Thoughts on Life Without a Laptop

What a relief it is to be back online after my enforced sabbatical.
The culprit was a rather nasty virus called "System Tools"* - they obviously want you to buy their prog. to "remedy" the situation. Unfortunately, it did such a good job of seizing up my laptop, that had I wanted to purchase their product (I didn't) I couldn't get online to do it.
There are three versions of this virus and apparently mine was the worst the computer techs had seen - I never do things by halves. The operating system had to be reinstalled and then the wifi link had to be enabled....nearly three weeks later my laptop was ready to come home. Yay!

So what thoughts do I have on those three weeks?

Cons:
- no internet grocery shopping - we actually had to go to a supermarket to do a big shop - it was awful! Usually I swan into Waitrose to pick up the couple of things I need and then swan out again.
- no Facebook, so no contact with family and friends.
- no email - I had 317 emails waiting for me.
- no internet stash shopping.
- no internet clothes shopping.
OH is very  pleased about these last two but not the first as he had to come with me. :(
- I realised there is rather more rubbish on TV than I'd thought.
- I missed the March 20th class of my collage course
- I missed the DT call on WeScrap
- I couldn't play Bejewelled

Pros:
- the ironing mountain is no more (a Perry Mason with David Soul saw me through that)
- more crafting time - 10 LOs (including 3 for the DT call that I missed) , 10 ATCs,8 tags,2 collages and my PIF projects all posted.
- used up existing stash and made good progress through old photos (couldn't print any new ones)
- more reading time - 20+ ebooks (though apart from 2 full length novels and a memoir they were short - a couple of hours reading at most), 3 "proper" books.
- my Kindle (it's the 3G version so I could still buy Kindle books through the wifi)
- I had to watch lots of football and cricket (such a hardship!)
- I listened to lots more music (still loving Adele)
- spring cleaning.....hah! got you with that one, I wasn't that desperate!!
- time to try some new recipes in the kitchen
- longer walks with Max
- a happy Sunday spent cropping at A Maze of Memories
- since I lost my version of Bejewelled 2 I replaced it with version 3 which is much flashier and more fun.

And with those thoughts I shall leave you.

* While my computer was away there was an article in the Saturday Times Magazine by one of their journalists (whose laptop had all their security systems) and she too had this virus.