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

Hi all,

Just popping in to say hello - T is off in Beijing getting upset about the state of the bathrooms, while I am ensconced in Ireland looking forward to a few days off in a month's time. How is everyone else?

My current residence is just wonderful for wildlife - I have otters, kingfishers, swans, swallows, swifts, the occasional gannet and currently some *very* loud curlews to keep me company. Speaking of gannets, I also managed a trip out to the Skelligs a few weeks ago that was absolutely amazing. I have a YouTube video of it somewhere. I also visited the caravan park in Father Ted, where Graham Norton did the dancing in the tiny caravan!

A big Kerry Way Walk on the way again this year, but I am a lot less prepared for it. I need to start getting the paraphernalia set up and asking for some cash. It should be a lot of fun, but I expect that it will be hard work. 70km over 3 days is a lot of walking.

Hope all are well,

s

W

Hasn't the weather been a treat!

We've been busy with work, the zephyr, work on the zephyr, work in the garden and polishing various other cars! Life very much different to the way it used to be. Had our first breakdown the other week with a recovery lorry taking us home. We laughed!

I've had an extremely busy day of selling icecreams so am off to Largs for an icecream at the world famous Nardinis. Its a great place to pose in the car!

Off to France next Sunday with friends and a much needed holiday. Looking forward to bread cheese ham and sausages. Oh and perhaps some beer and wine too.

Good luck with your walk Woody - don't forget the Compeed plasters!

TTFN

Doll

Hi all,

Just a quick note as it's my birthday today, and I'm crawling ever so steadily towards the magic number of 42.. I hope you all are well.

No big news to report. I brought my little fella's on a scary mountain walk yesterday. The littlest boys are still only five, but they still did really well. We must have climbed 300 metres with no complaints from them at all. I guess this might lodge in their craniums for a while. It was a good prologue before they all donned costumes and headed out in the night to bum a few sweets from the locals. One of the neighbours opened the door with a fag in his mouth, and no sweets of course, so gave them 20 cent each instead..

My plan today is to drive over to my mothers with the kids and enjoy the party with the kids. When I was a child I could not imagine growing to an age where my birthday would not be the best day on the planet. Nowadays it's just like any other day, pretty much, but in the eyes of my kids it doesn't compute at all. Bless em.

Now with Halloween over the Santa displays will be appearing - run for the hills!

Take care,

Colm

Happy Birthday

Glad you had a good day with the wee loons yesterday.

Hey people!!

Long timr no post!

Welding galore going on here, work galore, xmas shopping finished thanks to the internet.

Dad not to ggod. We have the hospital on Thursday for scan results - we suspect bad news.

Did I mention bought a Dolomite sprint?? He's a happy hoppy boy.

Having cabbage with bacon and feta for tea. SMells great.

Have a super xmas - I'm heading to Oxon to spend it with my brother - its his first ever xmas meal he's cooked. Looking forward to it immensely.

Celtic connections looms and I've booked up for Poozies with Jim Malcolm. WOOOHOOO!

TTFN buds

Hello Nyree,

Good to hear from you. I'm sorry to hear about your dad. It's been a very long road for him. Fingers crossed.

My Christmas shopping is in a terrible state at the moment. The kids are sorted, it's the older kids that I am having problems buying for..

I haven't been doing much walking these past few weeks. A lot happening on the home front and the work front. It's been a bit of a maelstrom to be honest. Hopefully I'll get some walking in during the Christmas. I am so looking forward to the few days rest, or at least the lack of stress..

Love the car!

Any plans for the New Year?

XX

W

Gigging at local posh hotel. Crowd of mates coming too so at least we'll have friends around us as well as partners.

I work every weekend now - bugger - so don't get doing beach walks with dogs any more. Poor wee things spend most weekends looking out the window at the garage where their dad welds all day!!

Roll on xmas so I can see my |Bruv.

Hoe you have a relaxing yule.

Squee! I'm going to Austin, Texas in a few weeks!

My company is sending me over for a week. It will be for meetings of course, and plenty of businesspeak will be spoked, but nevertheless it is somewhere new, so I'm looking forward to it.

Part of me would love to explore, though. This vast state is full of incredible scenery, if "No country for Old Men" is anyway accurate. So long as I don't meet someone who insists on flipping a coin to decide my fate, I should be ok.

I'm also hoping to go to Stuttgart in Germany on the way back. It's a very pretty part of Europe. Lot's of photos to show in a few weeks hopefully..

Hope all are hale and hearty.

Texas would be awesome - you'll just have to buy postcards of all that scenery.

Sadly things with dad aren't going too well. He became paraplegic last Tuesday after a procedure went wrong. He's still in hospital and trying to cope with a new situation. His wheel chair has caused horrific bruising on his back so he's back in bed today. Not sure when he'll get home.

I've bought myself lots of new music recently - Them Crooked Vultures, New morrissey album, Foo fighters and a new Jim Malcolm one. Its good to have some new sounds in your life. It gives you a new sountrack to a very different bit of life!!

We had spectacular weather here with a frozen solid loch. Check the photos at Lochwinnoch.info truly wonderful to have tHose views from my work.

Enjoy USA

Oh no! Really sorry to hear this. Bugger.

Lovely photos - what a sporty bunch you are up there. The frozen waterfall photo is amazing.

Take care. Thoughts going out to you and your dad.

Any update from your Dad?

My first ever podcast is going live today. I am a guest podcaster on the daily astronomy series "365 days of Astronomy". Fingers crossed it will be ok.

(hug) W

He's been moved to a hospital nearer us where we were assured they would teach us everything we needed to know and help with his rehab. So far he has been bed bound as the hospital don't have wheelchairs???!! He has dreadful bed sores on his backside (not great when you are to spend the remainder of your life sitting on it|)

He is very pissed off as he was becoming more independant at the Cancer hopsital - now they won't even let him have the sides of his bed down or give him a bath or shower. Blah blah blah yadda yadda hospitals are crap.

How did your mum cope/learn to deal with your dad?? Its not like theres a website called my dads a paraplegic.com. TUT!!!!

Dad would be very interested to hear about your podcast - he writes for the local news letter. Its basic astronomy but folk love his column. Can you send me a link?? He has his laptop in hospital with him so it would give him something to do - apart from turning from one side to the other every four hours.......

TTFN bud

Doll in a rather useless test tube

Oh bugger, I am sorry to hear that. It was a similar experience for my mum. She had to be very tenacious. I'll ask her to see if I can find anything.

Here is the link to my podcast. There are a ton of astro podcasts there too so he should enjoy listening to a variety of different programmes taking about all sorts of stuff related to the stars and planets.

http://365daysofastronomy.org/2010/01/28/january-28th-a-series-of-spectacular-events/

Take care.

37 today!
37 Today!

I've got the key to the door etc etc.

As you get older, all you accumulate is more keys - oh and grey hair!!!

Oh! Congratulations! I hope you have a lovely day.

I have tons of keys!! Not much grey hair yet though, much to the chagrin of my sisters.. I'm expecting to wake up any day soon to find my head totally grey, when they realised they missed one..

Parrrtayy on ..

Hi Nyree,

How is your dad?

All busy here after my week away in Texas and Germany. I was very tired for a week afterwards, but I have since recovered. I hope all is well in your world.

Take care,
W

Dad been home for a week now. Chair very big so squeezing his way round the house. Mum very tired with all the work she's having to do. We have a session with OT on Monday to practice some moves, transfers etc. He's glad to be home but its hard work all round.

A friend is going to sort access to his beautiful back garden for him so we'll be borrowing my grandads "buggy" so access is easier. It may need some modifications though.

Hope there is some time for sightseeing for you when you travel.

Not easy, but at least he is home with his family. I hope your mum is ok for all this. My mum was amazing during my dad's final years. Where she found the energy I still don't know.

Thanks for letting me know.

W

Got a sneaky day off work yday so managed to get the Old Car running. Its her 50th soon so its all in good time!! Was so good to hear her roar into life. SAdly we didn't have time for a test drive as the seats weren't in!!

Off to work now - yes Sundays suck!!

I'm really freaked out!! Facebook has suggested you both as friends!!

For one - I thought we were already
And two - how the feck did it know. What kinda mad spy device is that ??

FREAKY!! DON'T LIKE IT!!!