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

So whats this about the poppy then big in your area

Remembrance Day, previously called Armistice Day, is November 11th. And the wearing of poppies is a common thing here, remembering and honouring our warriors, past and present.

And having worn this country's uniform, I tend to not over-look such things.

My father was an old soldier WW11 Major Paarachute Regiment all the usual medals plus 3 mentioned in dispatches and MC and bar, same thing never missed but in his last 10 years went 100% white poppy could not explane why he just felt it right...

Until a couple of years ago, honours and awards here were very sparse things. So I only have the medal for my first 12 years of "meritorious" service. Or as we called it, "undetected crime". When I got out, I was just shy of the first clasp to attach to it.

The White Poppy campaign is relatively new here, I think. I've not seen anything of it in the smaller city/town that I live in.

What were you in

When I joined in '77, we all wore the same forest-green uniforms and didn't really differentiate the "environments". They'd been integrated in '68. As a vote-getting thing, a new Prime Minister got us distinctive uniforms in '88 and '89, and they gave me Air Force blues. My wife got the same. She was a military

Yes good man Lostbagpuss is ex army I think well done you

I left home very young and then my employment ran out too quickly. At the time, (March) no-one was hiring except the military. You know, that lull in business seasons after Christmas. What was expected to be a basic 5-year stint ended up being 21 years. And now I do exactly the same trade and work, for the same people. Just as a contracted civilian, for nearing 9 years. It's worked out nicely, I suppose.

What's your line of employment?

Selling R V's

What kind of rental deal can ya do for, say, a couple of weeks in September '07?

We dont rent them but I will get you a deal sorted

Hmmm, I'd have to assume that buying one, and then re-selling it after 14 or 15 days wouldn't be very 'cost effective'. Mind, I would expect to be putting some mileage to it. Essex, a few day trips in to London, some of Wales, Dublin, Glasgow ...

you will loose 3000 gbm minimum rentings cheeper

I wouldn't do it anyway. Besides you people all driving on the wrong side of the road, herding such a beast around totally unknown types and styles of roadways would defeat any enjoyment of the trip. And with my luck, I'd have us lost 50% of the time. Dirk Gently style, we may not see what we'd hoped for, but it would inevitably be interesting.

So go to europe where the roads will be familiar and the fuel and food cheeper.

Ah, the specific h2g2 friends that we are looking to visit with, and be our tourism guides, don't live in Europe. The novel adventure of the new places and the chance to meet friends at the same time is our anniversary gift to ourselves.

so go for it about 100 gbp a day should cover it

About 2 and a half times what I'd pay here, plus the roughly doubling of the fuel charges ... I think we'll go with coach or train or plane from area to area, and what-ever local transportation can be found. Atleast 2 of our stops are drivers with their own wheels, so feeding petrol to them is easy enough for us. We ARE on a limited budget.

I know thhings are expensive herrbut 100gbp includes fuel, still pricey I know but back to my original point things are expensive here....

Yes, I have had occassion to compare notes on various "cost of living" things over the time I've been on h2g2. Mostly, plans will firm-up in the spring, when we know what we have for cash reserves to work with. We began a separate account and it is growing ...

Meanwhile, with petrol as costly as it is, is that making your job much harder? To make a reasonable number of sales in a week or month?