If you can’t beat em, app em

A common theme of the Rust is the difficulty we oldies face in the techno society where it is assumed everyone has a smartphone and knows and wants to use it. I have mentioned in the past that the parking machines in Hove are now not coin-friendly but operated via an app. This is unfair to those visiting Hove who do not want to download an app or indeed  to those do not regard a smart phone as a constant companion.

Grania, my p/a, Polly’s best friend, helped me to download the parking app only to have the process blocked by the refusal of my email. Later I tried again successfully and on the two occasions I used it to park it actually worked. Generally the purpose of my visit to Hove is the collection of medication which takes some 5 minutes but I still have to pay for an hour at£1.25: of course I could take the bus and I am so pleased and proud of myself that I downloaded the buses app so I know the times of the buses. I am a fully paid up member of the techno world.

Mind you, this old dog still knows a trick or two.

Like, if you park in the Tesco Superstore, not 250 yards away from the pharmacy, it’s free for 2 hours.

I still prefer human contact too. My SKY box broke down,   SKY takes ages to come out to replace and install anything so I engaged a local fellow instead. He bears a starting resemblance to my p/a Polly, so much so that I call him her brother as often I find the case where two people look alike they share the same traits.

Tom the repair man is similarly forever smiling and helpful. He asked if he could bring his 7 month old daughter Tahlia and I was only too pleased to see her and present her with a furry animal toy, my Godson having forsaken this for computer games and – aged 9 – is far more at home in this new world of ours than I will ever be.