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

Things seem to be calming down at last. The Boss has had a hard time with 'The Bug' but is now getting better, but still coughing a bit. The new carpets look really good. The smell of paint has goneand all the stuff we packed into boxes is now back on the shelves, when we packed the stuff up we decided that we would put some of the boxes into the loft some would go to a charity shop and a few things would come back out. It all came back out, every thing had a memory for us, nothing is without meaning, so the house still looks like a second hand junk shop(but with very smart carpet).
I have been soooo busy. Apart from the Open university work which gets heavier by the week, I am now involved trying to set up an amateur boxing club for the boys and girls of the area. The Son asked me to help get it funded so I spend loads of time e mailing organisations, and phoning people to get sponsorship. There are loads of forms to fill out and masses of rules and regs to take on board but it keeps me out of mischief.
The E.G.D. has a big role in kidz summer show. The Y.D.G.is in 'Oliver' here in the village.
And The Son and I feel a bit guilty because we decided not to do 'Dad's Army' and the theatre is still a couple of guys short.
The inquest on my friend decided that it was suicide caused by the Huntingtons. The widow was seen leaving the inquest crying!!!
It has been a miserable week weather wise until today but today has been beautiful. I walked around the gardens this morning. my camelias are in full bloom. daffodils, crocus primroses and the hebes are all out. Lovely
I went to Penzance this afternoon. The place was packed. Loads of visitors, some even walking around in shorts,.
The papers are full of Charlie Windsor and his tart, when there is so much important stuff going on in the world I don't understand why this should be front page news. Have we all forgotten what is happening in the third world? or do we just not care enough to make it headline news?

where does all this energy come from? You are lucky to be living in the warmer climes of England.

...there is so much important stuff going on in the world I don't understand why this should be front page news. Have we all forgotten what is happening in the third world? or do we just not care enough to make it headline news?...

I think that if we are "bombarded" by the awful news from abroad too much, then we become desensitised to it - this in turn is more harmful for fund-raising & people begin thinking "oh well, that's over there", etc. It's not that people don't care enough - just look at how much has been raised (& is still be raised) for the Tsunami, think of Red Nose Day being held once again!

Then think of some of the countries where those who are the so-called leaders & supposed custodians of their people live in splendour & rule by fear, while the people starve. Meanwhile, we continue to empty our pockets to help those poor people - even those of us who can least afford it (by our standards!).

Nobody can forget what is happening outside our cosy world, the same as most people will never forget WW2 & the horrors of it.
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You are obviously anti-Royalist - 'fraid I'm not! However, if you don't mind an exchange of views ...

If the "dear old" Queen Mother had kept her nose out of things then: Princess Margaret would have been able to marry who she wanted, there wouldn't have been a member of our royal family skulking away in France and Charles would have been able to marry Camilla years ago! (How would you have felt if things had been "arranged" so you couldn't marry the Boss?) The disastrous marriage between Charles & the insecure, selfish, beauty(not) female would never have taken place. Don't get me wrong, I felt sorry for Diana, but she was her own worst enemy & totally unsuitable for the role.

Everyone has kept saying that the Royal Family are not "with the people enough". They seem to forget that it was Parliament that forced security & bodyguards on them & made it impossible for them to go amongst the people after the attempted threats on their life.

Alot of hoohaa was made about Diana's "work", but Princess Anne & Charles have worked tirelessly, but quietly, in the background for many charities & for many, many years - have made special trips abroad, have met & comforted many people, etc. Diana wanted attention & oh boy, did she get it!

The Royals are very human, ordinary thinking people, OK some are not as bright as we would hope they would be, but then are you or I? They were born into this role, we were lucky enough not to be. Would you like to work almost 24/7? Work when you are on holiday? and then have people delving into your finances & private life?

Many countries wish they had a Royal Family - even the Russian people &, no doubt, many French! The Americans are absolutely envious that we have them. So why can't the people of this country stand up & be proud that we have a family like this & support them as much as we can? Personally, I think the media have ALOT to answer: they sensationalise anything that goes wrong, but keep fairly quiet & dismissive about the good things - as they do with anything these days.

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Hands hurt, better stop rambling on These are my opinions & you probably won't agree with any of them ...? Just don't shout at the screen too much

We are still in a mess with the kitchen, but at last we've managed to fit up the extractor hood, so now it is tidying up around it, remeasuring everything to ensure all the cabinets will fit in & then decorating, etc. Will be really glad when it's all over!

Don't forget it's Valentine's Day tommorrow - the Boss will definitely remember!!

& to you both

We haven't got a Royal Family.

Germany has a Royal Family - the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's and the Battenbergs
they are alive and well, living in the U.K. under the assumed names of Windsor and Mountbatten.

Hi Shirps
strange as it may seem I am not anti royalist, I just despise the Germanic-Greek mob we have in this land now as royals. I have great respect for the queen, as queen she does a great job, as a mother she was hopeless. In no way are these just 'ordinary human beings' they are a million miles away from ordinary. just because they occasionally take a cup of tea in a council house doesn't mean they know anything about being ordinary.
The 'dear old queen mother' was a fascist of the worst sort and before her husband became king was known to favour Hitler and the nazis like many others of the British aristocracy.
I believe we should have a king or queen to represent the country and as an official head of state. I believe that on the death of a monarch parliament (it is in our constitution, they can do it) should pick a member of the family who has royal blood, and that of course could be any one of a number of people. There is a family in France descended fron James vi who have royal blood.
I believe the monarch should be paraded only on state occasions and nothing else ever written about them.
I believe Diana was a nice girl led like a lamb to the slaughter by her elders and if she had accepted that her husband was a whoremonger(as did Queen Alexandra) she would not have ended up smashed to pieces in a Parisien tunnel.
I believe the horrors of this world should be paraded in the media until real people decide to force the rich nations to do something about it (which Gordon Brown seems to be addressing)
If you speak to a member of the former Soviet union you may find they wish they still had the communist regime which although it had huge faults also had many virtues. More people were slaughtered under the Tsars than under Stalin and that is saying something.
Like the philosopher, I may disagree with you but I would fight to the death for your right to say it, and the worst thing about totalitarian states is the death of freedom of speech, and thank God we still have it in this country(mostly)
I am pleased your kitchen is coming along, having the house in uproar is a nightmare.
The Boss will get nothing from me on valentines day, 'cos I think it is silly, BUT on odd occassions I do things like, I send flowers with a note saying 'thank you for there always being a clean shirt in the drawer' another time I took her out for a 'little drive' and she ended up having a scenic helicopter flight. Now and then I will do the ironing and put it away after she has gone to bed. so I show my love for her on any day other than valentine's day.
On valentine's day I pretend I don't like her and refuse to do the washing!!
Even though you are so sad in your faith the Windsors i still send you
<hug.s and a quick if Mr Shirps aint looking

kif

How right you are

Hi Kif,

Sorry, I got a bit waylaid there, I meant to say, it's ok doing all that for the community but don't forget about that man Kif, he needs a bit of space as well.

(you mean of course James VI of Scotland / James I of England)

Quack

Hi Quack
Yep that's the guy VI and I

I am only doing the boxing club work on the computer. I don't think i shall get in the ring

Oh come on, Kif, I'd give you a couple of rounds any time!!

It'd have to be in slow motion, mind, and no hitting below the belt........ or above it, until I've adjusted my glasses, hitched up the surgical stockings, protected the few teeth I have left and you've given me a 30 second warning of approaching body blow!!

You sound very busy, don't overdo it, will you? If you don't mind, I won't enter the Royal argument, can't stand the sight of blood!

And you won't reconsider Dads Army? Shame, I picture you as a very credible John Le Mesurier character (forgotten the screen name) What do you think, Triquack?

And just to annoy you (slightly) I am sending you this for Valentine's Day!!

Take care, my special friend UG

And one for you, Triquack, of course

Hi UG,

Thanks for the ----(the only one I got), to be honest we usually just have a special meal and a good bottle but neither of felt too good after the recent para-flu or whatever they call it.

Kif as Sgt Wilson, nah, I think he has a bit more character than that, I see him as Cpl. Jones (an eye for the ladies) and you as his Mrs (can't think of her name) lady friend.

I can also see him chasing the soon to be Duchess of Cornwall through the streets of Penzance with a huge sex aid shouting "they DO like it up 'em"

If you're back on shift have just enough work to make it go quick but not enough to stress you

isn't it strange how we form pictures of people, I do not see my self as either Wilson or Jones but as the doddery old B****r who totters about with the first aid kit looking after the A.T.S.girls,

... doddery, but still got a glint in your eyes, eh?

You cannot be doddery - not with all the activites you're up to

Hope the Boss had good day - suppose you gave her a load of washing to do

PS: Tell her mine was just as romantic - I was taken out to ... MFI and Wickes - ah me!

Hi Shirps,
did you get bits for your new kitchen as a valentines gift from mr S?
We had quite a pleasant day on Monday, and neither of us did the washing I did it and the ironing on Tuesday I am stacking up brownie points with The Boss in case I need her help with the Boxing club

Hiya

We went to check out some things, eg: colour of worktop, size of sink He did take me for lunch though & kept the dog away to give me time to open his card with a mug of first thing!

You men are so devious & yet you think your are s , I'm sure she would have helped with the boxing club anyway

The real treat was yesterday: we drove to my daughter & her husband in Newbury - stayed overnight - up early for the 4 of us to drive to Bristol where ... my daughter had the official ceremony of receiving her doctorate! Oooh, I felt SO very, very proud . I'll probably remember the day by writing something in my journal - when I have a moment.

The electrician is about to arrive to see what needs to be done about wiring in the extractor hood for the stove & fitting a new wall extractor. The kitchen arrives in a weeks time & we are nowhere near ready - I feel we will be clambering over & around boxes everywhere

I have actually lost weight while the kitchen has been out of action - a total of 5 lbs

Best go now - what's the weather like where you are? Yesterday at 8am it was -3 degreesC in Newbury. Here it is now only 3C. However, In Bristol the sun was shining brilliantly - it was still very cold though!

Take care.

The electrician has just been: to have the dual fuel cooker we would have had to have a whole load of new wiring!! The load of the cooker was too much to take off the usual circuit. So ... we have had to alter our order to a gas cooker (although it still has one electric fan oven - the other being gas, which can be taken off the normal circuit. Phew!

However, the cooker won't arrive till around 22nd March!

Methinks, I will write this in my journal too - it WILL be fun to look back at over the years