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

I probably know far more strange songs than can possibly be good for anybody.

Ah yes, wonky toilets, collapsable ceilings, dodgy floors, warped door frames - all part of the joys of 19th century housing.

I went to a well known DIY outlet last night and bought some of those transfers that you can use to brighten up old tiles so I'm looking forward to playing about with those tomorrow. Actually, I didn't buy them, Chris did, so that was a bit of a result.

Have you got anything planned for the weekend?

Me too, we tend to sing a lot on the coach to various rambling places.

Ours is a Victorian house but seems to be fine.

OOOh, got some fish transfers on the tiles here.

I was in the Lake District all weekend on a rambling trip. There was a ball on the Satruday night too, so I've walked today on hardly any sleep. Good fun though.

Oooh, the Lake District! How lovely! And a ball too. I'm jealous

I didn't do much at the weekend. I did stick up my tile transfers, they are blue circles and my tiles now look like they've got some sort of blue pox I'm really pleased with the effect and I smile everytime I go in there. I still need to touch up the paint and buy a few more blue accessories to tone down the white, but it's pretty much finished in there now.

It was a great weekend, but the next one is Brownie pack holiday.

So it was worth the effort despite all the troubles.

Yeah, well, it looks better than it did, certainly. The loo seat needs tightening up again. I would do it myself but Chris has done up the screws so tightly that I cannot move them in either direction. I've been waiting for him to look at it for a week. He made the mistake of getting up before I went to work this morning so I nagged him about it again.. I think I shall be spending most of my lunch breaks this week looking for blue accessories to finish the room off.

So where I you taking your Brownies?

Well the shopping part should be fun anyway.

Robin Hood scout camp, it's in part of Sherwood Forest.

I've already got some bits for the bathroom. I found a pot for my make-up brushes and a matching toothbrush holder as well as two blue soap dishes. I might treat myself to some new towels next, if I can find some that are blue and white. I think I saw some stripey ones in the co-op the other week so I shall go back and have a look today.

Camping in Sherwood Forrest sounds like great fun. Lucky old brownies!

Well, we're not camping exactly. There's a hut and we're going to sleep in that. Taking brownies under canvus in March probably isn't a good idea.

A bit of hypothermia won't kill them It's character building!

Two posts a day - can you tell my boss is on holiday?

As much as I would like to leave some of them in the cold I don't really fancy sleeping in the sleet myself.

She is? That can't be too bad a thing.

Oh yes, it is a relaxed and happy week I've got a huge mail shot to do and I don't even care because I can surf hootoo and stuff envelopes at the same time.

It's called multi-tasking.

Multi-tasking is very useful. I tend to surf the net whilst on the phone home , my mother tends to talk to people forgetting that I can't actually here them and then wanders why my attention wonders.

It being Thursday, I shall be 'phoning my Mum tonight. It's a very dull routine we have of speaking on the 'phone every Thursday. She says she is flexible and doesn't mind if I don't call. However, IF I don't call, she calls me because she is worried because I haven't called!

Tonight I am expecting to have a disagreement about money. In June, my parents will have been married for 40 years. My brother and I are plotting to take them away for a weekend but my Mum will want to pay for everything. Given that she is a part-time shop assistant and my Dad is on incapacity benefit they really don't have much dosh. Their combined annual income comes to at least four grand a year less than I earn and my brother (who is a Marketing Executive) earns considerably more than me. So, is it unreasonable to expect to treat the people who have looked after us for so long? Apparently it is. My mother takes great offence at not being allowed to pay for absolutely everything so I think a lot of covert credit card transactions will be required so that everything is all paid up front before they can get involved.

My old Grandma was just the same - every time she came to stay she would try and give my Mum money for her board and lodgings.

Tonight I have to interrogate mother about dates. Unfortunately, the weekend of their actual wedding anniversary my brother is best man at a friends wedding, so we need to find a date when we can all get together. Wish me luck.

Exactly the same thing happens with my mum, but she's very paranoid and so I end up having to phone almost every day. I haven't told her that I've had my hair cut short either, as she'd just get very worried.

Wishing you luck . Board and lodgings whilst staying with family? We just normally pay for some of the shopping when staying with my cousins.

Well, the conversation with Mad Mum (now there's an idea for a hootoo 'Ask' strand, "How mad is your Mum?") went OK really. When I asked about possible get together dates I got the 'We don't expect a present' speech but apart from that she was OK. She started talking about what she will bring with her "when we come down" which implies to me that she thinks they are coming to my house for the weekend. I think it will be a good plan to let her continue thinking that while we decide where to take them (probably London), book accomodation, sort out transport etc and then when we've got it all organised and it's too late for them to argue, we can give them a bit more of a clue where they are going.
They have a rather elderly dog that they refuse to put in the kennels so at the moment my brother is working on bribing his friends to go and dog-sit. We can't really book much until we know we have someone to look after Rebel.

I hope you have a good weekend with the brownies. The weather forecast is awful for my part of the country so I hope it stays a bit dryer down Sherwood way.

Mine's a little crazy, but then I expect most are.

My aunt was like that with my gran's dog. She said very subtly that she'd drop it off at 'the house nearest Heathrow' which seeing as the rest of the family lives Newcastle way she meant Hemel.

The weather was terrible, but was generally dry at the times when we really needed it to be. Was a bit chilly though at night.

It has been much milder here over the weekend, but it was wet most of yesterday and it has been blowing a gale which has caused havoc in my garden again.

Not that I've been out much. I have been seized by an attack of chronic tiredness and I spent most of the weekend either asleep or lazing on the sofa. I managed a bit of housework yesterday and a trip to the supermarket on Saturday morning, but apart from that I have been largely inactive.

Well I'm certainly tired today. I think I'll go to campus early just to get some air as that normally wakes me up a bit.

Still, I have done some work this morning and am mostly unpacked and sorted from the weekend.

Hope you catch up onh your sleep. I really ought to do my ironing..

Ah yes, ironing I normally do mine on a Monday evening while listening to the Album Chart Show on Radio 2. I did start this week's mountain yesterday because I don't envisage having much energy left by the time I get home tonight and I think a nice hot bath will be calling my name as soon as Chris leaves for work.

I'm really not in the mood for work today (no change there then). Sitting by the fire reading would be a far better use of my time

I do mine when the heap on my chair gets a bit too big and reaches mound status. I m,anaged to burn myself on the iron though.


I think I'll have to agree with you there. Unfortunately my lecturer has decided that we'd like to have labs at 9 tomorrow.