THE END OF THE LINE ?..

It comes to us all, I guess, and it certainly seems to be coming to my computer.   It has had `issues` for a long time now and I have learned much about how to repair it, keep it going, understanding its problems and its quirks and so far I have managed to extend its useful life beyond what I could reasonably have expected.

But now I fear the end is nigh.  Yesterday, for example, it was `unable to start` on at least three occasions and today it`s the same - I am able to write this after a good hour of patience until it finally crawled into sufficient life for me to use it - but we just can`t go on like this.  I`ve tried, my God I`ve tried.  I`ve used threats, cajoling, inducements, promises of a better life, all to no avail.   After all these years and having been through so much together I just feel that its time has come.

It will be with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to what has been a staunch friend for more years than I care to remember but the time has come for me to invest in a new, more modern up to date replacement, which will not be easy for an elderly pensioner struggling to survive on a fixed income in these harsh economic times, but I`ll see what I can do.   It might take a while though, so forgive me if I am absent from these pages for a while.