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

Oh my word! Climbing!

Actually, your Brownies get to do some good stuff. I remember Brownies being really rather dull for most of the time, although the best 'outing' I remember was a trip to Bath because we went to the Costume Museum. The other thing I remeber about Brownies is our annual pantomime. My Mum was Brown Owl, which was probably not a good thing. She was so afraid of being accused of favouring me that I rarely got to do anything much. I only got to be Wendy in Peter Pan because Tawny Owl talked my Mum into it.
I went to Brownies when we lived in Berkshire. When we moved up to Lincolnshire there was no Brownie pack in our village at first. One started later, and then a Guide troop started when I was about 13. Now that WAS boring. I hated it. The guider had us playing games at most meetings and when you are 13, running about and playing games is not what you want to do. My Mum insisted that I keep going in the hope that it got better, but I jacked it in after a year.

The Brownies I help out is run mainly by students and the entire program recently changed. There are no more journey badges, not many interest badges, a different uniform and no 'brownie points'. The idea now is to get them to try things they've not done before, rather than to work on badges and run around. One of my housemates is from Stamford and she didn't stay long in Guides either.

I'm glad to hear that Brownies has been modernised. It seemed staid and old fashioned when I was in it 25 years ago! I always used to get the feeling that the Cubs and Scouts had far more fun than we did in the Brownies and Guides.

I think it is a good thing to have youngsters helping to run Brownies too. People's Mum's ran the Brownies when I was a child. The Guides tended to be run by very butch and usually unmarried school teachers!

Liz
~

The brownies seem to like the changes anyway. The program didn't change from 1967 to 2003.

The Guide company I went to was certainly run by unmarried school teachers. I liked it at first but got bored and started helping at Brownies instead.

Good for you.

Seriously, I admire people like you who are prepared to get involved in stuff. I don't know how you cope being surrounded by children. I can't deal with them at all at that age. I love babies and toddlers and I can cope with teenagers, but kids in the 6 to 11 age range seem to be aliens from another planet.

Have a good weekend.

Liz
~

They're a challange certainly but the twins (my brother and sister) are only ten themselves so I'm used to it.

You too, I think I'll just have a quite Saturday and then there's the walk on Sunday as usual.

Gosh, your brother and sister are a fair bit younger than you, aren't they? Mind you, my brother is nearly eight years younger than me but we did used to have another brother inbetween us.

I'm having a quiet pottering about sort of Saturday. I went to Sainsbury's this morning and it was not nearly so chaotic as it usually is on a Saturday. I have been for an eye test this afternoon and I was delighted to discover that I don't need any new glasses! My left eye is still the same (short sighted) but the vision in my right eye has actually improved. So, another good day.

Hootoo was playing up when I first logged on today, but it seems to have settled down a bit now.

Did you get any valentines? Chris put mine on top of the fire and it fell down the back! I managed to retrieve it though. He's gone out to play golf this afternoon, so I can mess about on-line in peace.

Chat next week
Liz
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I do have another brother who's seventeen now.

I've got to go to Sainsbury's later, but I tend to wait until the evening when it's cheaper and they sell off the fresh produce. , good news from the optition then.

No. good thing the card was retrievable.

So, you're the eldest then? I have always rather liked being the eldest child and I do play the bossy big sister sometimes. It's such fun.

I decided to re-invest £5 of the money that I won on last week's lotto in last night's draw and I won another £10. I'm not used to having this much luck, it's a bit unnerving.

Liz
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I like being the oldest but I don't boss the others around....much.

It was quite an odd day though; it didn't actually rain.

I knew things had been going too smoothly just lately. I went out to buy some foundation today. The shop I usually buy it from had sold out of my shade so I went to the other department store in Ipswich. I wondered why it was more expensive than usual and when I looked at it more closely, it's not the one I asked for! Right shade, wrong product. Bum! I didn't notice until I got back to work so I will have to wait until tomorrow to sort it out.

I think I need a holiday.

Liz
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Oh dear, at least you can get it swapped.

I agree with you there, a holiday would be very welcome.

I have got three days leave booked next week actually. I am going to redecorate my bathroom. I imagine that I will have to do most of it on my own (boyfriend would quite happily live in a pig-sty and doesn't see the point of cleaning things or decorating) so it will be hard work, but it will still be better than coming into the office.

You end up with a newly decorated bathroom too.

Next week my brother (the 17 year old one) has an interview at the university so he's coming to stay for a little bit.

So, your brother might be coming to the same university as you? Would you share digs with him? Or will you be finished by the time he starts?

I love having my brother to stay but he hasn't been for ages. I'm hoping he might come at Easter (with new girlfriend - also called Liz - who I haven't met yet) so this is extra incentive to get the bathroom decorated. I can't have someone I've never met before seeing the bathroom with the paper hanging off, now can I?

The people who own my brothers flat want to sell it, so he will be moving again soon. I've only been to his present home once, so I shall have a whole new set of directions to deal with next time we go It's a shame, the place he is in now is really nice and in a lovely quiet neighbourhood.

It's possible, though Southampton is currently at the top of his list.

just having the wallpaper hanging off is probably a good incentive, though having family to stay has got to be a better one.

Hopefully where he'll move to will also be a nice place

It's my little baby brother's birthday today. He's 29! I'm going to have a lot of fun with his birthday next year! (He sent me a badge saying "trainee pensioner" when I was 30).

I've got a stiff neck and shoulders today and sitting in front of a PC is not helping. Still, I imagine I will be a lot stiffer next week after my painting. This time next week I shall be having a heart attack because a man is coming to fit some new flooring in my bathroom on Friday afternoon so I will have to have all the painting finished by then

Well that's plenty of reason to have fun wuth his thirtieth. On my dad's fourtieth his friends tried to give him the birthdday bumps but were forced to give up after about five. (I was six years old then but I have a very vivid memory of a load of middle aged men with injured backs).

My family tend to make use of my hight by getting me to paint the ceiling which does certainly make the neck and shouklders ache. Hope they stop aching soon.

Just found out that the lecturers are going on strike on Tuesday; the day that my brother is supposed to have his interview.

Neck and shoulders a bit better today. I've been trying to do some sit-ups to flatten a podgy tummy and I think I ricked my neck then.

Is it a nationwide lecturers strike on Tuesday, do you know? Will it mean that your brother's interview is cancelled?

I went to the hairdressers this afternoon. The last time I had my hair cut was August! The girl that did it then ar**d it up so badly that it has taken me six months to pluck up the courage to try a different hair dresser. It looks heaps better now. I went into town this morning in search of some new bra's (which I was also in dire need of) and bought all the ones that fitted and some knickers too and ended up spending £140 on new undies! So, it's been a bit of a pampering sort of day.

It is cold in Ipswich today, with a bitter wind, so having been out twice I don't intend to stray far from the fire side for the rest of the day.

Hope you are having a good weekend.

Liz
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I don't know if it's going to affect my brother, I've tried asking the lecturers what is going on but they just tell me that the whole point of a strike it to be disruptive. My brother's tried phonmeing and emailing the university as well but no one will reply.

I bought a hole punch which isn't really exciting. My notes were getting into a mess and my little flimsey hole punch just wasn't good enough. I'll have to buy some more socks soon; no idea where they all go.

It's cold in Nottingham too . I've got to go out again to my friend's party but she only lives round the corner.

Well it's been a good weekend so far, I hope yours is good too.