AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH

Posted by Tania Kindersley.

The computer has died. THE COMPUTER HAS DIED. It is absolutely, categorically, unremittingly brown bread. (Catastrophic smart error in the hard disk, it tells me, before the screen goes again to black.)

My lesson in patience is reaching Olympic bloody levels. Actually, what I hate most is the waste. A clever machine is now a useless black box. It shall have to be disposed of somewhere. Like Andie MacDowell in Sex, Lies and Videotape, I really worry about the garbage. I know some people regard computers as disposable items which must be updated as soon as the new device is released; I always secretly hope each new one will last forever. I set them up, I have all my music and my pictures and my audiobooks and Mark Kermode and his glorious podcasts. It's a little home. I know my way around. And then: it's gone.

Now I have to start all over again. And this time, I didn't even throw a glass of water over it, which is what happened last time. I am trying not to be too livid, but I am having to breathe very, very slowly.

In compensation, the mare was at her goodest and sweetest and dearest today. We did some new training and she was a model pupil, as if she had decided to go to the top of the class to make up for yesterday's minor freak. I must remember that as I swear at my dead machine.

The book and all my word documents (all two hundred and forty of them) are safe, but I think some of my photographs may be lost. My own stupid fault for not backing up as I go along. I always think I learn that lesson and I never do.

Any advice on new laptop would be gratefully received. I'm never going near Dell again; too burned now. I did have an HP Pavilion I loved; I don't know what the new ones are like. I want speed. I want power, and reliability. Just like in cars, really. So if you have your own loves, do let me know.

Blogging will be very limited, I'm afraid, until I am up and running again. I'm typing this on my tiny back-up device, which is like writing on fag packet. The disadvantage of touch-typing is that small keyboards which are not QWERTY standard are wildly frustrating.

Patience again. Patience, patience.

And do let's hope Frankel wins on Saturday, because then my crazy ante-post bet will pay for the new item. If not, it's bread and water for the duration.