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

{[caer]} adding Poona to the list of places to visit.

That was me asking aboot the Green Man. Sometimes he appears as the Horned God, or Herne. So I'm putting together a horned-man mask just in time for Easter.

I was just wondering how many cultures have a version of the Green Man. He's in Britain, Ireland, and some of the Punic countries.

I've also got a Crown of Thorns, and an Easter Bunny mask. So Easter in both pagan and Christian cultures will make an appearance this weekend at the booth. I'll try to remember to take pictures - the Easter Bunny will be really funny. Crown of thorns, not so funny.

I hope I do okay this weekend. The weather promises to be very hot.

I've been all around North America, and south to Jamaica, Cozumel, and the Grand Caymans - the usual cruise tour around the islands. I really enjoyed traveling, but next time I'll pick a larger ship. I want to go to Venice, Italy, just to see it before it sinks completely, and I want to go to Scotland because it's so beautiful.

Lentilla: Just thought you might like to see:

http://www.stuckonscotland.co.uk/pictures/edinburgh/rosslyn_chapel_14.jpg

The Green Man is all around the wall, he starts at one side, as a young man, and the vines lead to an older one. This continues around the wall until at the opposite side, he is an old man.

Anyway, to bed.

It's hot here, too, Lentilla. It shouldn't be this hot for another two months. I have a feeling this summer will be a real scorcher.

*waves good night to mikerhike*

Hummm - drunk again. Ho hum.

Does getting drunk at Book Group mean you still have a nice experience?

Anyway I had a great time, they're all really nice people and all thought that the book wasn't intellectually challenging enough, and probably trash. I'll definataely be going along next week.

What I did notice was that I just couldn't find them in the pub, and I was reducded to going up to groups of people and asking 'are you a book group' fortunatley the sixth group said 'yes'. What was really odd was that I wasn't shy about it at all, I can remember that I could have been abserloutly mortified in the past and would probably have gone home, but tonight, I just wans't bothered.

Z, what book did you read?

Labarythine by Kate Moss. I was a bit nervous when she said that would be the book, because it's a best seller, and I don't normally read that sort of book. So I thought maybe it was the sort of book they liked reading - still they all hated it which was good.

OOoooh work was on the news today - and not for a good reason = we're having a cull of staff. I have to admit I found out three days ago from a 'rumour' off a reliable source so I wasn't surprised. Oh and it was in the local paper yesterday before it was annouced.

Anyway Junior Doctors are exempt. I'm assuming they'll honour the job offer I've got for next year.

Anyway at least the Chief Exc has had the grace to say that cutting 700 jobs will affect patient care in some way. I suppose that was better than saying he had 700 people standing around doing nothing that would affect patient care.

Wow, mikerhike - he's kinda mean looking, isn't he? Reminds me of the sheela-na-gigs found in the older churches up there.

Yeah, Hypatia, I think this year I'm just going to plant okra, peppers and herbs in the garden. Maybe one row of tomaters. It's just so dry that it'd be a waste to do anything else. We're currently talking about removing all the grass from our front yard and landscaping it with ground cover and bushes. We need something less thirsty than grass.

A friend of mine mentioned buffalo grass, which doesn't grow more than a few inches and requires much less water. It sounds like a good option for the back yard - if this summer is like last summer, our grass will be dead by June.

That is actually one of the books I mentioned in the last Alabaster House Journal in . Which reminds me, I need to get another one written this weekend.

Lentilla, let's hope we both get some rain soon. It is becoming very serious.

I'm all for rain, just not on me. I have this idea to restrict all precipitation to the mountains around Salt Lake, unless I am in them of course, this idea is actually a very good one because there are no resevoirs in the Salt Lake Valley, they're all in the mountains.

Hypatia, you're excused from scribing until after the column is done!

It's very mystical outside. A just-past-full moon visible behind a thin layer of mist, a few rags of stratus clouds and a whip-poor-will reciting its monotonous and slightly mournful tune over and over.

Nobody reacted much to my horrific experience of running over Cille's dog, but I guess you all nodded and looked away quickly. It's just another case in point...

But I ~am~ wondering what's become of Amy. I emailed all her addresses but got no response.

I have no desire to go to Poona, but that's because, lately, I have no desire to travel much at all. It could be because I'm having an art binge.

Good night everyone.

Running over dog wise,
I think if it had been your own animal it would have been more clear cut and personal to you, from our point of view , although it was still be upseting for you, as was the yelp it made to us. Not sure I made that sentance very clear to understand!
Perhaps as you gave bad news and the better news of it being fairly OK in same post it partly ended the matter fairly quickly as we weren't worried for days about the dog's recovery or not.
Some animals are smarter than others and wouldn't sit under a car, but clearly the dog wasn't a particularly smart one, car wise.

The bin men (or refuse collectors, or whatever) have just been down my road. On Good Friday! A bank holiday! I had assumed they wouldn't be coming, and didn't put my bin out. They don't normally work bank holidays.

Poor bin men.

Lentilla, sorry about getting your Herne question confused. I'm afraid I only vaguely know of him in British tradition, and not at all from elsewhere.

Me too, hardly heared of Green Man or Herne in England, although I have seen a pub called The Green Man, think it had a slghtly devilish, impish green goblin on painted pub sign though!
Morris dancers seem to be a bigger tradition here, well at least there are still a lot of them at fates, open days, etc. Don't think they have any witch type connections though, can't be certain though. Witchcraft used to be very popular in England, well it gets in films quite a lot anyway, there still are "witches", I use the term loosly though, these days it seems to be an excuse to get on TV naked though, lol.
.....don't think you get burnt at stake anymore for it though, thats being on TV naked, and being a witch that is, lol.

I've heard of the Green Man, or Herne the Hunter. But then my mother lived near Windosr Great Park for a lot of her childhood and he was reputed to have inhabited the area. However, I suspect he was reputed to have lived anywhere where there was still an ancient forest.

Was just going to mention Rosslyn chapel - but see mikerhike got there before me. There was a programme about the chapel on tv this week. The place has been mobbed since the success of Dan Brown's book - and the locals are rather fed up of not having their wee village to themselves any more.

I have a small Green Man - and a larger Green Woman at Teuchter Towers. I'm intrigued by the history and mysticism behind the whole thing.

Someone mentioned Morris Men. I can't remember too many details - but the story behind them goes back into paganism a few thousand years too.

My only geographical story is visiting Iceland and having one foot on each tectonic plate. The gap is widening by about 6 inches a year, in some places.

Lil - I'm sorry I didn't comment on your accident with the dog - was too busy squeamishly looking the other way.
It must have been rather ghastly for you

Mr T and I have just realised that it's exactly 30 years to the day since we met. We're trying to book a table somewhere for dinner but seem to have left it a bit late.

Morning everyone.

Herne the Hunter and the Green Man turn up in various British childrens books based loosely on celtic mythology. One that springs to mind is called Borrobil, and another is by Susan Cooper from a series called The Dark is Rising. *scratches head* Pratchett alludes to him in Lords and Ladies ("cor, you don't 'alf look like your picture"). He's also mentioned in the Green Knowe books by Lucy Boston, though I cannot remember which one.

But googling google Images, it's pretty clear that there are two distinct iconographys and my guess is that Herne the Hunter is NOT the same as the Green Man, but that both give the opportunity for arresting images.

Regarding odd experiences - one thing I discovered when I made my guests play the "claim to fame game" is that almost everyone has in fact had odd experiences, they just don't recognise them as such.

Which reminds me.... on to the next post:

.... who is up for going to my new local for a meal and a drink next Saturday night?

Drop me an email at agirlcalledben at yahoo dot co dot uk, and I'll let you know where I am.

I feel so wussily embarrassed that I'm not doing the promised party that there is no room for anyone else to feel awkward about not wanting to treck up from wherever for gammon and chips in someone else's local.

I do intend to have a proper party later in the year but I want it to be when it's warmer and at a time when I am not distracted by an assignment. Also, I can be more enthusiastic about being a hostess at a time when the black dog is rather more firmly back in his kennel, and I want the garden purchase to be over and done with one way or the other because I don't want anyone accidentally asking about it in front of my neighbours, who I'll also be inviting.

So-o-o-o - drop me an email one way or t'other. I really am sorry to be so unreliable on this.

*hangs head in shame*

Ben