@gemlog Good to hear from you again. Sorry for the delay in responding. It was a busy weekend. Of course chitchat is fine for the reasons you indicated.

I most certainly still remember that extreme weather event in BC. Quite extraordinary. What makes 'cold weather' difficult here is that many houses are not well insulated - mine included! Also you have to factor in heavy rain and strong gusty winds. Canada of course is in a league of its own. I need to write to my sister-in-law in Toronto and brother=law in Edmonton and get an overview!

Re the laptop I did quite a bit of research. The quality of build and design is good (especially if you're not a fan of Apple) and it runs very snappily indeed. Unless you're into serious gaming or intensive video editing, it really fits the bill (well at least for me). Indeed it could even outlast me.

In an ideal world, I would explore all the Linux distros. However, time is short and there's so much to be explored on this island in terms of walks, books to read and of course the Symi International Film Festival.

Once again, thanks for your post. Much appreciated. Stay safe!