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

*wanders in with her tea* The bots have kept the place clean and the windows washed, but they haven't been detailing the plants, have they. I'll have to get the outside gardenerbot to come up and train them.

*starts picking dead leaves off the lemon geraniums*

If people want to do stuff with seedlings and all, we have a pair of geenhouses on the back lawn... *points out the window at
http://www.asterlil.com/h2g2/aplanbig.htm *

I've no objection to someone starting a greenhouses thread!

*wanders in carrying a large pot of Missouri primrose*

Hi folks. Kelli, I would love to do Windsor Castle.

Amy, flying into Manchester just didn't work. I agree that that would have been a great plan.

Ok, let's see. Teuchter, Caer, Agapanthus and Sol are all in London or environs. Anyone else?

Z started sending me a list of locations of Salonistas. I have Amy, Ben, Z, Phil and MC.

I think it would be helpful to map out the locations of those who actually are brave enough to meet me and then try to work out a schedule from that.

Windsor Castle with Kelli. Avebury and Hidecote with Ben. Stonehenge with ?. British Museum with Z. Chelsea with Teuchter and who else? Art galleries with Ag. Leeds area stuff with Amy. Have I forgotten anything? Oh! Punting .

I have invitations to stay with Teuchter, Ben and Z.

I haven't had time to pick up a travel guide. But I will as soon as I can take a break from this place. Then I can put dots on the map of the places you all live and the places I want to see. To determine who gets stuck with me for what.

I'm coming to the art galleries as well!

You can stay with me at The Nest, Hyp. And I'd like to be in on anything that happens in Oxford - that's where I did my first degree - and Chelsea, of course.

An actual meet up would be fun, too. Is there any way Munchers and Toc could come?

Well, Mrs. D and I are located in Swindon, Wiltshire which is pretty close to both Stonehenge and Avebury (not to mention a load of other interesting Neolithic, Iron Age and Saxon stuff).

That being said I wouldn't want you to actually come TO Swindon 'cos it's rubbish.

Well I have to go to Oxford. I am such an Inspector Morse fan. How's that for a shallow reason? And I'm thrilled that I can see Agatha Raisin's costswolds. I really like Agatha Raisin.

You see, it's like this. I am not English, obviously. But I have all this English blood. So I figure that English history belongs to me, too. And my degree is actually in history. So, I'm really interested in seeing historical places whenever possible. I have always envied all of you your access to all that history. We don't have anything like that in the US.

Do you have any family links to any particular parts of England, Hyp?

I think two things need to be decided before anything else.

1. Where is Hyp going to stay on her first day/night?
2. Which day are we going to Chelsea?

*moving over to the orchids* No, we had to make all our history up.

Swindon used to have history but it got eaten by capitalism... the canal got built on and turned into a shopping centre, the railway works got abandoned and turned into a shopping centre...

Wiltshire in general though has more history than you can shake a pilum at! If you do come to this neck of the woods try to see the Uffington white horse, one of the few ancient hill carvings in the UK that was left 'as is' when it was excavated.

I could meet Hypatia on Friday and bring her up to mine in Birmingham.. but would it be easier if she started her stay with someone who was nearer Gatwick. *shiver* also I don't drive so getting to Gatwick for 6.15 am would mean sleeping rough there the night before!

Amy, my grandfather was born in London. I have an address somewhere. My sister has all of the family history/genealogy organized. I'll check with her. I think I remember Birmingham being mentioned.

Family names are Kent, Sutton, and Randolph.

Amy is right. We need to figure out first things first. Teuchter will have to find out which day for Chelsea if she is going to buy the tickets. And someone is going to need to volunteer to get up in the middle of the night to meet me. I really am sorry about the timing for that. But it couldn't be helped.

I assume I can sleep on the plane.

What's the weather going to be like? I don't want to bring any more clothes than I have to.

Mr. Dreadful, would you and Mrs. Dreadful be willing to go to Stonehenge and Avebury with us?

*investigates futher*

Ooh no I've discovered I can get a night coach down to Gatwick and arrive on time.

SO I could meet Hypatia if that would be convientent.. but hadn't we better wait to see if Ben/Teuchter could do as well?

And West. How could I forget the Wests? My grandmother who was half Cherokee/half English was a West.

I absolutely have to shelve books. I'll check back in later.

I don't think we can do much until Teuchter and Caerwynn get here.

Well I can make a suggestion, Hyp's flight home is out of Heathrow on Sunday 5th June at 7.55 am.

As well as being close to Windsor I am also close to Heathrow so Hyp could stay with me on Saturday 4th and I'll take her to the airport on the 5th. We could do Windsor castle on the Saturday. Does that sound like a bit of a plan?

k

Whilst I can't help out with the accomodation. I'd certainly like to meetup if possible.

Don't forget the effect of the time difference, and associated jet lag if your flights on time your body will be telling you it's midnight (ish) when you arrive, so take it fairly easy for the first couple of days to let your body clock adjust or you will be dog tired for the whole holiday.

[BB]

Good idea, I totally forgot about that, I was planning to meet Hypatia at Gatwick, and get the train back to Birmingham, which goes via London, (and a quick trip around the National Gallery) and then show her a real English fish and chip shop and pub once we got back to Birmingham.

That is actually a totally unrealistic plan isn't it?