On the whole, the best way of finding out what Stirrings is is up to is not to start a thread here but to ask Stirrings directly. Gavin is overall editor, and Raymond (the previous editor) now handles advertising, finance and distribution; while I deal with layout, final subbing, pre-press and other technical stuff. Full contact details for all of us can be found not only on the website at  http://www.stirrings.org.uk/, but also on page 1 of the magazine, along with lots of other useful information. We have taken to sub-titling it 'the page that nobody reads'. Gavin is out of town, but Raymond and I are not.

Since we're here, though, here is the current state of play.

I was within a couple of hours of finishing number 138 when I collapsed and was carted off to hospital. Fortunately, Ron and Jenny Day were there, or I'd have been in real trouble. It was a week before I was allowed home. At some point during my absence, the USB stick on which the files were stored became unreadable; we still haven't established how or why. In the normal run of things there would have been a back-up, but being stuck in bed I had been obliged to work on the laptop as and when able, with no LAN connection available in the bedroom. The one time you go out without an umbrella will be the time it rains.

Having tried the stick on several machines without success, I sent it to a data recovery agency. Since Christmas/New Year nowadays has turned into a single extended holiday for many people, it has taken them some time to decide (yesterday) that, sophisticated gear notwithstanding, they can't recover the data either.

These various delays mean that the only viable option now is to abandon issue 138 altogether. Not something we are happy about, but there are times when one must accept what fate decrees. Raymond is in the process of contacting our advertisers and subscribers to advise them of the situation, while I will be placing relevant material on the website (I run that, too).

The next issue will appear as planned, with special features such as the interview with Steve Turner carried over from the 'lost' edition. Although I am regaining strength, it is unlikely that I will ever be able to handle as much work as I used to, so Raymond will be re-assuming some of the prep duties for the time being. In the long term we will be looking to expand the production team and spread the workload more evenly.