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

Thank you very kindly for that mention of our travels.

I have since asked around here as to just what qualifies as a Meet. Derek's reply was:

>>I don't know the answer so I'm going to make one up. As well being a 'magic number', I'd say three is also the minimum required to constitute a meet. Two is a meetING. One is, well, to quote Harry Nilsson, 'the loneliest number that you'll ever know'.<<

King Bomba suggested that our travels be known as a 'staggered Meet'.

How-ever you measure them, there were three extended meetINGs of two researchers, one proper drinking Meet of three of us, and one very jovial Meet of four. So I like to believe that it was all quite a success.

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm glad you had a good time.

I have no idea which number constitutes an 'h2g2 Meet', but then the term is probably not all that important, the main thing being that you met friends and had fun.
I personally wouldn't talk of an h2g2 meet if I was just to meet one or two friends, even if they are researchers like me. But then maybe that's just me.

No, perhaps you wouldn't talk of such small meetings. You have had the opportunities a few times to meet many at a time, it is all becoming rather common for you. For us, it was all magical, wonderful, and each 'meeting' known to be a once in a lifetime experience. That danged thing called the Atlantic Ocean being such an intrusive thing.

How-ever, this time was enough that we have agreed that there WILL be another time. It may take 4 or 5 years to accrue finances and vacation time. But it WILL happen.

Yes, I have had opprtunities to meet several friends at a time, but it's far from becoming common for me. I'll not be able to attend the next meet , and who knows what will be after that. So each and every meet has been and will be very special to me, cause it could be the last.

From times past, I do know that each occassion IS special for you. So as best I can offer, there are fingers, toes and crossed for perhaps a winter or spring Meet for you.

Thank you.

I do hope you'll manage to go another time - or at least Venus crossing the pond to see you. I have met her several times, I know what a w onderful friend she is.

And very much to her own amazement, ... she cooked a full and yummy dinner for us. Without ash or flames.

Apparently, she has set her mind and will to coming over here. Which is a monstrously huge step for the Lady. I can only assume that milady was a charming influence, 'coz I know that I ain't that much appeal.

Well, I have now started reading your journal - it's loooong No wonder though, what with all the things you saw and did. Did Aye bee arrange for Beatrice and her partner to meet you, or was that a coincidence? Becuase iff it was arranged, I'd say it was a mini meet.

Dai had ordered in some attachments for his motorcycle from Germany. Shipping to northern Ireland would have been a couple of hundred pounds cost more than to another EU country, ie: Ireland. So the stuff was delivered to the Pirate Wench, and less than an hour and a half of driving time allowed he and his Lady to collect the pieces. So it really proved to be coincidental, the timing. And yet a very enjoyable time had by all ...

Well, ok, so it was a coincidental mini meet.

Mind, ... the night of and stuff in Manchester was fully planned. Well over a year ago it was known to must happen. Meeting that pair of lads was fab.

I haven't reached that part of your journal yet. So, how are they?

Consider yourself and others fortunate ... My normal verbosity could have had that journal run on for pages and pages. With a lot of minute detail. Instead, we kept a daily journal that will be formulated and kept for long-term memories.

The young gentlemen are both doing very well, and that 3+ hours with them was really very special. To ALL of us. Milady quite liked them as well.

I wouldn't have expected anything less.

I'm still talking to Rob on the odd occasion but haven't talked to Pete since he left hootoo.

I have also found each of them 'on-line' since the circumstances that caused them to not wander h2g2 as much as before. But life does go on quite well for both, with many adventures and times that were a treat to chat about.

Yes, I imagine that. How is Rob's back? Last I heard was he was suffereing from sciatica last week.

He made no mention of it. And having a regularly irritated sciatic nerve cluster, I'd certainly recognize the 'symptoms'.

Well, in that case he must have been better again, which is good.

I've had a look at your photos, about half of them, then the site decided it didn't want to play anymore.
You'll have to do the captions soon, or else it will get harder and harder to remember when/what is on there.

Goodnight Nick, I'm off now.

I have built a CD of the photos, separated into categories of who's homes, what sites we saw, all in a reasoanbly organized fashion. For our own long-time memories. I took only a small sampling for the on-line stuff, which is such a slow process. And had to ensure that anything including younger family members were excluded. There was a place in Ireland that was gorgeous, but each pic had atleast one (if not both) young L lads in the frame. So I couldn't use any of them.

Most online albums allow you to set specific albums to private, generating a link you can then send to your friends, but they'll not be public.