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

last night... in the pub, as one is prone to be... chatting to the very tired landlord.... decided that this past year in review, for me is..... Not* 'nearly died twice'... 'again'.... but, rather 'proved yet again, twice, I'm immortal'

Baked potato wedges (spiced with paprika and black pepper and salt) roast/bake/ing in the oven, with sunflower oil, with the already cooked spicey pork balls (nakered sausage rolls), to go with them.... in about half an hour... then we're off to the pub for the traditional Christmas day activity, of spotting the regulars/resident alcoholics

laundry currently washing as the basket was full

I'm wearing my Christmas leggings - shall put on my outfit, for the pub today, I think must go check on the spuds

Thanks for reminding me I need to launder another basket lest I shall enter the new year naked and it's way too cold for that here

This was my first year as a full blown old age pensioner. I think it went fairly well. I did not starve to death and I consider that to be a plus

Best of to you in the next year

Not starving is always good... As is having clothes to wear

we found a pub open yesterday though a lot round here were closed

Back to the gym with a bang today - no clients for another week or two, but we hadn't done a workout ourselves, for about 6 days.... which is a long long while.... - mainly because the gym was closed

elyptical for 15 minutes, then 240 reps upperbody weights, plus squats, and then a few dozen on the leg press machine for my legs

I hear a lot of pubs are closing. For good. Brexit may be the least of your problems in the future

I know - it seems a very different picture, on the pub front, town to town, and city to city...

Certainly, here, in the city, actual drinking sems to have declined hugely; hence most pubs only survive because of their food sales... - however, a few pubs do survive nicely, on just their wet sales

however, when we've been elsewhere, not even that far from here, but in more rural, or smaller citys/towns, the drinking is still going on as useual, even, though, oddly, they are often areas with far lower income, and higher levels of unemployment, and people have just got less money... - but they're spending it in the pub...

TBH; the exact area where we live, is often just utterly dead at night; come 10 PM, you don't hear a noise from most houses, no lights on, - they all commute to London each day, for work we assume, and so are just not 'active in the local economy', and certainly not out drinking in the evening; however, a lot of these same people keep the pubs going, by using them, earlier evening, as places to go have dinner

This leaving Europe thing is such a totally bad idea, and was ever evident as thus, seems now, mind, more and more people are realising so, as we discover our government didn't know of the existance of Ireland, or, indeed, that being an island ourselves, the UK takes a lot of goods into it, via the north sea from Europe ... - who'd have thunk it, that, we've been in this big European wide trading block, because... cough... we trade with them

Not to put it mildly, but I'm certainly stockpiling the drugs that stop me dieing at the moment; given the apauling incompetance of the government, I'm not leaving it to them to sort something out

Mind, having said which... I've a nagging feeling... hope... that the government of the Uk really are as stupid and incompetant as they look, in which case, I imagine our chances of managing to get as far as leaving are even at this late stage, pretty small

- I'm doing my bit to keep the local pubs going was in one last night, in fact

No gym today, though we will go tomorrow, and we've got permission and the go-ahead, from the gym manager, our personal trainer, that we can come into the gym new years day (even though its oficially closed), so we get a nice quiet training session then, in a totally empty gym

I found it strange that all the figureheads that were pro bexit resigned shortly after the referendum - leaving it to an anti brexiteer to follow through

The outcome of this was foreseeable wasn't it?

I just hope it doesn't turn out to be too nasty for you - or any of my Brit friends

I'm still really* really* hoping, that it all falls through, so badly, that the only option, for whomsoever is left in the disaster zone of politics afterwards, is, for the UK to.. 'do nothing', I.E., just keep the status quo, and remain in the EU

I've still got my own idea; remember the election that may called, all unexpected? - I think she thought; hoped* she would lose it; as she knew that the whole leaving the EU would both be impossible, and distroy the party's chance of re-election for a generation; plus she was a remainer anyhow... - I guess she was supprised when she won that election

I noticed earlier, at least one UK paper (I forget which), is putting it at 50/50 odds of leave/remain, if the forthcoming vote on May's so-called plan, is voted down by the house... - so hoping it does... I'm sure May is well meaning, but, really, a more incompetant handling of the entire thing, I really cannot immagine - I'm sure if the polititions had just left it all to the back-room behind the scenes people, they'd have done a better job of it... But, if it goes ahead, I can't see us ending up with anything other than a worse prediciment than we had whilst in the EU, for trade, security, well, everything, and not to mention the likelyhood of recession, and financial collapse of the country... - mind one of my main concerns is wondering what might happen to human rights, and things like the national health service, if we leave... - yeh, I find the health system lacking in many ways, but being free has at least ment I've been alive since I was 17 years old, and not run up massive debts from health care, from all the opperations, treatments, and medications I've had (thus far) - if it gets too bad, I'm coming to yours! - I can get hold of a boat

You are welcome, of course

I guess we might be able to escape to Sweeden... but booze is seemingly V expensive there... which is a downside

Yeah, well, booze isn't everything. Good company is

I cannot.... believe you just said that!!!! true Hmmm.... actually, all th etimes I've been in Sweeden, I didn't need any booze... Was.... 'alternatively 'high''

This can happen. Even in Sweden

Evidently so