....not knowing what to do with your smartwatch

I bought it a year ago. It was in a knockdown bin in an electronics shop - I bought it on price alone. It turned out to be a Chinese clone of the Apple watch, but it only worked with software on Android phones. After three weeks of wearing, it seemed not to be working. Typically of me, I put at the back of the bedroom drawer and left it in peace. In the intervening period I have thought about it, but forgot where I had actually put it. Then, a few weeks ago my wife Asha produced it with the remark "I think this is yours."

I charged up the watch, it works fine, and have been wearing it every day since then. It feels like I am being modern, with it, hip, a bright young(ish) thing. I don't like the look of it - too clunky - but then how can I go against the tastes of the IT culture. I have now worked out the settings on the BT Notification software. It is a wonder that such a little thing can do so much. Apparently, about 2 billion smartwatches have been sold - even the village elders in the undiscovered tribes of the upper Amazon are wearing them.

I know how many steps I've taken today - certainly a lot more than Richard Hannay spoke about. But, what else to do with it other than talk about how wonderful it is? Everything on it has come from the phone via BlueTooth, so why don't I just look at that. Of course, it does mean that whilst teaching in class I can glance at my wrist and check on my emails, SMS and WhatsApp messages and a host of other notifications. Perhaps, however, it would be better if I was spending this time checking up on Nadia's questionable use of future perfect continuous in a third-person narrative. That being said, I will continue to look for a reason to be a wearer for a few more weeks. If it doesn't work out, then it is back to the bottom drawer for the Appal watch and a triumphant return for the Omega.