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

If you really want to meet the Gruesomes...

are you in Germany? we'll be here most of the "summer"....

or... and her's an idea I really like: I could pack their bags and send them over... I'll collect them...

when they have good, well-paying jobs!

*Waves back*

I have this picture of the gruesomes which I would like to have confirmed - or the opposite.

I'm quite good with other's gruesomes - I'll trade you a still (teenage-mutant)-sulking-a-lot 18 year old. (Your invention I believe )

I don't think we'll go anywhere this summer - except maybe to check on Sig. S's parents in Italy, who are getting on a bit.

Germany we only see passing through to Italy. A shame really. I've heard it is beautiful outside the motor ways. There should be a 'castle road' I believe. We've seen some beautiful small towns in the south of Germany where we have usually slept the night on our way down.

Our next project is to travel Scandinavia from South to North - from East to West.

We live in Denmark by the way - on Djursland - right on the bridge of the nose

my gruesomes are currently 10 (lovely soft hearted but sometimes stubborn little monster of a lassie) and 8 (but, as she keeps reminding me "I'll be 9 at the end of next month mummy) year old spawn of something evil that looks like a cherup and can break your heart with a smile.

They spent today, the very rainy first day of their summer holidays, tidying, vacuuming and dusting their rooms because they know it gives me kittens to see the pig-sties they live in and "tomorrow we're doing yours, mummy, because frankly it's a tip"

I could maybe cope with an 18 year old girl - a boy... I have no idea what to do with them...

if you drive from Home to Italy, how long does it take? you must be on the road for ever (or just feels like it)

I think the road with the castles could be the Romantische Strasse? round about the Mosel I think (I'm notoriously bad at German Geography)

I used to live up in the northern part of Germany (when I was a (teenage-mutant)-sulking-a-lot teenager, but the only time I got to Denmark was to go to Legoland (which was fab)

?

My tipple is - in streams. But I do enjoy once in a while when I get all jittery from too much .

I takes between 22 and 26 hours to go to Italy (depending on breaks and traffic - breaks need to be longer when the kids are small) - from our home to Sig. S's parents' home. They live near Venice.

When the kids were smaller we either travelled by train, sleeping from Hamburg to München or, when we aquired a car, drove a bit more than half way (about 900 km) the first day. Slept in a small village/town and then drove the last distance the next day, arriving at supper time .

Gruesomes tidying up and melting you with heartbreaking smiles, eh?

They don't seem too gruesome .

Men are strange, boys are really . I had two girls before this speciment - and Sig. S's son, which is something different (but still ). The 18 year old is the last teenager, .

Now I enjoy grandchildren - 4½, 5, 5½

for me there is nothing to enjoy with the under fives! I'm glad I'm out of that now! although I like the idea of being a grandma, eventually. You can give them back, can't you

I love the idea of sleeping on a train. We did it a couple of times when I was a teenager - school trips to Russia. There by train, between Moscow and Leningrad (as was) on the sleeper and back by plane. The train we got from Ostende to Berlin was totally

A lot of Germans drive overnight to their holiday destination - my colleagues often drive 16 or 17 hours straight to Croatia, but that's not for me. I prefer to get there rested and treat the journey as part of the holiday. We have done that journey twice now, each time we took 3 or 4 days and it was fab. Especially the time we camped, and came back via Jesolo.(we had 2 nights there at the beach, great for the gruesomes) they weren't so keen on Venice though. Too much boring old stuff and no Gondola because we were on a tight budget.

I keep threatening to take them back if they don't behave!

The best about grandchildren is that they think you are the salt of the earth - because you can devote almost all the time to them for a couple of days, spoil them rotten with attention, induce 'bad habits' like jumping in the bed, having late nights etc. and then give them back to everyday life with their their parents. .

I like them when small as well because they slow you down and give you time to actually see and sense - a ladybird, an interesting stone, flowers, trees, dogs, cats, people. During a walk to do the shopping (usually two minutes' ride on a bicycle), but with a toddler maybe lasting three hours, a lot of adventures can happen including jumping about in a puddle (I mean water - not dog (am unsure of the spelling)) .

We would very much like to make the itinery part of the holiday, but someone usually waits for us impatiently at the end of it - when we go to visit Sig. S's family, and when we go home we sometimes drive straight through.

Now the kids are old enough to travel on their own, and the youngest wouldn't be caught dead in company with us *sigh*.

Our dream is to, when we get on pension, buy or rent a mobile home and then drive for months and see what happens along the way.

About where do you live in Germany?

I know what you mean about small children slowing things down and making them interesting. When Gruesome #1 was very small and #2 was in a sling or the pram, we used to walk to our village shop in the evening and get an ice lolly and then walk back eating it. For me, 5 minutes, maybe 10. For the 3 of us (or even 4 if wasn't working) we'd be out for about 2 hours. And there would be great interest over blades of grass, cracks in the pavement, tractor tyre marks on the road... and of course cows. There were lots of cows.

(puddle is right, the is a poodle - I'd like to see a toddler jump in one of those!)

Normally when the Gruesomes come back from a visit to my parents they have impeccable manners, help around the house and generally behave in the way I did as a kid. For me they do none of that without a lot of whining.

at your youngest not wanting to be seen with you. I remember feeling like that about being out with my parents too. It was a serious dent to the image I tried to cultivate.

Mobile home - oh my, I'd love that.

I live in Erkelenz, it's near to Holland. Between Düsseldorf and Köln. Our nearest big town is Mönchengladbach but I don't like it much (except for Dunkin' Donuts) so we don't go there much.
(we're having our German mini-meet on 14/15 July...)

A German minimeet - like last year?

Is it the same Mönchengladbach that has a famous (at least in Denmark) soccer team?

All day I should have been working - but I've found hootoo (very few new postings), mails (hardly any) and solitaire (over and over again because I have to beat the machine) much more interesting. *Sigh* Tomorrow is pay back time. Deadline is hovering.

Do you live in the country/small village? We do - but no cows close by. A small wood, though.

yep, a minimeet like last year. (and the year before - although hopefully not too like that becuase I ended up in hospital...)

Famous in Denmark, eh? They're well-known in the UK too because they were pretty good in the 1970s. Now, though, despite a beautiful new stadium and rabidly loyal fans, they are totally rubbish.

And there is the joke about them which I love...

Q: who is the most unpopular person at a Borussia Mönchngladbach game?

Hootoo can be so addictive, I was supposed to be sewing a skirt yesterday that I plan to wear to a wedding on 7th July. next Sunday we'll be on our way so I don't have much more opportunity to do it... but you know how it is, you think "oh I'll just hit refresh once more" and the next thing you know after three clicks you're reading an entry about the Wankel Rotory Engine!

What sort of deadline do you have? Do you work from home? (sorry, nosey and jealous at the same time)

I'll swap the cows for the wood if you like! Most of the farms here are arable, but we have cows. 3 of them (one a tiny calf from this year) are those really cool Indian variety (Bramain? with the hump)

How do you get around and about though? we hve to have 2 cars which annoys the heck out of me, but living out of the city compensates for that (IMO - is starting to have 2nd thoughts about living here)



A: the guy who shouts "give us a B!"

at the joke.

It'll take about ten minutes to get through the name. *Wipes tears from eyes*.

I'm a freelance journalist and have been working from home since we moved here 14 years ago, from a town turned into a suburb 20 km north of Copenhagen. Last year I rented an office in a nearby town (Randers some 20 km away) because I had this theory that I would get more work done, and could take time off when I came home. When working from home I always feel I'm at work - even when I sit in front of tv or go for a walk.

So far my theory hasn't proven to be true - firstly because I've had a lot of assignments lasting a long time, and secondly because my work discipline only kicks in when I'm very close to deadline - like now. I specialise in procrastination - like many people on hootoo.

We manage with one car and public transport. It takes some organising as Sig. S works at an institution where mentally handicapped children and youngsters live (twenty km in the opposite direction of Randers) - and his work hours often are 'outside' bus hours. If I need the car I either have to bring or collect him.

I don't know anything about cows. You have cows for eating or for fun?

sorry, the cows aren't mine. We only have the Gruesomes and a cat, which is completely enough animals for me!

The cows are for decoration I think. I'm not sure, though since I don's know who they belong to.

ah Journalist... deffo here. I'm supposed to be writing my big novel so that I can give up work and write full time. But so far no luck. I have written the odd piece for a computer magazine, but they are cracking down on outside work and getting their journos to earn their daily bread so that's over for me.

But as my editor there said, I must be a proper writer because I rarely do any of your actual writing

I'm good at working from home, especially when alone, but my bosses are total control freaks and can't accept that people not actually in the office actually do anything. as I point out, if I didn't have to commute 45 minutes each way, they'd get a lot more work out of me... oh well.

our public transport is nearly non-existant. Currently the gruesomes go to a school in the next village. But we're not in the actual catchment area for that one, so there is no bus. I have to leave home at around 7am to get my hours in, and ensure I can get out again by 5:30 latest to pick them up from wherever they are, so I can't drop them. So does. I can't get to my office by public transport in under 1 and a half hours, which is ok going (I'm not afraid of getting up early) but it is a big waste of time to commute 3 hours instead of half that, and then if I leave at 5:30 I'm too late for the gruesomes.

ho hum

Next term #1 goes to a school in town, and there is a bus for that. The year after #2 should be going too, so that is one worry less. if could work close to home again (as he did for years until he was made redundant) he would cycle and we'd only need one car.

or I could be the next JK Rowling...

There seems to be a lot of good writers (and people wanting to write full time) here on hootoo. Mol and Agapanthus (who also has a blog) to mention the ones that spring to mind. Also Mr. Dreadful has a go in a blog. PMW has a lovely turn of phrases and a very Pythonish humour. Phred Firecloud could be a brilliant journalist..etc.

I've had a dream of writing crime novels since I was ten. But now I'm a journalist and I have great difficulties going outside the written and unwritten rules for this kind of craft. And the older I get, the more critical of myself, and the longer the run up to actually getting down to writing - even small articles.

But as I'm nosey and want to know who, where, what, why and how - it's a perfect job for me - until the actual writing that is.

Oh, I'd better write about this school and their new form of management. - and four other articles.

four articles... and the school one... get

and I may even try to write on holiday - although since I've had a (now broken) laptop, I find it hard to

I'm not to familiar with the researchers you mentioned, except for Mol - I read her journal and she really does have a way with words.

so ... did you get the articles written?

yes, but new ones are imminent..

well, you know Deadlines are just... well, Deadlines...

How come the never die

they are the Undeadlines...

oh pooh, now I have an ear-worm... I'm singing Thriller (the Michael Jackson thing)