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

I have been to Friends Reunited & went to a school reunion last year for the first time in 30 years! We all thought we'd weathered well & it was good to get up to date with old friends.

Unfortunately some of the folk I'd really like to find out about, I haven't been able to track down.

i dont think i would really like to see some of my old school friends again....but i am very self concious.i am now in a wheelchair when i go out,and people seem to be very curios about it....they tend to think they should talk to you as though your a small child..or not quite as sensible as you should be!!!!!i feel quite alright about meeting up with this particular friend that i'm seeing in the next couple of weeks....she is coming here,so i'm better on my own territory.
i did find one girl for an old school friend.....and she had moved to germany.....i spent ages on the phone...and got someone to go to the library for me...only to find that she was back in england...i could have got her number from directory enquiries if i'd known her address!!!!still i did find her,it was a good feeling.i wonder why it seems to be around the age of fifty that we begin to wonder whqt hapened to ur ld friends???xx

Hi there UG, and all other "UG watchers". I understand today is D-Day!!! hope your day out went well...Now come on...tell us all in one hit, otherwise you will only get bombarded with questions from all of us!!!

Here, have a and , take the weight of your slingbacks and start at the beginning!!



Spike

hello spike...i dont think ug will be online just yet..unless she decides weve all waiteed long enough,and is gonna be kind to us!!!!this sitting on the edge of the chair gets a bit uncomfortable..doesnt it!!!!we might have to wait until she gets to work tonight....oooooo..i'll ned a cushion!!!hope youre okay.xx

Hi Smurfles....

I'm ok thanks, back to work until 11 tonight... so I amy well miss the "how it went" story. I'll have to tune in tomorrow for the next exciting episode! How are you anyway?? Hope you're keeping well.

If I have to wait I'll go get a comfy chair from somewhere, maybe the boss has one of those nice massage chairs I can borrow???


Spike

I went to Friends Re-united as well - most of the people on it were the people I used to avoid at school - Its funny in a way, they're all moaning about what a harsh environment it was, but they're the ones who used to go toadying to the masters when my mates and I were breaking the rules.

All their notes are about how much money they're earning - so we know what they got from their education.

Okay folks, D-Day is over - you want a run-down? OK, wait for it...

For the British contingent think Christopher Biggins with blood pressure and gout and the sense of humour of a gnat; for other members of the community who may not have a clue who Christopher Biggins is, then think Beethoven (the St Bernard in the film, not the composer) with blood pressure and gout and the sense of humour of a gnat!

I took your advice Witchone and let him do all the talking: I think he got as far as "Hello..." before he dried up and there was a deathly silence. I let it run on for a bit, but in the end took pity and gave him a handle: "So... catch me up on the last 40 years then!" "Oh, you wouldn't be interested in all that, very boring.... no, no, you wouldn't want to know". Well, I wasn't going to beg, so I let the silence run again..................................................................................................................................................................................................................

I said: "Shall we walk by the river?" "Yes, yes, good idea" and there enters the route march! I couldn't speak for trying to get my breath and he seemed intent on reaching the lock in record time! We finally sat on a bench and I said: "Talk to me, tell me about yourself" No ground rules, Witchone, just talk to me.

By now y.pestis my intrigue was waning. I made allowances for nervousness, but he seemed quite relaxed looking at the river and taking in the sunshine, so I sat back on the bench and watched the boats and the swans, and let the silence run again. This time I was determined not to come to the rescue, but I think we would have still been sitting there if I had not finally broken the silence and asked him directly about his 5 children. Ah! that was the key - he talked for 20 minutes non-stop about each of them - he is obviously very proud of them, and I felt I may have begun to strike a common ground.

When he drew breath and seemed to have run out of stories about them all, I ventured that I had had two daughters and now had three grandchildren.....He didn't want to know. Silence ensued again and so the afternoon went on like this. His body language did not betray nervousness, but he was very reticent.

He is a retired policeman and suggested we went along to the Police Club where he could buy me a meal. We drove there and parked, had sausage and chips and then he asked if I would take him back to the railway station because he wanted to go to a church service at Westminster Abbey!!

We met at 3pm and parted at 6.30 and it was the longest three-and-a-half hours of my life!!

I think you're right, smurfles, as we get older we tend to think "what if?" a lot more and that he was just curious and instantly did not like what he saw, but had to go through with it.

And Spike you were quite right: "It's in the past where it belongs, leave it there". I have been caused no physical harm by this meeting, but it has raised a lot of questions in my mind that I don't need buzzing about right now. Questions that would not have been there had I not allowed the meeting to go ahead.

Oh, disorganised one, your theory about someone with a terminal illness who was looking for someone to mother him, would probably have been more acceptable than what was obviously "Oh my God, look at that, get me out of here, what am I going to do with her for the next three hours".

I didn't want/expect anything from this meeting, just a "do you remember...?" session would have been lovely, but I wasn't prepared for a negative, disliked reaction. Just shows how silly I am doesn't it.

To all of you who have offered me help and advice over the past few days, I want to say a big thank you and will now retire quietly into a corner to lick my wounds, and resolve never to be taken in again. It was like being dumped twice by the same person!

On with the night shift, someone give me a hug

UG

More fool him.

Beethoven with gout etc...

Sorry you had such an awful time. At least it's over and you're safe and sound(albeit a bit disappointed).

Beethoven with gout etc...

Sorry you had such an awful time. At least it's over and you're safe and sound(albeit a bit disappointed).

WELL!!!!<BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER!!!!one .one ,and a to make you feel wanted by other than your family .good gracious me,,,what a wally!!!or what?????never mind gran....iwouldnt let it put you off meeting other people,,they cant alll be mindless morons!!!
.i'm been a bit harsh arent i..but i expected more for you from your meeting than having to go in a corner and lick your wounds.
i think your a prety nice person anyway,,,and you can chat to me whever you want...i promise there wont be a silence.i'm just a bit of a romantic at heart,dont you give him one ore thought.it sounds as though you will always have to be grateful to him UG,for dumping you in the first place.night god blesschat to you soon.salxxx

Hey you got a lot of friends out of it! We still like you, and in fact, we probably like you more than he ever did. Don't let his lameness make your heart hurt.

So, how's the kitchen? I'd rather hear about that anyway.

if theidiot can't tell a great universal granny when he see's one, it's his loss. anyway, we have you back to ourselves now.

how's the mural?

xx

Hello Evangeline, smurfles, y pestis and daraline, you're all lovely and I am just a silly old fool. How does it go: "Pick yourself up, dust yourself down, and start all over again!" Only I don't think I'll be starting all over again in this field.... well, not for a while anyway.

You're right too, I have made some good friends of you all out of this and I do value that, so..... to the kitchen - nothing happening there at the moment, front room being decorated as from this Wednesday, goodness knows how long putting everything back in the front and back rooms, and then possibly the kitchen. Do you want a while you're here? There's in the cupboard and a in the fridge, help yourselves.

Mural - well, he's a bit like Rolf Harris, at the moment I cannot make too much sense out of it, but I think it is going to be good. He comes and goes, adding a bit here and touching up a bit there, but there is still quite an expanse of wall untouched, but it is getting smaller every day.

So - onwards and upwards, I can't be miserable for too long - not in my nature, but I must admit I was a bit apprehensive of telling you all what had happened. It was such an anti-climax, but then so is life! But I was afraid you would see me for a silly old fool and run away laughing (I don't mind you laughing, I do mind you running away!)

Back to the grind for a while, another despatch has just come in.

Speak to you soon, Universal Granny

*pours a *
Well, no one is laughing at you for being nice and brave enough to meet him again to see what he wanted. Shame really, that he turned out to be such a dud that even being friends isn't an option. It's truly his loss.

Ummmm, not much to say that hasnt already ben said UG. I am glad you came out of this physically ok, and mentally the wiser eh??
On the other hand I am disappointed in the male race (i know, I know, all you females are disappointed in us most of the time anyway!!). I mean what sort of stupid asks to meet a lady, then sits there like an over inflated bouncy castle, ie full of hot air but not actually doing anything.

Don't get too morose about it ol' bean, attack the kitchen instead!!

Here is a belated to make you feel a bit better.
Oh and some which always helps. I am not on nights for another two weeks or so for a good 'chin wag', but I'll keep posting ridiculous messages when I am here during the day!

...take good care of yourself UG. Speak soon

Spike

Well done you UG for sticking it out! You can feel superior that at least you tried - shame it was such poor material to work with.
As the sun is now over the yard arm, I'll offer some

Thanks Teasswill gratefully accepted!

Hi Spike - "over inflated bouncy castle" <with laughter>

Oh dear, more please while I recover from that one. It was so apt, were you there? Don't worry Spike, this Granny bounces back pretty good, I just felt a bit down yesterday. Another day tomorrow.

In fact, another one heck of a day tomorrow: the decorator arrives at 0745 to start the front room, and on Thursday the carpet fitter arrives to lay the flooring in the back room, and in the meantime all the furniture, paraphernalia, boxes, books etc from both rooms are... well..... e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e!! Quick, more before I really think about that.

So (hic!) I'd better start some work. Look forward to your daytime messages when I come in, Spike. Take care Teasswill, and thanks for all the (hic!)

Take care Universal Granny

night granny.

xx

'night daraline

UG