I think I owe an explanation to all those lovely people presently accepting my tweets. I am no technical expert. To put it rather bluntly, quite the opposite. As a writer from ‘the old school’  those that travelled in horse and buggy metaphorically speaking, I am permanently in a sweat at even the thought of my computer breaking down. When it became almost compulsory for authors to manage their own publicity, I was tempted to throw in the towel.

 Age can be blamed but I don’t think my advanced years are responsible. Rather blame a dfficult disposition. Or some missing neuron. Even when my toaster breaks down, or a globe needs relacement , I  fall in a heap. Psychologically, I can get no further than the quill. Not even the typewriter as Icouldn’t rethread them without getting into a tangle.

 Sometimes on my blog in the comment box, people ask me for computer and/or blog advice. That’s like asking someone blind to describe a tropical sunset. Someone deaf to describe a Mahler symphony. All I can say is, ‘Save your energies for someone more adept.’

 Nevertheless, following the command of both my latest publisher and a clever writer-mate – she tackles one computer problem every morning – I picked up the idea of tweeting via my iphone.

What turned up was a large number of tweets, all informing me that here were tweets I might be interested to follow.

 Keen to oblige, and curious, much like a kid testing a new pair of skates, I ticked every box.

 Now I am flooded by responses. Yes, I am happy to try and reply to all these tweets, but where does this leave time to write?

 I keenly follow friends and family on facebook. It tells me what they are up to  without appearing to pry. I rarely put messages up myself. Does anyone really want to know that tonight I discovered a Japanese breadcrumb that is quite delicious on fish? I doubt it. Does anyone want to know that I have almost completed my novel set in the Warsaw Ghetto? Perhaps. But isn’t this a bit early to rave about it?

 So if anyone is waiting on me to retweet, rest assured that I haven’t forgotten you but I still have to work out how to do it. Also there’s that bxxxdy hash sign I can never get right….