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April 2004
Dear Visitor,
Well…this isn’t quite the start to 2004 that
I had in mind! I am on the mend – the latest X-ray
showed further improvement, and I feel much better than
I did. Thank you to everyone for their good wishes and get-well
cards – I’m sorry I couldn’t reply personally
to them all. I would also like to apologise to the winners
of the December competition – I haven’t forgotten
you, and you will get your prizes soon, I promise. And yet
more apologies to anyone who has written to me via the website
form – I will reply, I promise. However, your e-mail
could have been lost (see next para), so if I haven’t
communicated with you by the end of April, do drop me another
line.
To make matters worse, my computer died just as I began
to think that updating the site was possible, and I had
to buy a new one. It’s a very cute laptop, but typing
this isn’t easy – I’ve been a touch typist
since I was sixteen, and using this little keyboard after
forty years of the normal one is something of a challenge.
Even if I get used to it I’ll have to attach a full-size
keyboard when I begin the next book in earnest, because
I’m sure the cramped hand-posture would be arthritis-inducing
if attempted over the long haul. I am currently trying to
rescue stuff from the old computer to put on to this one,
and it’s a slow job, given my current lack of get-up-and-go
and my chronic lack of expertise.
However – my fortunes have been mixed. (What follows
is for UK and Ireland residents only, so if you are from
outside these islands, this bit will be boring.)
A friend told me about a new digital TV channel, Nation
217, on the air from 1.00 pm until midnight every day, which
runs interactive puzzle games on which you can win money.
Mostly the prizes range from £50 to £250, usually
rising with each wrong answer. Entries cost a flat rate
75p, and if you’re selected, they ring you back. You
talk to the presenter in the studio, give your answer, and
if you’re right, you win the money. During my enforced
idleness, I’ve been winning a lot of money (my winnings
paid for the laptop).
Winners can choose to take a cheque or have the money paid
straight into a bank account (and they do pay out, in case
you’re worried that it’s some sort of scam),
so it’s all entirely painless. If you like games and
puzzles, and have Sky Digital, do take a look at it –
its name is its channel number. Be warned, though –
it’s addictive, and even at a flat rate call, you
can run up a big phone bill. And if your landline is anything
other than BT, make sure you disable the secondary provider
or each call could cost you much more than 75p. My winnings
are running well ahead of the phone bill, however, so as
long as you keep a sense of proportion there shouldn’t
be a problem.
OK – unsolicited testimonial over, and welcome back
to my overseas visitors. I’ve restricted this update
to the newsletter and the competition – it might be
a while before I can do the other things I want to do, since
I’ve lost a lot of time on the new book, and I am
still having to be careful about how much I do at a sitting.
However – from May onwards the monthly prizes in the
competition will include the video of A Shred of Evidence,
so those of you who entered the Lloyd and Hill Movie Competition
will have lots more chances to win it.
I think that’s about as much steam as I’ve
got, so I’ll sign off now. Spring is in the air, I
believe, despite the wind and the rain, and I trust that
my health, if nothing else about me, keeps on improving!
See you in May.
Love,
Jill
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