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

The end of summer... It had to come.

Not yet, it isn't It is glorious here today, hot sunny, breezy and apparently there is more to come.

Personally, I love Autumn, or Fall, whichever you call it. The colours are glorious, with cool mornings and evenings, and warm days. The nights are drawing in but our wildlife is keeping us amused, so I am not dreading this winter quite as much as usual.

Perhaps because I was born at that time of year (though apparently it was bucketing down with rain at the time!) I like it.

I have the windows open at the moment, listening to the birds and squirrels, and later when it gets dark I can hear the foxes and the owls, the occasional dog, and now, of course, the fireworks are starting again



Websailor

It's sunny and warm - hot, actually - here too. Still summer as far as the weather's concerned. I'm just a bit glum because it's time for my summer helpers to go back to university. It's a bit harder than usual this year to say farewell because we have worked together now for three years and this looks like being the last time.

Looking on the bright side - and it is bright outside - there is still lots of gardening ahead if the weather stays nice. In fact, September should be lovely this year; because the summer was so hot a lot of the flowers took a siesta and now they are trying to make up for lost time.

My two have returned to school today too...

My youngest is in first grade now - practically a grown-up if you ask her (though that's a dubious goal at best).

All in all, I've found being a grown-up a bit of a disappointment. Being able to stay up late is no consolation either; I'm too tired most of the time.

Funny that. We are never satisfied are we? There must be some perks to being grown up, but I am blowed if I can think of one at the moment

Thunder and rain here and very humid. I hate it. It has not been enought to clear the air either. For some reason where I live it goes round us and comes back but we only get the edge of it, or we are in the eye of it.

Still, I mustn't complain having seen the photos of the poor souls in New Orleans and Mississippi. Where on earth do you start clearing up with something like that, with probably several more hurricanes to come?

JTG. what is is you do exactly? You sound really sad at seeing the students go.

Websailor

Being able to reach things that used to be to high up is a good point.

I've just been watching the news about Hurricane Katerina and the damage caused by the storm. It's hard to grasp th scale of the damage. My wife and I were in New Orleans and Biloxi a couple of years or so back on holiday. It's shocking to see what has happened there. Thee are so many poor people in that area who would have lost everything. I doubt that very many of them would carry much in the way of insurance either. So they are probably facing the prospect of staring again from scratch, those who didn't lose loved ones - the lucky ones really.

I'm a municipal gardener. I am a bit glum at the moment. The girls and I have a lot of fun. They're a great bunch, more fun than the proverbial barrel of monkeys. I've worked with the same ones for three years and this is probably the last time we'll work together, the end of an era.

In fact, in about three hours time one of them will be flying to your side of the Atlantic to continue her studies in Canterbury.