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

Very succinct, and 'mostly harmless', though I must take you to task about Mrs. Bickerdyke's profession. The Wealdstone Tan and Touch-up emporium was run by Nora Treadwell and was someone else's creation. Mrs. B's profession was never given, nor indeed was her first name - though others insisted that it was 'Betty'. The name was taken from the US Civil War's very own 'Florence Nightingale', Mary Ann Bickerdyke, who I read about after visiting Gettysburg.

The person on whom Mrs. B was modelled is a fellow TOG (but a Lancashire lass), and a dear old pal, Ann Myers. Pastor Kidneys, was based on a combination of Canon Roger Royle and Rev Rob Gillian, who were 'Thought for the day' presenters, and came to many of the debauched and drunken atrocities which were the TOGs conventions. You could tell the TOGs were in town as there was usually a pair of slippers connected by string slung over the telephone wires crossing the road. Melanie Frontage, was, and may still be, a TOG and a very respectable retired company accountant Pauline Robbins, from Crawley Down in Sussex who happened to be particularly 'gifted' in the upper thoracic region.

As to the real Janet and John, they are lovely people, though Janet does have an edge of steel about her. John, in reality, has no dress-sense and wears a lot of grey and beige clothing, which I suppose makes the stories even more ridiculous than they might already be.

For my part, Mr, Adams was always a literary hero to me. I have thousands of pages of unfinished and unpublished works, which I have never found the inspiration to finish, and have managed to procrastinate for many years over doing so, without ever taking a bath (I prefer a shower). It is one of the few ways I have managed to emulate the great man.

Thank you for dropping by and letting me know that you enjoyed reading this. Please be assured that any errors are of course mine and meant in the most flattering way; my excuse it is difficult to hear the details when you are laughing so hard and trying not to .

<BB<