This morning, I logged on to my computer at the usual time, 8am. But, instead of the system operating perfectly as usual, the screen displayed a Critical Error message, with assurances that they'd try to fix the error next time I logged on.

This has happened before. It took about 8 hours before I could use the computer again.

I'm not technically savvy. Nope. But I wouldn't let it beat me.

This time, after logging on and consequently shutting everything down, over and over again, I had an electric light moment.

When the screen first opened, I could choose Windows 10 or System Restore.

I chose the latter, crossing my fingers against anything going wrong.

When it finally opened—a wait of 1 or 2 minutes—System Restore came with a message that all personal data would be erased.

I didn't want that, so I quickly clicked on the X to cancel.

What happened next surprised me. The opening music accompanied the full working screen.

Phew! So that's what I'll do next time.

Any problems with your computer?

Wouldn't it be wonderful:

If there were no derelict properties?

If everybody had a place to live?

If there were no homeless people?

If everybody had an equal share of funds?

Well, in a part of the UK, at least one of these ideals is about to be solved.

People are rushing to purchase 120 derelict homes for £1 each as Liverpool City Council launches a radical new scheme. The unloved Victorian properties need buyers to demonstrate an ability to pay for proper refurbishment. Applicants must also show they live and work in the city, and agree to not sell the property for five years.

But don't count on being selected. The council have already received applications from 2,750 people for the homes which are situated in deprived and run-down parts of the city.

The empty homes manager of Liverpool City Council, said: “All the plumbing and the electrics and fixtures and fittings have been ripped out - so it is pretty much a shell.” Source: Mirror.

Although many residents are unhappy about the situation, to me, this seems the ideal solution to the problem of restoring abandoned properties. Okay, the buyers will need considerable funds behind them to achieve all the necessary work, but I'm sure the seller will look into their available funds.

Good luck to the fortunate people who are selected for the project. They'll be doing the neighbourhood a service.

Would you like the opportunity to restore an abandoned property near you?

In the latest news: Robots will be the farmers of the future.

I remember the days of 'back to the earth' lifestyle and growing my own fruit and vegetables in the early seventies.

My vegetable garden in Australia grew abundant bounty—tomatoes, marigolds among herbs, parsley, snow peas, Jerusalem artichokes and carrots. I laid paving slabs as walkways between the plots, and fertilized the soil with chook droppings taken from beneath the hen perch. Several restaurants called in for parsley, which I sold for a meagre amount of cash.

I added other goods for sale in the craft shop—spun wool from our own sheep, knitted jumpers to order, along with patchwork quilts.

People around the world live that same lifestyle, like Amy over at the Vomiting Chicken, who grows wonderful food in her extensive garden, raises chickens and home-schools her youngest child.

Now, a company in Japan is building an indoor lettuce farm that will be completely tended by robots and computers. The company, named Spread (vegetable farm), expects the factory to open in 2017. They say the fully automated farming process could make the lettuce cheaper and better for the environment.

Spread already tends several large indoor farms. The multitude environmental benefits include:

Plants can be grown hydroponically without exhausting soil resources.

Up to 98 percent of the water will be recycled.

The factory won’t have to spray pesticides, since the pests are outdoors.

Artificial lighting means the food supply won’t rely on weather changes.

Lighting can be supplied through renewable energy.

Currently Spread grows about 7.7 million heads of lettuce a year under the name 'Vegetus', and sells them at about the same price as regular lettuce.

Although modern indoor farms to have temperature, humidity, light, and CO2 controlled automatically by a computer, the Japanese company hopes to have the entire process run by robots, from seeding to harvesting.

However, the Wall Street Journal reports that the company is struggling to construct a machine that can plant the seeds, and their process still requires human eyes to determine whether a seedling has sprouted.

Ha. I knew robots could never replace a proper farmer. Mankind's earliest change from hunter-gatherers came when they decided to plant and grow their own food, thereby remaining in a fixed position—the home.

Do you see a future where the farmer is replaced by robots?

Recently, Utah's most populous county banned the sale of commercially bred dogs and cats in pet stores. A growing number of cities around the country have already done so in an effort to reduce the number of pets born in barbarous conditions.

Some of the USA's largest pet companies already have moved away from such production in favor of offering animals from shelters.

Salt Lake County joined a list of nearly 90 municipalities that have passed measures aimed at so-called puppy and kitten mills. And that number is growing, advocates say.

A spokeswoman for the Humane Society of Utah said, “There are great pets already that need a home. We don't need to make more.”

But pet stores say the rule, which also includes rabbits, unfairly targets local shops with a good track record on animal welfare. Source: ABC News.

To me, this action makes sense. Adopt a pet from an animal welfare pound. Even if you have a particular breed in mind, you are bound to find the animal that appeals to you amongst the poor abandoned creatures waiting behind bars.

I don't have a furry companion, more's the pity. My husband I love animals, but we are not in a position to care for one. We adopted our last dog from a greyhound kennel.

Where did your pet come from?

Scientists warn that reusing plastic bags could spread deadly diseases. This comes after UK's new rule of paying for each supermarket bag with the intention of reducing waste.

Eeeek! We've always used multi-purpose shopping bags. Have we been we risking our health?

A professor from the biological and biomedical science at Aston University, said the public needs to be educated about the dangers of contaminated bags.

He warned shoppers to be wary. Using the same bag for different food products, such as fresh meat, cheese and bread, could cause sickness. Millions of bacteria cells can survive on plastic bag for days or even weeks, including potentially deadly E. coli.

He advises that people only use certain bags for certain types of food produce, and always wash hands and goods thoroughly. Source: Mirror.

For years, my husband and I have used strong bags, purpose made for collecting goods from the supermarket. My husband does the packing—everything in together. Cans, chicken, vegetables, fruit, frozen packs, and cleaning items. Gulp!  

But surely goods are safe in their own wrapping. How can bacteria escape the confines of their packaging?

He doesn't wash his hands either, unless reminded. I don't touch anything at the shops other than holding my walker. I've long been wary of what other people's hands have touched before pushing the trolley.

I remember the days in the 50s when women would take their own string bag to collect their food from the shop. Seems sensible in retrospect. Bacteria would float through the gaps without becoming trapped. I wonder if woven straw bags are safe too.

I guess the best thing to do is have separate plastic bags for different types of food—one for meat, one for greens, one for dry goods and cans, and another for cleaning materials. Armed with five specialized bags, we could march into the arena to do battle with bacteria.

How do you carry your food home from the shop?

A study comparing end-of-life care in 80 countries has shown the UK is the best place in the world in which to die.

The reasons cited by the Economist Intelligence Unit:

1) The integration of palliative care into the NHS,

2) a strong hospice movement largely funded by the charitable sector,

3) specialised staff,

4) deep community engagement.

I can attest to palliative care being wonderful here in the UK.

The UK received the top score in the indicator measuring financial burden to patients, indicating that 80% to 100% of end-of-life care services are paid for by sources other than the patient, much of it from charitable funding.

The Quality of Death Index, commissioned by the Lien Foundation, a Singaporean philanthropic organisation, is based on qualitative and quantitative indicators and took in interviews with more than 120 palliative care experts from around the world.

After my husband's cancer appeared last year, here are our experiences:

We've received help from many different sources. Most of our visitors stay for at least two hours and let him talk as much as he needs to, leaving him smiling and stress-free.

District nurses are wonderful whenever he needs his catheter changed. We've also had visits from Age Concern & Guidance in the Home, all overseen by our wonderful community navigator. Some are run by charities, some are Government funded.

A visit yesterday from a representative in the financial section of McMillan's charity, left us with hopeful news. She will handle all our claims, ensuring we get the allowances for which we are entitled, which, in turn, will reduce our rent.

Although she told us not to worry, my husband ended up extremely stressed, and I wanted to bury my head under the blanket because of his agitated condition. He wanted to talk to her—to tell her about his worries, but the extremely efficient woman cut across his concerns and focused on our finances on her laptop.

The visit lasted just twenty minutes and covered many points about our worries. She gave us the name of a company to contact which would help with long-standing debts. At the time, my husband was in no state to consider taking this action, but I'm hopeful he'll work his way around to it.

Of course, McMillan charity offers a phone service for cancer patients to use when they have concerns of any kind. He hasn't resorted to this yet. At the moment, finances are our greatest concern.

My husband doesn't quite believe help will arrive as if by magic. He's holding his breath.

None of us want to consider what will happen in the future. When you're young, that's the last thing on your mind. However, it's good to know help is available.

Do you have a story about end of life care?

In the UK, the pheasant season has started with an outcry over the number of game birds being reared in cages, only to be released and shot.

These are beautiful birds are not native to Britain, but have a long history of residence. Over the years, we have welcomed several into the shelter of our back garden. They are shy though, and flutter away at the first sign of movement. We peek through the glass door in our communal hall to catch a glimpse of their brilliant feathers, glinting in the light. So far this year, I haven't seen any.

Anti-blood sports campaigners like the League Against Cruel Sports and Animal Aid describe the annual shooting season as the “Cruel Game”.

You might wonder why.

Pheasants and partridges used for breeding are confined in tiny wire-mesh cages for months or even years rather than wandering around the countryside in freedom.

The shooting industry says the sport is worth £2 billion to the UK economy and supports the equivalent of 74,000 full-time jobs.

Animal welfare organisations are calling for a ban on metal battery cages for both pheasants and partridges, which they say are “cruel and oppressive”. Source: Express. 

Lord Aldenham owns all the land for miles opposite Elstree where I live. My neighbour and I used to walk around various parts of our area every morning. One day we strayed further along some private land and climbed the style beside the locked metal gate. We'd never seen anyone on the land apart from teenage boys carrying fishing rods toward the small lake on the property.

But that day, a work car pulled up at the gate and a ranger climbed out. We admitted we were taking a walk. The ranger asked us to leave, because we'd scare His Lordship's pheasants and the shooting season was just about to begin.

We retraced our steps, shamefaced. His Lordships pheasants were left in peace that day, before being blasted with pellets a week later.

If these were pheasants who enjoyed a life of freedom until that day, it wouldn't be so bad. But, how cruel for industrious people to raise birds simply to be shot for sport.

Do you know of similar activities?

     Are you a judgemental person?

Without any intention of doing so, I rate everyone new under the categories of compatibility, intelligence, whether they're positive or not, and how interesting they are. I know I shouldn't judge people, and I can accept people the way they are, knowing life has probably caused many of their outer characteristics. Discernment rather than judgement kicks in and shows me compassion. In that way, I decide what is right for me without condemning the person for that behaviour.

However, I might not want to be in their company.

The holistic approach suggests that you can never know what motivates other people. But you can understand what you accept or judge in yourself when you see the behaviour in others.

Reactions and judgements can help you achieve greater self-understanding—and accordingly, greater happiness and success, rather than indulging in the ego gratification of judging others.

But a new company has launched an app called "Peeple", which focusses on judging whoever you meet with a rating system similar to a restaurant, or a business guide.

Anyone with a Facebook account and cell phone can rate another person and assign them a star rating out of five in one of three categories: personal, professional and romantic. You must be 21, have a Facebook account at least six months old, and make reviews under your real name. In addition, you must affirm that you know the person you're reviewing and input their cellphone number if they're not in the database. Negative ratings for people won't show unless they've registered for the site. Website: Peeple. 

Although the instigators' aim is to help others judge a rated person's integrity, this offers a huge potential for bullying. What is society coming to? Gossipmongering, catty, rumormongering, vindictive and vengeful people will delight in this app.

I think the concept will prey on the natural inner voice that warns of harm when we meet someone new.

What do you think of judging people by means of a star rating?

That's what Sir Richard Branson has suggested at the Disruptors event in central London. The conference features debates on the future of education with panellists including Professor Brian Cox and Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for All.

You may think that's crazy and will limit the young person's prospects, but Sir Richard Branson speaks from experience. He dropped out of school and published the youth culture magazine Student at 17.

In later life, he set up Virgin Records before moving into transport, telecommunications and health among many other sectors and whose Virgin Group now boasts more than 100 companies.

He proposes that children should leave school at 16 and go travelling to learn the life skills they need to get on in the world. Learning about things relevant to real life, they would develop knowledge of how retail and business works.

The billionaire entrepreneur said the current system sees youngsters spend too many years at school. He believes university courses could be condensed to implement this.

"I think by the age of 16, for most they should have learnt all the basics that they need to get out into the outside world," he told the Press Association.

"My own feeling is that at age 16, ideally, they should go off and travel for a year, and if they want to go to university they should be able to go to a university course that is not longer than about two years."

He also pointed out that shorter courses would result in lower fees, to stop students being "saddled with tones and tonnes of debt". Source: Press Association.

Not everybody has the same personal skills as Sir Richard. Let's face it—we can't all be billionaire entrepreneurs. Some of us are meant for gentler pursuits, like being the best mother possible, or acting or … writing.

Take me, for instance. Living in Australia in the late 50s, my family moved from Melbourne to Adelaide when I was sixteen. I enrolled in the local high school, but beforehand, the headmaster required an interview. I turned up beautifully dressed. He confronted me with the question of whether I really wanted to learn. I said no, and bowed out of further education. I don't know if my mother approved, but she and grandmother must have accepted my decision.

The first job I found was working as a junior in a city advertising agency, hired by a very understanding boss. I didn't do much but answer the phone and greet clients and must have been a big disappointment to him because I never showed an interest in learning the business. But back then, employers cared about their staff. He found me a job with his doctor friend as a receptionist.

Back in the late 50s, there were few expectations placed on a girl. She would work before marriage and then retire to raise her family. That's what I did, only taking up paid employment when I left Australia for England.

But most of all, I gained experience during my long life, which has given me plenty of material to draw on when writing novels. At the moment, I've working on my early memoirs. I'll be satisfied if I can give an accurate account of the life of a naive young woman from earlier times.

Of one thing I am sure: each individual is unique.

How do you stand on the controversial subject? Should students gain as much knowledge as possible to prime them for employment? Or do you think they could possibly find their own way in today's society?

 Who hasn't admired the hunky image of an action man playing a macho role on the screen? The actor's job is to make his character believable. But underneath, are they really strong?

Hugh Jackman, the star of 'Wolverine' admits he had a rough start which made him feel powerless.

When he was young, his mother abandoned him it had a drastic effect on his life.

The 46-year-old actor told Parade magazine: "From the moment mom left, I was a fearful kid who felt powerless. I was the youngest. I used to be the first one home and I was frightened to go inside. I couldn't go into the house on my own. I'd wait outside, scared, frustrated. Growing up I was scared of the dark. I was scared of heights.

"It limited me. I hated it, and that contributed to my anger. Isn't most anger fear-based, ultimately? It emanates from some kind of powerlessness. I was really feeling that."

For many people, hardship sparks determination to succeed.

My husband grew up during WW2 in London. He, amongst other children, were sent away when bombs started destroying the city. But the country woman who accepted him used to shut him in a cupboard for hours if he broke her rules. When his mother found out, she took him back to the city, where they'd shelter in the closest Underground station during bomb raids. He's turned out to be a popular, strong and determined man.

And then there was me. In 1949, my mother, sister and I left our home for a train trip when I was seven years old. Before I knew what was going on, some people took me and my sister to a girl's home. I looked around the big hallway, wondering what would happen. A stern lady took me into a room with other children about my age sitting in a classroom. I slunk to a desk at the rear.

Difficult, confusing times followed, filled with regimented activities. I didn't know why we were there of if I'd see my mother again, so I stuck close to my sister at playtime, and tried to get by when faced with difficult sums.

I couldn't understand where my mother had gone or why she had abandoned us.

When we saw Mummy shortly before the turn of the decade, she carried our baby sister, mewing inside a bunny-rug. Despite that early abandonment, I became a strong, determined lady.

There's a story lurking behind every person who presents a successful façade to the world.

Do you have one to share?