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

I imagine that if formal lessons WERE mandatory here, a lot of our current process wouldn't really be necessary. From others who have aquired their licenses since I joined h2g2, I've learned to rather like your system.

Meanwhile, have you gone out for a fitting of the most impressive and intimidating leathers yet? Perfectly form-fitting, of course.

I've got a friend who'd love to take me over to the bike shop and get me into a fitted one piece leather suit. He's tried to once already when I went over with him an another friend to get a jacket and gloves.

My friend made it into a one piece - I can't. Well technically that's not true. I can get into them, but the arms and legs were much too long, and I went flopping about the changing room like a giant penguine.

That's why you'd need a custom -suit. With strageically hidden zippers.

And maybe a measure of petroleum jelly.

Custom made would be the only way to go. Unless I try the children's section.

Been off to a craft fair in Cardiff with my mother today - it was rather an expensive trip, but at least I've managed to sort out a huge numver of . A tad early I know, but it'll make life simplar in December.

My goodness, are you THAT petite of form? To be honest, I've no mental image of you at all, ... which is odd. From most chats, I do get an image of who and what I am chatting ...

As to the Christmas stuff, ... We've one item left to buy, and then it all gets wrapped and shipped. Neither of us have any family closer than 4 hours of driving. So our shopping starts with January sales, and what-ever we see through-out the year. By September, we usually have 90% of the stuff for siblings, parents, my girl and her husband and the 3 grand-kids.

SO !!! Compared to us, you're a real slow-poke !!!

What indeed!¬





Not quite that petite - but they make biking clothes in large sizes. Obviously most female bikers have very long legs and arms - I certainly don't.

Christmas shopping doesn't happen until it absolutly has to; but with a brother away in New Zealand this year I think I need to get moving on it fairly soon.

My dear, darling missus is ridiculously organized when it comes to some stuff. Probably a very good thing too.

Organised? Hmmmm I'm sure I should know the meaning of that one........

I think I'm going to have to learn to be slightly more so than usual anyway. I've been volunteered for the role of Ringing Master for the local area which will mean lots more ringing and also a fair bit of organisation and decision making.

You've been "volun-told", eh?

So please explain, what IS a Ringing Master?

Meanwhile, I'll see if I can find that definition for organized. I know it's buried in this clutter somewhere .....

Well volun-strongly suggested you'd be the best person we've got for the role - go on you'll do it won't you - you'll get plenty of support and advice.

It'll look good on the CV, and it should be good fun in some ways. AT least I'll be able to stir things up a bit and help the association out.

Ah right, you know I ring church bells don't you?

Large areas get together to form Associations to manage things like recruitment and health and safty policies etc. My local association covers two counties and contains about 150 towers with working bells in.

The associations in this case are then split into smaller districts so that towers in the local area can support each other, meet up for courses or trips and organise training locally depending on what's needed.

Each tower then has it's own Captain that runs the ringing in their own tower - weddings, services etc. practice nights, training new recruits and in some cases an anual tower outing or meal.

Anyway the Ringing Master post I'm going to step into (as long as the rebel tower approves me at the Jan meeting) involves being in charge of the ringing in my local district. So at monthly events I'll be in charge of the organisation (unless I chose to delegate it) run the ringing, chair the meeting - and at various points throughout the year organise a competition, an outing and a couple of area suppers/teas.

I can also be called in by any tower Captain who wants some extra help, or I can point them in the direction of whoever would be best suited to help.

That's all a bit technical isn't it.

Not at all, ... I followed it quite well. I did not know you were a bell-ringer, so one more tid-bit to know.

I come from a very small village, and our Roman Catholic church is the 2 tallest in Ontario. The first edition was a wood construction that started to deteriorate far too early. As there was no better site, they built a new one of lime-stone, locally quarried. AROUND the old one. That way, daily services could continue. Eventually, the old one was torn apart and the pieces carried out through the front doors. All of this around 1860.

In any case, I do know that the cadre, of about 6 gentlement at any given time, were very proud to be the "ringers" of the bells that were forged in Prussia.

So, do you get a really cap, sash or sleeve badge?

I'm sure they were - back in the olden days (and still in some towers where the old boys are the only ringers) each chap had his own bell, and that was the only bell in the tower he rang.

As they've all got their own little quirks most people have a favourite bell in their local tower.

I don't get a badge of office. It's usually just the Association Master that gets that sort of distinction.

Well, atleast you can hunt around for a very brightly coloured feather, and tuck it in your hat.

I was a bit off with the date of our church. This link has a coupla pics and some history .... http://www.formosacap.ca/

Now that isn't such a bad idea. A hat may not be of much use inside a church, let alone a ringing room - but I could always tuck one into a hair band.

Believe it or not, there are still some senior ladies in my old home town who WON'T attend Mass without a hat and gloves. Traditions die hard ...

So they do.

I think it's time I started some new traditions here at work - I think I'll start with one that insists that all students provide the librarian with each year.

How's things your side of the pond? I'm sitting here watching the gales ripping through our shrubbery whilst the rain lasehs down.

We had the vicious winds Sunday evening and night. Running from 80 - 120 kph. Loads of limb-wood and general clutter scattered around the property. Today is fairly mild, but I don't expect it to last long. That's why I got the snow-blower cleaned, primed and purring like a It's ready to use at the usual zero-notice.

Either I've forgotten, or I've simply never asked ... What general quarter of the UK are you located in? So's I can get a feel for what you might call "winter".

Snow blower? Does that mean you don't get to take snow days?

Where am I - at the moment I'm in Usk, or Bryn Bugger as the Welsh call it.

We're at the bottom end of the England/Wales border, not far from the River Severn.

Winters round here are mild in comparrison to yours - we get plenty of rain either coming up the river channel or blowing down from the hills and mountains that are only 15 miles or so up the road.

We are about the last place in the country (apart form Cornwall) to get snow, because we are protected by the river. It's not fair. ONe of our partner colleges 20 miles away up in the hills was closed for three days becuase of snow - we got rain.

It takes quite a lot to have a snow day here, ... on the order of 10 or more inches in one fall. Our city crews are quite experienced and efficient. This is about the mildest part of the country that I've lived in, and so the average snow-fall is only around 2 to 4 inches at a time. Of course, every winter, there WILL be a few exceptional ones, heavy wet stuff anywhere from 6 to 12 inches. And with our driveway being about 16' wide and 66' long, the blower is a real God-send.

If you like, I could try to dehydrate a great load of it, and ship it to ya? Then, you just add water, stir vigorously, and voila,

Would you? Pretty please - we've got all the water we could possibly need.

k