Hi Martin I’m writing this on your MacBook Pro on my way back from the Apple Store on Regent Street. It’s made me think of travelling in to the Apple Store with you. The Apple Store and anything Apple or i makes me think of you. It’s a nice association because it’s all usually quality stuff. It was so good that your Grandma Barbara gave you the money for the MacBook. As you know, it meant you didn’t have to wait and you could get the MacBook Pro as soon as Reigate College confirmed it would enable you to do your music technology work from hospital. My iPod nano is an example too of Apple equipment that makes me think of you. It’s not your old black iPod as Val has that now. It’s a red iPod (where some of the profits go to HIV Aids support) with a larger memory. I listen to it nearly ever day, especially when I’m on the train or at the gym. I can’t remember how many times we went to the Apple Store together now. The trips have merged in to each other. I don’t like it that I don’t remember. That’s one reason I’ve decided to write to you – to help me remember. I think we bought your MacBook together. Or was it that you weren’t well enough to travel at the time and I bought it?! (Why don’t I remember?) A later trip was to check out music keyboards to use with the laptop but they hadn’t got what you wanted and recommended the shop on Charing Cross Road where you ended up buying lots of recording equipment as well as your keyboard. Then there was choosing your speakers. (I think we bought them from the Apple Store but it might have been PC World by UCH.) The trip to the Charing Cross Road shop for your recording equipment was fun. There was Ben, Becky and Steph and me. You spent ages talking to a guy in the shop and none of the rest of us could understand a word. It was as if you and the shop guy were talking a different language. Your technical knowledge was amazing. You were quite ill at that point. Something that made me feel quite sad - although it’s illogical to be so sad about this compared to the rest of what happened – is that you ordered a particular sensitive microphone for recording voice in the studio and it didn’t arrive until you were dead. It was supposed to be delivered in two weeks. The microphone is in your studio now but I don't think it's been used. Perhaps Ben will use it one day when he’s less busy and can spend more time on music. Anyway, your MacBook had stopped working. It wouldn’t get beyond the apple logo. The "Genius" Dave sorted it out. It seems the system software was being upgraded when it shut down. So he connected an external drive and upgraded the software and it’s now fine. Bye for now. Love Dad. (Text written Saturday 24th November. Photo taken Monday 26th November.)