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

Champagne would be nice..

Hi Babel

*passes strawberries to Titania* grilled so their skin looks just about ready to burst... it brings out the taste. Grill them on high for about five minutes, and serve them by themselves (no sugar) or with pepper or balsamic vinegar, although I've not tried either of those with them, yet...

oh dear, I just noticed the time... better go - I'll have some champagne later, perhaps...

bye for now! *waves*

You don't know how nice it is to come in the salon and discover that there are people talking and drinking and eating. I'll be most upset if the atleier is deserted when I get back.

What quiz is this you all are talking about?

Greebo is running a quiz daily here:

http://www.h2g2.com/A416783

It's a bit of a laugh. Witty and I are tied at the moment, but i managed to get an answer in before her, so hopefully it is correct and I get a point . However, Witty will have plenty of opportunity to beat me, as I doubt i will be on until Monday at the earliest.

Thanks Joanna! *mmm, not bad at all, mmmm!*

*from verandah*

Hi Lil! How nice to see you NOT terribly busy inside the atelier... how about a going-away-party? If I remember it correctly, you'll be leaving on September 17th, right? How about a ~dang, don't know the English word for it~ party, where everyone brings something to eat and drink?

Hi, Lil. Bye Joanna.

Titania, do you mean a 'covered dish' party?

*grins at Babel, figures Coely will be back soon anyway and I'll be left in the dust*

a covered dish party?

Hm, I could set the laptop up in the house so I could pack and be online at the same time... on Saturday.

mmmm, more Obscure Canadian beer.

Here's a Strange Appliance story -- just happened an hour ago. I've been on errand runs three times today, and when I brought home the Billy posters (final run), the garage door opener (something else I inherited) wouldn't close. It just hummed loudly. Oh no! I thought. Just before I leave, the thing in charge of garage doors suddenly decides to fail. And I haven't the faintest idea how it works. My brother told me once that there is a bar you disengage so you can use the door manually. So I backed the car out, got on the ladder, and had a look. There is a chain with a finger loop hanging down and I discovered that it is a bimbo switch. You could click a lever back and forth and apparently nothing happened.

Well, I moved it back and forth and suddenly saw some oil oozing. Ah, I thought, I wonder if I have just lubricated the chain by toggling this lever? And I moved to the wall and pressed the sesame switch.

Wow! I left the toggle in the opposite direction from where I found it and discovered that it seems to also be some kind of brake. Away raced the door! Bounced twice, really something to see. I toggled it back, and now the door seems to be working again, and I really don't know whether I fixed it or threatened it.

And that's my story. *takes long cold drink of OC beer*

Magic touch, Lil

You should be very proud of yourself, Lil. Not only did you ~not~ break it, you ~fixed~ it! I'm very impressed.

*grins at the memory of locking a friend in the garage with the remote door and no other means of escape. Let him out after 5 minutes as I couldn't stand the racket! *
And with that I shall depart for the day. Thank you for the competition and champagne, people, I shall see you anon. And as I said before Lil, If I don't speak to you before, have a great trip.
Night/G'Day all
*replaces glass in kitchen and heads off, with a jaunty wave*

I've cropped the restoration of Billy to just the head, and converted it to a 256-color 80KB GIF file. There's a little loss of detail, but it will give you an idea:
http://asterlil.home.sprynet.com/headcrop28.GIF

the 28 is the version number... *finishes beer* Matina, may I have another one of these please? *wonders if anyone else has noticed that she's quite forgotten her rule about drinking beer out of the glass*

*waves to Babel*

Lil, that is one bright-eyed Billy. He's looking right into the camera lense, isn't her?

Did you ever get a better idea of what he's holding in his left hand?

...and do we know when (how) his teeth got chipped?

Good morning, Loony.

*hands the champagne bottle to him*

Must go for now. Perhaps I'll see you a little later.

Bye.

Takes the bottle. Thanks Witty. See'ya. Glug. Not bad.

Retires to the veranda counting on his fingers how many yarns he subbed that have appeared on the front page this week. One, two, three, four and three today makes seven.

Alas, pride goes before a fall. Topples over veranda. Splat. Luckily not a drop was spilt. Clambers back inside. Glug. Whew, I needed that.

[P]

Would stay and join you folks for a while but my bed is calling me to get some sleep before a long day tomorrow. I go to work and then travel up to Manchester from London for a week with the folks, so I'll be sporadicly on next week.

ps nicely done Lil.

*trots in*

l second the motion, Phil.

Any strawberries left? Mmmm...

*pours a Y of champagne for herself and, cavalierly, a small saucerful for Diogenes, who sniffs it tentatively, then shuns it in favor of a grilled strawberry*

Well, Dio definitely approves...

*wanders over to the stereo and puts Belle and Sebastian on -- Waiting For The Moon To Rise on repeat. Settles down with champagne glass and leans back, listening*

Pop. Glug.

*still listening, eyes closed*

Hiya Loony.