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

It is entirely up to you if you want to have this one

You seem very well and happy at this time, this in turn makes me happy and long may it continue

Still you have been though some very rough times and when you have been, as your friend I want to be there, and offer you any support that I can, because that is the nature of a friendship, in good times and bad

The ability 'to do' is limited I know by the nature of online relationships but still...

At these times I do wonder if I am doing right thing or wrong thing so I have meant to ask you if you can think of anything that I (or others) can do that you find helps in any way, or anything particulary unhelpful.

I worry for instance that I give too much advice about actions you could take, when it would be better if I was demonstratively listening more.

I hope you don't mind this seemingly coming out the blue but it is a conversation I have had with a relative and a couple of friends and have found it useful, so I wondered if it would be the same for us in this context.

Might not be but hopefully no harm in asking

Peanut

Hi there Peanut! Thanks if you want to talk ... my big, big problem remains social isolation. I have a tremendously hard time meaningfully interacting with people 'out there' ... maybe that's something to talk about ...?

I like to talk, and like talking to you. Perhaps this ould be our conversational thread?

Could just pass the the time of day, discuss goings on in the world or things going on our in lives, what ever crops up

I know that it doesn't help with being socially isolation irl.

When you say that you are having a hard time interacting, is that because you are struggling socialising or is about breaking down those social barriers?

Hi again Peanut! You could mention anything you want of course, about your life, about something that interests you, and so on.

Anyways ... my problem with interacting with people might be because I inhabit a different universe from other people. I mean that in almost a literal way ... I think every living thing *is* its own universe but there is interaction and by interation universes are brought in alignment. In my case though I've aligned myself with universes in which there are very few people. Difficult to explain ... remember I *am* schizophrenic. My view of the universe might be wrong ... or not; but wrong or not ... I live in a very, very, very large and complex universe in which humans are very rare sorts of creatures. My universe extends billions of years in the past and future and is billions of light years in extent, so naturally, it is extremely hard to find humans in it. My mind isn't well 'anchored' in my physical body. My physical body has limited means such as this computer and through it I can locate human minds to communicate with, like I'm doing now. But the people I interact with here I can't interact with physically. I do feel I need physical interaction as well ... not that there's anything wrong with speaking to people online ... but I need to be anchored somehow in the physical world to give me a better chance of finding human beings and even just trying to communicate with them.

Hi Willem,

I think you did a fine job of explaining, it is a little difficult for me to fully understand how that is for you but I get it and will try to undrstand more. While your view of the universe is different to mine, I don't think in terms of right or wrong, just difference.

I am a litle unsettled at the moment, some of the more general stuff and I have found mysef getting distraught at the memories and feelings that Margeret Thatcher's death has stirred up, they were awful times, as are these.

So I think I will avoid too much news and the discussion for now and concentrate on other things. We have decided to dig up the garden for more space for a vegetables. It is going to be a hard dig,it is very heavy clay and it is either very wet or very solid but we are keen and it is a productive use of energy

I am thinking about your anchors in the world and will come back to that when I thought some more

Comes back with questions about anchors

Do you feel that way all the time? Or are there times when you feel more anchored in your than others? Not just periods of time but also in certain situations?

Missing words in above post,feel more anchored in your physical self, is what I meant to say

Hi Peanut! No problem, I understand what you meant.

Sorry to hear you're distraught! Hope it's better now. You do seem to be going through some tough times over there. I wonder how it compares with over here.

Anyways: yes, I sometimes feel more anchored than others. I feel most anchored when I'm out in the wild. That connects me with the world of animals and plants. The trouble is I am still alone ... I don't have any humans to share those experiences with me. If I had just one human being with me it would make an enormous difference.

Morning Willem

There seems to be a fair few missing words in my posts, but it is just nice to be able write conservational posts, a month ago it was like pulling teeth.

I was wondering if the bird sanctuary did guided tours, or some sort of activities for the general public. I know you don't need a guide to show you the wildlife but it would be an opportunity to socialise and share the experience with other people.

I'm feeling better, it helps that this week my Mum is on hoiday so we have the use of her car, the weather has perked up and our gardening plans are coming along

Hi again Peanut! No problem about missing words ... I can get the gist of what you'r saying!

How you doing now? Still raw about the Margaret Thatcher stuff? If possible I'd actually like to talk with you about that.

No, no guided tours at the bird sanctuary or anywhere else that's around here. I would *give* guided tours to folks but only if I know they're deeply interested in nature ... otherwise the experience is wasted for *me* and if they don't really care for what I could tell them, what's the point for them?

Anyways. This weekend I am going to a farm for an excursion with fairly like-minded artistic people ... I think that is going to be fun.

Hi Willem

I am fine to talk now, thanks, what would you like to discuss?

The visit to the farm sounds like fun. Is this with your art class?

I'm off for some blood tests, they are not looking for anything in particulary just checking that are no underlying physical factors for some of the things I am feeling.

Then we are off to Glastonbury, just for a mooch around and because we like it.


I liked the hippos by the way I haven't read about the aloes yet, I am bit behind with reading, mostly because I have being talking so much here, there and everywhere
See you later

Hi again Peanut! Well, I just would like to know what Margaret Thatcher did that was so bad. I don't really know, living in South Africa where we have entirely different sort of problems. OK did she actually make Britain a more selfish place, more concerned with money than with people?

Yes, the visit to the farm will be with some of the people in my art class. I'll report on it, I'll take photos too!

Did you get the blood test results yet?

And how was the trip to Glastonbury? I've heard of the Glastonbury Tor.

Glad you liked the hippos! I hope you got a chance to look at the aloes.

I'll look forward to those photos

Hmmm, Thatcher and her governement and what we think of 'Thatcherism'.
Hang on to your hat Willem.

Individualism was very part of that. The state was rolled back, the unions were smashed, workers rights were lost.Our manufacturing base went. Communities were decimated. Nationalised industries were sold off for a pittence.


People were allowed to buy their council houses, not a bad thing only they weren't replaced. Where as council estates were once mixed communities, they became increasingly ghettoised, places of long term deprivation and generational poverty where people lived behind closed doors.

The free market reigned, capitalism at worst, idividualism, consumerism, minimal state, degregulation, globalisation.

She supported the most terrible regeimes, politically and by the selling of arms.

Rights to gather, protest and to strike were restricted. There are many circumstaces in which the police felt they could act with impunity.

There was section 28 that stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

When the ecomony was booming there was a huge divide between the haves and the have nots, when the bubble popped, people lost their jobs, their homes, or were stuck with huge debts that were encouraged in a such a consumerist culture. Credit cards were given out like sweeties, property prices would only ever go up () it was frighteningly easy to get a mortgage that mixed you to the limit.

Now, i am going to say that the unions need reigning in, their internal power structures needed addressin.Our economy needed some restructuring, the nationalised industries were inefficient and did not offer the best off services. I'm not against a culture of self relience. But not like that, it was too extreme, too idealogically based and the costs were way too great and all to often self relience means so long as you are ok, it doesn't matter that others aren't which isn't how I would interpret it.

So, there you are, there are two sides to every story of course and Thatcher was a divisive figure, loved and loathed. You have the perspective from someone who loathed her and the policies of her government and party and the dynamics of those times.

Sorry I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it short, might as well get it done in the one

Credit cards and mortgages that maxed you to the limit.

Hello Peanut, thanks for explaining that. Don't worry about going on for long, I can read fast and have no trouble with concentration.

Anyways ... all of what you mention about Thatcher is what I associate with 'conservativeness' when it comes to economy and society. But Thatcher was a member of the Conservative Party and so one should expect that sort of thing isn't it so ... so why did people vote for her, or for the Conservatives? I know and understand why people over here voted for the National Party and supported Apartheid. But why did the British support conservatism? Did the conservatives promise that wonderful things would happen when these nasty things are done?

Anyways I'm very disappointed ... the trip was cancelled! We're having a sudden spell of cold and rainy weather. I was really looking forward to it ... I hope it could still happen at a different date.

Oh, that is disappointing about the trip, I hope you get to go another time.

Our weather has been the opposite to yours, after a prolonged cold snap, it is sunny and mild,, so we have been digging up the garden for the veggie patch It is coming along though.

What have you been up to in your garden recently?

Quick post for tonight, will get back to the history tomorrow

Hi again Peanut! Glad the weather is nice there. Today it is bright and sunny again!

I am not working in my garden much right now. I don't work there much as a rule ... I've planned it so that most of the plants there need very little care. The rain we've been having this year has been well above average, so I didn't need to water anything. Now with the Winter coming, as soon as the rains stop I'll have to water the winter-growing plants regularly. Anyways I'll try to take a few more pictures of my specimens if you're interested.

I hope your veggies grow well!

Looking forward to more 'history' in fact!

Hi Willem

That is very good planning with your garden. I can't really claim that I have done a lot of planning with my garden when it comes to planting. I have added bits and bobs for bees and butterflies and mostly creating little wildlife areas for bugs, frogs and toads and the hedgehogs visit. Otherwise it has just been maintaining what is there and what thrives

Anyway history I think I will have to break this up as I pre Thatcher is not a historical time I am strong on and for the first part of it I was still quite young.

Essentially though the government was a minority one and it crumbled. Inflation was high, trying to control it through pay cuts led to many strikes offical and unoffical. There were power outs, rubbish wasn't collected graves not dug. You can google 'The Winter of Discontent'

This had been a long period of economic instability and the government and the left had lost all credibility

Thatcher offered a way to solve the economic problems and the unrest it had caused Essentially this would mean tackling inflation through a shift in economic policy, she would curb the unions, shift away from focusing on reducing on unemployment and priortise inflation. Reduce state intervention and focus on the supply side of economics, deregulation, free trade, the economy would right itself if left to its own devices.

At the time of voting though and having spoken to people at the time they were just sick of the situation that they were in, frustrated and there was no one else to vote for, they just didn't want more of the same

So that is part one

Have you enjoyed your bright and sunny day?

I would love to see some photos of your garden

Hi again Peanut! I'll see about some garden photos for you. My garden itself is rather chaotic ... every shot is going to include about fifty different things ... but I can take some individual shots of some of the little plants I have in bags and pots.

I'll google the 'Winter of Discontent'. It sounds like the current government we have here. They're really neglecting many very essential services. But still, *nobody* is going to want to get the Apartheid government back because of that!

Anyways I am looking forward to Part Two. At some point I'll then tell you my own ideas regarding economics and society ...

I haven't had much time outside lately ... only when walking to the shop and back for groceries. Been extremely busy with my latest art commission and with my story.

And you?