26March1997

My dear folks,

The artist who painted this a.m.’s sky was a single minded guy. Just a sweep of grey from end to end. We are promised “bright” intervals this p.m. Not sunshine, mind you, just a hint of luminosity….. if we are lucky. And all we get from Calgary is whinging, while the lucky devils are basking in spring sunshine & revelling in the glories of the thaw! As for references to “thin” Canada geese in your skies, Ann, you’ll find no sympathy for the bastards in England where most of them now live. They arrived some years ago pleading refugee status & promptly took over the parks where they stalk the pathways, exacting tribute & mugging anyone who fails to hand over sandwiches.

The jobs with BBC OnLine have at last been advertised & I’ve declared an interest. There’s no indication yet of when the boards will be held. Meanwhile, I’ve been spending a lot of time surfing the Web sites of rival institutions with a view to being able to talk intelligently about them. I have also been working on a web site for the Quintassential (some info/pictures posted on the Internet). I spent four hours last night downloading a couple of trial Web authoring programmes to try to improve on my fairly primitive efforts. But one programme told me it had expired & I couldn’t work out how to use the other one. Finally, I crashed my computer & retired gloomily to bed. No doubt Einstein had his bad days as well.

I have been considering the purchase of another computer, a desktop model that will sustain me into the new millennium. You will be aware that the only good times to buy a computer are yesterday & tomorrow. I have scrutinised the reviews of those I’m interested in but without being able to make up my mind, especially as the reviewers seldom concur. I have to be able to feel that I’ve settled on a model that perfectly suits my foreseeable needs at an affordable price, no easy matter. Before your heart sinks, Jones, let me add that I’ve been thinking about the subject for months. I had a word with Nancy yesterday (when she phoned to get directions for the Quinta) & she thinks the family has now settled on the purchase of one I recommended to her. (Her flight arrives at Faro mid a.m. & they should be with you by midday.)

As usual, breakfast has comprised a wodge of microwaved porridge laced with black molasses, looking vaguely like a fresh cowpat. It’s not a dish that you would find on your typical menu but I am led to understand that it is good for me. Last night I watched a TV programme on a group of Mormons, a polygamous community that was guided by revelation. As hubby explained, surveying his 5 wives (& 13 children), God had not explicitly told him to marry them, but He hadn’t raised any objections either. The routine was 2 nights with each wife in strict rotation. The ladies admitted that they had found some difficulties with the sharing process but insisted that most of these had been resolved through prayer. The Mormons have clearly got more going for them than I’d realised. I’ll have a word with Bobo who, happily, is a broad-minded deity himself.

This a.m. I have the plumber & another handyman calling to attend to minor problems in “my” apartments. They both agreed to call between 9.30 & 10.00, meaning that with luck they’ll be here before lunch. But since there’s still lots of work to be done on my Web page, I don’t really mind. I’ve also several letters & emails to re-read, as well as the latest chronicle from a former SABC colleague living in Zimbabwe who doesn’t feel happy until he has related every glimpse he has caught of every animal in the game parks where he seems to be spending most of his retirement.

Blessings ever
T

PS. The English Patient sure creamed the Oscars, didn’t it?