Kindley Technology

Today my dishwasher was delivered and installed. HALLELUJAH! I had reached the point with washing up where I really couldn't stand it any longer (and neither could my son) and our quality of life was going to take a nose dive in the imminent future if things did not improve. I would eye the contents of the sink overflowing elsewhere into the kitchen and feel hate. It was all I could do not to pick up the mucky empty dish that had held a rather tasty parsnip and spud gratin now burnt in chunks around the side, and just chuck it straight in the bin.

Ditto dirty plates, glasses and cereal bowls. It was never-ending, like all housework. A definition of perpetual motion almost. But now I can break free of the sink! I can set forth unto the world of entertaining my friends again. YIPPEEE.

So I'm starting tonight. I've hauled out of the freezer a joint of venison bought quite a while ago. I've no idea what to do with it but luckily it comes in a box with instructions. They don't look hard. Preheat oven, place meat in dish, give blast of 240°C for 10 mins, take out, add salt, pepper, oil, reduce heat, cook 50mins. Not rocket science, is it? I think I can manage that, with roast spuds, roast parsnips, and broccoli. Salad first with a hearty balsamic vinegar and garlic dressing. Is it good for you? No idea and don't care.

Then load the dishwasher, try and work out the nifty cutlery drawer right at the top (I kept the old basket just in case the drawer drives me nuts as I think it might - call it female intuition...), and set it off during cheap night time electricity. Aaah, I love technology.

Talking of which, I've actually decided what I want for Christmas. This makes a change because I've usually no idea and have sad thoughts about how as I never go shopping I never know what's out there and thus never know what I want. It's all bollocks of course, but a little pious puritanical self-pity at the beginning of December never did anyone any harm. It soon passes though (usually while I'm on the internet buying for everyone else) and I'm racking my brains with the best of them.

So, this year... I would like (though probably won't get) a KINDLE! Along with an awful lot of other people, I think. Why? Well, I've run out of book shelf space, and living in France is a pain for getting books in English cheaply. Yes, I could go into town and hunt out the second hand book shop that sells them for a fairly hefty second hand price, I could be inventive and book swap, and hunt out people with books they want to pass on, but frankly I can't be arsed.

I'd like to be able to go into a charity shop and pick up a bundle of ten for a quid, or 25p each for the better ones, read them and then take them back to be resold to someone else. Can't do that here though.

Maybe I should read in French, and I have done, but I prefer to read in English and as my aim in life is to do as much as I like as possible and as little as I don't like, it means finding ways to get hold of cheap books. Amazon has a bundle of reasonably price e-books, as do other websites. Seems to me an ideal way of getting my hands on a variety of reading material for a minimal price seeing as I'm abroad an' all.

Santa, I hope you're listening! Cooeeeee!!! SANTA!