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

Very dear WebsailorZSF and Madame President,


I should call myself
The biggest sucker in ther world.!!

I believe everything that I am told - never question quotes, never bargain with anyone, in fact I am plain downright stupid and silly and idiotic. And I know it!!. I doubt if I can do anything about it now, but my very plain toilet seat at least does not cling doggedly to me when I try and get off it!. That I found very difficult to cope with and always felt as if I was going to fall flat on my face.!!

I am thoroughly unnerved with all the goings on about writing articles. I always thought that DNA had started this site in order to get the whole world to "join hands" so to speak. But obviously that is not the case. He started it in order to put the researchers on their mettle and get them to write articles. Silly me!!

Now for the wonderful moment of the day.

The postman brought me in a super parcel this morning. And in it, dear Websailor, was your super pressie.

Thank you so much. You have no idea how much pleasure it gave me. Particularly as I had at least five of the illustrations growing in my garden in Somerset West,Also it was designed, photographed and published at the first University where I was employed as a researcher. So that also brought back so many happy memories.

Thank you again so much.

Your very ing, very stupid friend,
Christiane Also Ran1

My dear AR1

'I should call myself
The biggest sucker in ther world.!!

I believe everything that I am told - never question quotes, never bargain with anyone, in fact I am plain downright stupid and silly and idiotic. And I know it!!. I doubt if I can do anything about it now ...'

My position exactly! Although I do think I might act differently next time (as long as I make sure that I remember this case the next time I need someone in a similar situation).

Hi dear ZSF

Absolutely true!. No wonder we understand one another so well!!/

If only.....

But I really do try not to say that!

Thankn you all the same for trying to mend it. It was a noble attempt and done with great thoughtfulness.

But it was an impossible job with no tools and half the hinges gone!.

Go well and enjoy your toastmasters.



Christiane

Hi Christiane

'No wonder we understand one another so well!!' Yes -

AR1, is this the plant you were talking about?

http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/acaciakar.htm

Thank you for sharing your memories with us! I truly enjoy them, and learn so much. I do hope we can meet one day. I believe a conversation with you would be fascinating!

I wish you had somebody that was handy nearby. TJ is always doing "odd jobs" for his Mom when we visit. One of them was replacing her toilet seat. He's handy to have around!

This weekend is Labor Day weekend, so we have a 3 day weekend. Sadly, today we're being blown about by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto, and we lose today (even more sadly for TJ, his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes are playing their first football game of the season, and they aren't showing them on local television ... he's understandably upset ).

I hope you are well, and as always, keep you and K in my prayers!

Dear Christiane,

I am so glad you liked it. What a coincidence that it was designed, photographed and published by your first university.

I fell in love with it when I was it, and was thinking what I could best do with it. As I said the illustrations would be beautiful framed, but expensive, and I have nowhere to put them.

My immediate thought was you, and I do hope you didn't mind me sending you what my husband calls "more junk!" It was much too nice to throw out.

Re. your loo seat, I have such sympathy with you! I spoke to a friend today who has to have things done to her house. She is on her own and is finding that workmen, contractors etc. are doing their best to rip her off.

Her mother left her the house four years ago, and she says it has been a steep learning curve re. shoddy workmanship and rip-off charges.

I have much to be done to my house next year and I am truly dreading it. My husband used to do everything, and now he can't, and is very angry and frustrated, hating having anyone else to do things, which makes it even harder!

I must



Websailor

My so dear Shea, huge

You absolute darling. That is exactly the mimosa/doringboom which lined the banks of the small little streams - invariably dry wxcept occasionaly - like sometimes two years before - when there was generally the most enormous thunderstorm and the Fish River used to come down in flood - terrifying it was. I only saw this wall of water bearing down on us once, but that was enough.

It is really a super article and describes the Acacia Karroo exactly. I see that the authors are at Wits University. I must admit I do NOT think I would have it in my garden. But the fragrance of the little yellow flower balls is quite delicious. I wonder if you know Dior's Miss Dior? That is the fragrance exactly. I always wore Miss Dior when I was young.

Yes it would be super if I had a friend like TJ around. I never have had one so have always had to pay through the nose for anything I want done. I stick it out for so long, and then, boom, when I eventually decide to have it fixed - well that is when I am taken for a trot!!. Lucky Mrs. TJ senior.

I still long to meet you both and to have my clam chowder with you. Hopefully perhaps next year. K. is really much better and when he has regained some of his confidence after going to the local Adult Education Centre where he has been acceptd for an introductory course of Art and Design - I am sure he would relish a cruise to the States and back. I need to go on a big ship so that there are lifts to take me around. Although I can vaguely stagger around with a simmer my back gets very sore when I do.

How is your garden doing? Have you had the tremendous heat that we have had.? Incredibly I really have had the most wonderful dahlias this year. - This morning I picked another lovely bunch of the big bright yeallow cactus variety and they are in a lovely vase in my sitting room, together with some sunflowers and a few other bits and pieces which I bought. I love bright colours!!.

Two days ago I started making an Alpine Garden. I have decided that I am NOT going to give up my love of gardening just because I cannot hump buckets around without falling headlong into the roses!!. So these gentle, little miniatures from the Alpes and other various mountainous places will now be the focus opf my attention. Already there is a dear little geranium - (cranesbill) which is flowering bravely. And I have also put in some cyclamen which I had put into another potm and that is already shown me, in no uncertain way, that it enjoys the new freedom of being "on show" and admired.

My fond to you both.

Christiane and K.

PS wOULD IT BE ASKING TOO MUCH OF YOU FOR YOU TO SEND ME A LESSON ON HOW TO Type out a link. Is there a special way in which one can do it. I use them a lot but have absolutely no idea how to intruduce it into my script myself.
Sorry about the new hurricane. You really live in a hugem beautiful country where the weather can be very unpredictable!!/

Hi my dear websailor

I often think that it is only by paying these vast sums of money to people to help me that keeps me out of an old age home. I really do not feel ready for it yet, so suppose that I must be prepared to do it.
I am so sorry about your dear spouse. Dick, my late husband, used to say that getting old was not for sissies!!. It certainly is not. One has to get used to not being able to do the things that one did without thinking twice, when one was younger. Also one has to keep a bright cheerful face and not complain!.(except on hootoo to friends!!)

I went to see what the chat line on a certain website was like - for older people - and it was very much like a dating one.
I do not want to date!!!!!!.
I reckon three is quite enough for anyone, and the last one was so happy that I know I could not ever get such a super guy again. I count myself very lucky in having my K. to have to care for - and in fact he cares for me to and helps me very much as well.

So, my , I hope that maybe you can get some of the folk from your Tolkien group who might be interested in helping you to do things next year.

With much affectionate
Christiane and K.

AR1,

I'm glad the article I found was right!

It's easy to put a link into a post here on hootoo. The best way for you to do it would probably be to call up the page you want to link to. Then put your mouse cursor into the box at the top of the window that says "Address" or where you would type a link ... I'm not sure what browser you're using! Choose all of the text that's in the box (either by double-clicking, or clicking in the beginning of the text and dragging the mouse across the whole thing). Right-click in the box (click using the right-side button on your mouse), and then choose "Copy" when the little menu pops up. That will copy all the text from the link for you. Work your way to the h2g2 conversation you want to put the link in, and in your Reply, right-click again, then choose "Paste". That should do it! I hope you understood all of that! I'm not a Windows person myself, I use a Macintosh computer, but I think it works the same for both.

Floods are very scary, aren't they? I think that the most scared I've ever been is when we were trying to get out of town to escape some flooding. I used to live on the north shore of Long Island in a little town called Bayville, and the only way out was over a bridge and down a road that ran alongside Oyster Bay Harbor. As we were driving down that road, the harbor water was crashing down over the road! My right leg was shaking very badly, and that was the one I needed to drive the car! I don't miss the potential flooding we'd get there!

Next year would be wonderful for a visit! They're going to be rebuilding the restaurant at Jones Beach, and maybe we can get clam chowder then. They only serve clam chowder at the concession stand during the cooler months, so you can't get it in the summer. We're planning on moving to Ohio at the end of next year, so we've been telling everybody that they have to visit us in New York while they can!

My garden hasn't been doing well. I think the poor flowers got too much abuse in the beginning of the season to do well. We only have one mum that survived, and the other flowers just didn't do well. I'm just going to give up until we have our own house, and I have my own garden, and can do it properly. We're wasting too much money on someone else's garden, and not getting much out of it. I have potted New Guinea impatiens that do absolutely beautifully, and I'll stick with those here.

We haven't had much heat here in the northeast. We had one very, very hot week, then regular summer weather. The past week has been chillier than usual because of the big storm. We're supposed to get back into the upper 70°s F/low 60°s C in the next few days. I'm looking forward to it!

What is an Alpine Garden? I never heard of one!

Take care!