March99

And hi again after a couple of very hectic weeks. NewComp has arrived, and performs almost all the purchased tasks. There was a bit of shock horror on day 2 when I couldn't switch him on, and even more when the damn thing wouldn't switch off, but these things have come to pass. The secret is the modem. Switch it ON or OFF and NewComp whirrs into life.

Haven't decided on his name yet...Bret, Brad, Keanu, River, Leo (now there's a thought...the world's first payroll computer was called English Electric LEO.)

Por qua? DiCaprio wasn't even born then (or his parents). No...it was named LEO as it was owned by the J Lyons Company - a once-prosperous food, drink and restaurant chain. Vide any Britflick of WW2 vintage, and check out the cafe scenes.

Always the trend-setter, magnificat irl had moved to London in 1965, which promptly became known as Swinging London. It was de rigeur then for young bucks to work either for Lyons Bakery or Butlins Holiday Camps. Your author did both, as well as living in a basement flat in Earl's Court, then the coolest place on the planet. Rumour had it that the ROLLING STONES lived just 5 minutes away.

When London began to lose its gloss, we decamped to "The West of Scotland." This area seemed to offer little more than the promise of alcoholic decline, so we flitted cross-country to the more cosmopolitan East Side. To Edinburgh, and then quite quickly to Leith, which was obviously - even 25 years ago - the next in-place. And the rest is history.

We've abandoned Nettie Composer now, fickle hussy that we are, and this is the second page for you on FrontPage Express, a similarly- limited scribble- pad. However, lying here on my desk is a brand-new copy of FrontPage98, a kind gift from one of our sponsors who doesn't wish any publicity.

The next time we meet, it'll be courtesy of FP98, and I confess to being slightly nervous. But unkind critics always have called me a timid cow. Granny is calling at one, to check if we've survived. Now lets pretty this page up a bit, for the last time this way.