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

G'day Pink. There are some great pictures of Napier posted here. [URL removed by moderator]

Well, hello there.

Napier looks fab. I'm a big art nouveau fan (you should have caught the exhibition at the V&A - Lalique...definitely a girl's best friend), so that kind of architecture is right up my alley! I shall convince the Welsh bird to make a diversion to your town. If I remember.

There must be more to Napier than elegant buildings and the cosmopolitan club, surely? What do the young people do, hmm?

Right, work to do!

ttfn

Pink.......

The area surrounding Napier is known as the "Fruitbowl Of New Zealand". Many "backpackers" make their way to Napier, and its environs, to find seasonal work on the numerous orchards and vineyards. In this way they replenish their finances while engaging in pleasant work. (January through April).

Leaving their gear in one of the plentiful, clean, cheap, backpacker hostels a lot of younger visitors then venture out to "rave" at some of the excellent young-people orientated drinking/dancing establishments - often featuring live bands.

Others tread the wine trail (visit wineries), or go swimming, surfing, fishing, boating etc. Three hours north-west of Napier is the mountainous central plateau which (in season) provides excellent skiing, snow boarding etc.

The more sedentary enjoy the charms of places like the Cosmopolitan Club - a good place to relax after a hot day's work while watching the passing parade of humanity and enjoying a chilled glass of something.

In short, Napier is a bit like the south of France - without the obnoxious French.

Let me guess - you're currently doing a bit of work for the Napier guide book for poor but culturally interested backpackers?? You've sold it. Unfortunately, I'll be along in winter, when I assume the surfing/fruit picking is less than plentiful (shame that - shall have to drown sorrows in cosmopolitan club, methinks!!)

It sounds great. I love the south of France (my grandparents live near Cannes, but still buy clothes from Marks and Spencer, if you know what I mean...(and read the Times..like...come on!) But they do make up for it by (a) feeding the entire local cat population and (b) having an attic decorated with Marilyn Monroe wallpaper.

Hmm - I can't really give you the tour of london, as you've done it already, but I can tell you Carnaby has certainly changed since the 70's (although I wasn't actually born until the late 70's - one just gets a feeling about these sorts of things.) It's hardly the fashion centre of london now. More your china postbox street, with a few trendy but overpriced clothes shops, and a few chain stores. Shame that. I missed my niche (bit of a hippy at heart.)

Pink......

I believe I once wore flowers in my hair while visiting heyday Carnaby Street - or maybe they were weeds ... or dandelions ... or maybe I was the weed...

Did you have long hair and corderoy flares?

Long hair, purple corderoy flares, pink silk shirt, Beatle boots, wire-framed glasses. Think John Lennon when he was about 25, we were often mistaken for each other (in my dreams).

INSIDE THE MIND OF A MAN AT C&A.
An extract from The Secret Diaries. Friday, June 23, 1972

Woke late and took it easy in bed listening to You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet by Bachman Turner Overdrive. One of the chicks brought me breakfast (bacon, sausages, eggs - sunnyside up, natch - just like I like) and then it was time to get on out.

Cruised downtown in the Lancia and swung by the chemist (Malc The Talc's) for Brut and something for the weekend. Then to the main business of the day - a seasonal wardrobe rethink with my man Ray down at C&A. "Ray," I began, "let's do the easy stuff first. It's going to be summer soon and you know what kind of a guy I am. Tell me you haven't run out of those yellow Y-fronts with purple trim." "Not at all, sir," said Ray. "Plenty left. I take it that the maroon and beige have lived up to expectations."

"For me to know and you to guess. Now, what's new?" The next 30 minutes, dearest diary, were life-changing. First of all Ray comes over with these, like, special trousers - tight where the ladies like it tight but flared at the bottom.

Then he fetches one of these sweaters designed so that you can.show off the watch to maximum advantage - even wear it on the outside, over the sleeve, if the mood is rude (and it usually is). Both garments, by the way, with full-stretch freedom (and doesn't that come as a big relief).

But the final touch was all mine. I spotted the belted tunic - the camel and white combo was a killer. Man, I came up with the "Three Piece Set". Fashion comes and goes but style... well, what can I say? It's here to stay. Two words: C&A.

And yeah - later, you could say that I hustled a few frames off Fat James down at The Lazy Baize.

Loony

-giggle- Truly a life-changing event, I can tell! Let me guess, those flares made you what you are today...

Ray at C&A, hey?

Did you know C&A have pulled out of the UK?

Sad but true.

Now we only have H&M to fulfill our cheap european clothing needs. (And H&M Oxford Circus is, frankly, a nightmare even when it isn't tourist season. Hell, it's ALWAYS tourist season around here anyhoo
-sigh- oh for the cessation of that endless multi-lingual communal map reading and tube station-blocking...)

I spent the weekend in Belgium - Bruges, as a matter of fact - drinking Gluhwine at the christmas market, and trying to explain the concept of vegetarianism to maitre Ds in establishments where the set menu reads like a fish classification table. Well, it's all Flemish to me anyway.