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

Hi dear friend,

You must be having a great time. Not a moment to spare for those of us clinging to our mundane lives like oysters to a rock. !1

I know that you are well and happy - and am so pleased about it. However.....

Very much affection

CME
AR80

Life's busy, that's for sure! But your life has been very far from mundane I think. However busy mine is, it'll never match all you've done and been part of, and are still doing for K.

It is difficult to fit much h2g2 socialising in. And when I am here it tends to be for Underguide stuff, or writing. I entered the Stretcher thing to get into some writing - it's kind of fun, in a hair-raising and tearing out way.

Work has its hair-raising side too. It's preoccupying - a charity's finances during a recession are so much more uncertain, and with the banks in the state they are you just can't be certain where it's safe to keep the funds. There was a hospice lost £5m in the Iceland bank collapse. It doesn't bear thinking of.

Homelife is unsettled - I'm living in two houses, a few days in one, then a few days in the other. It's silly but I don't find that easy. To add to that, my house is in the process of a massive make-over. With just one more room to go, I've painted every wall and ceiling in the place, sanded and stained the floors of two rooms, the landing and stair, replaced curtians, bathtaps, various fittings ... tomorrow I'll be mending the leak in the hot water cistern (I hope!, keep your fingers crossed!), painting the last ceiling, trying to empty the last room in order to sand the floor, and trying to work out what to write for this week's Stretcher.

Life is very good though, however busy. And Saturday was a day off. We went for a five mile walk/bog-wade and mud-slide up and around Brown Clee - Shropshire's highest hill, then to Ludlow to look for waxwings and hawfinches - didn't see either but Ludlow's always worth visiting. There's a panoramic of Brown Clee here http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/content/panoramas/nordy_bank_brown_clee_360.shtml Not that the sky was that blue on Saturday, and the hill was earning it's 'Brown' name in its winter colours!

I've never seen a waxwing, apparently this year's a very good year for them over on the west of the country, usually they just pass down the east side as they migrate. There's some beautiful pics of them here, if you scroll down. They're gorgeous!http://www.shropshirebirds.com/gallery%202009.htm

Must go, don't let those 'specialists' get you down - you know ten times as much as they do!

Waz

Very dear Waz,

Great to hear from you/

You ar leading a very busy and fulfilling life.

I loved Ludlow. I should imagine that it is very difficult to do the work you are doing in these difficult times.

Why not write about how you are balancing your life?

Fascinating, demanding and fulfilling I would call it.

My head still feels so "wonky".

I wonder if there is a "cut-off" date.

With much affection

Christiane
AR80

Very dear ::Waz/

Thank you for thos spectacular links. they are wonderful.

Head spinning - bacl to my pit. !

CME
AR80

I'm sorry about the wonkiness. The memory stuff must be horrible - it's bad enough when I can't remember what I did with my glasses.

My life might keep me happy but it's really pretty ordinary - and difficult to write about while keeping some anonymity. Which I want to do. I couldn't let off steam about work things if I said exactly where I worked. And the xLR doesn't have a 'weblife' and it'd be wrong to give him one.

About Ludlow - did you ever go to The Feathers? The very old, big, half-timbered hotel/pub in town? I've never been in but really want to - it's where all the paleontologists went when they came to South Shropshire. I want to sit where Richard Fortey sat! His 'Trilobite!' book was excellent (and if I remember right has a photo of the Feathers in it ).

Ludlow has become a 'foodie' place - lots and lots of good food shops. Another ambition is to spend a day wandering round those.

take care,
Waz

Hi LLW

I just remember that we went to a very nice hotel and had a very good meal. In those days I did not know the history of anything.

I am so glad that life is treating you well. It is great news.

Yesterday was such a sunny by chilly day. Today it is gloomy and moody. Yet I still love it here.

With much affection
Christiane
AR80

K. wants to return to Africa. I am sorely tempted sometimes. If I could find a flat with a view like this one - which I wouold just outside of Cape Town.

With
CME

Moody weather has its place don't you think? I did miss the changes in Africa, sometimes it seemed like week after week of the sun bleaching the sky whiter and whiter.

But I still understand K's wanting to go back.

Spring's coming. Snowdrop shoots are coming through, hazel catkins are already turning yellow. This morning a robin and blckkbird were singing their hearts out as I left for work. They're definitely courting.

have an early flower
Waz

Hi LLW,

what a wonderful morning missive. Thank you for the early flowers!!

I do hope that you manage to come down for the meet. I probably shall not be able to go but it would be wonderful to welcome you and meet you.

It was bitterly cold last night I must ask my friend to bring down the extra duvet from 7Oaks.I enjoyed reading your entry for that competition.

I really feel so slothful about my writing. I must get round to it. I found some super snippets that I had written in 2000 and 2001. Amazing how one spirits go down when things appear to be against one.!1

With much affection and one of your lovely flowers which you found in Spain. Are you going again?

Christiane.

Snow everywhere! But I still say Spring's not far away.

Spain is probably on the cards again, at the end of March, but it's not yet certain. I hope so, it'd be very good to be in those hills again, and see the Med.

You've given up your trip to Africa? I think big ships are much more stable these days - the cruise type ships - but I don't if they eliminate sea sickness entirely.

I'm glad you liked that entry - did you mean the Shell one or the Valentine one? I gave the saints in the Valentine one a lighthanded treatment but I didn't want it to sound like mocking them. I think some of them must have been quite extraordinary people. Of those I found for February 14th, St Cyril in particular was well ahead of his time.

If you haven't read the Valentine one, and you've time, I'd appreciate your opinion on whether this goes from poking a bit of fun at the 'saint business' to mocking any Saints personally. It's at A46627121 if you fancy a read.

Have a good day, and stay warm! I'm spending the day sanding floorboards . Many breaks will be called for!
Waz

In that post there's a missing 'know'.
If you find it,
let me know,
I can't afford
to lose that know!

Sunday 3rd |May 2009 12.15 G.m.t.

Dearest Waz, I have just written you a long letter which I forgot to save and then whenI was editing it it naturally disappeared. I shall write again, as with my wretched stroike which I had last year I get very tired.

It was so good to read about our beloved shropshire and the Wrekin again. and of course all your news. I am not even going to review this. it is going out to you, warts and all with much affection to you and yours. Hope you are/have enjoyed Spain.

Christiane

I like warts an' all, and am sorry the long letter was lost but it's good to hear from you however long the post.

Spain was very good. Lots of beautiful orchids and lots of butterflies in additional to the 'usual' eagles, thyme, rosemary, lavender, mountains etc.

Favourite butterfly, slightly battered - http://public.fotki.com/h2g2Waz/for-sharing-with-friends/moths-and-butterflies/butterflies/dsc05897.html

And this the best, weirdest orchid - http://public.fotki.com/h2g2Waz/for-sharing-with-friends/moths-and-butterflies/orchids/dsc05867.html

The xLR came to Spain too. He must have wondered what he'd let himself in for the very first day when, due to a slight miscalculation (!), we were still high in the hills with no visible path, as the sun went down. We went down the valley in the dark, couldn't see where you were putting your feet… But we got back ok, and it was such a beautiful day. We went down a deep baranca, followed a stream up the valley to an old mill where we found the beginning of the aquaduct that carries water in a concrete channel all the way to the sea. We walked along its edge, across steep hillsides, winding in and out of the folds in the valley. And it's all deep in untouched vegetation, full of flowers, lots of birds and insects.

Mind you, you can find that, though on a smaller scale, in Shropshire. Yesterday we went to a strip of woodland where the ground was almost a solid white and blue of wild garlic and bluebell and an owl came careering through the trees over our heads.

Saturday 9th May 2009 8.05

Oh my so dear LLWaz,

What a wonderful holiday you had in Spain. That extraordinary butterfly. It looks like a leopard with all it's spots. And tha quite incredible orchid. It is a.m.a.z.i.n.g. I never dreamt that orchids grew like that. I thought they were respectable and grew, as epiphytes - I think they are called - attached to trees and lived on fresh air. !!

But there is the perfect - (though I must say it very quietly) - rather vulgar orchid growing on stones!!. Well I never. I must say I do not think that I would like a corsage made out of one of those. !! Mind you I would have to go and do some wild flamenco dancing if I did. !!

Your friend must have loved being with you, and being shown everything. what fun you are having and I am soooo pleased for you. enjoy every single minute of it. And that lovely shropshire which I am also able to share with you is also so beautiful.

Iceland, Spain - what other wonderful place are you going to?

You must have had fun- scary - crashing down that mountain in the dark. Lucky you.

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful news with me. I so appreciate it.

with ever so much affectionate love and a big salaam to your friend.

Christiane
AlsoRan80

That mirror orchid is one of the bee orchids - there's a whole group of them that mimic the innsects they want to attract.

How about a butterfly orchid http://public.fotki.com/h2g2Waz/for-sharing-with-friends/moths-and-butterflies/orchids/dsc05863.html for the corsage then?

And here's the wild garlic in Shropshire http://public.fotki.com/h2g2Waz/2009/wildgarlic068a.html

So, what's the sea view like today?

In just over a week we'll be taking a ferry from Skye to the Hebrides, so got to keep an eye on the weather at sea.

I'll pas your salaam on ,
takecare,
Waz