Work Winge of the Week 5: electric gates

What is it with rich people and the need to close themselves off from the outside world? When I rule the world people who want to put electric gates at the end of their drive will be obliged by law to have a post box on the outside. They can be just about bearable if they operate on a proximity switch and open automatically as you approach but some places you are obliged to get in and out of the van THREE times just to deliver the post: once to plug in the code to open the gate, again when you have driven down to the house and again to plug in the code to open the gate to get out again!

But this morning was the pits. This house (not the one in the photo I might add) does have a box in the gate post but today I had a small parcel that would not go in so, not having a gate code, I pressed the buzzer. I should mention at this point that it was raining ... quite a bit. So a woman answered and I anticipated the gate opening to admit me. It opened a couple of inches and then shut again. The woman appeared at the door, I thought coming out to fetch the parcel ... but no ... she had a remote control in hand and operated it again. Again the gate opened a few inches and closed again. The woman made some inaudible comment about it not working properly. Her porch was mere feet from the gate and all this time I am standing in the rain. Not a bit of rain, but torrential rain that ran down my face and dripped off the end of my nose, soaked into my hair and dribbled down inside my waterproof. Third time lucky and the gate swung open, torturously slowly. And I managed to smile and be polite and at least she didn't make any comment about the terrible weather cos I think that might have tipped me over the edge.