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

There was a young blackbird on our birdbath yesterday looking quite bemused. You could just see him thinking 'Where's my mummy gone?'

I'm glad to report that we now have lots of baby sparrows, mostly grown up now. Robins too - but I've still not managed to spot those elusive wrens that are supposed to be in the garden.

I've just taken my car in for a service. I probably need new tyres at the very least.

Hi, my name is Coolpolitealex and i have not talked to many people either ,so i hope you do not mind me saying hi and if you want a chat then leave me a message .
bye

Hi coolpolite alex - nice to meet you! You are very welcome to chat! What are your interests at the moment?

oh Lanza , baby sparrows! they´re so cute

have you seen this guy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-wtO7pjJKk

brilliant, but are you sure it was not video trickery ?? if it's real it is brilliant ---thanks for the nod to this bird.

hi, cpa,
don´t know, but birds and animals´behaviour is so fascinating that why this one can´t be true too?

There´s a bird, don´t know the name, which makes a sort of decorative space to atract females. He takes all shining bits he finds, and arrange the herbs like a cave, he builds a kind of "love bower" I love to see that bird.

lovely clip Mar! Some birds do seem to dance, we have lots of documentaries on tv that show their quirky sides.

How is Madrid? Very hot? England is cool and rainy this summer - I know, what is new. Lanzarote has been 40 degrees+ so I suppose I'm better off here in the rain just now.

Hot during the day but now there´s a breeze... delicious.
I´m lucky I live in the sierra,not in Madrid capital city. That´s an oven during the day. Today is a bit cloudy, but not rain at all, only a few drops. I really love the rain, anytime.

but you can sing this if it lasts for long:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1TMulrUYME

if you like rain come and like in england
but saying that it's been sunny to day and very warm.

Britain! the only country your guaranteed a tan all year round - it's called RUST

rust?

I was in London for 3 months, since august 25th until December.
It amazed me to see people in Hyde Park and other parks almost naked!! sunbathing. ¿Qué?! these people aren´t precisely uptight as commonplace says. I thought.
In Ireland I spent more time, a course. I stepped out of the bus in Limerick, and it started to rain. I hadn´t brought any umbrella!to a pub and had a coffee, arrgghh, that´s not coffee!

In Ireland is when I fell in love with rain completly. I really love when you have a misty day, with soft rain. The paroxism of joy came with a little of sun, it illuminated the trees which appeared as if they were flourescent. The extasis came in Autumn. I learnt there also to love the colours of Autumn.
I used to walk by the river Shanon and around Castletroy. Those huge beautiful trees, so many greens, the birds, the delicious blackberries and chestnuts...
ay! I´m sure I´ll come back one day there.I couldn´t travel there, short budget, I only visited Cork castle.
I love your landscapes.

another grand place to visit, especially for openness and the views
http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/

Thanks Prof,

This is what you find in my homeland in Granada, at the south of Spain:
http://www.ruralnatur.com/Ruralnatur/uploads/Rutas/123/123_foto01.jpg?refresh=0.2952695638401419

and this how it looked before the olive crop expanded:
http://www.venta-de-fincas.es/
and this last landscape is similar to where I live now, in a village near Madrid.
The trees are encinas, it´s family of the oak, it gives acorns. I love that tree.

Then, if you go up to the North the landscape turns greener and rainy. YOu can find beautiful trees. I was there travelling around. Lovely.

the 3rd picture, is that lavender?
as people want more natural cooking oils,olive being one of them, it's the same thing everywhere - profit first landscape second

not, it´s another herb.
YOu´re right, first profit. The second landscape, la dehesa, is preserved in a great part due to the bullfighting.

But in Andalucía, the original landscape started to desappear long before this demand of oil. There should be a balance always. In Andalucía isn´t too bad, what actually kills the landscape is construction of houses, flats, hotels,etc. no agriculture

we, as a world are getting too over populated, but they will keep building in the wrong places

in case you feel curiosity,
these are a group of young bulls:

http://www.alrfoto.com/x_0859_toros_bravos.php

and here my friend the iberian pig, the owner of that delicatessen named jamón ibérico. The pig presence also helps to keep la dehesa.
http://www.andaluciaimagen.com/foto-Dehesa-extremena--Torrejoncillo_106282I0IA0.htm

Prof, didn´t see your post...

I hate to say that, but... it´s common sense what we need. We can build for tourism, etc, but using the brain. Speculation in Spain has been terrible.

no disrespect, but I love all animals and don't like the bull fighting also deer/fox hunting

do those pigs go truffle hunting

for me living here, I'm jealous of you living in Spain, as you are of wanting rain

argh! I have just downloaded an update for my Mozilla browser and it's now acting in loading hootoo pages