Is it Spring yet? I wonder because I am having a Spring clean and obviously want to do it at the appropriate season. Ah, I see you visualising me whizzing around with a vacuum cleaner and feather duster. Well, you’re wrong. I am Spring cleaning from the comfort of my sofa although it’s becoming something of a nuisance. At the end of last week, my computer decided it would be best if the screen were in turquoise and purple. Clearly my computer and I are disagreeing a little here. I would prefer the white background with black, readable text. Master Mason tells me there is a problem with the connection between the screen and the keyboard. I am sad. The little laptop has helped me right through chemo and endless hospital appointments. I don’t want it to give up the ghost just when I am getting back on my feet. But it’s not to be. I have to be connected with a world in black and white. not turquoise and purple so I have to buy a new laptop. Master Mason is very helpful in this respect and advises me on what to get and where to get it. I duly order and purchase and it arrives today. Hurrah!

My mobile is also playing up. What is the thing about lasting only two years? It sticks and doesn’t allow me to answer calls sometimes, making me pretend I am not in. It needs the battery taking out of the back and re-booting before it will behave properly again by which time, obviously, the caller has given up and gone. Also, what is the thing about calling and not leaving a message? Surely if someone wants to speak to me, they might also like to leave a message. I must admit, I have got quite a fearsome answerphone message. It says very sternly that if I don’t recognise the number I will not call them back, hopefully deterring all the horrible spam phone call people one gets. It seems to be deterring perfectly nice and ordinary people from leaving messages, too. So, taking further advice from Master Mason, I call my service provider and order a new phone. I like to think I have beaten them down to a miniscule price but, to be honest, the price they quoted was so low and less than half what I was paying 2 years ago, that I feel I don’t have the nerve to demand they give it to me for less. The one bad thing is that the new phone will only have a micro sim card in it so all my contacts will be lost once I activate the new phone. Hence the Spring cleaning.

It actually feels quite daring to be deleting so many people. There is only a certain number I can be arsed bothered with transcribing onto my laptop and I wonder who half the people are. I have so many contacts, some I don’t even recognise. I realise strange things – I have started a collection of friends named Jane in the last couple of years. I now know 4 Francescas. When we named Miss Mason, we didn’t know anyone of that name but since that day, I have met 3 more who have become friends one of whom is actually Italian. I have a slight pang that I might be losing an important number or email address as I delete them but really, in this digital age when everything is online I think anyone who needs to find me will be able to. And hopefully vice versa. Only time will tell…