THERE’S

a move – too late, I suspect – to start repairing things which break down, rather than chucking them away. I wish it could be so. I grew up in a house with a very efficient and reliable Electrolux fridge bought in 1940s Malta, a perpetual Hoover and a hand lawnmower that probably dated back to the abdication of Edward VIII. I was even taught how to darn my own socks. Now it’s all you can do to get your knives sharpened, and if anything breaks down, it’s off to the dump. I can’t see how this is better.