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

Frank

Just heard on the news about the floods and that Helmsley was particularly affected. I hope that you were not involved. While that was going on we had a hear wave.

Harold

Obviously I meant a heat wave!

Harold

Harold,
All our reports are coming from the radio and off here. The Bilsdale mast was struck by lightning and the TV has been off since. We are on steam TV as this new fangled digitalis tv is beyond us, I mean you have to pay £50 of your own money then plug things in and press red buttons for 30 channels of rubbish, why bother.
Helmsley and Harrogate plus most of the area between have been hardest hit. Cars washed away and people missing flooding and mayhem. We got a two hour storm massive thunder and lightning but very little rain after the hottest and most humid day of the year. Today it is just as hot and I have come in out of the heat.
We will know more tonight if the engineers get us back on line meanwhile we are sweltering and I am out of cold beer, back to gods wine probably better for me.
Regards Fran k.

Yes. I don't have more than the 5 terrestial TV channels or 6 if you include Channel 6 which is Oxford TV - but I don't watch that very often.
Glad to hear that you haven't really suffered from the floods. Hope that deliverance continues.

Harold

Harold,
I did see the Video and still pictures on the Tees Radio internet connection, it looked bad until we got the TV back on and saw the damage it was horrendous. Houses were inundated and everything wrecked leaving that horrible mud and filth after the water went down.
I noticed the true Yorkshire grit as they all said we will get over it whilst starting to clean up. Some of the bridges are out and the old Bailey bridges will be coming out again, in some of those area's we have Bailey's that have been up since the war, they were very good but then made in Middlesbrough or most were, we know how to make bridges up here.
It is cooler today, pleasant for walking Benji he hates the heat so had his tail up today.
The dog roses are in full bloom and the Elder bushes covered with blossom, you can make a very good infusion with those blossoms, a neighbour makes gallons of Wine every year. He tells me it is for colds and flu but he does not give any away he must have continuous flu.
When we bought this house Harold we made sure it was over one hundred feet above sea level. From us everything goes down so the water disappears as fast as it falls and the people at the bottom of the hill get it. The whole area is streams or rills running into those streams which can rise four feet in an hour I have watched that happen. About one mile away further down the hill they are starting to get street flooding, we are Ok for the near future, nothing like a little planning, that old army training Harold.
Just keep doing that 25 miles and platoon attack we did in training once a week it will keep you mobile, I must say it takes me a week to do the twenty five now with Benji's short legs and I dont carry a 9lb rifle ammo and kit. A couple of dog bags and a mars bar is quite enough.
Keep well Harold,
Regards Frank.

Frank

You wrote:
Just keep doing that 25 miles and platoon attack we did in training once a week it will keep you mobile, I must say it takes me a week to do the twenty five now with Benji's short legs and I dont carry a 9lb rifle ammo and kit. A couple of dog bags and a mars bar is quite enough.

Hmm.
I don't have a dog and I just manage to walk to the shops and back, about half a mile each way. It's my arthritis. So it takes me a week to do five or six miles. Still, my doctor says that it's more than most people do so I feel somewhat complimented. Still unable to lose weight though.

Harold

Harold,
Had you seen me trying to make my way back from half a mile out when something gave way in my leg two days ago, you would have smiled at the twenty five mile bit.
Benji still needs to walk so yesterday with the aid of a stick I did manage a mile in pain most of the way, today a mile and a half with not as much pain.
There you have me Harold I will not give up. My doctor tells me I do more good with those daily walks winter and summer than all the pills he can give me.
It is 31C at the moment that is near 85 in old money and my greenhouse was 100 degrees a while back before I ran water over the floor. Even tomato's dont like that kind of heat.Walking our daily walk in that is a bit hard on the tubes but a few glasses of water free them up.
My Infantry training months were the peak of my fitness although I could still pass the army fitness tests at 45 years of age. With the rank and age I could have skipped out but pride would not let me do that and it pleased me to beat many of the youngsters. Lots of them smoked and it was a lesson to them when a man my age could beat them on the tests, I told them I never smoked in my life and hoped the message went home.
I do feel it a bit in the wrists and fingers when I sit and play piano for an hour or so, (never do things by halves do I). Putting some screws in wood the other day I felt it but it was over a hundred screws so maybe deserved. In my family 76 is no age they all went into the 80-90s so as the young pup I have to keep up appearances dont I?
I think the lesson is never give up, a pal of mine now gone got very bad arthritis, he often came with me across the fields on his electric scooter, he thought it was a tank, he got a bit stuck when we came to a stile though. I would see him miles from home and often wondered what size battery he had in it. He got out and lived a little the only way to go.
Take care Harold and at least we did it even if it is just memory now.
Regards Frank.