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

Happy New Year to my favourite lurkers!

Have had interesting festive fiasco...not all bad and lots of partying. No doubt the unofficial version will appear in next weeks h2g2 post. Current hangover restricting any kind of skills - creative, sensitive or technical.

Have just got back from new years eve party in the big house....I mean BIG house. Had my own suite for the night with key to prevent intruders! How cool is that?
Lots of dancing, copious quantities of champagne, mooning in the street at midnight (The Family New Year tradition...alas only three of us this year but we still have great arses)

Breakfast with tiny children - I got the early morning nanny detail - staff had they day off - as they do. They (the children not the staff) seemed quite happy with hot chocolate and left over cold chicken Korma and, as most of you know, I don't do cooking, not even for children, amend, especially not for children!

Then swim in pool with said revolting little things. Eventually the rest of the assorted overnight guests surfaced and we had champagne in the sauna, which is apparantly not a good thing to do but divinely decadent, a quick drip in the steam room and back upstairs (in the lift!!!) for a shower.

Reality check now as back to work tomorrow. Grubby fingernails and chilblains - whoopee! Only six weeks to go then I have to get a proper day job...well that'll be interesting.

Went walkabout for a while between Christmas and New year. Got in car with overnight bag (credit card) and headed south. Walked round Stone Henge in the rain trying to aspire to glastonbury hippy chick status...failed miserably. Drove to Salisbury and did a bit of retail therapy and the crossing religious thresholds game...pretty building the Cathedral but I so don't do houses full of dead bodies.

Drove across country (b roads) - railway to my left, river to my right and cars only every ten miles with the speakers turned up so loudly I almost convinced myself I was a boy racer! Sixties and seventies classics blaring...divine!

Checked into hotel in Bath, bit of sightseeing but getting dark so bought paper went into pub ordered drink and checked out the local cinemas.

Bawled my way through 'love actually' and then took myself out to dinner.

Rudely awoken next morning by friends certain that I had by now slit my wrists or at the very least hung myself with the shower curtain. After an hour of this decided that I might as well be back at home so switched the phone off.

Did more sightseeing in town and another bl**dy dead body building - Bath Abbey. First one in even. Do you know they tell you that?

'You're the first one in this morning.'

As if you care. Felt I should really go out again and wait for a crowd to latch onto...rent a worshipper. Revisted all the haunts I knew in that magical city, the guildall, the pump room, the Roman baths, the green Man (now pose-illy called the little green house) The Salamander...no longer a seedy dive but a positively respectable trendy bohemian restaurant, Sally Lunn's Tea room and Hand's Dairy (now pose-illy called Hands Tea room...what tourism does for a city!)

Thought I'd better drop in on the old alma mata and had my suspicions firmly confirmed...adore Bath but definitely hated school!

Headed for Cheddar (decided a walk in the gorge might be fun) but the fog was too bad
so took myself back to Langridge Meadow and walked by the great river, which is really a stream.

Then home the long way via Salisbury Plain this time. But I did it! And all by myself. I think a turning point.

Ravager pup goes travelling at the end of the month and Baby boots goes back to Aberbloodydeen tomorrow so I think February will be the next biggy, but as I start the TEAFL course on the 16th I am hoping that throwing myself back into education (Hmm just remembered wasn't too keen on that the first time round...b*****ks! have to work on that one) and a possible new career will keep me focussed.

The rest will have to wait for Hootoo

Hope you all survived the festive fallout and thank you all for being here.
take care
boots
PS see you at the meet.
PPS read of the week A2156285 very clever Pin!

You see? Bath somehow draws you back, must be morbid fascination! I do love the city though, I just avoid Lansdown.

It was exceedingly brave of you to just head out and definitely a turning point On ward and upwards!

Sounds as if you had a pretty good New Year! We watched a dvd or two, a bit of Jools Holland and then I was quite relieved to get to bed.

With No2 son leaving home, it has been a mixed bag emotionally this Xmas and I now have to make some decisions about what to do with the rest of my life!

Hi boots, Happy New Year to you too.

You are such an inspiration to us all. I am (or was? well, that's really part of the problem) involved with someone who has failed totally to come to any sort of peace with the fact that he was tragically bereaved 7 years ago. The fact that you are proof that it IS possible at least makes me realise that there is hope, given enough basic bravery.

I must confess I haven't had the best of "festive seasons"; having had a major argument with the above on Christmas Eve & walked out; probably this time for good. Mainly my fault, but it can't carry on; no sense in one tragedy leaving a trail of others in its wake (ho! nice pun, without even trying!)

So, New Year, just me & Yoda. Actually, I was asleep when it happened, woken by Yoda trying to burrow under the pillow to escape the unexpected fireworks outside! Plus the poor litle dog which had been abandoned by the landlord, out in the rain, howling! So, taking on new role of animal rescuer, rather than human one. Not sure this is progress?

Whatever, like you, I am trying to "think positive" & top of my list of resolutiuons is:

"Acquire mindset of aged, eccentric spinster."

I may fail in parts of this mission I feel. Recently I was told "You live your life as if it was a gap year!"

I reckon i fall beneath those two stools, which reminds me of an exercise my doctor recommended & in fact demonstrated recently. Remember I live in France, only attempt this in Franglais:

me: Mon knees are hurting.

doc: quelle age est vous?

me: Quatre bloody huit

doc: (gallic shrug) C'est la vie Madame!

me:

doc: mais, peut être, c'st un exercise, votre "things" c'est plus petit pour le....top half.

me: HUH??????

doc: things! things! these! (pats thighs)

me: ah! trés bon spelling, doc. Ok, show me this bloody exercise then.

....Doc proceeds to slide slowly down the wall, knees supporting his non-arthritic , perfectly proportioned body, until he rests about 6" from the floor.

me: hmmmm, what happens if I collpase?

doc: C'est necessaire pour un partner aider, pour le support.

me: I don't happen to have a bloody partner , you daft great frog!

doc: (gallic shrug) Zen you 'ave to place a stool under ze buttocks, non?

Bon Année!

Take care, boots, keep in touch. I have new "improved" email now, if you fancy cluttering up your inbox with rubbish from me, let me know on here or contact abbi or Z; Also have msn if you indulge in that sort of thing.

Terri.

'Quatre bloody huit' Me too! Except this year it will be Quatre bloody neuf and too bloody close to 50! I think I'm having mid life crisis, except that No1 son says it's more like a third childhood.

Our Pilates teacher makes us do that exercise a lot this time of year because she assumes we are all going to go off skiing, like her! Personally I can think of far better things to do other than hurl myself down a mountain on a couple of planks of wood. Propping up the bar is one of them

I can never decide whether to be sad or glad about a new year.

It seems from the last few postings here that we're all experiencing 'empty-nest' syndrome - in one form or another. Boots is an example to us all - let's get out there and take life by the scruff of the neck and give it a good talking-to!

I wish you all health and happiness .

Teuchter - who had a very quiet Hogmanay in deepest 'ampshire.

Hey guys good to hear from you!
C I think this year is going to be a big new start for many people. It is tough when the offsprung spring but not nearly as tough as when they re-invade having completely forgotten the house rules!

I thought Ravager pup was untidy...Baby boots is a one woman hurricane! Yes Bath is fab and is I think my Tara...it gives me strength.

Terri, loved the french bit...took me hours to translate but made me smile. Don't men understand relationships? Silly question boots, men don't even understand lavatory seats. thinking of you and hurting with you. It is so easy to give advice and so impossible to act upon it oneself.

Agree with some of your sentiments...not convinced about the spinster bit...one has to do sex sometimes you know, tough gig but hey it could be fun if I remember.

Took a vile little thing to Camden the other day and it had the temerity to ask my age. It was quite happy with the volunteered 120 so I told it I was lying and was only 74. This was obviously more than acceptable which riled me so deeply I snappily admitted to real age.

'Well you don't act it' was the vile monster's response. 'You don't even act like a grown up.'

'I have no intention of ever becomming a grown up.' I retorted turning up the volume several levels and vowing to drown him in a nearby canal...children can be so old!
take care and maybe see you at the meet.
boots

I got my revenge on nice fit .

Last time I saw him, he had his arm in a sling. Apparently a skiing injury!



I know what you mean about sex though; it has been my downfall in many ways. "They" reckon the 60's were the days of the sexual revolution, in fact it was women of our age who reaped most of the benefits, being fairly free of hang-ups becomes a hang-up in itself when it no longer seems to be able to be something that one can expect as a basic facet of life.

Oh well, maybe life begins at 50?

Terri

Don't you believe it kiddo!
take care
boots