much, mentioning it here and there amongst my family that those that had not been watching it tuned in and watched the remaining episodes. On the morning that my daughter left Coll for Glasgow after returning home for Christmas she told me that she had left a present for me upstairs, to be opened on my birthday in a weeks time.

The day arrived and remembering the present, I fetched it and unwrapped it to discover that she had bought me a book. It was a copy of The Crow Road. She had thoughtfully remembered how much I had enjoyed the TV serial. The following day being a Thursday and a boat day, belated birthday cards arrived, including a parcel from my parents.

I unwrapped the outer layer of brown paper and then undid the layer of gift wrapping paper and pulled out the contents of the parcel to find that they too had sent me a book for my birthday. It was, would you believe it, another copy of The Crow Road!! They too had been told how much I had enjoyed the serial. So, two copies of the same story as birthday presents. Which one did I read first?

The following Tuesday, almost a week after my birthday, a much belated parcel arrived from my son. He had already apologised for having not got it off in time - well, only a week late I thought as I started to prise apart the staples on the jiffy bag. "What has he sent you then?" called Kip from another room, "Oh, probably another copy of The Crow Road," I called back.

I finally got the last staple out, opened the bag, put my hand in and pulled out the present. I stared at it in disbelief. It can't be, it just can't be, I just don't believe it! It was another copy of The Crow Road !!

I collapsed then in tears of laughter, with the image of a bookshelf full of Crow Roads - how many more were on their way? As my imagination ran on I envisaged owning a whole library full of Crow Roads and how to explain it to visitors. Could I say that I liked repeat patterns or that I just enjoyed collecting books - the same book!

Then, should I tell my daughter, my parents and my son what they all had done or might they be offended? I could ask two of them to exchange them for another book - but which two should I ask? But then, maybe I ought to keep all three and when I'm feeling a bit down I could cast my eye over that neat trio of Crow Roads and burst into laughter again.