My grandmother grew up in the country. This photo shows her as a little girl at the door to her house that she shared with her many brothers and parents: the priests house at Sissinghurst Castle. The family were not aristocrats, just farm labourers. I remember my grandmother as a little old lady, her hair always in a fine net showing a  a platt. It was probably very long, but also very fine: just a little old lady. She had her beliefs and superstitions as did most simple country folk in those days. She lived with my grandfather in the London suburbs, Essex as their house in London had bomb damage during the war and they were found a new house.

She was fill of superstitions. If a gypsy visited her house to sell goods (and there were many roaming folk in her area) she would buy. She was convinced that if she sent them away without buying their goods she would be cursed. I am sure she had a collection of special charms from the gypsies so that her life would remain enchanted.

Of course this is not something that I would practice today. I have a computer that knocks at my window, via internet, and sells me all sorts of charms, or tries to, and often uninvited, just like grandma’s gypsies but it is all in the name of security. As a computer user we are exposed to everything. A trojan might come knocking at your screen and there is an invasion of e-mails daily with invitations to lead a safer life, virus free. You are regularly informed that someone tried to invade your privacy on a certain web site and there are numerous parcels waiting to be delivered by Fedex which you must confirm. It is like buying from the gypsies that will curse you if you do not oblige. I even read that Mr. Zuckerberg from Facebook is now facing a dangerous attack. It seems if you continue with Facebook you face a massive privacy attack. It is no longer the exception to online life, but the rule. As I have no deep secrets to be ashamed of, I can still sleep.

My computer has slowly become a Fort Worth lookalike. I have a virus protection. When I am finished with my computer I empty my browser – you never know what still might be lurking inside. I have a crap cleaner, yes even the computer needs a toilet roll now an again where you have to pull the chain when finished. The final step is a Malwarebyte disinfector, just be sure that you leave a clean and antiseptic world behind when you switch off. Grandma, you had a good idea, just buy from the gypsies and then there will be no curses or unknown attacks, And never walk under a ladder. If you do you can always throw salt over your shoulder. There is always the windows defender to help of course, but grandma preferred dealing with human threats in the real world. She was lucky. The computer had not yet been invented.

Daily Prompt: Talisman