Janet Baraclough..2/5/04 7:25
k

The message
from "mich" contains these words:


"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
.217...

Local phone system. If you are at the end of 3 miles of copper with no
other houses about, it'll probably get hit by lightning from time to
time,

Teaches one the urgent desirability of disconnecting the computer at
the very *first* rumble of thunder..


and sometimes just won't work. OK if you have no urgent need to
communicate with the outside world, but a right bummer if you don't want
to
live permanently in the 18th century.

Oh, and don't assume you can use a mobile phone either. Plenty of
places
still with no signal.

But isnt that really one of the joys of living here?

many people claim they are moving into the country to get away from the
rat race and then want to bring the rat race with them by immediately
moaning about services and communications ( and even broadband).

I often switch my land line off to stop people calling. Like you, my
mobile doesnt work - I have to make a 20 min climb to the top of the hill
to get a signal - but who cares? Its great! And its healthy for you a good
walk.


Victoria said, "OK if you have no urgent need to communicate with the
outside world".

Speaking from experience, it isn't "great" if a teenager has just driven
straight into the phone pole outside your gate, wiped out your landline
and badly injured herself and there is no mobile signal for miles. Or
if the school can't get through to let you know your child has been
taken to hospital. Or if you use the phone for your livelihood/business
and the line is endlessly faulty, or off for days at a time.

If you lived in a really isolated place, btw, you would never switch
off your phone. An equally isolated neighbour a mile away might either
need urgent help, (fire, accident) or to pass on a warning of "trouble
heading your way".


I agree with you. But Mich said the "who cares" stuff, not Victoria. I
think. I am having the same problem when trying to snip correctly. I would
have though the colour of the header name would follow the quoted text but
it seems not to be the case. If I'm wrong I'll plead a 'sorry' in advance!

--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)