The old adage is true. But what if it is broke? In the old days, you would fix it. ‘Make do and mend’. Perhaps that will be making a comeback given the economic situation. The trouble is that, these days, things are not made to be fixed. It has been too expensive to fix something. Better by far to throw it away.

But, if you’ve had something for years, sometimes, there is an attachment to it; something about it that evokes warm and comfortable feelings; without which we would not have antiques and the like, I guess.

So there are certain situations where, if it is broke, fix it. But there are others where, if it is broke, throw it away as the cost to fix it will be too high; where the time involved makes it not really worth it; where the fixing of it, the true fixing of it, cannot be made – it won’t really work again.

>Of course, if it’s just a surface problem, like a scratch, it can be repaired easily. If it appears to be a surface problem but, in reality, the problem is with the mechanics, for instance, and the problem is something that means more faults appear at an increasingly alarming rate, you shouldn’t be all sentimental about it but, rather, bite the bullet and, either fix it for good or take it to the tip.

Sometimes, it isn’t even up to you. If the plumber says it can’t be fixed then you should take his word, shouldn’t you? It’s not like a life-threatening illness where it is commonplace to get a second opinion.

We may not want our beloved thing consigned to the rubbish bin but, there are times when there really is no choice. And don’t you just hate that?

I had intended to write something else and, in fact, had partly written it. However, it was going nowhere and said nothing, so it was ‘broke’ and, in this case, I threw it in the bin (or deleted it, in reality). Maybe it will make a comeback some other day.