Wednesday, 10 November 2010

19March1998

Thursday 19 March 1998,
My dear folks,

I wish you could see me, standing like Lord Muck, dictating a letter to my computer which now takes dictation as fast as I speak. Driven utterly to distraction last week by its failure to cope with the needs of the dictation programme, I spoke first to the computer boffins at the BBC & next to the manufacturers, Dan Computers, about adding more Ram chips. Then I drove out to Dan to purchase the chips &, finally heart in mouth, I delved into the computer's innards to slot the chips in. The motherboard was horribly obscured by all kinds of wiring and for a time I thought I would have to go back, cap in hand, to Dan with both chips and computer.

The operation went a little more smoothly once I had worked out which way the chips actually slotted in. Just as the lady at Dan had promised, the computer instantly recognised the effective tripling of its muscle power and it roared ahead like a patient cured of a malaise. It’s treated the dictation programme ever since with positive disdain. I was thrilled & I remained thrilled; it’s like trading in your old banger for a sports car. The lesson is that software manufacturers, for the best of commercial reasons, are prone to understate grossly the system specifications required to run their software.

If you are under the impression that I’m spending my life mucking around with computers, you are dead right. But it is the 10 and 12-hour sessions at BBC Online that take up my life, not the odd hour at home. I got back last night after my third consecutive midnight shift, to be greeted by a whinging Mavis who hardly knew whether he was more desperate to be fed or to get out. (When the chips were down, he was more desperate to be fed, and then cuddled.) I have become quite fond of cycling back to Maida Vale in the early hours. What a pleasure to have the roads largely to myself!

Jones is due back from Portugal in a few hours. I plan a mad scramble to clean and vacuum the flat before driving down to Gatwick to meet her early this p.m. She is leaving Sampson in the hands of our house sitters for the two weeks that she will be away, a much fitter & fatter dog than she found on her arrival a month ago. I have several days off work before beginning my final five shifts next week. We will need every hour as we get ready to drive down at the end of the month. Before that happens, I have meetings arranged with friends, flat owners, financial advisers, fixers & and neighbours interested in purchasing our flat.

I have also booked to fly to South Africa on April 17 to spend a week or so there with Brendan and family in Witbank. It is a visit that I have long had in mind. I will depart from Lisbon on a flexible ticket, which brings me back to London by the end of the month. I suspect that most of May will be required to sort out our flat affairs in London & to make arrangements with our numerous clients for the rest of the Quinta season. I would hope to join Jonesy down the Quinta sometime in June - or at least to fly down in-between.

Once again, for the many kind thoughts and good wishes, a big thank you. I will keep this on the short side and make an early start on the flat.

Blessings ever
T

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