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

I've been going in to work half an hour early every day this week, because I've got so much to do, but this morning it was a positive pleasure!

It's half-term, which makes a huge difference to the amount of traffic at that time in the morning (left home at 7.30am), so the roads were quiet. Part of my route takes me alongside Parkers Piece and the spire of the Catholic Church was silhouetted against the beautiful early morning sun, as the joggers and dog-walkers cavorted around.

Then a few minutes later I pass the end of King's Parade and can just see the distinctive architecture of King's College; across Silver Street Bridge, with the Mathematical Bridge on one side and a view across Laundress Green to Lammasland on the other. Then the Backs, and then the tree-lined tunnel of Sidgwick Avenue, with drifts of fallen leaves in autumn colours.

It's been a fabulous day here too - deep blue, cloudless sky all day, and the gardens looked so lovely as I walked across for lunch. There was a perfect clump of (I think) white agapanthus in bloom just outside one of the doors - no doubt the gardeners among you will tell me if that's likely!

I am so lucky to be able to make this journey by bike every day - although I'm sure I won't think that when it's the middle of winter and the wind is howling round Reality Checkpoint!

Douglas and I had lunch at the University today - in the restaurant at Zeste. This is part of the old Crobie Johnon Halls of Residence, so we are talking about 60's pine and big windows looking out onto skeletonising trees and leaf covered grass. Ther is a nursery opposite the restauant and we wathed a youngster wading through the leaves like they were snow. Autumn is the best time of the year on a really old campus... The view reminded us, of all things, Susan's father scientific conference slides taken in eastern europe taken in the 1950 and 1960s.


Douglas and Sue

Re slides - there are forty wooden boxes of them. We did go through them two years ago and Douglas arranged a slide show of various places visited and family. Since mother moved down stairs last week the slide boxes have been thought of again - more now "what on earth should we do with them".

Sue

We also have boxes full of slides, and the slide projector that goes with them is missing a vital part, no longer obtainable. Some years before he died, my dad made up a set of pictures of me and my sister - mainly holiday snaps (but he was a good photographer) - between the ages of 0 and about 12, and I would love to see it again, but we don't have a magazine that fits the projector.

There are also hundreds of feet of cine film, stored in my sister's loft. Ideally, the best bits should be transferred to video (or DVD now I suppose), but that requires us to watch it all and make decisions ...

"skeletonising trees ": ah, the translator would be kept busy with that one...
I hope your mother is well sue.
What to do with slides? Keep them carefully labelled and in 20 years' time they'll be in great demand for art installations. Where do you keep the boxes? I am glad I don't have to answer that. I am thinking of getting rid of (first stage, putting in boxes) all my video tapes as the quality is deteriorating rapidly. In the past I was happy to tape any opera performance on TV and couldn't get enough of them, even making copies of coppies. I tried to show Shirley Verrett as Lady Macbeth to my students but it was a blur, I had to explain who she was and what she was doing. Perhaps it was always a blur but with DVDs we have become more demanding.

We were lucky there - the only cine films were of village events so they have gone to the Library Service.

Sue

Bonjour martine, ça va? Woke up at 5.30 this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I’m just having a leisurely cup of tea and browsing hootoo and ML.

The forecast is for heavy showers, and one has just happened – hope there isn’t another one while I’m on my merry way to Newnham this morning, or it will be slighly less merry!

Hello, Annie

What a lovely picture you paint of one of the few areas of Cambridge which I've got to know so far! We had a gorgeous day here yesterday but it has turned rather stormy overnight. However, youngest gets out early today and then no school until Thursday so I'm hoping we can all take it easy over the weekend.

Yes, I'm sure cycling round Cambridge is a joy [better than driving anyway!] I know Stephen is surviving without a bicycle but C certainly couldn't as she heads all over the place to lectures, practicals and supervisions. She says the early morning descent into the town centre is the Ride of the Valkyries on wheels!

I hope work will settle down for you soon. No, don't suppose it will. In the meantime and to keep you going.

Eilis