The h2g2 Post 23.12.24

Created Nov 27, 2024 | Updated Dec 23, 2024

A crest bearing the legend The H2G2 Post

Posted: 23^rd December 2024

This week's title is Look Out, Look In. Clockwise from upper left: 'Sol Alter,' a bronze statue by the artist Yiota Ioannidou, depicting a young girl looking towards the birthplace of Aphrodite, De moriaan, the oldest brick building the the Netherlands (13th century), a twilight view of a row of a dozen crows on a rooftop, a yellow-and-blue budgie in a Christmas tree, a bumblebee on a flower, a black-and-white picture of a little boy leaning on a fire hydrant in the US, an owl perched on a gauntleted hand, and Lily, the tabby-and-white cat, curled up on a blue blanket.

Merry Christmas to you, if you're celebrating. Or Happy Hanukkah, which begins on the same evening this year. Or whatever you choose to do to mark the solstice, be you suffering from a heatwave or shivering in the rain or snow. Friends down south, I wish we could send you some fresh snowballs. Anyway, please accept our best wishes for your season and come along with us as we do our best to entertain you in our own way.

Some of the birdies are hanging around outside, waiting for you to notice them. Others are indoors, hiding in the Christmas tree and pretending to be ornaments. Notice them, too. Just in case we didn't have enough critters flying around, please notice this bee.

It has come to my notice that some of you are prone to worrying about misgendering our wildlife friends. For this reason, we will try our best to let you know if we know whether they're male or female. Crows are hard to tell apart, but if a bee is gathering pollen, she's usually a lady bee. You'll have to ask SashaQ about the owls, and Tavaron knows how to tell the girls from the boys among the budgies.

Winter holidays are nothing without music. I've got a handy guide to some of the seasonal favourites. We know that you like movies this time of year, so Awix has a review for you and I've got some short subjects for you to watch.

Bluebottle's back with the annual crossword! Tackle it, please: the solution will be along next week. His comic saga continues: lots of surprises in this installment. One surprise was my discovery that our cartoonist doesn't appreciate above-ground fire hydrants, deeming them too American, or something. I tend to regard a well-researched guide entry as sufficient revenge, so please enjoy the comic, followed by an entry called 'Why Are Fire Hydrants?' destined for Peer Review.

We have soothing and festive things, like Robbie Stamp's poetry and Tavaron's kittycat. We have humour and bedtime stories from me, all about waterfalls and virgins and such, and we have unusual things to see from all over. Caiman has outdone himself in finding things you will not believe exist, even in Bosch. I try to explain the strange doings in the US, and as usual, fail utterly. There are out-of-season flowers and seasonal greetings.

Please dip into these delectables in between the gifts and the snacks and the home entertainment. Hug your loved ones and pet your animal friends, and remember to spare a thought and a good deed for those who need them. And have the very best of weeks, friends.

Dmitri Gheorgheni