When I left Dibley, in the autumn of 2009, I put together the monetary gifts I'd been given, topped them up with some of my own and treated myself to a laptop.

For the greater part of eight years, I have been well served by my Compaq Pressario, albeit that it has worn out two power packs along the way.  It has travelled to New Zealand, and occasionally into Europe.  It has been to church most weeks.  It has stored photos (all securely backed up) and music, powerpoints for church and private journals.  It has endured much rough handling, including more than a few tumbles.

Yesterday it had one tumble too many.  Initially it seemed unscathed, happily booted up (albeit slowly, it's been getting increasingly sluggish for a few months now) and did everything I asked of it.  Then I folded down the lid - which went down very crookedly - and since then the screen has been kaput.

So, late evening hook up to monitor from PC, careful backup of as much as I can to my external hard drive, email key files for Sunday to church PC and hope to find a machine I can borrow for Sunday!

Annoying, but very much a first world 'problem'.

Annoying, but really, does it matter?  No, I can't say it does, I don't actually need my powerpoint.

Annoying, but in the grand scheme of things?

I read yesterday that school girls who had escaped from the terrible fire in London went to school in their nightwear to sit their GCSEs...  a busted laptop is mere frivolity by comparison.

My lap has served me very well, it's been a good and faithful servant, and it's reached a (more or less) natural end to its life. 

I've a couple of ideas for replacements, so soon will be back to 'normal'....others will not be so fortunate as they try to rebuild their lives after tragedy.