I’ve probably said this before – I’m not a gadget person, particularly not an electrical gadget person. I was probably the last person in the western world to purchase an automatic washing machine, I was quite happy with my old twin tub machine which lasted for years with no problems, only took four minutes to get the dirtiest clothes clean and spun the water out really well. Now the quickest setting on my washing machine takes 1 hour 20 minutes and doesn’t get the stuff clean enough for my liking – and I’m not that fussy.

Anyway it’s computer gadgets which are annoying me now, particularly my Netbook which I always think of as being new, it’s still beautifully shiny because I have taken good care of it, first nestling it in an old 1930s lapbag which originally housed my great-aunt Jenny’s sewing, or maybe it was a nightdress case – I’ve never been quite sure. Anyhow, just about as soon as I got around to buying it a snazzy new purple mock croc bag designed specifically for Netbooks – THEY stopped supporting the security system and my techy guys both told me that I had to replace my shiny ‘new’ Netbook with something which is secure and safe! Surely I can just buy some sort of package and upload it to my Netbook thought I. No – said my sons, that would cost as much as a new gadget. I’ve hirpled along with my unsafe Netbook for too long now, I’m going to have to bite the bullet and get something new.

So here I am – deeply disgruntled at the thought of parting with my cash for another gadget, because to be honest I’m more of a Victorian writing slope person than a computer person. Also I always live in fear of electrical things going belly up on me as they so often just stop working for no good reason. I’m sure they all have inbuilt chips which say to themselves – right she has had enough fun, I’m giving up now. It happens so often to me. I’m one of those folks who can’t wear a ‘real’ wind up watch because they go crazily fast and then die within a few hours of me putting it on my wrist. I’m all right with battery operated watches though.

I’ve had a look at Chromebooks and such in the electrical stores and they are so flimsy and dull compared with my old Netbook. Everyone tells me to push the boat out and get an iPad, as they do just about anything that you could want them to do but as I don’t even use or own a mobile phone (really and truly!) I don’t think I need something like an iPad. I’ll only really be impressed with a computer when it can make my dinner for me and do the housework.

My Netbook is now only any good for writing on, not internet use and I’ve been told that I’ll have to learn how to use a Chromebook as they are different from Netbooks. Deep joy is what I say to that!