I'm afraid the blog has been on the back-burner for a couple of weeks now and things don't look like getting back to normal for another week or so.

I still don't have a computer that I can reliably use and finding a regular slot on others' computers is not as easy as it should be. I am desperate to start working towards the next trade and will get to it as soon as I can.

Thank you to everybody who is bearing with me at the moment. The quest has done so well so far and there is so much more to come.

I will report back in the next few days with an update.

To be without a computer for over a week is an incredible experience.

I got my first computer in 1996. I didn't really know what to do with it; playing games is all I could really think of. So I bought Championship Manager 96/97 and started playing with it.

This wasn't the first time I'd used a computer, we had one in Primary School which had a guy named Pob on it. You could make him run, walk or even pop. I'd also got to use a computer in IT at school where I first met Windows 3.1. We thought "log on" was a hilarious phrase and got endless enjoyment every time the IT teacher said it.

We've certainly come some way since then. For the past week I have had no computer (albiet a few seconds on someone else's to check my email); your world stops with no computer.

It's fine if you are on holiday and you want a break from work, but to actually have to work without a computer is very difficult. Anyway, I have my home computer back and in a few weeks I should have a work computer.

So, I'm back now. Thanks for all your messages wondering where I was. A few weeks upheaval has put a dent in my 18 months timescale but hopefully it won't be too hard.