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

Entry: Alternative uses for eggshells. - A45715098
Author: minichessemouse - Entry of the Month author - A42694806 - U8131912

Another one from The Stretcher A45546744

mini

Great stuff mini

If you were a witch, you might use eggshells to try and drown sailors!

In ancient times, if you didn't crush up your eggshells properly, it was said a witch would steal the halved intact 'cup' of shell, and make to sea in her beautiful eggshell boat, attacking sailing vessels and drowning the seamen! Or she would cast a spell on the shell, almost like a voodoo doll, with the shell becoming the vessel she wanted to a put in harms way.

That's why my mother always told me to crush my eggshells, or oat least 'hole' them, so witches couldn't get a hold of them and use them for nefarious deeds - and I still am in the habit today

hmm, i never knew about that. rather interesting, but i dont really want to accuse anyone on hootoo of being a and couldnt they just <zoom. around on broomsticks over the sea?

mini

Hi mini

This is a purely PR review, nothing to do with the Stretcher contest, OK?

<< I have listed a few just to get you started. >> First-person isn't allowed, could you change that?

<>
simplay = simply

<< even very young childeren >>
childeren = children


<>
efffect = effect



Repellant = Repellent



picture phrame = picture frame



easter = Easter



<>
=
or a fried egg, don't


Headers, each word should begin with a capital letter, and no punctuation at the end.


Your first para, could you put it into tags so it lifts off the first header?


Title: "Alternative uses for eggshells." should be: Alternative Uses for Eggshells (house style)

Personally I would add Matt's story, nobody would read it like you were accusing them of being a witch! But it's your Entry

GB
Scout

Ms GB

*grabs a big net to round up the typos with* i will have a think about releasing matts story into there, but first to round up these unspotted typos.

mini

did i catch them all?

mini

You seem to have found all of them!

All in all, this is a cracking (excuse the pun) little entry - for both PR and the Stretcher.

Constructive criticism time though

Some of the sentences seem a little clumsy. What I do once I've written an entry is leave it alone, go and have a cup of tea, then come back and read each sentence aloud. Any sentence I can't comfortably read, I try and rework.

If you do rework them though, please don't ruin the lovely lighthearted style and flow of the entry!

Right, now I'm off for a brew before I look at mine again!

i agree with that idea!

i shall indeed have a break and maybe even cook some food. . . .nah.

mini

I agree with what Matt and Psycorp said. I really like this entry.

When you talk about painting eggshells, maybe you could mention that you can dye them too by (I think, it's been probably more than a decade since I did it) putting the shells in boiling water with onion or beetroot skins. Or does that only work for whole eggs?

i think this can only be done with whole eggs, my little sister used to have a book that told you how to do it, although i very much doubt she still has the book, and even if she does it is four hours away. i will see if i can find a copy, just so i can get the general idea of how it is done.

mini

I haven't tried it, but I think it should work with egg shells, too. You just have to make sure not to break them, so boiling water could be too 'bubbly'.

Lovely stuff, mini

I ALWAYS poke a hole in the bottom of the shell after eating a boiled egg, so as to stop a witch using it to sail across the sea.

You can paint your 'cress- eggs' You paint a little face on them so you havea character with green hair, you can then trim yout crees to suit.

Punk Cress man - hippy cress man - monhican cress man - comb-over cress-man - etc.

Punk Cress Man
for

Noth€r

You can also used crushed eggshells to ensure that the environment of a Garden Wormery A13911752 doesn't get too acidic.


Another link you could put in is to Natural Slug Control A2876862.

A

My other half makes homemade cat food for our two and crushed eggshells are an important component, to provide calcium that they'd get in the wild from the bones of small mammals and birds.

Nice Entry - good luck with the competition!

I like it!

Minor things - you need to get rid of the full stop in the title. I also wondered why, if you have lots more ideas like you say at the bottom of the entry, you haven't mentioned a few more? I appreciate that it's supposed to be a starting point, but it feels a tad short to me.

any more comments?

mini

Yes, they're used by "country wine makers" to remove haze from the wine.

"A slightly misty or off-color white wine can often be clarified and decolored using egg shells. Egg shells are first cleaned and then dried in an oven. This makes them brittle. They are then easily crushed into very small pieces and these are stirred into the wine. They will slowly sink and over time collect carbon dioxide bubbles absorbed in the wine. These will cause the egg shell particles to rise and eventually leave the captured bubbles at the surface, thereby allowing them to sink again. This process may go on for some time. These tiny bits of agitated calcium slowly absorb off-colors and drag suspended particles to the bottom. I have found they are better at correcting the color than at clarifying the wine, but they do have an effect and don't seem to change the taste."
Source: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/finishin.asp

Could be worth a mention, no?

Useful links:

A817869 A21776781