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

Hello all! I'm back for a short while!

Quads? Virgin media box? I think I live in the dark ages here. I haven't got Freeview any more since moving although the box is still ok. I rarely watch the television. And haven't listened to any radio for more than a week.

My week at Spring Harvest was wonderful. So much singing. And great expounding of the Bible. Much food for thought. I bought several books ~ one of them being 'Discovering Philippians' by the superb Ian Coffey. Folly, you might have heard of him. He is a member of the Spring Harvest Leadership team and Senior Minister of Crossroads International Church, Geneva. Anyway, I have been studying it today...


I pray that each of you, and your families, are keeping well. I am utterly worn out after being away. Spring Harvest can be a very busy holiday! But it was absolutely worth it.

By the way ~~~~Hello, Toots.

Glad you enjoyed SH, Poll.
Yes, I've heard of Ian Coffey - I think I've got a book of his from way back somewhere but my mind...you know what it's like!

You're not missing much with the telly, nor some of the drivel on R4 lately - I do get fed up with J Humphries Esq on Today - and Naughty Jim's getting just as bad. Let the interviewee speak!!! For heaven's sake!!

I've been listening to Classic FM or R3 more lately. Esp R3 on a saturday late afternoon when they have good jazz for a couple of hours.

Don't you think it's nice, Poll, how our little group is growing - Tickle, then Toots and now Frank, too. Quite a select bunch!

Hi, Folly.
Yes ~ we are a great bunch of characters. Each so different, and so interesting.

I should have asked how your Spanish break went. I'm sure it was a wonderful holiday and family-time.

I'm off to my nest now. I'm utterly exausted with last week! The singing was brilliant but I have almost lost my voice! And there seemed to be a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. I've just been looking at the Spring Harvest web-site.

Goodnight to each of you here.

Sweet dreams.

Lots of love,
Polly.

XXXX

Hi team(including Frankandsense'n' toots)Polly it is so nice to hear from you,I'm still waiting for my heel supports but my wrist is giving me gyp again and at my age it's not ranker's cramp,I have been working in Frome today (with the sat nav)but it is my only job this weekso I'll try and get outside in the garden while we are having such a wonderful run,I do hope you are feeling a lot better than when last I heard

Toots,37 and still goingI got hitched in 73(at 23) so it's 36 for me this year,my sister bought me a dwarf apple tree last year the fruit(only 6 apples)was certainly worth fighting over and now(as a northerner)the apple blossom is sweetly scented and in full bloom.

Hi tickle yes plastic sheeting does tend to go brittle after some exposure to sunlight,I was thinking about the the type of sheeting that builders use the the brass eyelets in,but then on reflection I suppose that would be rather expensive.

But a Forest supporter,I wonder if that means you are just up the road in NottsI often wondered why Cloughy like Rednapp didn't get the England job?

Folderol and Frank what's 'appening

Hi Rik. Beautiful weather - out for strolls around the village putting up Election notices - is there no end to the excitement of this Parish Clerk job?

Frome, did you say? That's where my middle one lives - Becs and Charlie have a cottage in the older part of the town and love the area. Frome is supposed to be an upwardly mobile place. It used to have a down at heel look about it, but over the last 2 or 3 years - since Becs has been there actually, but I dare say that is not the reason! - it's been looking better. They get married in Sept so big expenditures even though they're in their lower 30's - well, you can't say get on with it can you? Well we can't, she's such a lovely daughter and they're so happy.

We all seem to be around the same vintage - we got married Jan 71 so 38 years so far. Is there something about baby boomers that attracts them to these sites?

Time for beddy byes, night night all - Tickle, Toots, Poll, Rik and Frank. (There's a rhyme and rhythm there somewhere:

Tickle and Toots, Fol and Poll, Frank and Rikki too

I was born and bred in Nottm, Rikii (used to live very near to St Bernadette's school, where they arrested all those would-be power station protesters last week) but I haven't lived there for over 30 years - in the royal county now. I'm not entirely convinced of Harry's credentials for the England job, though at least he's English, but there's no doubt Clough should have been given the job way back. We all know why he wasn't, and it was more or less confirmed in the programme about him which was recently screened on ITV. Did you see it?

I don't have many ties left with Nottm these days, so hardly ever go back there. There's the aged aunt I mentioned, a cousin with whom I've had little contact since her dad and mine fell out, and my sister, who is challenged in a variety of ways. She lived at home until my mum died, and we were then lucky enough to find this fantastic retirement housing complex for her to move to, although she was slightly below the 'minimum age' at the time. She's been getting on really well there and doesn't have much need of us anymore. I have a brother who lives in Leics, but the other two live in Florida and Switzerland, respectively. Would like to get over there this summer, as one of my nieces had a baby on 14 Feb (at 14:14) but I don't know if we'll be able to afford it.

Enough now. G'night.

Mornin' Tickle - and the rest of you! Another gorgeous day

Reading your bit above, Tick, I must admit to getting completely the wrong end of the stick.

The rest of you will enjoy this story, too, so stay with it.....

As I read the sentence,
'but I haven't lived there for over 30 years - in the royal county now. I'm not entirely convinced of Harry's credentials for the England job, though at least he's English'
my mind was not on football at all.

My immediate thoughts went like this:
a) Royal county = Berkshire = Windsor
b) So with a Windsor connection, 'not entirely convinced of Harry's credentials for the England job' had a royal family connection and referred to Prince Harry and his place as second in line to throne of England!
c) And 'at least he's English' meant as against the last few monarchs and escorts who've been undoubtedly German/Greek, whereas Harry and William's mother, Diana was a Spencer Churchill who are one of the oldest English dynasties.

It wasn't until I read 'Clough' and tied it to your Nottingham that I realised I was somewhat on the wrong track!!

So you see, when you get over 60 all sorts of things happen in your mind that you just can't help. I'm not all that tuned to footy - although I do watch on tv occasionally. I'm a rugby man myself having played at school.

It's a funny old world and as Shankly (?) said, 'Football's not a matter of life and death, it's more important than that.'

Morning, Folly. As you say, looks like another lovely day.

Ignoring the context (that I was replying to Rik's message 924) your thought process there seems perfectly reasonable to me. Just goes to show how fraught communications can be. Send three and fourpence, we're going to a dance.

I played rugby at school, which explains why I'm not a rugby man. I quite enjoyed it when I first played, much as I resented having to play it. Sneinton is or was a relatively rough area and I went to a posh school so, what with being the youngest of four brother an' all, I could more than hold my own. But I grew softer and those rich boys grew bigger and stronger, and I decided cross-country would be a better option. My experience of rugby, and my impression of it from watching, is that most players don't really understand the rules and the ones that do break them with impunity anyway. Rather like the Follow my poem thread. Very unsatisfactory.

Someone famously defined rugby as a game for hooligans played by gentleman, but I think a 'formerly' is now required before the verb. If people behaved like that in everyday life, they'd soon end up in jail - unless they were in the armed forces (or the police?) of course.

Mrs Tickle showed me a very interesting article in one of the Mail on Sunday supplements, advancing the claim that modern hi-tec trainers are very bad for your feet and a cause of much injury. Allegedly, the more hi-tec and expensive they are, the more dangerous they're likely to be. Plantar fasciitis is supposed to be one of the likely outcomes, Rikii. The argument was very persuasive, but the article is about running in hi-tec trainers - I don't know if the same case can be made for wearing them for everyday use. It's an interesting read, anyway. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html

Strangely, the article is accompanied by a short piece by an orthodox podiatrist telling you to ignore its advice. But it may be, Rikii, that the reason you're suffering from pf now is because your mum made you wear shoes when you were a lad.

BTW, Folly, you're quite right: it was Shanks who made that rather witty remark about football being a more important matter than 'life or death'.

Have a good day, y'all.

I always assumed the 'game for hooligans played by gentleman' bit, Tickle, refers to the inbuilt acceptance of what the ref says.
You seldom - although it is happening more nowadays in internationals - see players arguing with the ref, who anyway has to explain every decision he makes.
Imagine Chelsea and Arsenal accepting the ref's decision meekly and listening calmly to his explanation! It couldn't happen - more's the pity.
When I worked in a school I often had to drive the rugby team to away matches and the ref's constant commentary is an excellent way of teaching and consolidating the rules. I wonder if other team games use that method - hockey, basketball, etc.

Hi Team,after another gorgeous day of doing very little(yawn)well it certainly makes one(no royal connection implied or suggested)tired all this doing nothing is harder than working

My Broad bean seeds are all pushing through the soil looking stronger everyday and I have planted some dwarf(vertically challenged(for anyone that is PC)beans I have enviro mesh or the type of mesh that scaffolders use(green)which someone gave me quite a largre roll of which I place over the seeds I have planted to try and foil the wretched slugs'n'snails and also to deter all my varios neighbour cats from doing with their rear ends what they like to do to all finely tilled soil

Hi Polly,I wish I had less time too to watch the box but when you live in a city where not many folks feel safe going out at night there aint much else to do without incurring the wrath of misses cut out for tickling these 'ere keys a little too oft',not that (apart from my garden)there's much to see here outside anyway

Hi Team,wet start and a blustery afternoon here,it's early to bed for me tonight as I'm up at about 3-40am I have to be in London(Hackney)for 8am in the morning and for 7am on Monday hopefully we are miles away from the marathon and as I have two night jobs this week (only coventry)so I am feeling upbeat at the thought of earning a few bob as I had to spend £150 on the car for bits to get it through the MOT.

Anything else happening out there?

Hello dear Ricky, Tickle, Folly, Toots. And Frank~~~if you drop by.

I'm back from Wimborne. And I'm utterly exausted! I've never stopped (until now) since 8.15am. Thankfully I treated myself to lunch out so I don't need to do any cooking tonight.

I was in a wonderful old bluebell wood yesterday near Kingston Lacy. It was so romantic even though I was on my own! The colour was incredible. And the perfume sweet and earthy.

Football?? I know nothing any more about the game. Years ago I would watch it with my father and brother. That was the era of George Best and Billy Bremner. They were the same era weren't they? Anyway, apart from a few world cups years ago I have no interest. But I do love Test cricket.

It's the IOW walking festival very soon. I must sort myself out and do a few easy walks.

Will you be camping again this year, Folly, on the Purbecks?

Muffins with cherry jam for supper methinks.

Love to each of you.

Polly

XXXX

PS Take care, Rick, on your travels.

Morning, all! Just popped across from the ISIHAC thread which has been somewhat bombarded by others - well, a.n.other - recently.
YOu'll see my 'what's on at the Fols' there.
Meanwhile, you sound as though you had a good day, Polly. Yes, we'll all be in Dorset come week beginning 25 July, but it ain't the Purbecks - tother end of the county, I'm afraid, halfway between Bridport and Lyme. Golden Cap estate - NT farms etc and a huge stretch of the so called Jurassic coast - don't you hate it when they have to 'theme up' everything that you knew as a child as just the best place on earth? Only this is the real Jurassic bit as it's about 1/4 mile from the cliffs where Mary Anning found her fossilised Ichthyosaur, an enormously important find in the fossil world. Look her up in Wiki.
My son used to collect ammonites, belemnites and fossilised sharks teeth and fools gold along the beach as a lad and that set him off on his love of geology - he's now an environmental geologist and his speciality is - wait for it - 'esturial micro-paleontology' (he sifts through the mud in estuaries and sees what's there.)
Not a financially rewarding hobby, but he does normal geology for a living. He's just about to start on a survey of the Thames from Twickenham down to the barrier at Greenwhich to test the sub strata in advance of the laying of the replacement of the main sewers for London. Luckily, it is so essential that it is done, that the government has just confirmed funding for the next three years, so he's happy

But I digress. Polly - or anyone else, if you fancy an outing along the coast, although it's about 1 - 1 1/2 hours from you, Polly, we'll be camping at St Gabriels and would love to have visitors. Don't expect a Butlins style camp, thoug, just a hayfield with a col;d tap and an emptying point for the loo - that's it. Pretty basic, but we've been going there for nearly 30 years and just can't stop.

Hi team,I hope you all are ok I have had rather a busy day and I shall be off to slumberland soon.

I was glancing through my teleport menu on my Virgin Media box and I saw listed a new series of Reggie Perrin,well,I had to watch that I must admit after the old Rossiter version I was pleasantly suprised at the quality of the new updated version for those of you with a twisted sense of humour(as myself) I think this on the BBCi player is well worth wasting half an hour

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00k2phc/Reggie_Perrin_Episode_1/

The new Reggie Perrin is great. Don't miss it!
Hi Everyone, is everybody happy?
fxx

Dear All,

Just come back after a long weekend in Dorset, nr Weymouth, East Fleet Farm, Chickerill to be exact. Lovely caravan park, nice people, v. quiet at the moment but I imagine it could be a bit lively in the high season, will definately go back there again. Nice break but after being at work for half a day wondered if it was worth taking the time off.

I saw the new Reggie Perrin and thought it was good; whilst it has been "modernised" it hasn't been spoilt.

Off to the Stoneleigh Kit Car Show for the Bank Holiday weekend - no rest for the wicked.

Toots.

Well, Toots, I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we had no idea that you're wicked.

So who has heard of, or knows anything about Sir Nicholas Winton, the "English Schindler"? I must confess that I hadn't/didn't until last Saturday, when we went to a charity concert given by Ascot Brass in aid of Maidenhead Mencap, of which old Nick is president - and still active, apparently, in spite of being just a few weeks shy of his 100th birthday.

The story is that he organised the evacuation of 669 children from Czechoslovakia just before the outbreak of WWII, a fact which only came to light nearly 50 years later, and which led to him being awarded the MBE and subsequently a knighthood, as well as some high honour bestowed by the Czech Republic, who also nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Not to mention an appearance on That's Life and a couple of films about him. I looked him up on Wikipedia, which didn't say all that much, but gave his occupation as "humanitarian".

So, a real live hero. He was guest of honour at the concert and looked in pretty good shape for a man of his age. The reason I was there was not that I'm an aficionado of brass band music or a supporter of Maidenhead Mencap, but that Grace III's chamber choir were performing as well. Of course, I've heard their repertoire several times, but one has to show willing. And I must say that Ascot Brass were very good and performed a surprising range of material. I gather they're going to be performing at Royal Ascot this year, the first non-military band so to do.

That's all for now, folks.

Oops! I meant to wish Frank 'Happy Hols' as he's off to Gib today, I think. Probably left by now. Have a good trip anyway, Frank.

Hello all!

I seem to be the only one who hasn't seen, and can't see, Reggie Perrin! But I was never keen on him so I am not missing out. Now, if it was Doctor Finlay.....

I've been out with my daughter. We had the most enormous and delicious lunch in Waitrose. For under £5 it was worth every halfpenny. Then we went back to her darling cottage (envious smiley).

It has rained all day so far. But it is great for the grass-seed that I have sown. A monstrosity was dismantled a little while ago in the garden and it left a large patch of bare earth. My first sowing was almost successful. But an outer circle of seed did not sprout! So I have sown some more. The sad part of the story is that mice lived under the 'monstrosity'! They will have had to quickly pack their little rucksacks and find another home.

Greetings all.

I haven't seen the new Reggie Perrin either, Polly. It sounds worth a look, but I seldom get round to watching TV, other than the odd bit of football and an occasional news program.

Had to go to the pub to watch the football on Monday. Reading, who are now my local team, were playing Norwich, and needed to win to keep alive their slim chance of gaining automatic promotion. More importantly, a win for Reading - and win they did - meant that Nottm. Forest would be saved from the threat of relegation. Bumped into an old friend while I was there, as well, so it was a good evening. And I won't have to spend Sunday afternoon chewing my fingernails.

Have a good holiday weekend.