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

Got up bright and early. Was just checking ML with tea and a cigaret when Esmerelda rang. She's got to go the the dentist for an emergency this morning, so my lesson is cancelled. That is good news - it's an ill wind - because I have so much to do this morning.

I have to go to the bank.
I have to phone the Scottish bank to find out more about card replacement.
I have to go to the Traffic Dept to initiate proceedings about getting a new driving licence.
I have to go to the dry cleaners to get my suit cleaned. (Question: where is the nearest dry cleaners? I have no idea.)

I think the bank, which is my first port of call, opens at 9.30 this morning, so I have an extra hour to get my head together for the day.

There's also a meeting in Guguletu to discuss further plans for Ontjie's memorial service.

But the thing that presses most powerfully on my mind at the moment is worrying about Henry and drink. He always drank too much, but recently he has started drinking compulsively.

From the BBC news website:



How exciting! Hope the miracles are genuine.

I went to the bank and they issued me a new ATM card straight away.

Then I went to the Traffic Dept. They told me I had to sign an affidavit at the police station to show that I had lost my driving licence. This I did, then went back to the Traffic Dept. to do the rest. Eye test (rather difficult), thumbprints, photos and R140 please. That's that done, let's hope it goes through this time (not like the last time). I have a temporary driving licence to tide me over.

Just about to phone the Royal Bank of Scotland to find out more about how they are going to replace the other cards.

Someone has just phoned me from Cape Town to say that he has found a load of cards with my name on them. I wonder how he got my telephone number. Maybe he phoned the AA or something (the AA card is there).

Well I have cancelled all the cards. I wonder whether my driving licence is also there. I have just ordered a new one.

This has been a very interesting little experience, losing the wallet. I have had to come to terms with interesting emotions.

If there's a lesson to be learned from all this, it's not to get so drunk in town, that thieves can detect I'm off my guard. I was pretty wasted on Friday night.

Now I'm off to Cape Town to see this guy who found the cards, via Henry in Khayelitsha.

I'm absolutely exhausted. Have been on the go all day.

I saw to everything - cards, driving licence etc, and then an hour later someone rings from Cape Town to tell me he's found all the cards.

So I cancelled all the cards, reported my driving licence missing and applied for a replacement - I was just recovering from that when I got the phone call. Weird - although I had to cancel the cards, if I had slept in another few hours, I would have got the phone call about the licence having been found in time to stop me going to a) the cop shop and b) the Traffic Dept. for a new licence.

We went to Cape Town to see the guy who found my stuff - Denver Stone, you're a star - I rewarded him. Then we went for lunch at Nando's, then - I'm so tired I've forgotten exactly what we did, but we went to Gugs for a meeting about Ontjie's memorial service, then we went to Ontjie's house where they were holding a very long, and very noisy, prayer meeting for him. I don't "do" organised Christianity any more.

Some time in the late afternoon we went to another guy to organise the printing of some T-shirts for the funeral, with Ontjie's picture on them. Eventually we got back to Henry's parents' place, where I had dinner. Two full meals in one day.

Blimey, I'm knackered.

I would like to sit and vegetate in front of the TV but I haven't got a TV (and there's never anything worth watching on IMO). So I'll have a smoke, a cup of tea, and get to bed early I think. Grieta comes tomorrow.

Oh, I just took the laundry out of the machine and loaded up the DriBuddy with it. That will dry the laundry overnight.

Dagesh, does your different form of (christian) logic now apply to dates.. or have you switched alegiance to some other deity (and hence now using some other dating scheme)?

Or have I been misunderstanding all this time?

jont {;¬· >···{

oops...