So... the computer is sort of back to normal, the internet issue has been resolved. There's something deep in the innards of windows called "winsock catalogue", and if that catalogue somehow becomes faulty, the connection does not work anymore. Fortunately there are search engines, and there are other machines in this household that have internet connection, so following the semi-old adage "if in doubt, google it" I found that as a possible solution, followed the instructions, and there I was, back in touch with the 'Net.
I also searched for the reason for the bluescreen (which kindly also includes a self-description number), and it looks like there is a hardware fault to blame, either the RAM or the HDD. Since a thorough test of the RAM brought no errors, it is probably that my disk is nearing the end of its lifespan. Sigh.
So I'll be buying a new drive sooner than later.
And because this is probably all really boring for you (it would be for me, if it weren't my data, and thus a good part of my livelihood, on the line), here are some links to add some proper content to this post:
If you happen to be in England or are coming to London, there's a new exhibition starting in the British Library this Friday: Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Art, Word, War. It will run until February 19, 2019.
There have been dye analyses made on an ancient sock held in the Smithsonian, and the result is that several different colours have been achieved using the tree usual suspects woad, weld, and madder. Here's a shorter article about the sock in the Smithsonian magazine, and here is the complete article about the analysis of the sock and three more fragments: A multispectral imaging approach integrated into the study of Late Antique textiles from Egypt (Joanne Dyer, Diego Tamburini, Elisabeth R. O’Connell, Anna Harrison).
And right around the corner from where I live, there will be some archaeology done: Three digs are scheduled to be made in the Nuremberg area, two starting next week and the third next year... (article in German).