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

Adding to the ramble - the extent to which we travelled as a family while I was growing up (twelve schools, five countries, three continents) has, I think, left a pretty high degree of prejudice against the idea of grass being much greener in reality any where else. And maybe sceptical too, of just how different people of different places truly are inside.

Around here several-generations-born-Whitchurchians regard the folk from ten miles distant Market Drayton as foreigners.

I find that bemusing .

Rambling finished, definitely,
Waz

Scot, not Scott. I knew that. Brain burp.

I think there are many places where each of us could live and be happy. And I agree that the mere act of moving isn't necessarily going to solve a person's problems or make them happier.

F and I moved several times because of his work and I rather enjoyed changing cities. I am actually looking forward to moving away from here when I retire. Not sure where I'm going yet, but I've really had enough of this place even though I was born here and therefore "belong" here.

On the other hand, I know people who can't imagine living anyplace other than where they are. So it depends on the individual. Maybe I have inherited whatever it was insde my ancestors that caused them to leave their homes and move to the US.

I'd like someplace with a decent airport, museums and art galleries, theaters, nice restaurants, that sort of thing. Things to do, places to go. I'm tired of a small town in the middle of nowhere.

Folks around here can be clannish too, sometimes. There are several long-standing rivalries between cities in the area. But one of the good things about the people here is that for the most part they are generous and welcoming to strangers. The region is well-known for it's hospitality.

Ah, now moving somewhere with more going on - I can relate to that. Not so much the place in terms of country, or State (given the size of your country), but of type.

Exactly. I've lived in places as small as 500 people and as large as a million. Not a huge city by some standards, but compared to 500, it was large. And I much preferred the city.

I have quite a while to think about where to relocate. I'll probably change my mind a dozen times before I actually move. I have started making a list, though.

I had an idea you were pretty set on moving.

Something to consider as well - belonging to a place isn't just how much you know of it and its people, but of being known. Of having a role, (this is identity related again), in the commnuity.

In moving you leave that and with it some kind of status, identity ... security. You've invested a lot of yourself in where you are now.

It's not something that should stop a person moving but it's something that needs looking at I reckon.

She's makin' a list and checkin' it twice,
Gonna find out which city is nice,
Hy pat ia is coming to town....

Put Aberdeen at the top!

Don't listen to Pin. It's got all those things you listed. Restaurants maybe a little short in supply, but more than compensated for by botanical gardens with a set of large glasshouses and music played in them every Sunday. (Admission free, too. Probably courtesy of Robert the Bruce.) And there's a whole hill of roses.

I've got to go , night Hyp and LadyC ,
Waz

Waz, that is certainly a consideration. On the other hand, I've paid my dues to this community. I'm leaving something of myself behind in that library building and all of the new services I've sweated blood to achieve. And by leaving I can reinvent myself.

Night Waz, sleep tight.

Reinvention - what as? I'm aware of a couple of your alter-egos. This could be scary .

It's a great opportunity. I have you down as someone who's taken their work and profession seriously and it's become a big part of who they are. I've seen people also in that category grab the chance to be free of it and then floundering because all they knew was they didn't want to be that work-dominated self anymore and had never worked out who else they were.

Suddenly they were nobodies in their own work conditioned value systems and social hierarchies.

I shouldn't imagine this would apply to you, you seem seem pretty grounded to me. But, well, one of these people was seriously floundering when I last heard of him.


I thought of another plus in moving - you wouldn't have the issue of letting go the library and dealing with new directions others might take it.

Going to tell us the current top ten locations? Besides Aberdeen.

Having me about would also be uncomfortable for my successor.

I'm thinking of a late life career as something artsy fartsy. Since I'll have enough of a pension to scrape by on it won't matter as much if it is actually profitable. I could be happy as a potter, I think. Or a botanical illustrator. Or a mystery novelist or travel writer. Eccentric poet? Or, I've always baked good cookies. I could open a cookie shop.

I don't have 10 places on my list yet.

Don't completely count out a cookie shop. You could do Cookie Bouquets, birthday cookies, anniversary cookies, Christmas cookies, Halloween Cookies, Thanksgiving cookies. Lord C's step sister opened a cookie shop in Atlanta and mails them to all sorts of places.

The last report we had, it is quite successful. Cookies rock!
(Especially snickerdoodles.)

You could be several of those at once H. Cookies in individually designed pots with eccentric poems in them. Actually you could be all of them together.



Follow up hrmph to the trolley incident; HR turned down the requisition for speed bumps today, on the grounds of that the jelly would go flying .


I requested compulsory stop and give way signage instead - was told it'd be considered but not to hold my breath .

This is not taking H & S seriously. Tomorrow I'll email the CE direct, over HR's head (easy - she's a bit short), point out that if he doesn't use his H & S budget quickly I'll be taking it off him (use it or lose it), and ask for a full level crossing set up with bells and flashing lights.

I'm distressed that HR isn't taking the rogue trolly incident seriously, so I can imagine how it must make you feel. Is there any way you can put in for mental anguish?

When I was thinking of staying in WC, I had about decided to grow gourmet vegetables and have a booth at the Farmer's Market.

They will take it seriously before I've finished. Mental anguish, you bet. I can also point out that my getting knocked down by a bus is one of the risks in our last Risk Assessment excercise.

Bus/trolley, what's the difference. They both have four wheels and run people down.

It will help that I can now say I have International Opinion on my side.






I'm hesitating to say this but ... 'gourmet' and 'vegetable' just look wrong so close together like that...

What I mean by gourmet vegetables is things you don't normally find at the market. Small courgettes instead of regular-sized ones for example. Yellow wax beans instead of green ones. Red lettuces. Gold cauliflower. That sort of thing. Uncommon varieties of common vegetables.

I will be happy to send a letter chastising them for their callous response to your near fatal encounter with the trolly. I can threaten to expose them to the scorn of the international community.

Raising gourmet vegetables and having a cookie shop could work together, you know. Zucchini and pumpkins cookies are very tasty.
Add some good muffins with lots of fiber in them.........the possiblitlies are endless.

That offer's been put in the armoury. Ta.

I've never seen a gold cauliflower. There's a very peculiar looking lime green one though with points in the centre of the florets and odd bumps.

That kind of market stall could work. There are all sorts of weird and wonderful varieties the supermarkets never show you.

There's an organisation here that saves seeds and preserves all the old varieties they can. There's another for fruit. That would be a nice life - running an orchard.

Hey, just seen, in this week's Post - a poem about the Greener Field . Thought of Oz?

My brother made a marrow cake the other week. Surprisingly good even though he forgot whatever should have made it rise.

If he hadn't I'd think you were pulling my leg with zucchini cookies.