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

[Hati]

As far as I can guess, (having some parts, lacking others) "shower" is a generic term in our circles. The spa idea sounds ideal for so many, though I'm not sure of the 80's bit. It wasn't my better decade. Now, make it a 50's/60's thingie ... I might even don skirt, even if I haven't the knees for it.

Hi, dbgibulli.

I've known people to have baby showers in the UK. I haven't been to one, but I didn't think they were any more about present giving than, say, birthdays.

Gday dgbibulli, welcome to the atelier! Nice to have an Antipodean in the salon again. Have you found the offsite atelier and all yet, from A304354? Lotsa pictures.

This morning, no crickets. The occasional moribund peep, otherwise, no crickets. That means it was a cold night! Also, the hummingbirds have suddenly left.

Every now and then I take a photo and think YES!! Sometimes a photo suddenly appears and everything falls into place like this morning. I am into a modern buildings phase at moment, and stumbled across some firly new blocks of flats that looked interesting. I took a few pics which were OK, mainly looking up using a wide angle lens and at angles to the vertical.
One block of flats had a recessed part so I stood in recess and pointed camera up and wow I was in New York! The windows tapered upwards, the wide white wall panels looked great and everything just clicked. It had a much more modern city feel than the building would suggest. I actually took at least 10 pics, using my camera's spot exposure meter to get differant exposures, and assorted shutter speeds/F Stops to get differant effects. Yes this will mean I will spend at least £5 to get the best shot, however I have come to realise that it is better to spend £5 on one very pleasing photo than 10 average ones of differant subjects.
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Incidently, the flats were on a council estate and modern blocks or not, I was slightly uneasy about hanging around there too long and getting mugged, I lived on a council estate for 25 years or so, but I knew everyone, waving a camera around somewhere you don't know anyone that is full of lots of alleywayss is a differant matter.
Incidently, it was bright sunshine and clear blue sky this morning perfect for modern buildins, horrible for pictures of people, so I wanted to get a few bulding photos done before autumn sets in.

Morning all. Welcome dbgibulli!

Hello dgbibulli! Hope you like it here.

Kelli, we have a lot of showers around here. The etiquette is, someone throws a shower "for" you, you do not have one for yourself. Your best friend, or your Mom, or your aunt, has a party and invites people to it. Everyone knows that if it is a shower there is going to be food and drink and usually silly games, and that attendees are supposed to bring a gift. Then you have the option of saying you don't want to come. Or you bring something very inexpensive. Personally, I don't like the "extortion" feel of these invitations: bring a gift and we'll give you icky cake from a box and sugary drinks laden with preservatives, artificial flavors and artificial colors.

People here sometimes have more than one shower for a bride: one is a kitchen shower, one a lingerie shower, blah blah blah. I think this smacks of greediness and generally refuse to attend more than one shower per bride.

Personally, I like your idea of the hen party much better, and the way you describe people coming to visit after the event and bringing a gift or not if they want.

Baby Showers are very popular here in Australia

Hello dbgibulli, welcome to the atelier

What form do they take in Aus then?

Bagpuss - I've never even heard of one happening here, and I'm now of an age when it seems like everyone I know is having babies...

Hi dbgibulli!

I got 12/48 on that test... and a lot of that was guesswork.

Don't be so hard on the inventors of Flash, Marv. They invented a nice, compact, fast plugin for vector graphics and animations which download far faster than bitmaps. It was Macromedia that bought it and turned it into the behemoth that is today.

Hi dbgibulli.

Kukukaru/Hati, why the new name?

Hi there dbgibulli

Sounds like you got some good photos there Strangely

Today was the village fete, the plum fair as it's called (there used to be plum orchards around the area). Jolly good fun with the WI stall selling out of cakes and preserves, the local mayor juding the plum pie competition, a bit of a small funfair for the kids and a fell race. One part of the day could be classed as an extreme sport though, the redgate coal race. The contestents have to carry a half (25kg) bag of coal about 150-200m up a lane in the village called redgate. Thing is the lane is 1 in 4 at the steepest No I didn't ente but cheered the competitors along, including the one lady who won the 2006 womens title just by completing the course.

My Dad was a coalminer in Blyth before coming to Oz, so I know the kind of Fairs you are talking about. Sheer , and have a for me and you

Welcome to the Salon as well, dbgibulli

very much> Can't have a drink, off to work soon.

[wilma]

Greetings to dbgibulli, enjoy!

Is your husband's name Fred and do you have a baby called Pebbles and a called Dino?

, there will be three baby showers here in April, three more grandchildren on the way. Stork will be busy

*waves*

The community I grew up in used to throw baby showers, but I think that was more a social occasion, also it was something only our community did - much like 'street pot lucks' which occured every single month and my parents always refused to go to because they didn't like the people who threw them.

Congratulations to the three more Granchildren - and welcome to the salon.

Had a lovely weekend and brought a worktop dishwasher on impulse - which will be cool when I install it I currently have to charge up the drill to drill a hole in the work top to attach the input to the washing machine input. I'm not liking the idea that my dishwasher will need hot water - so I'll still need to put the boiler on to wash dishes.

Have finally decided that paying someone to do my dishes is stupid - if I get a dishwasher she can just do a couple of pans and a bit more cleaning.

Greetings from me as well.

It's been a few years since I've been to a baby shower. American ones can be fun--despite the cake for gifts hostage angle. There are always a few silly games (Such as guessing, in inches, the circumfrence of the mother-to-be's belly. This can get a little insulting. Guess right and you get a prize.) and lots of sweets . I think it's a nice way for new parents to get those little un-glamorous things often forgotten: onesies, nail clippers, bibs, snot suckers, blankets and crib sheets.