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

Back from your hols...beautiful photos... and then still as a dark night. Not like your beautiful moon. !!

Are still alive? Or are you living in the mists of your wonderful holiday? it did look quite glorious. The only thing I experience of the Artic is the quite wonderful wind which blows down the channel and keeps us all fit and well.

How is your gard? How are your birds?, Oh well how are you. !!

with affectionC
hristiane.

Very well , hope you are too. I'm just lacking internet time just now and the Underguide takes up a lot of what I have, just now.

Do you remember asking who I went on walks with, and I said that in the sense I thought you meant the question, I walked alone? Well that's not true anymore. I was happy with friends and family before, and never thought, never actually positively wanted, anything different. In five months, everything's become different - even the things that are the same on the surface. It's a different way of living. You will know what I mean I think.

It's all very good, getting used to it, working out the differences to before is all distracting though. He's very distracting! And I've got to run, will post again later,

take care Christiane,
Waz

Sunday 23rd August 2008
Very dear Waz,

So totally and utterly thrilled my

Sharing is so great. I wish we could meet. I am shattered when I see the mistakes I make when typing. I try to edit them, but still make mistakes. I believe Terry Pratchett has succumbed. I am having the tests next week. I shall just curl up and disappear I think. although I believe there is new medication which helps.

Again I cannot tell you how pleased I am.

A great deal of affection,

Christiane AR80

never mind the typos.

If I'm down your way, I'll let you know. But we meet here meantime.

for next week - I will be thinking of you.

Thank you for being thrilled, I thought you'd be pleased.

My so dear friend

Definitely it is the real thing. I am seeing the doctor tomorrow. !!

Nothing like being otherwise occupied for time to

I continue to be thrilled and so happy...... !!

with much affection

Christiane
AlsoRan80

I'm hoping the appointment went better than you feared,

Waz

Indestructable my dear Waz!
Indestructablle. !1

the good doctor informed me that she had never seen such a magnificent report as the one I received for my blood. Everything works, all those urgans which hav been so so overworked in their life. !1

the only problem is locomotion and that includes the BP but teven that is lower than it has ever been for yoincks.

I guess the best thing I ever did in my life was to come and live by the seaside.

K. wants to go to S.A. so has gone off with a friend to go and case various safari tours, game parks etc, etc,

It will do us both good I think the break.

Hope all is hunky-dory for you

ChristianeAlsoRan80

That all sounds good news there, you'll miss K but I should think it will be good for him. You must wish you could go too, though.

I'm good, and off tomorrow on a long weekend break to Paris. Looking forward to hot chocolate and croissants in a pavement cafe...

Take care,
Waz

Hoorah!!

Enjoy!!

Amusez-vous!

Go to the Place de Tertre. Marvellous little cafes there and also a magnificent view of the Sacre Coeur from the bottom of some steps. I have a painting of it here which we bought from the artist on one of our visits.

am pea-green.....!

CME AR80

Do you still have red hair? I'm imagining pea-green and red hair ...

Had a wonderful time. Stayed in Saint Germaine, looking out onto the bulging towers and rooves of Saint Sulpice, had hot chocolate and croissants in pavement cafes, sat in the Luxembourg gardens, walked the whole top floor of the musee D'Orsay (the station converted to art gallery), went along the Seine to the very beautiful Saint Chapelle, sat and ate peaches in the square, went to Mozart's requiem in a Church that nearly became a railway station, wandered around a lot of Montmartre, ate crepes and ice cream and visted Sacre Coeur - visited the very, very top of Sacre Coeur, came out and joined the crowd listening to music on the steps. (And watched some pretty risque improvised dancing to it on the steps!) Ate some very good French food, and, I have to say it, some rather weird French food!

I can't find Place de Tertre in my guide book, but chances are we wandered through it.

You must know Paris quite well?

Pea green with envy I mean. !

Red hair disappeared with my eightieth birthday. It is now a disgusting mixture of "trying to be white"' some of which refuses to become white and is my normal old black/brown colour. I think the common name is pepper and salt. I cannot even become a nicely rounded silver-haired old Great grandmother without ruining the whole effect.

You 'did all the "right" things.

You went down the Seine to La Sainte Chapelle in a bateau mouche ((fly boat)
You watched a concert on hte steps of the Sacre Coeur. If you had looked down the steps and then down one of the roads which lead off the steps you would have seen the Place de Tertre.

Did you eat escargots or cuisses de grenouille that you called not so nice. The first can only be eaten a l'ail. The second ones really even I have only eaten them once - and only because I felt I had to eat them. !

Your companion was testing you. !!

So pleased that you loved Paree. I love it, and although you think I know it well I really do not. I have taken my grandchildren there and we walled and walked - those were the good old days when walking was possible.

Anyway I am now waiting for the next instalment.

Envy, I know. I was picturing a pea-green AR80 with red hair.

Pepper and salt is distinguished.

It wasn't escargotor cuisses de grenouille, it was carpaccio de boeuf, which turned out to be a large plate entirely covered by a very thin slice of raw beef, dressed in olive oil, salt, pepper and what looked like but wasn't, a smattering of dessicated coconut. That was it. Nothing else on the plate. Thankfully it came with a bowl of very nice chips and the starting pork pate was very good, and a large portion, and the finishing creme caramel was gorgeous.

My first choice was guinea fowl - I've been told it's the best - but it was off. So I changed to salmon, and the last portion had just been served.

I really gave it a chance, ate quite a bit but couldn't get the point of it. Have you had it? What's the deal with very raw beef in olive oil?

I do not particularly like raw meat. I like a steak which is "bleue"
but not a carpaccio. so I do not order it. I am trying to remember the dish which is served in England which is raw mincemeat but cannot think of the name. I do not like that either.

The French and I believe the English - believe that venison, guinea fowl etc. etc. are much tenderer if they are slightly "high". They letthe birds hang until the fathers drop off which I think is quite disgusting. !1. I often buy guinea fowl at my local supermarket but it just tastes slight "gamier" that chicken but certainly not high.

Oh my poor darling. French food is really super, but one must not go for things that the French eat. My Papa loved "boudin" which is like black sausage. I used to go pale when he ordered it. He also loved tripe. I must say that |I used to quite like "Tripes a la mode de Caen" which was very good. I wonder if I shall ever taste it again How did you travel to Paree by air or by eurostar?

Much affection

Cme.
AR80

On the Eurostar from St Pancras - which they have restored very impressively (see the last four here from an earlier visit There's a bronze of Betjeman looking up over the rails http://public.fotki.com/h2g2Waz/for-sharing-with-friends/rail/ ) it was an excellent journey, very smooth, very quick, straight into the middle of Paris.

I haven't seen Guinea fowl in a Shropshire supermarket. Know what you mean about hanging game, my mother did. Once. She thought she ought to try it. It's rare steaks for me too, provided it's quality meat. If not I like it carbonised .

What about andouillet? my friends say never, never try it. So I haven't but I'm curious. Nearly did order it just to see.

Hi dear Waz,

I was wondering why I had not heard from you. And the reason is simple!. I had missed your last reply.

Comment ca va? I cannot do cedillas on my keyboard. !1 I hope all is going well.

My darling son has taken off to live in his old home in our other place. It was quite a shock, but he announced it very gently, and has phoned me every day and says he will come down every other weekend. which is great. It was the right thing to do and basically I am so pleased that he had the courage to do it. we are both happier for it.

Now I hope that he will eventually find a partner to keep him company. He is such a good soul and really has made my coming down here possible. I could never have done it without him.

It is a lovely day and I am so fort5unate in having a wonderful view across the Channel. I really do love the sea.

go well,

With affection

Christiane
ALspRan80

All is well here

I think you will miss K but it is good as you said that he wants to do this. And you'll enjoy it so much more when you get together.

Fingers crossed, I'll get to Aberdeen for a week next month and lots of sea, sand, gulls... North Sea not Channel but it'll be good. Fingers also crossed for some sun but it'll be good whatever the weather. Well, murky continuous drizzle would be a let down. I want fine, or storms .

Take care,
Waz

Oh my little secret keeper,

I am bursting to know - to share - anyway, in your own good time.

K. seems so happy. It is wonderful. Funnily enough I am also very happy. Incredible that |I am going to be able, at last . to have a nice home, not smelling of cigaretts and a kitchen that is clean. !!, Although I would prefer the cigarette smoke and the dirty kitchen.

Will you please give me news of your immediate family and your newphew? How are they all - and your parents.

Much affection

Christiane AR80 !!

taking it slowly, Christiane, taking it slowly.

So glad K is happy. I'm sure he'll fill the place with smoke and mess up your kitchen for you when he's over for a weekend!

My parents are very well, battling the constantly growing grass at present. Well, Mum is. Dad advises - when he hasn't his nose in a book. Brother's well, mooching round Dorset when last heard from. He won't be well much longer though if he doesn't answer my emails! Sister and family are doing ok, J's been ill a lot since Iceland but seems to have picked up again just lately. He stops eating when not well and he's such a scrap of a thing to start with... However last news was he was demanding the burger of one of the girls who took him on an outing and the mint tea of the other. Which pleased everyone.

How's that for news?

And today I've been gathering bell heather seed in a bucket on Prees Heath, then sowing it on the area where the heath is being recreated, among the tiny ling heather seedlings already coming up there.

It was a beautiful afternoon and good to be out on the heath. Saw a flock of around 50 goldfinches on another part of the heath later on - that was good too.

Very dear LLWaz,

100% me dear. !!

Thank you.

I have the most wonderful carer who has been with me since I have been here. She and I have been clearing up K's end of the flat which is the master bedroom plus a very nice shower, wash basin and toilet. I hope he will like the change when he comes down.

Yesterday he phoned me. So thoughtful - so profound..... Sometimes it really worries me - it is as if he has already left us..... However at least he is back in his own surroundings. and I hope very happy.

I have managed to get hold of the carer that I had for him when I lived in my old domain and she has said that she is quite prepared to go and care for him again. People are really wonderful when one is up front and honest with them.

I must say I miss Shropsihire very much but am nearly as happy here next to the sea as I was in Shrewsbury. !1.

I am finding it difficult to get myself down to work though. I am easily distracted by the sporting news on the telly. !!

And now I am even forgetting to eat my lunch once I have cooked it. ! The whole of this week, I have suddenly realised at 5 p.m. that I have not had the lunch that I cooked at - well lunch time. !!.
Ijut. !! (Idiot in Irish!!)- I think. !!

Well have a happy day and thank you for bringing me up to date with ta famille. How do you think things are going to go in Zim? Perhaps they could keep Bob in Noo Yorwk!!

With much affection as always.

CME
AR80

Soo.... sorree...

Loved the story of the heath and your being a part of nature and redistributing it. !!

Is Preess Heath just outside where I lived. i seem to remember a friend driving K. and I there one time when he visited me. The the birds sound wonderful. At least they are not being decimated by pesticides etc.