h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yikes, the weather event! Those icicles. Are you OK? You can't get out to buy food? Can the neighbours get to you?

OK, Bob Stafford the expert on things Roman.

Of course, I'm an expert in Toman names.



I like that, Toman. I know these people. You started a scifi story here. Which I can't write.



Imagine being a psychic or sensitive, picking up messages and energies from all these different town names.

That was a flaky paragraph I know. . Mind you, my mother regularly witnessed a Cavalier (of uncertain historical authenticity)drifting through the living room.

I am seriously a bit worried about you guys being stranded.

Do the police have a 'copter? For a food drop off?

I knew this guy who was definitely Toman. He had the most bewitching eyes. I didn't realise he was Toman until the word Toman appeared on my screen. You can't know Toman until the language has been invented.

OK that's it, I'm shutting up.



Let us know if you are starving. I've gone all maternal.

We are two tiny blocks from Main St. There are two people from the church living on our street. The phones work. We're fine, thanks.

We're a few doors down from the Fire Department - their siren goes off and makes me think of the Blitz...

This town may only have 5000 people in it, but most of them live nearby...

This is just really all of the unusual weather at once. What a welcome back after so many years.

Phew, OK then. Good to have the folks around.

Absolutely. Especially when you consider the distances between things here...

But this place? Think village life.

All we can do is send virtual and and hope it warms up soon.

From your mouth to God's ear, as the Germans say.

Over here we have a place called 'Parys' (Afrikaans for Paris) in the Free State, and we have German towns like Heidelberg (one in the Cape and one in Gauteng) and Bochum (here in Limpopo). I've been to a couple of farms called Portugal and Spain.

Anyways: the name 'mimosa' can refer to any of a large number of tree species, belonging to the genera 'Mimosa' proper, as well as 'Acacia' and 'Albizia'. They are all fairly closely related (members of the Mimosoideae subfamily of the Fabaceae of legume family) and all have fluffy puffball-flowers. The scientific names are actually in turmoil right now with lots of trees getting reclassified and renamed so the name 'mimosa' is a nice non-specific and inclusive name!

, Willrm! Thanks for that note about mimosas.

I never expect the names I grew up with to be the 'right' ones, because I was taught them by older people from the mountains or rural Deep South. Of course, my aunt DID know the scientific names...

A Bochum? Wow, now that's an interesting name to have. We have Cairo, Illinois, of course - but it's pronounced 'Quay-rho'. Just like Karo, Mississippi, where Karo Syrup comes from...

Hullo Willem!

Heidelberg? and Parys? Really? What a funny old world we live in, eh? I wonder what downtown Heidelberg, SA, looks like, compared to downtown Heidelberg, Germany?

Hah! The Mimosa Mystery reveals its secrets. Sort of. . I passed one of my yellow bobbly trees today. I said 'good morning Lady Acacia or are you Lady Mimosa, you look very lovely whoever you are'.

What's Karo Syrup?

Can you eat it on hotcakes?

Definitely on hotcakes. And waffles. And hot biscuits - you know, that quick bread we make. When my sisters were babies, the doctors put it in the 'formula' - tinned milk, Karo syrup, and water - for infants.

It's just corn syrup. There's a dark and a light variety.

http://www.karosyrup.com/faq.html

Hot biscuits sound completely delicious also.

mmmm I'm really hungry now. I think I love Karo Syrup. I wonder can I get it here? Have to check.

I first tasted hotcakes on our trip to the States in '91.

I think the very first time we ever ate them was in a diner, near Tucson, Arizona.

That's quite a pretentious statement really. .

They were covered in maple syrup and there was ice cream and blueberries, one of the most divine things I ever ate.

What's pretentious about the diners in Tucson, AZ? Do they sport TWO checkered tablecloths?

Hotcakes, or pancakes, or flapjacks, depending on region but they're all the same thing, really, are a simply a staple. Try them at an IHOP - International House of Pancakes. A dozen varieties of syrup available. Whipped butter. Sort of the luxury version, only cheap.

I can only eat the gluten free ones now. But they used to be the reason for eating breakfast out.

The only thing better is a Dutch Panekoeken - about a foot in diameter, buried in melted butter...

. No, I sounded like a ditsy English lady writing a travelogue. 'We found this dee-vine diner, near Tucson, AZ, with deeelish hotcakes.'

I remember that diner in fact. There was this Indian guy in there wearing turquoise rings, and I was in awe.

The IHOP? I wonder where's the nearest. I must get there. London I bet. Damn. Miles away.

Of course, you're gluten free. I couldn't eat the butter in the Panekoeken. I'd have to ask for vegan margarine. Not the same thing at all. We'd be a fine pair.

We've been dieting since Christmas, so no pancakes with syrup for us!
One of my favourite vegetarian dishes was beetroot and goats cheese tart. Rather than abandon it as altogether too high in fat, I took the pastry out and made a gratin, with layers of potato, the beetroot mixture and goats cheese. It was still nice.

Hello Daydreamers

It has been a wonderful , have enjoyed all your postings

I have been busy here, most of it good but there has been the odd shocker so while I am pretty upbeat also a little frayed round the edges , hence the lurking

It is gorgeous morning here, I think about half the estate has got their washing out as it a great drying day, when I was walking home I kept smelling wafts of different fabric conditions and washing powers from peoples gardens

I hope you all have a weekend that you are looking forward too.

*Leaves a pot of zingy Perculiar *

oh and dates for the UK diary, March the 20th, solar eclipse on the equinox and lowest tides in 200 years over the weekend

Hello Peanut, it's nice to see you here, and I hope the frayed edges get repaired by plenty of Perculiar tea and a good weekend. .

We went walking in Ashdown Forest yesterday. There was plenty of water around. All the little streams were running fast and there were wet and boggy places on the path that made walking tricky. Although there weren't any leaves out, the trees had that fuzzy look that shows the buds are swelling. One area of woodland looked almost purple.

The gorse was flowering- but gorse is always flowering. I don't understand why because surely the flowers need insects to pollinate them and there are no insects around in winter. Brave or silly plant?

Evening all!

No pancakes for you either mvp? Oh no! The trip to the IHOP is definitely off then for all of us.

That scumptious sounding dish of yours will do me, though. . Please send takeaway through my screen. I wish we could do that. . I'd be nice to you forever if you sent me supper. Those layers of potato, I do love a layer of potato.

I just ate half of a little homity pie I got from the wholefood shop today. The pastry was vegan and gluten free and wheat free and in fact it was a homity-pie free homity pie. .

No, it was really cheesy and lovely, and mine all mine because he doesn't eat cheese.

I couldn't live without my cheese.

Back in a minute.