Little Mac and Willow in Scottish Meanderings

So I bought it :)


Bought what you might ask?

If you look underneath the monitor the little silver box is my new Mac Mini. And for the more eagle-eyed amongst you, yes it is upside down (now corrected)! You'd think the Apple logo on one side might have been a clue ......

But I had to stare at it frustratingly all day Friday because although it was delivered on Thursday night at 8.30 p.m. the fact that I had hoovered the house on Wednesday then on Thursday, in order to stop Nikki spontaneously self-combusting due to being stuck in the house with 2 little girls all week, I had gone with them all for a walk in the afternoon, meant that I was stuck in bed all Friday. We must have only walked for just over an hour although there were little spurts of running involved by Lily and I to try and keep warm because it was bitterly cold so maybe that's what did it. And when I say 'running' that would have described what Lily was doing. What her granny was doing would have been more - shuffling fast - as both knees protested to the sudden rush of activity.

So on Friday morning around 5.30 a.m. when I got up to the go to the loo and couldn't physically open my eyes, I knew I was in trouble. This often happens when it's going to be a bad day. I literally can't get my eyes to open. It only lasts for a few minutes but the first time it happened it was quite scary.

Therefore instead of unveiling the new addition to the household I had to stare forlornly at the box beside my pc instead -


unable to do anything with it. Maddening.

Then on Sunday I drove up and back to Inverness (about 200 miles) with Nikki and the girls to see the Very Smiley Wee Jessie on her first birthday so that wiped me out yesterday and I had to stay in bed until 5 again. Maddening x 2.

But I had a sneaky feeling I needed to buy an extra piece of kit for my ancient monitor to connect to the Mac anyway and on investigation after a bit of research I sussed I needed a mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter so once I was up and dressed I ordered that and after that's delivered I should be up and running I think.

It kind of terrifies me to start all over again with a new computer - I've had this one since 2008 so it's done not bad as it was only a cheap ACER from ASDA. The reason I'm worried is because I'm not entirely sure that I'm getting back ups from this pc on icloud. I think I've set it up to do that - certainly it's happening for the iphone and ipad but the pc? Not so sure.

I just hope it's not a frustrating, why-is-nothing-working, scream-inducing business like so many circumstances involving technology nowadays. And I have to admit technology served me well on Friday when I was lying in bed half dead feeling just a bit pissed off that my body refuses to work properly. Strangely, in those circumstances, I always end up reading diaries of really busy people - people who fill every minute of the day - and people who write pretty much every day as well. I've never quite worked out what's going on there but I find it weirdly comforting.

And so I'm reading away and came across a link to what I thought was a song. I tend not to click on links if there are a lot of them and almost didn't click on this one but I did and I was so glad. It was a piece of beautiful piano music - very much in the style I love - and I think it came at just the right moment. Tears filled my eyes as I listened and I could feel all the stress immediately leaving my body. Music can be so evocative can't it?

Then this morning I was just finishing this when Willow jumped up to keep me company ......


...... and I realised I was reading NorthernTeacher's diary and specifically an entry about Fergus. Some of you will know Fergus if you read her diary. It was quite funny to see the two cats together.


Now I need to get my skates on and get dressed (I've just narrowly avoided the window cleaner again!) for an appointment at the JobCentre. Joy.