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

Hello Yourself, Formerly Fred,

You come over as an interesting man, with interesting interests, something I find interestingly interesting. I like Kipling, and have all his works on an Indian paper volume I prize.
I must read some of your creations. Only just found you. New to the game.
I'll read you soon!

Ronbloggs

Hi Ronbloggs.

I'm only putting up a facade of being interesting.

Like you, I've been practicing the accounting trade since leaving to Air Force in 1968 and I also plan to retire within a few years.

I enjoyed your DIY article and plan to comment on it soon.

Apparently Cheshire is an area of England (like a state?) that contains many cities and towns?

I spent three weeks in England several years ago and remember mostly York, Bath, Bristol and London...where else I went now escapes me.
Learning to do traffic circles and drive on the right (I won't say wrong) side of the road was a great adventure and thrill. Jumping in the left side of the car in the morning to finfd the steering wheel and pedals missing is a time that one hopes not to be observed.

Thanks for visiting. Come again.

Ronbloggs,

You like jokes and I saw your post on Germans.

I have a very good German friend who is the head of a very large German nuclear engineering firm. We travel together frequently with our spouses in Europe and America.

He was visiting Florida several years ago an I asked him, "Have you heard about the new German microwave?"

He said "No." and I told him "It seats six."

He stared at me with a strange expression for a moment and then said, "Bob, that is stupid. You don't sit them down, you stand them up and get more in".

Hi Formerly Fred,
Don't we all! That is, 'put up a facade of being interesting'. We even kid ourselves that we are! We do it to remain sane in this bloody awful world of ours!

Another accountant! Having chosen it, one had to stick with it, but what a deadly dull profession it is. You might not agree! But there you go!
So you were in the USAF for some years then?

That, incidentally, wasn't my DIY entry. I merely commented on it and contributed a short tale of woe re. my bathroom refurbishment trials. The author, Sprout, kindly gave me credit for my tiny role in his Entry.

Chehire: A county in north-west England. It has but one city: Chester, the county 'capital' and seat of its local government. Chester is an ancient Roman walled city lying on the river Dee. It has the remains of the Roman castle, part of which act as its County Court assizes, 'quarter sessions'.
It is a favourite tourist attraction for your fellow Americans, who come to spend all those lovely Dollars of yours. Whenever my wife and I go there for a day's shopping, you can bet your bottom flippin' dollar that you will hear at least one couple's American accent as they come out of the Grosvenor Hotel on Eastgate Street, the premier hotel in the City, if not the county.
The towns of Cheshire are quite small and semi-rural in nature.
The county's main activity has, historically, been mixed farming: arable and cattle rearing. Cheshire lies on a rich brown loam soil alluvial plain lying to the north-east of the Welsh Mountains. It is considered to be a 'posh' county by other north-western cities and counties. The richest man in the UK, who owns much of the high class areas in London, is the Duke of Westminster, who has his ancestral home in Cheshire. It has been called 'The Home County in the North'. Chester is not unlike York, which you say you remember well. It has an ancient Cathedral, the jewel in its crown. Many of the City's buildings are very old and quaint, and have a special charm of their own. It is a rich commercial city.
In my piece written for AWW, 'The Long Mynd', (pronounced as in 'gin')I relate my experience of driving a wartime Jeep in 1959, which had 'slack' steering (one had to turn the wheel about eight inches either way to get the steering to respond) and worn out brakes. That was great fun, and caused a lot of laughter! So I know that feeling of everything being on the 'wrong' side!

Ronbloggs,

I got a break about 20 years ago and got put in charge of Infomation Technology as well as the accounting and procurememt functions so I'm constantly learning about software and working on upgrading about 400 staff and 40 offices. that has helped to alleviate the crushing boredom of accounting.

I realized that you were listed as a contributing author on the DIY article after reading through the peer review thread.

On the way South from Scotland toward York we found an interesting castle ruin on the NE or North central coast of England. The guide book said "just another Norman castle" which made me think of "mostly harmless". It was near a small town on the sea that claimed to have the first golf course and also had the distinction of having been shelled by the American Captain, John Paul Jones. And older gentleman spent about an hour with us explaining the town's history.

Was your 1959 wartime experience in the Suez? Is the article in h2g2? If not, could you send me a link?
I have written an article in the guide about my AF experiences from 1963-68 "Lost in the Pacific" but not submitted it for the edited guide. It is more a jounal entry type thing.

Hi Fred (of the Former variety),
That sounds like Scarborough, and its 'roaming' castle on the headland.
As far as I am aware, this was the only town on the central east coast of England that was shelled by the Germans in the first world war. They targeted, among other buildings, the castle thinking that it concealed 'modern' artillery therein. they destroyed a number of homes and commercial buildings around the south bay of the town and the fishing port area. The raid was intended to create fear in the local population, which it certainly achieved, but also had its consequenses; drawing the attention also, of the then formidably strong Royal Navy and its Dreadnought battleships.
I do recall reading about Captain John Paul Jones and his exploits in the area on our last visit to Scarborough a couple of years ago. The famous Captain James Cooke was born in Whitby, a small but interesting town lying about 10/15 miles north of Scarborough, and part of the Borough of that town. Whitby Abbey is unique. Whitby is, perhaps, 'the small town on the sea' you mention. It was a larger and busier port than Scarborough in those times, and probably considered by Jones as worth plundering!
Sorry, but I never saw any active service. I missed what you call the draught (or draft?), or our National Service, which finished before I became eligible to serve. My exploits involving the WW2 Jeep were on a gliding holiday in the county of Shropshire, just south of our county of Cheshire.

So what kinds of things (other than h2g2) are you doing to keep yourself entertained and to keep your life feeling meaningful in your retirement?

Thought I'd ask because I've made the decision to join you in retirement on 30 September and it's been on my mind a bit.

Obiously I have the old standbys of tennis, reading, home repair, diving, riding my motorcycle, traveling and visiting the grandchildren but the whole thing of not working everyday has me spooked a bit.

Do your days seem full? Do you work at it? Any advice would be appreciated.