GREEN FLASH!

Tinned chick peas may actually have a smaller carbon footprint than dried chick peas. Although dried chick peas may have a smaller footprint at point of purchase - they have to be soaked and cooked by the purchaser. Tinned chick peas will have been prepared in bulk - almost certainly resulting in fewer emissions per legume. Hurrah!

Clearly I haven't been making as much use of this as I had intended. The year has got off to a hectic start and I've been spending too much time on the computer to want to spend more time on the computer when I'm not. In fact I feared repetitive strain injury had set in a couple of weeks ago but it seems to have passed. I had been busily working away at producing content for a website when my right hand decided it didn't want to play anymore. I subsequently spent several hours trying to set up the voice recognition software on my computer. After running through numerous tedious tutorials and settling down to use it, I realised that: I have no idea how to use voice recognition software; and I can't write like that anyway. Mmmm.

Soon after that my computer died, dramatically and completely, mid sentence. Just getting used to the new laptop now.The old laptop was an HP - nothing flash but I was fond of it and it was only a few years old. The new one is a Fujitsu Siemens - a brand I'd never previously considered - and I have to say that, so far, I'm really quite happy with it. Only problem is that I've struggled to get into the dark and mysterious part of the start-up process that allows me to create my recovery discs. Living dangerously until that's done. Why have manufacturers stopped providing the start-up discs with new computers? (Suspect that's a stupid question. Answer: To save money.) Once that's done I'll be much happier.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about:

• How to make the most of the credit crunch;
• Getting my hair cut;
• Getting old;
• Having a holiday;
• Writing.