Yesterday was possibly the most miserable day I’ve had in years. Why? Well, at the start of the day at least I had Whatsapp capability on my fairly new Huawei Smartphone, even though that was all I had – no email service (ever) or phone service (since before we left for Spain over two weeks ago, and then I had signal only long enough to make two calls!); and on my old Nokia, which I still use for taking photographs (because it takes better photo’s than the Smartphone), I could actually receive calls on occasions and, on fewer occasions, even make a call. Therefore I had been relatively happy, if not ecstatic – all my communication needs were met to some degree – until Chris suggested that I change the sim cards between my two phones and reset my Smartphone back to “Factory Setting”.

Suffice to say, my morning was utterly vile and totally frustrating. The “resetting” measures had deprived me of the little pleasure left to me in the Huawei phone. The only thing we discovered was that the phone still stole money from my Tesco Pay as you go card, which I had kept in the old Nokia for that reason. My brain felt like a shrivelled walnut and, in tears, I went into my studio to console and lose myself in painting (a lovely commission of three figures in the shallow water of an ebbing tide – will show you when I’ve finished). As I painted and listened to the dulcet tones of my Kindle-reader reading me “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas (pity Miss Kindle can’t understand that in French ‘St’ is short for Saint not Street!) Chris ordered me a new phone over the Internet. The better brand Samsung should be with me in a few days.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I found that my relatively new but disappointing Huawei had started to buck its ideas up. Upon re-installing my Whatsapp (wonderful app that it is!) I also found that I was offered the opportunity to set-up my email address (never happened before) and my phone service was returned to me (not that it had ever been brilliant on that score – two calls!). So thrilled was I that I used all three services immediately, regardless of the fact that there was no need for me to call anyone, or write emails, or send recorded messages on Whatsapp. Then I discovered how to turn up the volume and set the ringtones for all the different goings on…

Now it’s late – very late – and I can’t go to bed. Why not? Surely? Well, earlier on I kept getting “Hello, hello ya…” singing noises and after a while I was pleased to find that it was the phone working, not that I answered in time; then came the “Honk, honk” of an old bicycle horn – could have been a text to tell me I missed a call; and when I was about to close down everything for the night a sheep bleated – “Ah, Whatsapp,” I thought and I was right. I had just finished replying to my daughter-in-law Jaimy, who arrived in Brisbane yesterday (Facebook knew before me – more reliable than my phones!) when I heard the blast of a triumphal horn. “What’s that?” I asked myself (not Whatsapp – previously more “What’s up Doc’?”). It was none other than my late owl brother Robert sending me an email.

The Huawei sure is making a last bid effort to impress. Now I shall not feel so guilty passing it on to a family member in need of a Smartphone. And now I really must go to bed – even the triumphal horn has stopped for the night.