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

Hi, Woodpigeon,

Just been listening to the Birmingham St. Patricks Parade on the the radio, while watching the woodpigeons negotiating our trees in the howling wind and rain, and I thought of you!

We usually get glorious weather for this event, but this morning was dreadful, though it is slightly better now. Still, it takes more than wind and rain to keep the Brummies in their armchairs when people have worked so hard to put on an event. Whether adopted or indigenous Brummies, or somewhere in between everyone will have a lovely day. Just wish I could have joined. them. TV cameras were there from all over, so perhaps it might get a mention on your TV.

Anyway, happy St. Patrick's Day to you for Wednesday. I hope the babes are doing well, and you and Mrs. WP too.

Websailor

Hi Websailor,

Our big day here is on Wednesday, and almost invariably it pours from the heavens on the day. Usually there is also a biting wind to accompany it! However it can often be a fun time, particularly if it falls near a weekend. There is typically a Paddy's Day parade in all cities and small towns across the country, and indeed even some very small villages have something going on. Recently Dublin started to celebrate St.Patrick's Week, with a huge fireworks display on the Saturday before March 17. The biggest event on the Irish calendar during the week isn't even in Ireland! It's in England - the Cheltenham racing festival.

All is doing well at home. My family are well, and the babies are now starting to sleep well during the night. The sleep gene runs strong in our family!

Happy St Pats to you also!

Woodpigeon

Thanks for replying. Sounds a lot of fun. Do you really mean that England has something of greater interest to Ireland! What a nice surprise. We were only saying yesterday that Ireland, Soctland and Wales have a clear idea of their own identity, but England doesn't. Maybe it is because we are such a "great big melting pot"!

Glad the babies are sleeping well. What bliss. Unless you have been through it you have no idea what a joy that is. The sleep gene is pretty strong in my family too, except for the eldest who always had his days and nights topsy turvey till he was about 4!

Not sleeping too well myself at the moment as youngest son is experiencing bullying of a very insidious kind at work, and he is off with severe work related stress. Has only been there about four months and there is no sign of anything being done about it.

He is not the type to like being out of work, and as he has commitments it is a real worry.

Still, worse things happen at sea! Hope that doesn't apply to my English Rose VI as she sails from the Falklands up towards the Azores. They sailed on Saturday. Spoke to them on their Sat. phone which felt very strange. Let's hope they get something done about illegal longlining and the deaths of the Albatrosses. Those birds have a huge significance for "people of the sea" and if the destruction continues it would be a tragedy if it went the way of the Dodo.

Bye for now
Websailor

Oh that is awful about your son . I hope things get better soon. Is he getting any professional help or councelling? This type of bullying seems to be so common nowadays, and legal options seem still to be very employer-oriented, despite the rhetoric. Sometimes people just need new sources of inspiration. I suffered a significant amount of bullying from a classmate many years ago, and it took me *a long time* to come to the realisation that I had a say in all this. I did something that in hindsight was quite courageous - I broke off my friendship with him completely, which resulted in things getting better almost immediately.

My daughter is 2 today, but she is down with a tummy bug. Can't keep anything in, but otherwise her form is fine. I can't believe that 2 years have passed by so quickly!

Here's to your support of the crew of the English Rose. The more people learn about the environment, the more they might be inclined to do something about it. The world will be a sadder place if those birds disappear from our planet.

Woodpigeon

Thanks for your commiserations Woodpigeon,

I don't think counselling is going to help at this stage. A different job would put things right almost immediately which is why he is off. He is frantically looking! The longer you are subject to that kind of thing the worse you feel. I endured school bullying many, many years ago, which ruined my early schooldays.

Websailor

Well, Woodpigeon,

Our St. Patrick's Day is lovely - mild, dry and sunny, hope yours is good.

Having a clear out of computer files and office and found this which I thought you might like:

http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html

I don't know which search engine you use, but most people I know only bother with Google. Quite apart from anything else they have a sense of humour and their work environment sounds brilliant.

Hope you have a titter!
Websailor

Ha! I've been rumbled! Yes - I use Google. They even have an Irish Language version available.

We had a lovely St Patricks day. I brought the kids to see the local parade - a *lot* of tractors, with some bands and scouts and a troop of army reserves thrown in to boot. The Chernobyl Children's Project were there though, which brought a lump to my throat. What these people have done and continue to do for the kids of Belarus is amazing.

Booby prize of the event went to a big horse (well, that's what I think it was) which was constructed of papier mache, flanked by the moodiest group of teenagers imaginable, and literally falling apart in front of our eyes!

Woodpigeon

Glad Google's workforce amused you. Fancy you being one of them

The Chernobyl Children's Project, or something similar brings a group of children here to Warwickshire, every year I think, to give them good food, fresh (ish) air and a holiday. They also get treatment for any illnesses or dental probs etc. I do wonder how they feel when they go home, having experienced a nice life for a while. But home is where the heart is, even in this age of travel and emigration.

Makes you think how easily it could have been us, and whatever makes people think nuclear power is the answer to our energy problems?

Websailor

Its when you look at the devastation that was caused by Chernobyl - easily the biggest environmental disaster in human history - that you see that fission based nuclear power really is not an option. You are dealing with huge timescales far into the future, so you can never guarantee what will happen many years into the future. A hundred years ago to a human is a civilisation away.

Sellafield is a very big issue for Irish people, particularly in the light of the terrorist threats.

Hello Again,

Hope your little girl is feeling better. I meant to say Happy Birthday to her but forgot!

I understand what you say about Sellafield. A friend of mine moved many years ago to Anglesey to give her children a better life!! She has since had breast cancer, and recovered, but it makes you wonder. Her father did work for the university, going out in a glass bottomed boat sampling.

He used to bring her, and us, tons of fish, which we relished!! If only we had known!

Torrential rain and strong winds are battering the back and sides of my house, so I can't hear anything else. Hope you are doing better.

Websailor

We had a pretty rough night last night weather-wise, but it is a wonderful day here today.

My daughter is still a bit poorly, but she just needs a bit more pampering over the next few days. She is easy to pamper though!

Another Friday - it was a quick week this week, give that we had St. Pats day off on Wednesday.

Talk to you soon!

Woodpigeon