It's amost a week since I posted anything. If you've missed me I apologise. If you haven't that just proves I have yet to make an impact in this new media. Either way I should explain my absence.
Last Monday evening my broadband connection failed. It 's happened before so I gave up trying to re-establish it by re-booting the computer, unplugging at the wall socket and so on. On Tuesday I tried again but no joy. So I phoned my server and asked for advice. We went through all the things I had already done and a few more cable checks but still it would not connect. Leave it with me, the adviser said, I will ask BT to check the telephone exchange and the line.
On Wednesday I had to go to London so very little happened. But there was still no connection on Thursday. BT obviously don't have the same sense of urgency as individual users.
The trouble is you get to rely on these wretched gadgets and when they don't work you feel bereft. The paper work builds up too.
Friday dawned and I knew I needed to send a column to FW (the magazine). By the time I had written it BT had still not called and the broadband connection failed again - several times! In desparation I called the local library and booked a terminal. The only computer available was one in a tight corner at which you had to stand and type, so I had no alternative but to take it. I copied the column onto a memory stick, headed for town and eventually took my turn standing in a corner at the console from which I successfully sent next weeks column to FW.
On my way back into the farmyard I glanced up at the phone cables that led to the house and I suddenly realised what might be causing the problem. One of the people I had spoken to about the failing connection had mentioned that a little rain or slight disturbance on the line can disrupt broadband connections. And our phone cables were disappearing into the foliage of an oak tree. Could this be the reason, I wondered?
Anyway, on Saturday we lopped the offending boughs and twigs (leaving a scarred tree in the process, which I hate to see at this time of year but I felt we had no alternative) and cleared the spring growth of oak from the phone lines. But would this solve the problem?
Well, the fact that I am live again this Sunday morning shows that it has. So, apologies to you dear user and also to my server and to BT for blaming them for something that I should have noticed before and dealt with myself. I shall glance skywards more often in future.