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

That's good that you've had an acknowledgement from BA at least. Yes, will be interesting to find out how swiftly they will spend time investigating before responding

Excellent that you were able to travel and stay with people to share the cost and support. Glad you got on well with your fellow Solentian

The house does look good. I guess it is flexible to have curtains rather than walls, but does make Bedroom 1 a bit strange, being a bedroom-kitchen with a through-route to the bathroom!

Good to see another batch of your photos - lovely venue for the dinner and dancing. Good to see your parkrun routes, too, although I see what you mean about your GPS spiral not being smooth.

I did a bit of wheelchair maintenance today (pumped tyres etc). Unfortunately the company advised me today that the broken plastic part can't be replaced individually, so I will have to get a whole new footrest. It will be like Theseus' Ship, as I had the rear tyres replaced last year and will be needing the front tyres replaced soon as well!

And I got a postcard, yay!

Yes, 'the one who lost his luggage' is not the best introduction to a wedding party - more suitable for film noir or something, where the lady in red and the one who lost his luggage go on a quest to find the luggage

Interesting that the postcard has a QR code on it - only semi-high-tech, though, as it links to the tourist information office website but doesn't tell me what the photos on the postcard are so I appreciated your image descriptions .

I just had a thought - it was probably the money you spent on my s that paid for my C&A socks! The Lulu funds were held in my HSBC account which I transferred to a Global Money Account that lets me use a bank card in Euros without charges.

Yes it was a bit of an odd choice - I think it was really a 1-bed that they decided to cram extra rooms into purely to make extra money. But for what we wanted it worked - we were about 20 minutes' walk from the town centre. (If you were wondering, I've been asked not to put photos of the family on social media). I'll probably put photos on today.
Tomorrow I might well put the Technik Museum photos up - it'll probably take me some time to label what things are...

What are your Bank Holiday plans? We don't have any, just hoping our bin is emptied sometime soon. The problem with Bank Holidays is whenever there is one, our bins don't get emptied for two or three weeks. And when the council do finally come round, they still don't empty the bins because 'they're too full'. They've not been here since the last one. So we end up spending our bank holidays taking our household waste to the tip because we know the council won't....

I have got my bike back, so that's positive.

Good luck with the Chair of Theseus - hope the footrest isn't too expensive a component. How many parts are original? Sounds like frame, seat and handles?

<BB<

Aha! That is handy about your bank account holding Euros (I have something similar) and very handy that the Lulu funds contributed to C&A socks

Useful for a holiday cottage to be flexible, with sofa beds, for example, but the limit is perhaps exceeded when the only bathroom is in one of the bedrooms... Glad it wasn't too bad for a few days, anyway, and the convenience of being near the town centre was important

Yes, frame, seat and handles, plus the wheel frames, are all that is left of the original wheelchair - the brakes had to be changed first, because I couldn't use them (weird clip things) so they were replaced with lever brakes. Then the two separate footplates kept breaking, so I got the monoplate. Then one of the armrests broke, so I got the new hard plastic ones with fabric on top (the fabric split at the front corner recently, but I turned the armrests round so they will last a bit longer ). Then the rear tyres and inner tubes needed replacing. The new footrest is more than 100 pounds, which is more than I was anticipating - if I can get a small screwdriver, I might be able to turn the plastic component round so it will last a bit longer, but I will buy the new footrest anyway, I think, as it is only likely to go up in price, and it will be ready when the component is totally broken

I don't have any particular plans for the bank holiday Monday yet, but will keep a lookout for swallows and martins and other birds for my list. Disappointing about your bin paradox, that the council don't empty the bins then are surprised that the bins are full... Shocking that they haven't collected since the last bank holiday. Good luck with that Glad your bike is back, anyway.

I hope you have a good parkrun tomorrow I plan to help at a cake sale in the morning before the usual food shopping in the afternoon, so hopefully that goes well

With the trip to Zweibrucken it all worked out in the end, although I was a tad stressed by the financial situation as I had previously had a tight budget I planned to stick to, which of course having to spend almost 80 Euros on clothes and toiletries had not been considered.
In the end I decided to put the last of the miscellaneous photos of the holiday in one go, and then I'll create a separate album for the Technik Museum. The vehicles do not thematically belong in the same space as the wedding, I feel, especially if I put more vehicle pictures in that album than of the wedding itself.

I admire your cunning plan with regards the chair and getting the most use out of the component parts, that is quite a steep cost for a footrest, though...

<BB<

Yes, BA could have been more helpful to you at the time if they had mentioned you would get a refund for essentials because of their error, rather than leaving you stressed about budget as well as your luggage... I hope it all gets sorted out very soon

The Technik Museum definitely deserved an album of its own, as there was so much to see there and it was a separate space from the wedding indeed. Looks fantastic - an excellent collection, well displayed, with plenty of hands-on options to look inside items

I had a go at tackling the plastic component on my footrest, but the screws have weird flower-shaped tops and they have been inserted by a machine, so a small flathead screwdriver operated by a human wasn't strong enough to undo them... Luckily I get Personal Independence Payment, which covers these kinds of random expenses due to being a disabled person - the government (of all colours) is after PIP, but no voucher scheme, or whatever they would replace PIP with, could anticipate those sorts of problems for a wheelchair user (as I wrote to my MP).

I had a good day yesterday at the Dee Estuary - there is an old School House there that has been home to House Martins for many years, so I successfully added to my bird list

There definitely is an awful lot to see in the Technik Museum. While there's no doubt that much of it sadly isn't wheelchair accessible, enough of it is that you'd be able to enjoy a day there, and it was surprisingly cheap to get in. What isn't wheelchair or any mobility issues friendly are the large vehicles. You may have noticed that they have a lot of aircraft, as well as boats and a submarine, on display in the air. These are accessible up spiral staircases, and many of the doors inside are narrow and low. The aircraft particularly are displayed at dramatic angles, banking and/or climbing, which looks fantastic from below. What it means is that inside, walking around the aircraft feels like you are in Wonderland along with Alice, as the whole world is suddenly seen at Dutch angles. And to get around the aeroplanes they have ladders bolted to the floor. So to get to the 747 baggage hold involved climbing up and down a ladder at a very bizarre, steep angle. I'm not sure if Germany's health and safety laws can be as rigorous as ours...?

And the Technik Museum have a separate site which is about the same size! I think I went to it when I was 5, but that was before it expanded to what it is today.

Wishing you all the best with the chair, and yes, I've been watching the PIP debate with some concern and trepidation, as I am sure you have...
As it has been wet and windy we saw 'Lilo & Stitch' today.

<BB<

Wow - I didn’t appreciate that the aeroplanes you were able to go inside were at jaunty angles! I see on the website they offer a discount for disabled people, but the main site is ok for access, so that is good I enjoyed going in part of the submarine at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, but I was glad to stay outside when my dad went inside U-534 some years ago, as he had to be very careful in the rusty interior.

I must admit I do find it fascinating about how loosely EU health and safety, accessibility, etc can be interpreted (there was a Yes Minister episode that dealt with that, about how the laws could be used to increase anti-Europe sentiment by obeying them to the letter) - I am thankful for how much I have benefited from that as a disabled person in the UK, though. Brussels was a particular nightmare for me, being so close to the EU building and being so bad at obeying EU law (so many broken lifts, locked accessible entrances with no key and accessible toilets with no access. . .)

Glad you all stayed dry in the cinema, and I hope you all enjoyed the film. I had a wetter time, as I saw online that there is a cafe in Port Sunlight River Park that is open Monday to Friday. Mum and I went there, and had to walk round the mound (further than we thought) in the rain, only to discover the cafe wasn’t open. Not many birds about, either, as it was too damp and cold for Skylarks. We got good views over the Mersey, though, and were glad to be on the opposite side of the river from the Liverpool FC Victory Parade (the road outside my local train station was almost blocked by all the cars of fans who had travelled there). We then had to retrace our steps back to the car and were glad to get to the cafe in a nearby Dunelm shop where we had delicious warming soup.

Shocking news about the incident in Liverpool at 6pm - sounds like a lot of casualties, and we can only hope that they will be able to recover

Yes, the submarine they had (U-9) definitely wasn't wheelchair accessible, and unless they completely dismantled it, I don't think there's any way it could be adapted to be so, with very narrow gangways and small, sealable bulkhead doors. Some of the aircraft they had, if they were flat, could be made accessible, though of course many of the more historic aircraft would be a challenge and decisions may well have to be made about whether they should be preserved historic artefacts or made accessible.

I've not really been to Brussels (well, apart from the train I was in stopping at the railway station while travelling to the Netherlands) but I'm sorry to hear that this was such an unhelpful place.

And yes, I enjoyed the film and would recommend it - though not as much as I'd recommend the original Review writing ready for 2030 is on my to-do list!

Shocking news about Liverpool At least it appears that no-one died.

<BB<

It is fascinating what can be done with creativity around access, eg being able to go in the ship Victory through one of the gun ports, but I don't mind not being able to go everywhere - I much preferred watching a video of the interior of U-534.

Aeroplanes aren't the most accessible things even in the 21st Century - I appreciated my parents' help when we went on holiday by air, as I saw a TV programme about disabled people struggling with the dreaded aisle chair. A few bits of my wheelchairs past have been strewn about the globe as well (I was very fortunate in 2005 that I noticed the baggage handlers turning my wheelchair upside down to try to put it in the hold of a Float Plane, so they caught the footplate before it fell into the water, but we can't always keep an eye on what they're doing, as you know).

Yes, Brussels was grim - there wasn't even an accessible toilet in McDonalds, and the attendant there made me pay double because I needed parental assistance to use the inaccessible toilet. The highlight was the Atomium and Mini Europe - amazing access to go up inside the Atomium and the site had a proper accessible toilet that the attendant didn't even make me pay for.

I forgot to mention the cake sale on Saturday - it was a bit weird compared to last year, as the powers that be decided to split the cakes. I was on a table with my usual colleague selling small cakes to take away, and someone else was on a table selling large cakes to eat in the village hall with tea or coffee. Quite a few customers were disappointed not to be able to take away a large cake, and we did get a few customers buying a small cake and eating it in the hall, so it was all rather confusing. I look forward to seeing how much money was raised in total - my colleague and I took less money than last year, and had more cakes left over at the end of the sale, but the other table may have done better than us, so we shall see Anyway, it was a good morning meeting people I know and having a bit of a chat, so it was good overall

Glad you enjoyed the film and noted comparisons with the original

Sad about the number of casualties in Liverpool, but the news reports this evening say most people have been discharged from medical services and the people with the most severe injuries are stable, so that is something

That certainly is a narrow escape for your chair! Where was that?

I had an e-mail from BA in which they apologised, accepted responsibility and agreed to refund me (within 14 days) so that's a moral victory.

That does seem a very strange way to sell cakes - customers are only allowed to have a rationed allotment of hunger at any specified time, and woe betide them for wishing to eat more or less than that.

I don't know if you've spotted but "Walking With Dinosaurs" is back on television, which I thought was exciting. No-one else I know seems fussed. It does bring back memories, though, as I saw the first series when at uni in the house shared with Peregrin. Who delightfully mocked it.

<BB<

Yes, that was rather scary for my chair - that was the Canada conference trip I did in 2005. The trip was flights from Manchester to Toronto, then Toronto to Vancouver and then a Float Plane from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. The flights were 15 hours in total, plus the journeys from home to airport and port to conference venue, so it's no wonder I was extra tired with the jetlag (although my parents were OK!). The 5-day conference was amazing, meeting world-leading experts in my branch of maths, and taking part in workshops with fellow PhD students from around the world. There was also a day of sightseeing, and that's when I encountered the work of Emily Carr A88000940 The return journey was by scenic ferry from Vancouver Island to Vancouver, then a flight to Toronto. We stayed in Toronto for a couple of nights to break up the journey and see Niagara Falls, so that reduced my tiredness before the Toronto to Manchester flight (although my mum got bad jetlag and had to go to bed as soon as we got back home, while Dad and I were OK!). An epic trip, but I'm very glad I did it. I am thankful for my parents' help, too, as the journey was difficult - train travel has its trials and tribulations, but I feel much more in control with that (especially as I keep my wheelchair with me)

That is good news that BA are sorting out the refund for you Well deserved.

Today I got the results of the cake sale - our table of small cakes raised £30, and the table of large cakes raised £40 - a good total, but I do wonder if we could have done even better working together without the 'rationed allotment of hunger', as you say... Something for the powers that be to think about next time.

I did see an advert for Walking with Dinosaurs, yes - it does look exciting, as the dinosaur animations look to be incorporating the latest research (feathers, etc) Hopefully it will stand up well against the original series and spinoffs A87827629 and I hope you enjoy watching and being happysad thinking of what Peregrin would think of it

Yikes, that seems like an almost disaster, glad it managed to be averted just in time! And definitely a long trip! I've not been to Canada but it sounds like you made the most of the time available.

Good luck with feedback for cake sales for hopefully doing better next time.

The only news I have at the moment is my team has been nominated and shortlisted for the annual staff award, with apparently out of over 20 nominations in our category, we've made it to the final four. So that's quite nice and flattering. The VC does, though, apparently have a habit of picking people based on who he knows as the finalists rather than strength of the nomination so it would seem extremely unlikely we'll win, but flattering to not only be nominated but also be shortlisted, as our role is pretty much to be invisible unless things go wrong.

<BB<

Yes, I was very lucky to notice that and be able to call out to the baggage handlers, otherwise it would have made the trip even more difficult. I was also fortunate the time when I did lose a footplate and the time when I lost an armrest that it was on the return flights from Spain/Spanish Islands, so I only struggled in the airport and used a spare wheelchair at home until the lost parts were replaced.

Wow - congratulations to your team for being nominated and shortlisted for an award Will you be going to an awards ceremony to find out who wins? I have been invited to our awards ceremony this year - there are a few nominated prizes, but the main ceremony is for long-serving staff and I have reached 10 years!

We had a team meeting in the office this week - the director nearly cancelled it because she thought hardly anyone would turn up and there was nothing to talk about (last month's meeting was well attended, but only lasted an hour instead of two hours because she ran out of things to say) but a slightly smaller group was better able to contribute to discussions and the meeting overran instead! We had an evacuation practice as well, and I found it easier to transfer into the evacuation chair than the last time we practised in 2019, so my yoga and strength training activities must be doing me good

I hope you all have a good weekend. I have a few lovely things planned for D's birthday tomorrow so I'll see how I get on

Well, not entirely fortunate in those cases, but could have been worse as you say.

Anyway, yes there's going to be an awards ceremony I think. But during the academic day, so I don't lose an evening, fortunately.
Annoyingly soon after I started work at the uni, the service awards were stopped, with the then VC claiming they were 'ageist' somehow. So I've done 17 years and not a sausage, though the current VC has hinted that long service awards will be brought back. I hope that they will be backdated.

Talking of long service, it's our 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday. Sadly we can't do much due to my wife not being allowed time off during term time, and I have a dentist appointment, if I can work out where Anglesey is...

That's quite a meeting you had last week - didn't have any particularly interesting ones except the one where we were told about the nomination. But that is definitely promising that you're getting stronger and er too.

<BB<

I did do well with activities for D's birthday, so that was pleasing and I updated my h2g2 journal.

Yes, I'm pleased that the awards ceremony here is in the afternoon, rather than expecting people to stay late at work I must admit it does feel a bit funny getting an award for long service - I could have been at my previous company for 10 years if my boss hadn't spent all the budget on a deputy boss and made me redundant, so it is more by luck that I've been at this company for 10 years... Will be interesting to gather for a celebration, anyway

Wow, that will be a busy day for your wedding anniversary - good luck with all that At least you can have a cup of tea as China is the traditional anniversary gift

Birdwatching was good yesterday, even though it was blustery weather - one of the RSPB volunteers kindly pointed out a Little Ringed Plover, and then in another hide a fellow birder identified the song of a Sedge Warbler, and I located the bird with my camera, so it was a good team effort My bird list is up to 91 species and I haven't seen a Barn Swallow yet, for example, so that's not bad compared to the target of 105

They're tying in the awards with the 20th anniversary of Solent becoming a university, so I suspect I'll have to change the days I come in on that week.

Nice of Solent to become a university to commemorate my wedding.

That's good going with the bird list already, and we're not quite halfway through the year yet . Sounds like you have several common birds left to see, so you should be able to make the target this year.

I'm still doodling away, I think I'm up to 37 pages of the next work-themed , though this one has turned out to be very much fiction rather than based on real life. Occasionally real experiences have turned up, though. And despite being very much each page being created separately, it almost comes across as having a plot. I even have a title in mind.

<BB<

Aha! Yes, the establishment of a university is a fine way to commemorate a wedding

Yes, in theory there are 'easy' birds to add to my list, eg various types of Tern, but we shall see. I have heard more Song Thrushes around this year, unlike the last couple of years, but not yet photographed them, and there are a few other members of the thrush family that should be around in Autumn. The Coal Tit that visited my parents' garden every New Year's Day for the last few years wasn't there this year, but I might find another one somewhere else.

That's good that you have doodling inspiration from fact and fiction Glad it's taking shape well already

I received an automated phone call from the water company this evening, saying there was something wrong with the water pressure. I filled the kettle just in case, but haven't noticed any trouble with the taps so far, so hopefully they fixed whatever the problem was

All the best for tomorrow's Anglesey trip

Best wishes to you and your wife for your anniversary

I'm in h2g2 after it was off yesterday

I hope you and your wife had as good a day as possible yesterday

The water company called me again yesterday to say they had found a leak on my mum's road - they must have called everyone in the area just in case we had problems too. Mum hadn't particularly found the water pressure to be a problem, but after she was notified that the leak had been repaired, she nearly power-washed the whole bathroom by turning the basin tap on!

1,000!

The dentist is in the middle of nowhere in the centre of Shirley, so not easy to get to. I didn't like the journey there at all - I asked Google for directions and it took me along the main roads with traffic and lorries and constant cars and roundabouts and more traffic lights than my home town*. On the way back I asked Google for directions and it suggested going through the Common instead. Why didn't it say that in the first place, eh?
The dentist seems much busier than the previous one, with actual staff and customers. I would say it was a good first impression, but they were running over 30 minutes late. The dentist herself seemed very professional, though she's not actually done anything yet.

But we went out for a very enjoyable evening.

Sounds like you managed to weather the water issues well, and that your mum had successfully adjusted to the low water pressure without ever realising! Or they fixed a problem that didn't need it and made a new one in the process

* Admittedly Sandown has two sets of traffic lights. One by the railway bridge and one by the swimming pool.

<BB<