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

tell me about it

They have a selection of your beers in some of the better bottle shops, but the prices are enough to put anyone off, especially as you don't know which ones are the good ones. Well, apart from Old Peculiar which i am quite fond of.

Now, why does that name make me think of someone i know

Peculiar I can live with but 'old'???

*Kicks Linus on the shins*

I'm 45 in just under a month...

The good news is that I don't feel it (mentally at least!).

Good grief. I missed your b'day smiley

That's alright Linus - so did my husband!

Well to be honest, he did get me a card but no pressie.

How are you? Long time no 'chat'...

It's Mair's 15th birthday this weekend and Chris's 12th the following weekend. What a busy month.

The credit card must be shivering already.

Fortunately I don't have one of those wee credit card blighters (I took out a bank loan to clear them all and them up in the early 90's), but my savings and bank accounts are most definitely depleted.

How is your new business doing?

The property market here is booming and house prices are rising so fast that I'm convinced there's bound to be another 'crash' sooner or later.

the housing market over here has been pretty berserk as well.

Business is slow, as one would expect, but picking up bit by bit.

Anyone there?

Sorry 'bout that...

I took the kids to visit my parents in the in the New Forest (South Coast) on 27th July and returned on 5th August. I left John with the house, pets and car (he doesn't get on with my parents anyhow as my mum has never forgiven him for taking me to live first in NZ and then 'ooop North'). We travelled by train and going was a ten hour journey from door to door but returning was even longer as there was a points failure just outside Coventry and we were stationary on the tracks for almost an hour. Still at least Virgin Trains issued us with free because of the delay and it wasn't even their fault!

The property market in the South of England is booming much faster than here in the North where the unemployment rates are higher. My parents 4-bedroom home is now worth over £350,000! I mean...who could possibly afford that sort of a mortgage nowadays unless their in an extremely well paid job? It beats me how some of the young families in their neighbourhood make ends meet.

Enough pontificating already! How are you and yours? Are you looking forward to your trip abroad? It's your swan song isn't it (the last time you'll be touring with your team)?

I took the kids to see Men In Black II last week and whilst they enjoyed the film, mummy drooled profusely over TL Jones and Will Smith! We're off to see Austin Powers Gold Member tomorrow...

i would have thought your daughter was a bit young to be looking at members, gold or otherwise

I don't know about last tour, but certainly last tour that i actually play rugby in.I can't wait, although organising they whole thing has been an absolute nightmare, as you can probably imagine.

It will be a great relief to get on the plane, let me tell you.

The Austin Powers film was really funny and the kids enjoyed it too!

The trip sounds like an organisational nightmare and I hope your efforts are appreciated.

When are you off and how long will you be away?

Depart 19th of september and return on 6th of October, which is thankfully a long weekend.

Long weekend hey? So plenty of time to wash and iron all your dirty laundry then (as opposed to recovering in bed instead!)?

i doubt Rebecca will give me much time to recover from anything.

We fly in at 9 in the morning. The rugby league grand final is on that afternoon but i have a sneaking suspicion i won't be allowed to watch it in the pub

I would imagine that would go down like a tonne of bricks!

Many of the local pubs here have installed giant televisions to attract the punters for pay per view satellite soccer matches and on occasions the town empties and all that can be heard are shouts and cheering from the pubs. Still at least it makes my shopping trips much easier at times!

Are many rugger/soccer/cricket matches on pay per view on Australia yet? (It's not being well received here in the UK!)

no not on pay per view. Many things are only shown on pay tv but only boxing - to my knowledge has pay per view stuff. I watch stuff like the super 12 rugby at the pub, as i don't have pay tv, and besides, i LIKE the pub

You'll grow out of it Linus! (The pub that is and if you don't you'll most likely instead grow out of your trouser waistbands!)

I used to love going to the pub to meet friends but since we had Chris it has been difficult to go out due to his autism. Apart from that we haven't had enough money to spend it on going out. Besides I've found that the older get, the more intolerant I become to cigarette smoke. I'll even hold my breath when walking past someone who is smoking in the street because it makes me feel so .

thankfully i have not grown out of either yet.

I believe that smoking will be banned in all pubs in Sydney by this time next year.It is already banned in all bistros / restuarants, both attached to pubs and otherwise.

In that case I'll have to come and live in Oz!

I do so wish that smoking was banned in all eating establishments here. I might even start visiting pubs again if there were a few completely non-smoking ones available locally.

Sometimes when I'm out on my own during the day, I'm almost tempted to drop in for a , especially on a summers day and I do admit that I miss the social side too.

i strongly recommend that course of action, as long as you go easy on those young barmen