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

At last the week ends. I am now feeling so tired that it was a relief when O/H came to pick me up at school. After a quick lunch, we started for R. and I slept nearly the whole time. By extreme good luck, we managed to catch the plumber even before getting to the house so things are in train in this area. Home was even colder inside than out. Then we dashed to the blacksmith's to have a little heart to heart about his estimate for climbing frames and other necessities. Things arranged to mutual satisfaction, we discussed with him his colection of old instruments (he also plays in his own village band) as well as the pros and cons of having a donkey in the garden, O/H 's secret dream. I am not putting my foot down as the practicalities are enough of a hindrance. But I can see us moving closer to two or three hens (Orpington I said).

Advised by O/H, who believes in the power of drugs, I have decided to remedy the effects of a tough winter work schedule with a cure of cod liver oil and phosphoric acid.

Quite bucked up by the prospect, I then pruned, much too late, a laurel (Lusitania) which was getting all over the place.

O/H is practising a Purcell piece for his xylophone exam (beginners); the humming liberally spattered with swear words. Tricky instrument the xylophone.

I am armed for the week-end with Two Thirkells and 180 translations to grade...

My dear Martine,

As always it is a delight to read your journal. I am worried by your excessive fatigue and ascribe it to your cold.

Your O/H sounds a fascinating chap - original phosphoric acid cures; donkeys au jardin; scatological xylophone playing. You make me realsie what a dull life I lead!

I'll see your 2 thirkells and 180 translations, and raise you a case study to complete, a mountain of revision (ongoing till mid june) and the jarred nerves of waiting for the outcome of the interview.

Regards,

AMx

Wanna swap?

I think I was made for idleness. And O/H only sounds interesting because I charitably omit to mention all his sins of ommission and commission, like NEVER PUTTING ANYTHING AWAY. But he does have a good bedside manner... I should have taken my thyroid medication regularly and I didn't and there's no good in me. Hence the fatigue (also AD). Thanks for your concern.

I do enjoy reading about people's everyday lives. It's one feature that is missing in ML when one is (I certainly am, not you) playing to the gallery.

I like to think of Peet and Douglas braving the elements up North and by contrast, I relish the blue (on the whole ) sky over here. Hope you have a nice week-end, Saturday mornings always look bright, don't they?

Martine sounds like you need a weekend snoozing in the sun.

In our house there is a violin, a cello, a trumpet, an electric guitar and (temporarily) a neighbour's piano. We switch from Telemann to Brahms to Miles Davis to Hendrix scarely drawing breath.

I envy your garden development: the grounds around us are visited by deer, foxes, rabbits and a pheasant named George. We would love to have a potager but couldn't contain the deer and rabbits.

Ongoing battle with tidying one's posessions here too. Books everywhere I like (they are incidentally very good insulators) but the rest of the detritus drives me wild.

pj