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

Finally get round to writing something in this journal... and it's a moan.

First week in new job (same place, very different responsibilities), still doing some of old job. Don't know which way is up, let alone whether I'm coming or going. New job is interesting but I can see I will have no life for the next few months.

New job came up very suddenly and in the way these things work it's just at the same time that I'm having quite a lot of work done on the house.

But all is managable - and then this afternoon I go to a meeting on another site with someone I will have to work closely with. It turns out she has travelled to my office (10 miles away) - so I turn round and travel back. I know it wasn't me who had the wrong location...

I had had a cunning plan that being on the other site I could call into B&Q to get more tester pots of paint since the decorator has moved his schedule forward (all his other work is outside and it's still raining) and wants to know what paint I've chosen. Only now I'm in the wrong office. OK I think, I'll still goto B&Q, not far out of the way, only I forget and come off the motorway at my normal place, traffic horrendous (maybe related to a certain T Blair visiting?).

Remember my film (including pictures from Cromford) will be ready so abandoning B&Q, call in at Boots to collect photos - but even though they should be ready, they of course aren't.

Still detirmined to achieve something I decide to call in at home and have a go at chosing which paint pots I want to buy before heading to Homebase. Arrive home, very excited to see mini skip has appeared in the drive, thinking this means lots of work has been done. Inspection of house reveals this not to be the case..... (but there is still a lot more dust everywhere),

So jump in car to go to Homebase for paint pots, reverse car at speed in drive as I do all the time, hit mini skip lurking in corner.... lovely dent in the middle of the boot.

decide that today is not my day and drive to Homebase in tears.

still have to chose paint - from a choice of 4 shades of cream, but have lost all enthusiasm for the task. Also do not feel that today is the day to trust myself with paint...

what a whitter about nothing very much (apart from the bl**dy car) but just an accumulation of little things when I'm too tired to rise above it all,

hebe

I didn't know that it was possible to have 4 different shades of cream.

May tomorrow be better.

moo
x

... and i didn't know it was still possible to get tester pots of paint! I painted my living room in cream (OK, I had it painted in cream) when I moved in here, and there are some patches that will need painting over before I leave. A "Dulux Matchpot" (that's what they used to be called before they stopped doing them) would be just the ticket.

Nice to see you online, Hebe! Keep up the posting!

(Thinks... if I open the window and shout "Hello Hebe" will you be able to hear me?)

Richard x

Witter away, it's part of the fun (well obviously not the car and tears) and it's fascinating to read of your travails and dagesh's train journeys... As La Rochefoucauld said, "We all have strength enough to endure the misfortunes of others."

4 shades of cream is the shortlist moo, there's a frighteningly large range of shades of cream out there...... glad I don't have the job of trying to think up names for them all,

I've "timeless", "almond white", "orchid white" and "barley white" to choose from

I'm sure tomorrow will be better - today is just little annoyances really (apart from the dented car... v. fed up about that!)

hebe

There was a time when my dad went crazy over "Magnolia" and our house was painted in it, he then decided that it was out of fashion and painted over it all last year, a different colour for each room. My bedroom was painted "Smok" which is yet another shade of cream I guess. My sister decided she wanted her room painted black, but she got over that after he'd painted the ceiling so she now has a black ceiling and bright pink walls- no idea how she manages to sleep at night!

Tester pots still available... though they don't seem to call them match pots any more (current collection are all Dulux as that's what the decorator prefers). They do say "not suitable for touching up damaged paintwork" - can't see why not though!

If you shout very loudly.... maybe ; )

hebe

"Smok" is the Polish word for dragon.

When I return to southern parts I will take over one of my Stellenbosch flats which has been let out to students while I've been in the UK. All its interior walls are white. It will need redecorating anyway, and needless to say I will be choosing interesting and appropriate colours for the walls to be painted in! I already know what the bathroom's going to be: orange and deep blue (after the loos in an Edinburgh middle eastern eatery I was taken to recently). I like 70's style colours because that's what I was brought up on. Lots of bright interesting colours (orange, but not brown).

Richard

quite fancy dusky pink for my bedroom (won't be for a while) but bright pink and a black ceiling sounds a bit much!

hebe

Don't paint the bedrooms in "loud" colours, cream is better than orange or green for a bedroom, it means they will notice the room rather than the walls.

I was shown round a house with differently coloured walls in the main room, this I feel is also a no.

Hi Martine,

It's strangely tempting to put "stuff" down in writing in here. Reading everyone else's journal entries is becoming addictive, whatever they contain.

Feels very different from ML and I like it as an alternative universe - though I'm not sure I would be very keen if I'd come here on my own without a ready made group so to speak,

hebe

Hebe!

Hope things get better soon.

@Katy