I like your saying from Finland. I have decided that the fool who talked
about "the golden years" must have been all of 21 and rich!
"Marina" wrote in message
...
We have a saying in Finland: Vanhuus ei tule yksin (old age does not
arrive alone). It means you have to be prepared for all the little
'friends' that come with old age - aches and pains, problems with your
memory, absent-mindedness... Though I have to confess, I've always been
absent-minded, even as a kid.

When I packed for our trip to the island last Tuesday, I put the case with
the USB modem into my bag. I did not open the case to check that the modem
was in the case. I saw before my minds eye how I returned it to its case
after I had tested it at home.

On the island, I eagerly unpacked the case and opened it. I was excited to
test how well it would work. The case was empty, except for the extra
cable included.

Apparently, I had *not* returned the modem to its case after testing it at
home. So I've been without it since then. The rescue operation included my
middle sister, who had my key and went to rummage in my stuff to find the
modem, and my eldest sister, whose holidays started today and who brought
the modem to the island when she arrived today.

And it seems to be working fine.

Oh, and the cats are loving to be on the island again. Caliban got himself
too high up a tree the other day, but he eventually figured out how to get
down again. He and Mir are slowly making friends with Emil, Mir's
biological brother. And Caliban killed a vole the other night. I woke up
to the sound of him throwing it around the floor. OK, I'll see how this
message goes out. More later.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.