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

Yes, it's a bit like banging your head on a brick wall - it's so nice when you stop. This time of year was usually about minus 30 degrees, But the snow and ice in Montana were so breathtakingly beautiful (and probably still are) that it was almost worth the broken blood vessels in the cheeks.

If anyone remembers the rock band "three dog night" the saying apparently comes from around that area. It was a "three dog night" if you needed to sleep with three dogs to stay warm enough.

Wish we had real snow thesedays

I know! Mind you, you did get a bit sick of it in the Rockies...it was still snowing in April. We had some friends come out and stay and their three kids had asked their parents if there would be snow. They said "no, of course not dear, it's spring now" and the night they arrived we had 18 inches of the stuff.

They were in paradise, dancing in the streets, throwing and they had grins from ear to ear. It was even better when they saw people jogging to work in the snow in shorts the next morning - the temperature got up to 70 degrees by noon and it all melted, only to fall again the next night.

When did we last have proper snow here? I've only been back three years.

Depends whereabouts you are exatly - but of course as soon as a single flake of the stuff falls the whole of England (I hope they know what they're doing up in Scotland) grinds to a halt 'Ooooh, I can't drive, there's been a snowflake!' Not that I'm bitter, or jealous of the time you spent away of course

Yes, I agree, we British are hopeless when it comes to snow...

Don't be too envious...I went out with my ex-husband when we bought a business which then promptly failed andtook our savings with it - and then he did a bunk with another woman leaving me to sell up and try to get my dog back to the UK without putting her through quarantine.

I did it - and I'm proud of that - and I would love to go back sometime to visit but, for the moment, I am very happy to be in soggy old England, sitting on the sofa, eating chocolate with my lovely new bloke and with said beagle snoring between us.

Happy New Year BTW - and may you have wonderful travels to snowy lands!

You've tried, more than I have *grins* And come through it so well

Nice of you to say so....after two years of being a gibbering wreck.

We just went to visit friends, one of whom said, thoughtfully, 'you were a bit weird back then...' meaning 'You were stark raving bonkers.' A bit like Arthur Dent, I think I went mad for a time.

There is an old Jewish curse 'May you live in interesting times.'

Jewish? I thought it was Chinese *lol* Ah well, I stand corrected

It's probably both How very excited to have had the opportunity to be the last person to correct you in 2002 !!!

Or, alternatively, to have been so wrong so late in the year...

I'm babbling now. Time for a nice hot bath and bed...


See you next year!

Enjoy!

Best way to bring in the New Year

It certainly was

*gets mind out of the gutter*

Good (looks at watch) Afternoon!

Happy New Year, all. I have a huge pot of Scotch Broth brewing in the kitchen. Its cold out, and I thought a nice pot of soup sounded like a good idea.

We have snow here in Winnipeg, but its only been snow covered for 2 weeks. Our climate is definitely changing. When I was a kid, we got snow around Hallowe'en, and by Christmas we had huge banks of it.

I lived in the mountains in BC for 5 years, in a mining town called Elkford. One afternoon we got 3 feet of snow. My Irish Setter got snowed in under the back step, where he slept away his afternoons, and woke up just screaming till I dug him out.

Aaw bless, the poor hound here, a nice, warm to go with the Scotch broth...

Thank you. I't turning into a real tea-granny. The coffee at work is simply awful, but they have really good tea bags. Of course, growing up in an English-Scottish-Canadian household, we drank tea alot.

Yes, poor old Dram was in a fix. I had to take him in the house, dry him off with his own warm towel and spend some time cuddlng and reassuring him. I don't think I've ever seen a dog so scared! He was a big red fool, and I loved him to bits.

I can just picture it poor thing

My life is just an on-going three ring circus!

Mine seems to be a traffic jam on the ring-road

Oh poor dog! My beagle used to get very upset in Montana in the winter because the pavements were too cold for her paws. She would hop around and yelp and squeak and I'd have to pick her up.

After nine years in the UK should couldn't get the idea of the ground hurting...

My cat chases the snow...even if the ground's covered in it and there's none falling he still manages to find something to stalk...is he blind? Is he mad? We suspect a little of both...well, quite a lot of the latter actually