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

I thought I'd take it easy today after a very busy and exhausting weekend involving a gaming convention, a Shakespeare production, and a houseful of visitors. I've had a cough and one of those annoying not-quite-a-fevers for a week, and needed the rest.

Slept for ages, and only got up around 1.00 when my flatmate came home after a 12-day tour guiding gig. We exchanged annoying tourist stories over a pot of tea, and then I made rather a nice pot of soup out of the vegetables left over from Monday's barbecue.

The day kind of went downhill from there. We rang the police to report our stolen bin - third in four months - because the council won't give us a new one otherwise, then The Visitor (who is actually heading back to Germany soon) and I decided to head out to my friend P's for an evening ride into the forest.

They nearly left without us, because I hadn't been following the news closely enough and got stuck in the sloooow traffic resulting from the tail end of the Queen's visit.

I did get mounted in the end, though The Visitor had to stay home, because one of the horses was lame. We set off in shirtsleeves on a warm June evening for a ride to the forest, with a perfect rainbow over the valley.

Unfortunately, it didn't stay magical very long - we'd ridden about half an hour when the sky was suddenly covered in grey clouds and there was a lot of ominous thunder and lightning in the distance. It started pouring soon after. Half of Belfast is now flooded, with a severe weather warning in effect for tomorrow, and 'motorists should "exercise extreme caution when driving and only travel if necessary".'

A wet forest on a hill, of course, isn't the best place to be in a thunderstorm. Especially not with a group containing two very green horses, one of which has never been in the forest at all, and an inexperienced rider that means you can't canter home.

We were all soaked to the skin by the time we got back, and I stripped off my soaked shirt and just put on the raincoat I'd conveniently left in the car. Not much I could do about the breeches. Originally, we had intended to do the shopping on the way home, but I was so cold and wet that I just wanted to get home. So I turned the other way back, to avoid any remaining crowds around Stormont.

That turned out to be a big mistake, because it meant I was going away from the repair place I usually use. There was a funny smell, the car refused to accelerate, and I just had time to pull over before the clutch gave way entirely. That's the second clutch in nine months, the first one having burned out three weeks after I bought the car.

So I rang P, who lives nearby, knows the garage owner, and has a towbar, and he came out half an hour later and helped me get the car over to the workshop. Of course, by the time we'd hitched the tow ropes up, fetched the warning triangle back, etc, I was completely drenched again, with no more dry things to change into. P was nice enough to drive us all the way home, soaking wet as he was, too - and then got stuck in a flooded road himself going home.

I'm just very glad I had the foresight to make that soup. And that I was riding in the new treeless saddle, because you feel the horse better - at least I had a warm bum.

Naturally, I blame 2legs for everything, except the traffic. I'm afraid the Queen takes precedence there.

Thursday will be better. Soup tastes better on the second day.

Well, Germany plays Italy in the semi-finals tomorrow and my money's on Germany, so maybe there will be crowds in town again tomorrow night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8SD9baVPKw

Aaaaand now I have that stuck in my head

40mm of rain in three hours, according to the news.

Three bins stolen in four months

I sense a conspiracy, same thing just happened to 2legs

bin theft is the new scrap metal theft? I got my bin back though....
I refuse to let the Queen take any responsibility for the traffic....

*waits in anticipation of pistols at dawn between 2legs and the other HRH*

"There's only room in this nation for one Queen!"

I am disappointed. You passed up your chance to use the smiley.

The rain has been rather monsoon-like - hows the roads near you today?

"Passable with caution", according to the news. I've not ventured out all day.

Was that one of your smileys then?

scortcher here today... unbaribably humid and hot

Mala, hope you're feeling better so you can enjoy the weekend coming up! I hope the sun shines strongly enough to soak up some of that rain.