I have a new phone. It is fantastic, apparently. It can hold all my music, take marvelous photos, allow my to interact with my facebook page at the drop of a hat and be at the constant beck and call of anyone who chooses to email me. It can even make phone calls.

But the fact that I have a new phone is an indication of just how quickly my life is changing. Three months ago I decided that I needed a new phone tariff to keep up with my ludicrous text habit which was far out stretching the allowance on my existing contract. At this point my husband, master of all things technological, asked me if I wanted to upgrade my handset. I scoffed at him with such scorn that I am now ashamed to bring it to mind. ” Why?” I asked, incredulously. “Why on earth would I need a phone that can do more than call, text and take pictures?” ” Are you sure?” he asked, wisely. “It might be useful to be able to access your emails when you are out and about or blog from somewhere if the mood takes you?” “No thank you,” I replied, primly. ” I am perfectly happy with my phone. It does everything that I will ever need.”

And so I got a new tariff and on we went. But then it started to occur to me that the points that he had made were valid ones. I began to develop an uncharacteristic curiosity about his iPhone and started searching the Internet for whizzy handsets. Eventually, I plucked up the courage to tell him that he had, in fact, been right all along and notwithstanding the fact that I had categorically stated, not three months before that I didn’t want a new phone, I did.

And so now I have it. It is touch screen and everything moves about in a slightly ghostly fashion. I have no idea how to set it up so that it works like I want it to. I have worked out how to text, of course, and I have taught the predictive text some useful swear words but more than that I cannot yet do. In fact, it rang when I was on the train but I couldn’t work out how to answer it!

I will learn all this stuff. Slowly but surely and with a lot of help I will gradually work it out. And then I will be ready for anything.