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

lol - ok it's what i thought it was

Hello David
I've just come on here to order a book for my daughter in law who's in publishing and who is very picky!
I decided to go for one i've read - 'The Cloud Sketcher' unusual and interesting. Was going to order it through Amazon but then discovered how much the postage was for ONE book! Happened to have WH Smith online on my favourites and they have a system whereby you can order online and then have it delivered to your local store at no extra cost. Useful to know I think.
I've just paid £39 to send two parcels to my youngest son in Australia and I'm on the last lap for gifts which in 'gift speak' means I've left the most difficult until last and now I'm up a gum tree!
I'm reading the latest Ian Rankin at the moment but I also have the sequel to 'The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency' waiting. I think your wife might enjoy those - don't know about you
Hoping to finish the cards this evening but will have to start the baking next week - I'm going to my daughter's but she's requested home baking - my speciality

Hi Helen
compliments of the season; it's all been manic the last few weeks with all the preparation. Currently re-reading Haroun and the Sea of Stories and think it'll be a bedtime tale [although sadly they now want to read their own stuff,how dare they spoil my bedtime routine of the last 8 years?] Afetr that I've got an Ian Banks Triple-header [Wasp Factory, Espedair Street and The Bridge] picked up in a charity shop for £2.
Have a great Christmas with your disparate family at least with you in spirit. Hope the baking went well, I need to get in the kitchen for some serious relaxation! Made risotto the other night and the ritual of stirring the stock into the gradually thickening mass is quite relaxing.
Now thinking of potential New Year Resolutions....

TTFN
D

Happy New Year David

Got back this afternoon so a trifle tardy taking down the tree etc.

I feel the need for a rest after all the exertions of the 'holidays'

Speak soon
Helen

Hi Helen

Work's really getting in the way at the moment! Just had a password reset last week though so maybe I'm back in cyberspace
Very belated New Year Greetings - did you make any resolutions?
Hope you had a good Christmas - mine was fairly well ok despite the tradional 'downer' just before. Now back into the fray with a vengeance - Lucy [daughter] has her first ballet exam at the end of teh month so is taking extra lessons for this. Holiday are planned for summer [two weeks in a tent in Loire valley near Saumur] and lots of house tidying, decorating, garden planning all of which will cost pots of money. Anyway, far too much of me, what about you? Are you well? What have you got planned for 2004? [and are you reading anything good at the moment? - I've got loads lined up but not started, current evening entertainment seems to be doing everyone's Christmas jigsaw puzzles!]

David

Hello David
I hadn't realised how much time has passed since I last looked on here!
I've been away again - West Midlands and then London and Stevenage.
Saw 'Anything Goes' last Saturday - hugely enjoyable! Also saw the El Greco exhibition which has just opened and managed to do a bit of shopping too Went to the cinema in Stevenage to see the new Jack Nicholson film - laughed all the way through - I thought it would be good from the publicity but it was even better than I thought it would be. Unlike 'Calendar Girls' which relied heavily on an excellent cast.
I've lost count of what I've read since we last spoke but I'm ploughing through something called 'The Dante Club' at the moment - an interesting idea but I do feel it suffers from being a first novel
It's very cold here today - I can't wait for the better weather to arrive! I'm off to Morpeth tomorrow to go walking - the dog will like it! I could've gone to see the Newcastle/Middlesbrough match but even though I was tempted, I felt I could do with the excercise more
You'll already have left for the weekend so I hope you had a good one - take care
Helen

Hello Helen
What can I say but echo your "long time no return to the conversation" sentiment? I haven't even got the excuse that I'd not been to h2g2, although I did have some access problems for a while.
Enjoying the longer hours of sunlight, and also more running, so much so that I've lost a bit of weight and am looking forward to great north [again], and the Leeds half marathon in 3 weeks time.
As for recent books, read Shadowmancer to the children as a bedtime story and have still to get into the Ian Banks triple header I bought about 6 months ago. Re-read Haroun and the sea of stories, enjoyed as much 3rd time as first. Recently also borrowed some light poetry from the library, a couple of Wendy Cope's early one and various eras of Roger McGough. Both these two have a knack of seeing trivial and normal from a different perspective, which I find refreshing because it helps me out of ruts!

Anyway, far too much of me, what are you up to this fine spring day?
Harpo

How lovely hear from you

I'm still reading - currently have just started Cold Mountain - not sure why but it's suddenly got a lot more interesting and I can now envisage the actors in their parts!
I recently read Kathy Reichs who is always excellent - Id been waiting for Bare Bones to come into paperback. I have a pile waiting but sometimes by the time I get to one, I wonder why I bought it in the first place!
I recently bought a laptop, simply because I like gadgets This has certainly taxed my energy and my patience - I've finally discovered that there were about four viruses on there (downloaded with updates from Microsoft!) Clever little devils they were - latched onto one of the system folders and wouldn't let me access any Ant- Virus companies at all including the one on here!
Seems to be ok now - I'm waiting to get a router next so that I can try Networking lol
What else have I done?
Not sure if I told you about the Spanish conversation classes - they're on hold at the moment but I think I'll take it further and also try to get on some sort of PC Course.
Pilates has started up again after the Easter break and I'm pretty sure I'm going to join the Gym although it's likely I'll just do treadmill, cycle and cross trainer. It all helps! I'm also trying to lose some weight
My youngest son gets back from his round the world trip on Tuesday so the whole family is going up to meet him - it'll be strange having him back in the house albeit only until he finds employment
Good to here you're keeping out of mischief
I'm sure something happened up your neck of the woods fairly recently - it was in the media - can't remember what it was though - must be old age again
Have a good weekend
Helen

Gordon Ramsay is savaging one of teh local restaurants on Channel 4 Tuesday evening. He was on Parkinson on Saturday describing us as a mining town. I'd like to know where he saw the mines. There was once some light engineering-type thing making cobbies [small nails] hence the local appellation of Cobbydale. Don't know how else West Yorkshire might have been in the news, apart from relegation of Football Teams, Rugby League performances infra-dig and Cricket being the curate's egg!

You sound very active with gym and pilates - the latter I've never tried but heard a few people speak its praises. I used to take a yoga class and found that very relaxing but I now just use some of the breathing and stretches after other exercise, which at the moment is mainly running. It'll be strange to have your offspring back in the house after his trip - I suppose you'll get used to the silence of the house, we notice it even if the children go away for a night or two [and I miss reading bedtime stories!]

Hope you sort out the viruses on your latest toy. They are a bit of a pain!

Making the most of children being away for a couple of nights to Cober Hill near Scarborough on a school trip - meal out tonight!

Cheers
Harpo

Hello :o)

I can't believe how much time has passed. The nights are drawing in again!
Anyway, How are you and how is the family?
Just got back from West Midlands this morning. I had a hair appointment at 10.30am so got up at 4.15 to beat the rush around Leeds - suffering now!
Reading the latest Patricia Cornwell just at the moment but recently finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night which I'm sure you've almost certainly read!
Best wishes
Helen

Hello you too!
My first post for weeks, been q.busy with a welter of work. You have my sympathy braving the traffic around Leeds.

Curious Incidnet of the dog in the night time was extremely anti-social for the time it took me to read it at one sitting! I found myself having insights into some of my own behaviour, although I don't [as far as I know] suffer from Asperger's. I guess there's a little of the latent obsessive in most people?

More Later, now bout to have a crack at the Bradford rush-hour

TTFN

Just a quickie - now reading Holy Fools - Joanne Harris. I'm enjoying it - more than I other one of hers I've read. Haven't read Chocolat but I did enljoy the film.
I seem to be rambling lol

Have read chocolat - don't think the film could possibly do it justice, also coastliners, 5 quarters of the orange and possibly another one whose title escapes me. I find them quite fascinating, but the scenery and some plots tend to be a bit formulaic.
One of the papers [Grauniad I think] enthused that she could write about anything and anyone, to which my question was why is it always family sagas in Brittany?

Currently on A series of unfortunate events - book the tenth - the slippery slope by Lemony Snicket. Children from 9 to 42 love it!

I have made no sense of your last sentence :o)

It was the Five Quarters one I've read - perhaps Coastliners too.

I thought the film was splendid - You could be pleasantly surprised.

Now reading The Reading Room.

Have just completed an online Wireless Networking Course. Am part way through a Digital Photography course (also online) and have just begun an OU Short Course on writing fiction (not free) - the resources seem to be ok but I'm not sure about the online conferencing - I'll let you know.

LOTS of useless inforamtion there :o)
Helen

I'm 42, children are 9.
Just bought a digital camera, so deep into experimentation phase! Current reading material - the manual for it.
Happy weekend!
David

lol Gotcha!

If you'd like a free course on Digital Photography I can provide the address - it works really well and there are no catches at all.
I still haven't read my manual properly!

I expect you're doing something great for Sport Relief tomorrow
Helen

The digital photography course address would be great, please.
Sport relief - no, the joys of the school fair . The children are up for the Pulse race fun of 3 miles on Sunday in Roundhay Park, Leeds [healthy hearts and all that] We have to run with them as they're under 15 and my son tells me he's not going to wait!! Sounds like fighting talk to me!


D

I need to find a way to email you - it's not on their open webpage but is for members and I was asked if I wanted to join. I've just completed Wireless Networking with them.
I will look again and see if there's a way of doing it. I may give you one of my lesser Hotmail addresses and you can reply privately to that - I just don't want my preferred email on here (although i don't mind giving it later :o) ). What do you think?
Helen

Hi Helen, thanks for your efforts! Try posting it to my nickname without the calculations at hotmail dot com. this is the one I use for my competition entries etc so my main account held with another isp doesn't get mangled by the inevitable influx!

Having great fun with both stills and short movie clips!


Harpo

I was trying to avoid posting it on here, however this is the url. Once course has just finished but there is a note at the bottom of this page saying another is due to start shortly. If you give them your email address, they'll let you know.
http://www.cnethelpu.com
There don't seem to be any drawbacks - I've now completed two courses with them and this one in particular is very comprehensive.
Good luck with it all.
One tip - don't turn the camera to vertical for video clips - you can't rotate them lol
Helen

I've just finished a novel by Susan Vreeland 'The Passion of Artemisia'. I think your wife would enjoy it (you might too) if she hasn't already come across it. It's based on historical fact and I found it a real eye-opener.
Helen