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

Good idea to get a full service for the bike while it's out of action, so it should run much better when the cycle path is also back in action

That is disappointing about the scanner at work generating 600dpi pixelated images... I scanned all mine at work and they were mostly OK (although I know what you mean about faded colour) - page 15 came out pixelated, though, so the settings must have changed for that one... Maybe something to do with the image format (not jpg?), I don't know. Yes indeed it is worth waiting a bit longer for better quality results That is good news that you've found a second hand one

Yes, although I was reliant on wifi during this weekend, it wasn't *that* much of an issue. I was nearly turned away from there last time I visited the model railway exhibition, though - somehow they had booked someone else into the accessible room. Fortunately the other person was not disabled and was able to move to a non-accessible room so I was able to stay after all. Very convenient for visiting

The work scanner scanned in jpeg format (it does either jpeg or pdf) and while the blacks are very dark, everything other colour appears faded somehow, and very spotty if you zoom in. But presumably despite the work scanner's results looking bleached and devoid of colour, Amazon would think, 'Aha! 600dpi rather than 200 means this document isn't a colouring book'.
Sometimes it is true what they say about good things coming to those who wait

So, after your trip away and hectic work week, are you having a more calm, measured, normal week? Or are you up to much?

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Ah, yes I think PDF format might have been what made my cartoon pixelated, so that is strange that your work scanner scans in jpg and still manages to generate a grainy image... Highly possible that Amazon would like it better

The stressful week has caught up with me today somewhat so I've been feeling rather drained, but shopping was OK as I just went to the little Sainsbury's and got everything I was looking for (plus I used the voucher that I got from Eastleigh, so that was a nice bonus ). Some non-strenuous birdwatching tomorrow should help me feel more refreshed

Next week isn't looking very promising, as I met one deadline on Friday but another one went whooshing past. I have a meeting with my boss on Monday, anyway, so we'll sort it out I have a hygienist appointment next week, too, which is daunting - I generally don't mind a teeth clean, but I haven't met this person before so am anxious about whether she will be understanding (as the nurse I hadn't met before wasn't very understanding) but I am sure we will be able to have a dialogue, at least Anyway, I shall try not to need to work late, and that should help

I hope you had a successful Saturday, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend

Excellent to see your Model Railway photos on - fascinating to compare and contrast Glad you enjoyed looking at my photos, too - really interesting studying all the details

They are very high quality images drained of all colour, so doubtless Amazon would love them... But hopefully the new old scanner will arrive soon, it is supposed to at some point before the end of the week.

Sorry to hear that you've felt as drained as a colour image scanned by a photocopier, but hopefully the birdwatching has indeed made a difference, and things will look better after your meeting with your boss, and the hygienist appointment will be better than previously.

My weekend has been successfully uneventful, which is good.

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"as drained as a colour image scanned by a photocopier" - a very apt simile. Birdwatching was a tonic, though, indeed, as I added 7 birds to my list including a Kingfisher and Goldcrest It was one of those fantastic days when I announced what I was looking for and there it was! (I mentioned that I hadn't seen a Tufted Duck, and then I spotted two. I asked if any Nuthatches had been seen, and then I saw one in a tree ). 71 bird species seen and photographed by 2 February is a record for me Might make subsequent birding trips more difficult, but there are still a few 'easy' species I haven't seen yet

Glad your weekend was good

You really are making excellent birdwatching progress this year! Soon you will have spotted so many you'll be able to take the rest of the year off, and be able to spend your time relaxing and going birdwatching instead. If everything you announced turned up, did you try announcing winning lottery numbers too?

Sadly I lost the bottom half of my lunchbox, which has been missing for a couple of months now. I bought it from Ikea, so my nammettime mission today is to see if I can get a replacement lunchbox from them. I bought it a good few years ago - definitely before lockdown - so I don't know if they would still sell it. Ikea is a frustrating shop to pop to when all you want is a lunchbox - the secret is to know the shortcuts and to use the fire exit staircase so you don't have to go all the way round every area. But which area would lunchboxes be in? Kitchen utilities? Will I be able to find one? Only time will tell.

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Yes, in theory someone could spot all the winter birds in January/February, then after the summer birds had been spotted there wouldn't be anything new left to see in August-December (without 'twitching' rare birds blown off course from somewhere else), but that won't be me. Some days I do focus more on photography than adding to the list, though, as I tend to find there are fewer species around on a bright day that is good light for photographs. It would be interesting to try out the announcement technique with lottery numbers Not likely, as the same number can be picked two weeks on the run, but I did used to take note of which numbers hadn't appeared for a while when the draw used to be on BBC1 - announcing 'I haven't seen X for a while' might just make it appear

Sorry about the mystery of the missing lunchbox compartment... I hope you managed to find a suitable replacement if not the exact same type That is good that you know the secret shortcut to avoid the one-way system - otherwise it would be frustrating indeed when all you want is the bitty bits at the end. Sounds like the lunchboxes would be in the kitchen utilities area, so I hope they were easy for you to locate

I've still been under the weather today, but feeling better since this morning as I had a tonic drink so I'm 'forty-fived with vitamins and iron' The meeting with my boss was reassuring, and clocking off at usual finish time, rather than working late like last week, also helped. Nothing too strenuous anticipated for tomorrow, so I should feel even better then

My brand-new second-hand scanner arrived yesterday, and works perfectly, hurray! So I spent yesterday scanning the doodles I'd done since my last scanner worked. I'll see if I can take an unadulterated screenshot of the first scan I did using the new scanner compared to the same page using the work scanner. The scanner's first scan admittedly let in some light which putting a book on the lid above the notepad eliminates, but if I don't it isn't a major issue in that I'm able to change the grey to white easily enough. As long as the rest of the colours aren't drained, I can cope with off-white.

Alas, I went to Ikea yesterday at nammettime, but didn't find anything they had even remotely resembling what I'd had before. I did find it online: https://en.ikea-club.org/item/90349468.html but not available to buy. I guess I'll have to try and find something similar elsewhere. Ikea seemed full of food containers with plastic bases, but stretchy material like that used in rubber gloves that you stretch to form lids. Not keen on that idea and don't know how well it will stack.

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Hurray for the scanner indeed! Thanks for the comparison images - shocking how poor the colour is on the 600dpi work scanner, but impressive how rich the colour is on your one - well worth the effort of finding a like-for-like replacement, as it produces great results Hopefully adding a book to reduce the light that gets in will make the images even clearer, but your photoshopping was great - got rid of the grey tinge while keeping the rich blues, browns and golds

That is annoying but not surprising that Ikea have discontinued the good lunchbox - that was a neat bit of kit I have a nifty insulated bowl that is really useful, as it keeps my legs cool when I'm carrying hot dinner to the table - I would like another one of those, but it was discontinued by Joseph Joseph. I did find a different bowl from Nutrifresh that is also useful, and they might just have options for you, too. Alternatively a search for Bento Boxes might yield something you like

Yes, I've been pleased with the scanner so far - I must admit that I do enjoy familiarity and if I find something that I know works, I like to stick with it unless there's a reason to change.

Since scanning I found out that when I thought I was wrong in my page count for my story and was short, I was right the first time. So the story ended up being 25 pages long and didn't need the extra page at the end after all. Oh well, I think it works nevertheless.

That bowl sounds definitely useful, so a real pity that it was discontinued. I do wonder how often things pop up online second-hand.

I took the kittens out into the outside for a walk at lunchtime - I would say garden, but they didn't really go far from the kitchen door and then a helicopter flew over which terrified them. We took them out over the weekend, but they only went as far as sniffing the door frame and Milo was terrified, which makes me wonder if he did get trapped somewhere before? I hope to take them out for a little bit most days, but probably not Mondays and Tuesday for now, as on those days I'm normally in the office while there's daylight.

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Yes, I'm a big fan of products that work, too - 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. I do look occasionally online for my bowl, but it is one of those things that does wear out, so less likely to turn up second-hand.

Speaking of excellent second-hand things, I received my new old phone today and successfully added Strava It linked in with my fitness tracker, which is nifty. The GPS worked quite well, fulfilling the task that my fitness tracker can't do, but it was a bit random - no trees, but I wonder if the buildings I passed had an effect on the signal... I pressed a button in the app, so it might send you a notification I've not added the sim card to the phone yet, but it's ready when I need it

That is puzzling that Milo is scared of the outside after the mystery excursion - does sound like there was a problem, but whatever it was he managed to get back to you, which is the main thing - not so bad if he would rather stay closer to home... That is sad about the helicopter going by just when they were outside - terrifying for cats indeed... They will feel better going for walks with you more regularly, I'm sure

That is strange about the page count, but at least 25 is a good square number, and more pleasing than 23 would have been

That's great news that you've been able to link Strava and your fitness tracker, even if the GPS does go a bit all over the place. It could well be buildings interfering with the signal, all I know from my experience is that I've gone for runs and it has zig-zagged all over the place whereas someone I've been running with has ended up with smooth straight lines. The worst case of Strava getting confused I've had is when I walked around the Undercliff as part of our camping/walking weekend, possibly having the cliff meant that GPS couldn't get a signal at all.

I'm a bit annoyed today as the works of fiction I've been reading for the last couple of weeks weren't telling the truth.
I bought six books from Oxfam a few months ago and started reading them just after Christmas. The first three s were a trilogy, and book four said 'The first book in an exciting new trilogy!' on the back, the next said, 'The exciting new sequel to the last book!' and the last is 'The exciting new sequel to the previous one!' (the blurb writer is easily excitable by new books, methinks).

BUT IT WAS A LIE! The second trilogy actually contains four books. So I got to the end of book three in the second trilogy - and had been thinking this week, 'I don't think there's enough pages left to resolve all the plot threads' as I was reading it, and it is because it isn't a trilogy after all but a quadrilogy or tetralogy (depending on if you prefer Latin or Greek). But the important thing is - There's suddenly a fourth book!
And I ain't got it, because I thought there were three....

So I ordered it on ee-by-gum, but it won't arrive instantly, so I can't read it now and I can't really start another until it arrives, so I'm bookless. But it only cost £3:48, which seems remarkably low as I'd've thought postage alone would be more than that?

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Ah, yes that makes sense that buildings affect the signal, given that the Undercliff affected your route rather spectacularly Fascinating that other people get signal when you don't on the same run, though... Today's run was a bit better - some strange zigzags, but at least it recorded me as going along the road rather than literally all around the houses!

Ah, that is disappointing that you bought what you thought was a complete set of 6 'exciting' books, only to discover that one was missing... Glad you managed to track it down for a good price, but yes tricky about the wait when you're just in the zone to finish the series... I had the opposite problem where Diane Duane announced there would be four books in the 'Door into' series, but then the fourth one hasn't been written yet (the first one in the tetralogy was written in 1979, the second in 1984 and the third in 1992). I'm not sure I would read it now if it were written, because the series was of its/my time, somehow. Diane Duane herself has said in a 'since you asked me' http://www.dianeduane.com/outofambit/2011/07/15/since-you-were-asking-the-door-into-starlight/ she matured as a writer so, even though she knew how the book would begin (from where the third book left off) and how it would end, she decided to redo the plot for the middle bit - I'm not sure it would be better (for me) than what she had in mind 45 years ago...

I was a bit tired again this morning after a challenging meeting when someone was asking me for things I hadn't done, but told my boss later he was impressed with what I had done. However, between the tonic drink and Strava running in the cold fresh air, I feel much better in the afternoons, so I'm getting over the 'under the weather' The weather was 'frog and fost' this morning, though, so I was glad not to need to go out in it until the sun came out and brightened everything up

The teeth clean went well - the hygienist was very understanding indeed, so was clear about what was happening step by step The funny was that the nurse struggled to see what she was doing for some reason, so put the sucky thing against my cheek rather than allowing it to suck the water from the water jet tool. Luckily the hygienist was able to mop my face while doing the cleaning so I didn't end up totally drenched. Made me laugh lots, as I also made a little water fountain every time I hic-swallowed. Good job done, too - I had some stains from a disinfectant mouthwash I used last year, and they came off as well as all the usual dirt, so the experience was refreshing

A fairly productive day's work, too, without being too stressful - lots to do next week as more has been carried forward, but it's all OK for now, so I can appreciate the weekend. I hope you all have a good weekend, too

In good news, the missing 4th book in the trilogy that I ordered from eBuyGum has arrived. The blurb on the back says, 'The final volume in the best-selling series' so hopefully I won't have any unexpected cliffhangers, but I'm worried about the lack of excitement... It does also worryingly say 'The Endless Quest' (I know there are more sequels set hundreds of years later, but I'm ignoring them for now). Anyway, in case you had wondered, they are the Shannara books by Terry Brooks, which it must be said have become my second-favourite fantasy series written by an author called 'Terry'. Entertaining and indeed exciting, but definitely lacking the depth of Pratchett or Tolkien.

Ah - Diane Duane, she is an author whose work I am vaguely familiar with, in that I have most of her 'Star Trek' s. She wrote a few particularly about the Romulans in the years before 'The Next Generation' and she developed Romulan culture in a very in-depth and fascinating way, that was completely ignored and contradicted by 'The Next Generation' and subsequent series since. She was definitely one of the better writers. Not read her Doors books though.

It is strange sometimes re-reading books that you enjoyed in your childhood, as in some ways the innocence has gone and you read a deeper meaning to things. As a child I really enjoyed reading the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, but when I re-read them more recently I realised how unacceptably racist and sexist they all were...

I know the phenomenon of authors leaving books unwritten. Bernard Cornwall began writing a series of novels set during the American Civil War and wrote four, about half the overall arc, but it turns out that his predominantly British fanbase are uninterested in the American Civil War and they didn't sell at all well, so though he has often said that he'd like to finish the series he simply hasn't, writing more Sharpe and Last Kingdom books instead.
And George RR Martin is the famed master of not delivering promised sequels, though he has the opposite issue to having not-written the book. He says he is a gardener author who doesn't plan but watches stories grow, and his technique is ludicrous. If, for example, he has two characters heading to the same town, he would write chapters about what would have happened if character A arrived in the town first and subsequent actions, then write chapters about what would have happened if character B arrived first and explore that possibility, and then what would have happened had they arrived at the same time. And then by exploring every conceivable possibility he decides which works best, and then moves on to the next junction where there are different possibilities of events happening. So his much anticipated next book has had millions of words written and isn't finished yet.

Hope you have a great weekend and get a chance to fully recover, whatever the weather.

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h2g2 was strange - your post is after my post, but it wasn't showing a new message in My Space until today... Must have been

That was prompt for your book to be delivered I have heard of Shannara, but not read any. Hopefully the ending is satisfying to you after the extra effort to get it!

Yes, I have enjoyed some of Diane Duane's Star Trek novelisations Must be more money in those, as one of the reasons she didn't continue with Door Into sooner was because the other books in the series didn't sell very well... Yes, tricky to go back to things that were once enjoyed, in case they don't stand the test of time. I read The Famous Five twice, following Anne the first time, as she was the same age as me when I first read the series, then following Julian the second time as I was his age then. A re-read of the Bronte novels allowed me to appreciate greater depth in the stories than when I was a child, so I enjoyed that very much I enjoyed Door Into particularly because there was a character I imagined to be Freddie Mercury, and he was well looked after by the character who was his husband There was another character who had the voices of everyone she had ever loved and lost in her head, and that was a really lovely exploration of grief that has stayed with me

Writing all possible scenarios and then picking one is an interesting writing technique, but sounds like 'that way lies madness' - I can hardly conceive of trying to find a plot amongst millions of words... When I did NaNoWriMo, aiming for 50,000 words, I planned the plot one year and the first draft of the entire novel was 10,000 words

I saw your wife's poster about - all the best to you all

I did have a refreshing weekend - quite cold and damp outside, but good to go out for a little walk and I met a friendly Wren as well as a couple of Pheasants, so I added to my bird list

I know that there are a lot more books in the Shannara series, but I was only planning to read the original trilogy and the sequel 'trilogy' for now as I'd found them in Oxfam. As I didn't want to have any spoilers or inadvertently read that, say, character A dies or character B is a villain all along, I've not looked the books up on Wickedpedia to find out more.

I've not read the Famous Five books, I avoided both them and the Secret Seven as my sister was reading them and I wanted to have my own books to read, enjoying stories such as 'Biggles' instead. In fact, many of my favourite books growing up I listed in the 'Favourite Children's Authors' entry. I did enjoy the John Finnemore sketch of them growing up and one of them becoming a smuggler.
I can't imagine trying to write every conceivable outcome and then deciding on the correct path can ever be a sensible method of writing a story - it sounds like being stuck to me. I can definitely imagine George RR Martin getting fed up of people asking him, 'When are you going to write the next book?' when he's been doing nothing but write the next book for the last decade in infinite detail in every conceivable way, putting the infinite Shakespeare-writing monkeys to shame. I have a by Arthur C Clarke titled, 'The Lost Worlds of 2001' which contains deleted scenes removed from his initial book of '2001: A Space Odyssey', as the novel and film's plot were developed together, as well as 14 further books of Tolkien's Middle Earth additional, unused material. You'd need a library for Martin's deleted scenes.

Coincidentally, my best friend at work today started telling me all sorts of wren facts as she's been reading a book all about the wren.

Maxy's situation is different to Milo's, in that Milo was a young kitten in the prime of life who went outside for the very first time (probably urged on by hormones) and probably became lost. Maxy knows the area and is unlikely to go far, especially as he isn't well. He needs his medication to stay alive, and he hasn’t' had any for a week. He isn't in pain but is easily tired. When approaching the end of life, cats often leave home and find somewhere to hide - not understanding that after a trip to the vet it wouldn't necessarily be the end of life.

We were told that Maxy had less than a year to live in May 2023, and through our love and constant care he defied those odds to still be with us in February 2025. And for most of that time he didn't realise he was at all ill. But for the last few months he has known; his breathing has become more difficult and he has been increasingly tired all the time. While it is painful for us, I believe he has decided that it was his time to go, and he made the decision that we never could.

If he returns I will be absolutely delight, but I really don't think that is likely. I suspect he is in the large overgrown area behind the fence behind our house, where the grass is really tall and the brambles so thick you can't see more than a foot in front of you. That's a perfect place for a cat to hide from the world and there's no way to explore it to look for him.

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Yes that was a funny John Finnemore sketch about the Famous Five - I did appreciate that one I read the Secret Seven, but they were definitely different - harder for author and readers to keep up with seven characters (or eight including the dog), so some of the characters tended to get sidelined. Lots more thrilling books indeed - I haven't read much Biggles, but definitely enjoyed The Tripods and The Tomorrow People, for example.

"putting the infinite Shakespeare-writing monkeys to shame" - well said. Yes, good to have some 'deleted scenes' that didn't fit into an original work after editing, but which add richness to a fictional world in their own right, but a collection of millions of words that potentially don't fit anywhere does sound like being stuck indeed...

That is a coincidence that your friend at work has been reading about wrens while I've been seeing them out and about Amazing that they are the most common bird in the UK, but they are well camouflaged in trees etc, not to mention being tiny, so are less visible than House Sparrows, for example

Sorry Maxy hasn't been feeling well lately, but impressive that he defied those odds so well thanks to the love and care you all provided. Your theory about the brambles near the house sounds the most likely indeed... Thinking of you all

So Maxy has definitely passed away. Today I got permission from no 108 to go into their allotment, which borders the field, to see if he was visible along their boundary with the field, and yes - his body was lying down near a gap between the two, behind a compost bin. I must admit that to get to him I did bend the fence a little to make the gap bigger, but after a while was able to stretch and get him, and we brought him home to say goodbye and have taken him to the vet to be cremated. Our garden is virtually all patio, with the gaps in the patio only a small layer of soil on top of brick, so we plan to buy a large plant pot and put a in, and then scatter his ashes there.

I didn't read those books, but I did watch both The Tomorrow People and The Tripods - perhaps I should have read the to find out how the Tripods ended?
Although thinking about it, I think I may well have borrowed a Tomorrow People book from the Middle School library...? Not sure - that's a maybe. Definitely never owned one though.

Anyway, wishing you all the best. Hope tomorrow is a day you can reflect on happy memories.

Take care

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That's a lovely idea for a tribute to Maxy I saw the lovely tributes on FB, too

I must admit I do enjoy Valentine's Day, as I like seeing and everywhere. I buy some flowers for D and get to keep them as if D gave them to me I didn't manage to find any fresh this year, because of the day being a Friday and I go shopping on a Saturday, but I did get Lego Roses which are very clever

Yes, I did see more Tomorrow People on TV than in books, but I did appreciate being able to read about the Tripods and get more from the story than the TV series was able to provide

I did an interesting experiment with Strava this week - I went to the post office and didn't turn on GPS before I set off as I needed my phone to be displaying a barcode for the postperson. On my way back, I turned on the GPS and got a nice clean line for my route. The next day I turned on the GPS in the house and got a wibbly line, then on the way back from the postbox I turned the GPS off and on again and got another clean line. Yesterday I turned the GPS on in the house, but the route was a good line for the out and back run Fascinating!

The other news from this week is that I finally managed to get a report out of my new data system after months and months of wrangling Not quite as good as I had in mind when I started the project, as I had to bodge stuff together in the end and will need to redo a lot of it in September, but at least it works for now

All the best to you all, and take care