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

Smudger, thanks for coming back. It is strange the things that happen to us out of the blue. You never know what is round the corner, and I think it is best we don't know. I have such respect for all the hard work you have done over the years. My dad was an engineer so I find it interesting.

Have you made any attempt to find out what the book is called, and where it can be bought? I think reading it would tell you whether it was a worthy tome, and whether you could do better. If you had the title and googled it perhaps you could find it. Incidentally your breadth of experience would surely produce a book of interest to an even wider community?

Can I ask a question? We were watching TV a couple of weeks ago, where it showed an oil rig burning off (fumes I suppose) great plumes of smoke and flame. Why do they do this, and is there no way all that fuel and flame could be put to good use instead of polluting the atmosphere?

Websailor

Hi WS, Many thanks for your post it cheered me up no end I don't know the name of the book I am afraid, and I would feel a bit iffy about asking that old mate of mine about it, if you know what I mean.
The flames you saw on the rig is the excess gas being burnt off as the oil is being pumped up to the surface. They do in fact trap a pot of it and send it shore side via large pipes which are on the bottom of the North Sea. They have to "flare" that gas off for safety reasons, in case of an explosion

I did a Snippet a while ago, about how we all suffered from the heat when they had to use the flare stack which was facing the wind, which meant we all suffered from the extreme heat it caused, we all put silver paper in the windows in a bid to reflect the heat.

You see, they have two flare stacks, and always use the one which blows the flame away from the rig, but on this occasion, one of the flares was being serviced, so the had no choice but use the one that blew the flame right over our accommodation block
It was great to hear from you again
Smudger.

Oh, my pleasure Smudger,

Thanks for the information. It has always bugged me as it seemed such a waste, but I don't think I would want to be on the receiving end like you were, I have enough trouble with this that keeps following me everywhere.

Some time I must trawl through your Post articles, as I only found you, and after a long time on hoo too. I will let you in to a secret - it was your articles that finally decided me to have a go at writing for them. You seemed such a natural and it was so interesting.

I couldn't write about my life, it would barely fill an A4 sheet of paper, but your life has been very full and varied. Please keep writing, I know it is difficult sometimes, and I had to miss mine this week thanks to a rotten migraine. I don't get them as often as I once did, so I count myself lucky.



Websailor

PS, you could google the man's name and see what came up, unless he used a pseudonym which I think is unlikely.

Websailor he's following me again

Aye! WS, I remember saying to my partner one day when I was working in the ambulance service, that I was glad I had packed so much into the first 45 years of my life, as this second half was real boring.
Then when I got told that my working life was over when I was 50 years old due to my back injury, it took a while for me to accept that
So then I started pushing myself to find out just what I could do, sometimes I pushed a but too hard, but I certainly wasn't going to call it a day and sit on my for the rest of my life
I was well chuffed when I read that you started writing after reading my posts, it all started as just that for me, I was posting in various threads and bringing up numerous events that I had way back in my life, and folk asked for more, and that was how it all started for me. I did have a short story published in the yearly magazine at HMS Raleigh, where I did my basic training in the Navy, and a poem I entered in a competition, was picked out to appear in a book of poems, but I never did find out any more about that, as I lost the Eamial address for them
Cheers, Smudger.

Oh, that's a shame. Pity you can't reproduce both story and poem here. I am supposed to be offline now but I keep getting dragged back in to hoo too kicking and screaming but I must get off or the other half will be huffing and puffing about the electric

I might get one of those kettles by the way and I liked the blonde joke

Take care, best wishes to Mark ll

Websailor

Hi WS, Both the story and the poem are on my page, as I have kept a record of every Snippet that has been in The poems are on the bottom of my page, and the Snippets are just above them
Hope you can find them OK.
Smudger.

Just done a check, and found it for you, its called "Heat Wave" and its about half way down the drop down menu of the Snippets, happy reading
Smudger.

Thanks Smudger, I will have a look when I am on the computer legitimately. At the moment I should be elsewhere! Better run before I get found out

Websailor

Aye! be careful, last time I was somewhere I shouldn't have been, I got divorced
Smudger.

Smudger,

Oh, I don't think it's that bad .... yet!!! PHM thinks I spend far to much time on the computer, but I think he spends too much time watching sport, so I think we are about even

It has been a beautiful day here, just about perfect. Hope you have had a good one too. The forecasts seem to suggest rain is heading your way.



Websailor

Smudger,

I have just looked at your poems, and honestly, they are very moving. I also had a quick look at your Snippets. The Heatwave one explained the question exactly that I asked you the other day.

I *felt* the heat and I almost felt seasick too I shall make a point of reading your Snippets from time to time, but couldn't resist stopping by your piece on Fred Dibnah. See the thread I put up. You see I can spell his name, it just slipped my memory.

Take care

Websailor

Ah! cheers for that WS, glad you found the Snippet I sent you the name of
Ive not written any poems for years now, must be living too quiet a life Eh! as they were all from RL at the time.
Mk2 says I spend too much time on my computer, but then she spends hours in bed watching that Gems TV, where she buys all he jewellery?
Smudger.

My other half watches a couple of shopping channels and a bid channel - why, I just can't imagine as he never goes to a shop, or buys anything, he leaves that all to me. He has also got hooked on all the police programmes, which quite honestly make me upset and angry, and he has the radio on now listening to sport, so I am going offline to sweep up leaves - i know what you mean about too quiet a life!

Take care
Websailor

Aye! I get angry at them police programs as well, we see how those thugs behave, kicking and spitting at the police, only to see the let off with a caution or community service
Mk2 is viewing her Gems TV again right now
Smudger.

I expect mine is watching sport or cop chases!

I think it is good we see what the police have to put up with, but I am not sure the police can be natural and certainly the thugs and vandals play to the cameras. I have to say I think most of the police keep their tempers very well, I think I would probably swing for them I'd certainly throw away the key

Websailor

Hi WS, I have started a new Snippet! Its in the early stages as I keep deleting bits and rewriting them again for some reason, I feel more pressure now? This seems weird as before it all just flowed naturally, think I will go back to it later, as after all there is plenty of time before the next issue
Or I will just forget one and start another one
Smudger.

I am having problems too Smudger. I want to get my article finished early as the deadline is the weekend of my birthday and I am likely to have visitors. I had one half done when I was hit by the migraine, and now I want to do a different one, but getting an angle is not coming easily.

Oh, well, we have time, but the deadline comes round so quickly. It isn't as if we have nothing else to do



Websailor