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

Hi Also Ran

You obvoiusly delight in swimming.

Did you have a compeditive career or is it just the joy of the water?

Have a and

Hi Tom, Yes I did!!. For four years I trained a mile and a half practically every day. In 1946 the country in which I lived chose ten swimmers to train for the 1948 Olympic Games which were going to be held in London. However,the powers that be decided NOT to send a women's team as we needed a chaperone. They did send four male swimmers over, all of whom were eliminated in their respective first heats. Two of us would have got into the finals in London on the time we had had done in the Olympic Trials in our home country. What a disappointment. The only good thing is that now I am able to swim although I cannot walk. So some good has come out of it. Are you also a swimmer? I subsequently taught swimming for 21 years in the country where I was married and I must admit I loved teaching people to swim. I see that you are also a gardener. Do the two go together I wonder. Nice to hear from you. I am going to drink several glasses of in two hours time as my first grandchild is getting married today. Although I was unable to go to the wedding I am determined to celebrate it. So thanks for the contact, I hope to hear from you again and please do have a glass of with me to wish Phillipa and Greg every happiness and joy in their life together. AR1 - still sober.

Wheee......

Have fun

My gardening is like my swimming. I like to read about it rather than do it these days. I only ever swam for fun so I'm happy enough mucking about in the water or in the upper few feet with a mask & fins. The local baths are only about half a mile away so when the kids were wee I went a fair bit. I've no doubt that I would be a lot fitter if I took either more seriously. Have you found the jargon page? I found it after I'd been on a few weeks and I wish I'd found it sooner it would have saved me falling into a few potholes. The scope of stuff available on the guide is fantastic. There's even an entry on swimming which might benefit from your expertise. I don't see an entry of any size for swimming in the olympics......

I'm sorry you've missed the wedding. They can be such fun I hope you get a big slice of .

I see you've found the smileys. They can be fun too . If I'm writing a lot I keep another window open in explorer with the smiley page in it so I can copy and paste the ones I want without having to stop & change pages while loosing my gems of composition .

What's your favourite smiley?

Hi Tom, Thanks for your good wishes to the young couple. I went to the jargon page - I think - but did not find anything which I found particularly interesting. Perhaps I was looking in the wrong place. If you use a snorkel and flippers you must have done some scuba diving? It is very strange but I have great difficulty breathing through a snorkel - I nearly dorwn myself in the effort. I love the gardening topics. I shall look for the swimming. I seem to have very little time at the moment getting ready for Christmas. Sincere greetings. I think I like the smiley which is it is very descriptive. AR1

Hi Also Ran 1

I think there are 2 jargon pages I sent you to the wrong one (sorry)

The one I meant is (I think)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A632431

and there is the Welcome page if you haven't found it yet.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/Welcome

If you give it a second or two the globe at the top right should please you

Pages seem to take a week or two to get into proper print and the editors seem to be on hols over the break (sensibly enough. The computers tho are still going so enjoy. Have fun over the hols and don't spend so much time organising that you don't have fun yourself

I'm not sure what my favourite smiley is. I rather like but can't use it a lot and is fun. I found fairly early but I suppose the one I use most is (unless of course you count and and )

Happy holiday and watch out for low flying

Hi tom, Thanks for the nice missive and I have at last had a moment to look up and print the references your gave me.Lurcher had sent me the details of how to print the s so I have those on record as well. How are earth did you learn all that? I suppose that I shall learn in time. But time is the enemy at my age. Strange you should mention the low-flying One just missed me soon after I got your note!! Fortunately I had on my protection gear. I found a very useful article on swimming and wrote a little about the way I used to teach. Did you have a good Christmas?, You must have had lots of snow. do you also do cross country skiing as they do in Canada? Life has been a bit quiet but I have had time to recover from all the excitations of the last week. I send you warm good wishes and belated Christmas greetings to you and the family. AR1

Hi Tom, Just felt like seeing how you were. I do not see your name on the list of Scottish members. Or am I wrong? Hope you are keeping well. Kind regards. AR1

Hi Also ran

How nice to hear from you. I was away a bit about boxing day and your post to me got lost I'm afraid.

I'm on the Scottish researchers page as coming from "Other random Scottish places". Bo'ness is a small ex-mining town on the banks of the Forth. We have a steam railway but the harbour is silted up so there's no swimming other than in the swimming pool. We made the national news last week cos the school burned down during a 100mph gale. Fortunately the staff got all the kids out with no injuries at all.

I've just been next door were we all made and ate pancakes. i'm not too sure how popular I am cos I taught the young lady (age 8) how to make paper aeroplanes. The air was full of them Ah simple things (like wot i am) can be fun sometimes.

Hi Tom, Your pancake evening sounded grand, and I am sure the young lady enjoyed being shown how to make paper aeroplanes!! I did not see the news about the school burning down. How on earth did that happen in a gale? I have only visited Glasgow and then somewhere down the coast - a place whose name I have forgotten but very nice. We also went to a hotel called Forest Glade I think.- near Loch Lomond. It was really super and I would like to go again. Regards. AR1