Crossing that bridge

I am now installed in my own little flat. My friend from Hastings drove up to SE London this morning, put everything I own into the back of her car, drove me to my new home, and then drove herself back to Hastings. She also allowed me to borrow some tools with which to assemble my big and complex self-assembly furniture and kindly allowed me to inherit her previous i-phone.

I don't hold with smartphones as I think you know. Yes I understand and accept that for some people it is imperative to have internet access on the hoof, but so far I have not felt that necessity. But I absolutely cannot cope without internet access at home and everything has moved far too quickly for me to set up a broadband account at the new place. So my solution has been to slip a Pay As You Go SIM card into a redundant smartphone and use it as a stationary wi-fi hot spot. The phone will not leave the flat and neither will it even be left switched on when I do not require internet access, in just the same way that the laptop is not left switched on when I am not using it. I suppose in a way it's not dissimilar to old style dial up, except that the speed is loads better.

But I'm rather pleased that I managed to go from smartphone and mac virgin to setting up a wi-fi hotspot all by myself with so little cursing. Though there is still a learning curve to rise to.

I have also met my landlord, as well as a third of my card-receiving neighbours. I have washed up all yesterday's new purchases and cooked my dinner. I have had a stupendously hot soak in the bath and charged up the electric meter without being plunged into darkness after the shop which provides these services closes for the evening.

All in all it has been a very successful day and I suspect that I will sleep soundly whether or not the brand new mattress turns out to be comfortable.