I am trying to find an English language equivalent of the apt Dutch saying that April often wear a white (snowy) hat. At times you can almost use a literal translation, while at others you keep looking for a better one, with snow in April not rare, though infrequent.

Yesterday I returned at eight (8) pm from my visit with Juliet. We had dinner with a nice homemade salad, but without the Pakistani cooking. That is a lot of work and a meat pie dish was the substitute, with beer and brandy after!

Most of our time was spent on computer work, instruction and ‘finding out’. Juliet’s new laptop has Windows 8, which is also new to me, so both of us learned as we went. The main aim was accomplished, which was locating Juliet’s essay that she is working on.

This is her life story and reads quite well as she showed me the first few pages. The file’s icon had become obscured by all the open windows, but found it back once I had located the Windows explorer and its directories.

At eighty two (82) it is not easy to get used to a totally new operating system. Programmers think they are making improvements, while these become obstacles to the user; these programmers could learn from the car designers who leave the steering wheel, brakes and accelerator alone.

Coffee with John at ten. I think I will go, because the sidewalks are wet but not snow covered and I take the bus anyway. I want to discuss the Asus T100TA laptop cum tablet with him. I think that the Vivo tablet will be too light on the interface and lacks a real keyboard.

A thought on ‘wholeness in diversity’ in the real world. I am referring here to the Ukrainian standoff between the ‘West’ and Russia. I have always considered the expansion of Nato into the Baltic countries a mistake. It was a step too far and too close to Russia’s borders, but it was vulnerable at that time. Now it no longer is.

Secondly the US is interfering in processes that are of a European nature and where it has only some indirect interests. The US would never allow other powers to come close to its borders as history shows, recall conflicts in Mexico, Cuba and the Middle American states over the last two centuries. Third the way the world is now functioning requires that we accept certain spheres of influence. To make that work, we should conduct our policies towards creating buffer states between them.

The neutrality of such buffer states should be by international mandate, while they in turn will not be allowed to join either side in a power treaty. That is the price for stability and allows for prosperity instead of warfare.

Such a policy recognises that we live in a world of influence spheres, but that such power spheres should recognise each other as essential and with mutual respect, in recognition of the common interests of the citizens of all countries and not just some!
<9:21am~