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

Yesterday I spent a long time writing an entry - sadly I did not make a copy because today it is not here. Gone, and yet I know I posted it.

Today I have tried to write - but once I had expressed my feelings about the new approach suddently it disappeared.

I am so thrilled that my fellow South Afrivcan iis going to take a leading part in the new format..Well done you ex flying Pillowcase...

So I do know how to appraoch the "new format". It is the first time that I have been given a lead on how to "see" the new format. Is it really supposed to be user friendly ?

Oh well, it probably means that I shall at last be able to get on with my personal writing which always has to step back when i am busy with "mah friends"

I intend writing something now so will say bye for the moment. I hope to keep meeting you somewhere.

Christiane
Also Ran80 Monday 2010 4.05 GMT
Monday 14th November 2010 4.GMT

Hi my friends,

Well, I am gooing oto try and navigate round the new site. However if I am not able to get onto it, if anyone would like myh addy I aM SURE THAT EITHER hYPATIA OR wEBSAILOR OR aMY pAWLOWSKI WILL GIVE IT TO YOU.

Good luck to the new team with their venture. I hope it is successful. Sorry to lose all our pioneers. including the founder of this nearly ex site.

With affection to all from a very ancient friend and researcher/member

AlsoRan 80 friend since 2001........

Christiane, the new site is not available yet. There is a demo copy of it which you can look at, but nobody is able to sign on to it yet.

If you want to see the demo, go to:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/beta/

Regards,
Gnomon

Dear Christiane,

As Gnomon says, the new site isn't online yet. What we are being shown is a see/read only version, to allow us a glimpse of what the new site will be like. So you can only post as 'normal' in h2g2.

lil xx

Christiane,

The missing post of yours, is it any of these from your journal about Mermoz, Lady Baden-Powell, not getting your heart medicine due to a non-operational doorbell-light, or taking a circuitous route to visit Keith?


A memory of meeting Mermoz in 1932
Post: 1
Posted 5 Hours Ago by AlsoRan80
The memory exercises are wonderful. I have been absolutly overwhelmed with the memories I have rewcalled of the early thirties.

Meeting Mermoz at an air rally at Le Touquet in 1932 I think it was; my Papa who itroduced me to him at the rally in the north of France. Papa was a keen amateur pilot and had his own French aircraft in South Africa ,a Potez ,which the French Government had apparently given to him as there were so many English small aircraft flying into South Africa at that period, so it was obviously going to be a good market for light aircraft.

I obviously had not the faintest idea who he was nor why he was so important in the aviation world. Of course I have read a about him since - I bekueve that he was the first aviator to fly from North Africa acdross the Atlantic to the States. I was fascinated by flying when I was young.

I remember greeting him but I was far more interest6edin the extraordinary new aircraft called an "autogyro" whicvh was being flown for the first time by it's inventor Sikorski.

This was it's first flight and I was totally amazed that this aircraft went straight upn into the air and did not have to trundle along the grassy aerodrome. I was also amazed that there was no propellor in front but a very large one over the "aircraft".

Another wonderful memory is being chosen in 1936 I think it was, to present a bouquet of flowers to Lady Baden-Powell,. She and he husband who founded the Boy Scouts - Lady Baden Powell founded the Girl Guids and the Brownies of which I was a member. They were visiting South africa. I wonder why I was choisen.? |Obviously because of my Papa I should think. I was indeed very fortunate.

Christiane
AlsoRan80 Monday 14th November 2010 4.26

I cannot get into my Wikipedia for some reason so hope that the datews are accurate. I shall corret them if they are not. !! We used to go to France every two years and I think that 1932 was either my second visit. or possibly my first....

____________________________


Good morning dear friend,

Well not at all. I am so chuffed that you think it is a good idea to write about it. I am trying to keep a record of the things that I remember. I think it is my short term memory that just disappears into mid air like a "will o' the wisp."

I am trying to write down memories as I remember them. I have found lots of letters which I wrote at the turn of the century. Then the memories come flooding back. It is extraordinary.

Deafness is a worry. Apparently the chemist tried to deliver my heart medication twice but they could not get me to answer the door. Well. the point is that sometimes I cannot hear the doorbell. So Social Servies have kindly installed a special light sort of thing that flashes on when my front door bell is rung.

Yesterday both my carers tested it. It does not operate goodness knows why. So instead of getting a marvellous intermittent light lighting up my in front of my TV. nothing happens. !! No wonder I cannot Hear/See my doorbell. So no wonder I was without my heart medication for two days. !! Which probably was the reason why I was slightly depressed.

And still one's body soldiers on. I am so certain that it is because I swam all those miles in the forties training for the 1948 Olumpics. !! Although South Africa did not send a women;s team I think that I am being well rewarded now, by my one and a half lungs still operating efficiently. (Apologies I am repeating myself...)

I saw a wonderful programme yesterday on TV. It was about young girl who was born with cystic fibrosis. Every single vital orgtan has been replaced and when she had to have a heart and lung transplant she was able to donate her heart and the joy htis gave her was truly incredible to watch. She has now qualified as a doctor. |If that is not guts, sheer determination and courage I do not know what is. it is quite rewmarkable how medcine has progressed in the eighty odd years of my life.

Also watched a very good Attenborough film last night about the origin of the species. It really was quite remarkable, and quite brilliant photography..... I was spell-bound. I was amazed as he rettled off how old a particular arthropod was. The term " million years two hundred million years" just rattled off his tongue. He really is an estraordinarey man with a brain that is well and active. It was science fiction at it's best, except that it was not fiction.....!!

I am off to visit Keith today. It is a long drive but one of my carer will take me. We shall go out to lunch I hope. I had hoped he would be home this weekend, but hopefully next week.

Have a wonderful weekend my dear friend, and I shall probably meet up with you on Sunday - and you can tell me about your wonderful walks and also your imminent retirement. Have you made any plans for Christmas?

My daughter M-L who lives in Perth, Australia, is celebrating her birthday today. I guess she must be your age....!. I shall phone her just now as this is the first time that she and her husbamd are without any of their three daughtewrs my three grand daughters, , A novel experience for them. But they are very happily married and have a lovely home garden and jobs in Australia. They used to live in Hong Kong and I went out and helped Lou care for every one of mjy granddaughters. !! Great Joy.!! My eldest son also lived in \Hong |kong when he and his wife were first married. I have two grandsons frim their marriage. So I have five grandchildren on that side and on my secvond marriage I have got seven lovely grandchildren.

Go well, and thank you for your encouragement on the writing.
It certainly Keeps my brain working...

Christiane
AR80
Saturday 13th November 2010 6.48 GNT

Have yyou ever read Voltaire's Candide. ? I think I would have irrtated Voltaire just as much as Panglosse did!! I must go and look it up again. !!

Always looking on the bright side of things drives some people bonkers....!!!

I thought he was exiled to Switzerland. His great opponent was Jean Jacques Rousseau - a great hero of mine. !! I had a lovely Willoughby pug whom I named JJ after my hero. !!

Had a tortuous day - my carer took me and she had no idea where she was going. wE took two hours to get there and two and a half hours getting bck,. Driving up and down the same stretch of road many times. I truly thought I was going bats. I MUST ADMIOT THAT THE eNGLISH HAVE ABSOOUTELY NHO IDEA OF HOW TO MARK AREAS CORREDCTLY., pERHOAS IT IS A A REMINDER OF THE WAR YEARS WHEN IT WAS IMPORTANT TO MISDIRECT EVERY POTENTIAL SPY CROSSING THE CHANNEL. i DO NOT BELIEVE THAT A SINGLE TAXI DRIVE i HAVE EVER GOE WITH TO VISIT k. HAS EVER KNOWN THE CORREFCT WASY TO GET THERE. !!

aNYWAY IT WAS A LOVELY DAY AND FELL INTO BED EXHAUSTED WHEN i CAME BACK.

It is not my idea of bliss driving around in circles and not knowing where the heck on e is. It is a plain waste of time in my estimation. !! However she had not a care in the wor4ld so I rather felt like someone being pulled aback and forth in a tide of laughter and sheer wilfulness. !!

It was great to see K. looking wso well and hapopy. We had a lovely leisurely lunch in a nearby town, and afterwards went for a walk along this very old lovely High street. There was an antique sales fair on. I really had fun getting lttle baubels and pieces of old jewellery for relatively next to nothing. It was something \I had never esxperienced before in Englandand I loved it. However the drive back was really horrendous. It gets dark very early now and we sped up and down the same stretch of road . aT ONE STAGE WE WERE DRIVING BACK TO WHERE WE CAME FROM She never lost her cool however and I must say, that as I had no time table and had had a lovely day I was not going to let tHe fact that she dud not know where she was and neither did I spoil a lovely day. So we laughed all the way honme.

Oh dear. She is a lovely carer but boy she has no idea of navigating a large very comfortable car. ~!!

Go well,

Christiane.
AR80 Sunday 14th November 2010 GMT

The new format will come in its own due time. I don't expect it to be any harder than the one we have now. Peace!