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

Five weeks, huh? Hope evrything is ok for you and that things are better now. Please keep in touch.
Tony

Hi Tony

Finally back in work after 6 weeks away and not exactly ecstatic about being here Never mind! Bills have to be paid somehow I guess!

Hope everything is OK with you and your not working too hard?

Helen xxx

Sorry to have missed you. The hap hazard hours of shift work, I'm afraid. Only in Monday and Tuesday of this week as I'm going away for the weekend. Colleen and I are going to a ladies festival in Bournemouth. She has been trying on God knows how many outfits for weeks, and ringing other ladies to find out what they're wearing. It has been quite tiring, for me that is. No matter what I say it's wrong. Is this too formal? Is this too sexy? Is this too thin? Is this not formal enough? Shall I wear long, or not? Anyway, good to hear from you after this time and hope everything your end is fine.
Tony

How are you?
Thought it'd be better to chat this thread than the other which is m,ore open.
Hiow's the house selling game, the blood pressure and of the offspring?
Still the telephones is it?

I'm fine thank you

House is sold (subject to contract of course) and I'm buying another house about 2 miles away from where I am now! So things are looking up

Blood pressure is now under control and as long as I keep taking the pills I should be

Kids are fine too - daughter in the middle of AS levels right now so she's a bit stressed out but once they're over she's going on holiday to Egypt with her b/f so I'm sure she'll be able to de-stress Son is as he always is.........a mixture of angel and devil depending on his mood or how many 'E' numbers he\s consumed that day

and finally.......yes I'm still on the phones which is why it's taken me so long to reply It's a bit busy here tonight!!!

Helen

Been very busy here too. Egypt, huh? I went there last year. I did a weeks cruise down the Nile, four days in Luxor and then three days by the Red Sea. Great holiday. People are really fantastic. Had a marvellous time. Saw all the different temples and ruins. A subject that interests me greatly.
Hope she enjoys it, it was a great holiday.
Glad to hear of your house sale and that your blood pressure is down. I'm sure the house was one of the causes of the problem
Nothing much changes here. Bought a new car as the other was causing problems.
The cassette coping machines are playing up and I've to do the recordings manually which means starting them by hand. And when you have 30 copies to do that can be a drag.
Still it's summer, even if I am asleep when the sun is shining.

They're going to Sharm-El-Sheik for 2 weeks - a sun sea and sand holiday! If it was me I'd be going for the Nile cruise like you. I love all that ancient history and sitting on beaches cooking myself bores me rigid!!!

I could do with a new car too but unless the lottery comes up trumps my old jalopy is going to have to keep going for a while longer

Just had a caller who wanted me to discuss porn with him they're really are some very sick people out there

I can imagine the type of phone calls you must get, I suppose it goes with the job, and as you say, there are some pretty sick people out there.

The cruise was very good. We got the whole two weeks for £649 and booked up 6 weeks before we went. I got it off a satelitte channel. It was so cheap because people were cancelling due to the Iraq war. The boat had room for 198 passengers but there were only 38 of us. This was great as we all got to know each other and it made it nice and cosy. The boat was full board, the hotel in Luxor was five star and half board and the hotel at the Red Sea was five star and full board. The tour people were TUI, who turned out to be the German owners of Thomson holidays.

I usually leave the holiday till about that time, they're selling them off to fill the hotel rooms and cabins and such. They're always cheaper. Went to Malta for £450 and to Kos for £549. This year booked up well in advance as it was a special offer to Zante for £850, £480 cheaper than the brochure. There are loggerheasd turtles there, I'm told.

The car was a bargain. It was £800 off as it was new on the market. it is only a little town car, and not much room in the back seat or boot, but does us. It is a nippy 1300. I got a really good price on the old one as it was only 4 years old and in excellant condition, I'd really looked after it.

Helping a friend organise his ladies festival for next year. it will be Bournemouth - again- but a different hotel.We were not impressed with the last one. the photos have still not arrived from the studios despite thousands of phone calls and letters. Or so it seems. The hotel books the photographer. We won't have they one again.

sounds like you've had quite a few exciting bargain holidays over the years

Troy - another major fact that they failed to mention was that when Achilles was a baby he was held by the ankle and dipped in the river Styx by his mother and consequently the only vulnerable part of his body was his heel! So when, at the end of the film, he was shot with an arrow in the heel by Paris, you wouldn't understand why it would strike him down so badly, if not kill him! Having said that, if you take it as a lavish costume drama with some excellent special effects and dont worry too much about the accuracy of the storyline, then it's a very enjoyable film

Yes I knew the story of the heel and have explained to anyone why he couldn't be killed. I was amazed how many didn't know that. A girl in the office said she liked Hector and thought he was "gorgeous" to quote her own word.She was really upset when he got killed and was dragged around the walls. She said she was disappointed in Orlando Bloom, as in Rings he was this active hero, whereas in Troy he was a wimp. I tried to explain that the actor's craft is to portray different types of people, but she was still upset.

It was great fun as a film. Not just a love story, but an action film as well.If a trifle long.

Even my son, who's 13, knew the story but then they've been studying the Illiad in school. It is amazing how ignorant people are of classic literature tho I'm afraid neither of my kids will pick a book up out of choice but they don'te get that from me! I like nothing better than to have a good book to read and have varied tastes, from slushy romances to a book about Jack the Ripper!

It seems we're breeding a generation of non-readers which is really rather sad I was watching Little Women with my daughter recently and she was asking me all sorts of questions about the story so I told her to go get the book off the shelf and read it. She looked at me as if I'd gone stark raving bonkers

As much as I do not like Harry Potter, I must say it has encouraged children to read. I love books, always have. I have read all Charles Dickens. I have the complete works of Jane Austen, of which I've only read one. Northhanger Abbey I am working my way through books by Dumas at the moment. A chap ibn my place said he doesn't have time to read. I said you have a 45 minute journey to and from work. he said he reads the paper. I said read it on the way in and read a book on the way home. I think he's most likely just lazy and the paper bit is just an excuse.

Hi
Nice to see you back on the threads. In nights next week Thurs 1st and Fri 2mnd, so will look forward to the pleasure of your company then.

Tony

On nights off on Thurs but will be in on Fri night

Not so sure my company is a pleasure but I'll be here

Helen

Great
Tanzen will be on too. Looking forward to it


Tony

Hi Tony

Just to let you know I'm here and about if and when you log in

Bit busy here right now but should quieten down later on.........hopefully (fingers crossed)

Look forward to chatting later!

Helen x

Arrived at 20:30, but been very busy since. This is the first chance I've had to log on. Good to hear you're about.

It's busy here too........Friday night after payday and everyones out on the town It'll probably be busy till about 2am!

Just get back when you can, I know what it's like when you're working

Was very busy, then the speakers on the cassette copying machines failed. I sent for the repair chaps. The one who arrived said the machines were built and fitted before his time and he'd have to go and fetch the plans. That was 56 minutes ago and he's not returned. I have tons of stuff to do and no way of copying them. Oh well, hey ho sigh.

How's things since we last chatted? Nothing changes here, still the same old grind.

sounds about par for the course to me with your repair man

Things much the same here as well Eldest daughters wedding looms ever closer - 2 weeks tomorrow so something to look forward too The sale of the house is still going thro as far as I know altho I've heard s*d all for about 6 weeks so haven't got a clue whats going on! Few phone calls need to be next week I think and see whats happening!