OK I'll answer all three:
BM ~ It had nothing to do with the spell checker or Firefox as Miss Wenchy's blushing features will have now revealed.
Miss D ~ nothing to do with loss of memory either
Wenchy now knows that I am teasing her because she PMd to ask why I was so long using the spell checker the other day. The reason, as I explained, was that I was spell checking a longish post and the phone rang. I simply picked up the phone and ignored the PC for some time thus leaving myself still "checking" the post. When I finally got rid of the caller I corrected the spelling mistakes and posted the item.
SO ~ one and all~ the equipment is fine, both Firefox and my memory, the spell checker works dandy on both Firefox and M/Soft and I will not talk on the phone in future before logging off site. OK?