Thank you so much for searching for me, (especially Melanie, whose clever, amusing comments I have long admired on other blogs). I have been lying, feverish and incoherent, in a lonely hut out on the moors, tended by a kindly old shepherd skilled in ancient lore. Yesterday he proudly produced a leather flask of reddish liquid which he held to my lips, muttering gutterally of 'rare herbs' and 'ewe's placenta'. The smell alone appeared to have magical properties as I found myself staggering quite briskly through the heather in the direction of some distant chimneys. Which turned out to be those of my own dear farmhouse - from whence I am now writing these very words.

(By the way - if anyone did need to recognise me for some reason in the future - I look scarily similar to G@ladriel. Both as she appears in the film and in your head).

As well as the above I have been in a no-computer situation in London and here as they both managed to 'go wrong', as we call it, at the same time. Luckily my older daughter's boyfriend is staying in London and has spent about a week replacing the hard drive or something. Here is worse as no one knows what is going on or what to do. I will just bore on for a moment as we a re slightly f@cked. It is as if there is a programme running secretly in the background all the time which interferes with basic computer functions. Like when you shut down - it won't - and says that you have an unfinished task. Also some live g@mbling programmes installed themselves and one is still there but not actually active and not listed on programmes but just has the logo on the screen saver....... Also periodically the mouse slows right down for a bit......

Sorry - I can feel the faintness about to overcome me and must return to my couch but will write more this evening.
- posted by Iris @ 4/02/2004 11:36:00 AM comment