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

Hi, I am an ACE (assisstant community editor). It is my job to meet and greet you to h2g2 and make sure you have a nice time! If you need any help you may e-mail me at [email protected] or [email protected] I am on ICQ. If you need anything e-mail me or click on my name which leads you to my rather long homepage! You don't have to read it all! My ICQ number is on there so you can get in contact with me there!

I also live in the UK, a place called Southend-on-Sea, if you've heard of it......I'm 14 years old!

Enjoy the guide!

Sorry, just thought I'd relate to you a bit more:
My dad loves taking photos of things, and the other day we were in a situation where we wished we had a camera handy.....looking up to the sky we thought we saw a double vapour trail (from a aeroplane), but it turned out there was a layer of thin cloud below it, and so it cast a shadow on the cloud below! You had to be there to see it!

Hi Katsy....Sounds like the best photo you didn't quite get, I've had a few of those! Weird concidence, I have to go tho Southend-On-Sea for the first time on Wednesday this week, for a meeting at HM Customs & Excise!

Thanks for saying hello...if you've read my journal entry I was feeling a bit miserable before, but you've cheered me up!

Wow! HM Customs and Excise? That's like round the corner to where I live! If you go to http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/~jam/esther/esti-photos.html then you can see some pics of me, then you may spot me, except I've got new glasses and I've got dreadlocks as well! You may spot me as I do plan to go that way this week.....you never know!

Gooday Katsy,

Southend on Sea. I once went on a day trip there, I think with our village football club. For us cricket fanatics, Southend is also where the 1948 Australian team under Don Bradman knocked up what is still the record score for a day's play - 700 odd against Essex. What about the wonderful event of a few nights ago, the total eclipse? It was staggeringly good, and we were blessed with the clearest winter sky you could wish for. And just for good measure, later in the evening, the Aurora Australis, not to be outdone, put on the gaudiest of shows for us. What a night for spectacular phenomena!

Walter of Colne.

TOTAL ECLIPSE???? WHERE? WHAT???? IF YOU HAVE SEEN MY HOMEPAGE YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM AN ECLIPSE FANATIC!!!!!! Hang on, you're not joking about the last total lunar eclipse back in January where it decided to stay cloudy for practically the whole of the eclipse??? But then again for the last total solar eclipse back in August last year, even though we got 97% coverage, we had the sunniest morning! (lol!) It was slightly cloudy to start with then it was so clear and sunny, until, that is, the moon decided to do the clouds place! Never mind, it was phenominal!
Hang on, you're Australian right? Don't tell me there's a Southend-on-Sea in Australia? You do know I'm in the UK, right?

Gooday Katsy,

Yes I am in Australia - in Tasmania, the Island State. No, we don't have a Southend on Sea here, or at least I don't think we do. I am originally from Essex (many, many years ago). Would I joke about a syzygy? This was a dinky-di TOTAL lunar eclipse, six days ago, which was certainly visible across Tasmania and I guess in most parts of Australia. As I said, it was spectacularly good. Experts rate it as the best this century. Take care,

Walter.

Oh wow! We had a total eclipse back in January, the day after my birthday it so happens, so there's me thinking "one of the best birthday presents I can have!" but it clouded over 10 minutes into it! Well, there's another one on January 9th 2001 so it had better be good weather! I stayed up all night to watch that last one!

You liked Southend then? I'm proud to be an Essex gal, but I love London!

I was wondering about the Southend on Sea as apparently there's one in Canada, so I was wondering if there was one where you are too. If you want any recent Essex gossip ask me! We had a movie premier here the other week that I went to and I saw Jude Law!!!!! This was at the Odeon cinema in Southend, except if you moved 6 years ago you may not know that this is a new one that has been built, and there are no others in the Southend area now as they shut down

Gooday Katsy,

I confess to not remembering much about Southend, but in my defence it was a long time ago and we were only there for a few hours. Clacton was our nearest seaside 'resort' and I have many fond memories of day trips there. We used to catch Co-op sponsored excursion trains from White Colne station to get there and it all seemed so exciting.

Back to eclipses: I seem to recall reading that we have another lunar eclipse due some time next year. Will let you know if more details come my way, but in the meantime good luck with your January event, although given the English winter weather you would not bet on a clear night. Take care,

Walter

I know! British weather sucks!!!!!! Anyway I've noticed there are a lot of lunar eclipses this year and next, then they remain silent for a while!

I don't know much about Clacton, never been there! I don't know how close/far I am from it.....

Gooday Katsy,

Clacton is about forty kms from Colchester, which is what, about eighty kms from London? Same sort of thing, as I remember, as Southend, you know, a long pier, funfairs etc, big dippers, ferris wheels. Take care,

Walter.

The bowling alley at the top of the pier got burnt down back in 1995, now they have finally got round in attepting to re-build it. Peter Pans Playground at the top of the pier just continues growing, I've got a friend who works there who can get me very cheap tickets-what an advantage!!!!