A magnificent reception

MOBILE phones, as you know, can be pain in the neck, especially when reception is patchy.

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But do you know whose fault it is when a call keeps cutting out? It's mine. Yes, really. I'm entirely to blame.

Or at least I am whenever it's my daughter who's on the other end. "What are you doing?" Emily will sigh, when we've finally managed to reestablish contact. "Where exactly are you? Are you walking about?

"Well, yes," I'll tell her. "It's a mobile phone. That's kind of the point." Anyway, no matter, because

My point (and theirs) being that mobile phone reception is simply far too unreliable.