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

*Looking all around in confusion!*

Er, Hi! You didn't bring an umbrella with you by any chance, did you?

*grabs a cocktail umbrella from the nearest glass*

I don't suppose this one is any good to you...

*Sticks the cocktail umbrella behind Linus's ear.*

I wouldn't say that!

This is Gwennie's storm. It sure is lasting a long time. Its pretty violent too. You'd think the others back in the party would come looking for us, wouldn't you? Spiny owes me four more dances, and look at him laying there on the floor passed out!

Want to play cards, Linus?

Play my cards...er, whoops

*Her eyebrow lifts.* What was that?

I didn't hear anything

*opens one eye, speaks hoarsely*

Sorry folks, RL has broken out at a hedgehog near you. Back soon...

*closes eye again*

Hello!

A friend of yours Mari-Rae?

That's right, you and Linus don't know Spiny, do you? *She hauls the hedgehog around and places his head in her lap so he is more comfortable while he dreams RL dreams.* He and I met in Damogran. He is really Sir Spiny. He is also a friend of Babel-17. (Whatever happened to him, by the way?) Spiny is a very distinguished personage in the land of Damogran.

*She looks down again at Spiny. A small thread of drool is dampening her skirt.*

You'll have to take my word for it.

*tries to remember if he has been to Damogran*

http://www.h2g2.com/A230545 is the address, but alas, the good Queen bluDragon has gone MIA because she moved to the sticks IRL and no longer has an internet connection. ~stifled sob~ She is sorely missed.

Spiny and I met aboard her Flying Castle last summer.

Hey people! How are you all? Sorry about your skirt Mari-rae - I guess I just got too comfortable there.

I'm a little alarmed you're already referring to "last summer!" Here in Edinburgh we're still waiting for THIS summer...

Anyway, I'll talk a bit more tomorrow when this confounded RL stuff should ease up a bit.

LOL!! We had the same non-summer here, wind - rain - cold. I never stopped using the flannel sheets and heavy quilts on the bed! Whoops! You probably don't want to know that, do you?

No, I don't suppose he does as hedgehogs usually roll in leaves!

Yes, the summer here was a non-event this year too and there were only a few days when we didn't turn the central heating off.

*Thinks of her gas utilities bill* (By "gas" I do mean gas and not petrol Mari-Rae )

Still, because we had so much alternate sun and rain, there seems to be an abundance of autumn berries for the wildlife to eat! I wonder if we'll have another baby hedgehog spending the winter with us again this year? I even have the neighbours bringing them to me now! LOL

Got that. We call natural gas gas here too. We don't heat our homes with petrol, though. That is called fuel oil.

Hedge hogs are cute little things. I've never seen one IRL, nor heard a nightengale sing either.

~sighs~

Linus has gone quiet too, have you noticed?

Aha! Cross Atlantic confusion again! We call the stuff we put in cars "petrol", natural gas is just "gas" and oil for heating homes is domestic heating oil (I think).

Hedgehogs are dear little things that make a huge amount of noise as they snuffle their way around the garden, looking for slugs, snails and worms to eat. Sometimes they get ill and die from eating slugs that have eaten slug pellets, which is sad, so I never use slug pellets in the garden. Unfortunately, a great many are killed on our roads every year, as they just curl up into a ball when they're frightened.

Some autumns are so mild, that females have a late litter, which are usually too small to hibernate through the winter and would die if left. For the past couple of winters, I have taken in baby hedgehogs and released them in the spring. They're a bit smelly and covered in fleas, but poor old John has more or less resigned himself to an open house now (what with that young hen black bird taking over the downstairs loo for the summer!).

Nightingales are more unusual nowadays here though I have heard them in the past, but not where we're currently living.

I love Britian. Pretty silly, since I've never been there. It is a very special land that seems to live its own rich heritage. Wish we could import hedgehogs over here. We've lots of snails and slugs.

I tried to find a recording of nightingale song online, but didn't succeed. I'll try again. You'd think someone would've digitalized it.

We haven't even reached summer yet and its already low 20s most of the time (not sure what the US conversion would be)...

0 = our 32.

I'm still confused though. Are you wearing shorts, Linus, or pants with a jacket? We're into sweatshirts over pants and an extra shirt. Too hard to think. Think I'll have another drink.

Is anyone hungry? We could order out food. There is a phone on the wall over there. Something spicy would be great!

Shorts on the weekend, but the weather is not so good at the moment

Spicy sounds good to me