Well, I’ve been meaning to blog for ages now but haven’t quite garnered the energy. So here we are.

I’ve just finished reading “Spare” by Harry (you know which Harry, don’t you!) It was emotional, raw, honest, and shocking. Here’s the review I’ve written (but Amazon haven’t posted yet . . )

• This book is a must-read. Harry mostly seems hyper-aware of his unearned privilege, except when he talks about how wonderful it was to shoot game birds . . . I think it is a good thing that he has talked about his family, so hide-bound by their own stupid, cruel rules. The Queen comes out of this best, I think, but even she is not as powerful as we would like to think. He sounds happiest when on active duty in the army until he meets Meghan. The appalling behaviour of the British press is called out here, regularly. And so the poisonous, sneering, disdainful reaction of this press to this book is to be expected, but really, really not believed. If you are thinking about buying this book, but hesitate because of the press reviews, don’t hesitate. Buy it. Borrow it. Read it somehow.

Harry has been gaslit. Is still being gaslit. All the privilege and wealth in the world does not make a person happy, if a vindictive, racist, spiteful group of journalists insist on making your life hell. The paparazzi are a nightmare, just as they were for his mother. And then of course the Palace ignore it, pretend it isn’t happening, and deny anything that would make them complicit.

So there we are. Little rant over. For now anyway.

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but have picked up my knitting again, just for a few rows every day, sometimes more than once. 20 minutes seems to be enough. Feels nice though.

Also brushing up on my fairly rough and ready Spanish – via Duolingo. It’s very good. Ten minutes a day is making quite a difference. When I’m feeling more confident in Spanish, I’ll have a go at my Italian (which is better than my Spanish, but needs refreshing). I was so lucky to learn Latin at school, and loved it. Did it to A level, along with French. Then at college I did Spanish to O level in 9 months, then when I retired I took up Italian and did that to A level equivalent (ONC 3) in a couple of years. It felt like a domino fall in my head, what with Latin, French, and Spanish. One of my grandsons asked me if I still remember any French or Latin from school. Well, it was 50 years ago, but the answer was “Yes!”

Well, Vodafone is up and running. The only snag, and it’s a fairly small one, is that voicemail isn’t working. We can (and I have) set up voicemail on our home phone, and will have to manage with that I guess. But it doesn’t work when the phone is unplugged. Vodafone seem to think that it is working, so I shall pester them about once a week until they sort it out. Fortunately, it’s free of charge, or else I’d be much crosser. And to be honest, hardly anybody ever uses our landline. But just occasionally, somebody does.

Meanwhile, on Planet Computer, I’ve had to re-arrange our backing up system. It’s too boring (except for computer nerds like me) but I think it should work better now, without the need to buy further (expensive) hard drives. Two NAS drives, three USB external hard drives, and there’s another one of those attached to hubby’s computer. Not pretty, but very useful. I’m horrified at how dusty they are!

The shopping has just been delivered, and hubby is harrumphing about the quality, or lack of quality, of the fresh vegetables. My next job is to see if Marks and Spencers will deliver. And so that is what I will do now.