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

I'm not on hoo too at home. I have never bothered to join the internet on home PC. I really must get around to doing it. I, too, have missed out chats. I have been on but mostly during day. Most of the start of the year I was off due to the knee, and then only on days when I returned as they wouldn't let me work nights. I am sorry to hear the after all this time you are still having problems with the house selling, but pleased to hear something is on the way. My fingers are crossed for you.
To bring you up to date. Coll and I went to the New Forest at St Valentines. Great weekend. In May we went to Bournemouth for a ladies festival weekend and had a great time. Over ther weekend they raised £728 which is for charity. We are going to see Billy Elliot the musical as Coll wants to see it. Her daughter loaned us the DVD of Phantom Of The Opera. I've seen the stage play twice, but the DVD version was excellant.
Sunday it was such a lovely hot day we sat in the garden and I did a bar b q. Coll bought a rose bush from a local garden centre called "Remember Me" and will ask the gardner to put it in for her. It has an unusual copper coloured bloom.
I am going into hospital to have the left knee done now. I'm told it will be sometime in July Or August.
Coll's son who has his own business in lorida has invited us over and we intend to go in Semptember. All we have to do is find air fare as he will put us up. He is organising a cruise to New Orleans and Mexico for us. He can get this cheap as he has friends and contacts in the business.
How are things otherwise from the house. Are you well? What of your son? What of your job?

Congratulations on your house and I hope you and your son will be very happy there.
I will not be here for at least 8 weeks as I have to go into hospital for a knee replacement operation.
Keep in touch.

I'm OKish at the moment thanx Just had a couple of days with an upset stomach so haven't been in work but apart from that am fine! Up to my eyeballs in packing cases, boxes and bags full of rubbish to be unpacked and found a new home......am not planning on mooving again for quite a while, altho I'm renting the place I've moved to. The rent is very reasonable and it's a nice comfortable little house and just right for me and Dan (and Lorna and Rhys when they decide to visit and even the eldest daughter and her husband when they come down too)

My life is pretty routine at the moment. No holidays booked or anything exciting coming up in the near future....in fact, the social life is fairly non-existant at the moment ......am never going to catch a millionaire this way am I??

Hope everything goes OK with the knee op and hopefully you'll be running the London Marathon next year

Until we meet up again, take care and God Bless

First day back after op. Hope you are still around and the new home is all you want it to be.

Good to see you back online Tony

How is everything? How did the op go? Can you get about better now?

The house is fine although there's still a few things that the landlord needs to do but am sure we'll get there eventually

The knee op went well, I'm told, but the knee became full of fluid due to tissue damage and I had to return to hospital to have it drained. The knee still has fluid in it and is still swollen, but I have returned to work after 9 weeks off. It is still painful and stiff to walk on.
Glad the home is fine. I'm sure if you shake the landlord warmly by the throat you'll get things done.
I have been pestering the council to put central heating in the flat, now they are coming Wednesday. It's because the doctor has organised me to be registered as disabled and that helps push things through a smidgen quicker, not much but just a touch.
For Colleen's birthday I took her to Thorsby Hall, an old building in Nottingham, Sherwood Forest area, and we had a lovely weekend. It rained non stop, but the old building is a Warners hotel and there was entertainment. The food was excellant. We paid a bit more to stay in the old building,but it was worth it. Wanted to go into Nottinghma for the lace, but the weather was so bad, didn't get to see any of the Robin Hood stuff either.
Went to a wedding in Bridport in Dorest, stayed in this old farmhouse, five bedrooms, thatched roof. It was fantastic. The wedding was in Dorchester and we stayed on this farm in Bridport, owned by Colleen's friends. They had a pig roast on the Sunday with one of their own pigs. The sausages were lovely. Hope you're not a veggie.
Colleen's son is a ceo of his own campany in Florida and has invited us over to stay with him. It will only cost us the fares. The flight is £569 and he will loan us his automatic BMW car. All we have to do is pay for our petrol. We fly out on Oct 29th and return on November 21st.
The job is under threat of redundancy, and after 33 years with the BBC, I'm considering taking consenual and leaving with cash in my pocket. I retire in four years anyway and the money may not be on the table then.This is only in the thought stage at the moment and I may decide to stay.
How are the things your way? What's your gossip?
Hope you and the lad are well.

to hear things didn't go quite according to plan with the knee op......but then, if you're anything like me, they never do!!! Can guarantee I'll be the one that has to be awkward I missed the last step going down to my back door 3 weeks ago (no! I wasn't drunk ) and sprained my ankle.....altho it's 100% better than it was it's still puffy and achey from time to time......these things just take time to heal I guess! I did go and have it x-rayed but there was nothing broken

There's not a lot of gossip really. I've either been working, running around after the kids or trying to get the new house into some sort of order, all of which seem to take up most of my time. Have some leave booked in October and am hoping to get away for a few days and visitr a few friends arund the country. My best friend from school days lives near Cambridge, my eldest daughter and son-in-law live near Windsor and I have a couple of friends up in Scotland so might be taking a tour of the country at this rate ......will be good to get away and relax tho

I used to live in a thatched cottage with pink washed walls in Bedfordshire when I was a teenager.....the main part of the house was over 300 years old and there was a modern extension but it was well done and you would never have known from the outside. The wonderful thing about old thatched cottages is that, they're beautifully cool in summer and cosy and warm in the winter......best of both worlds!

Sad news about the job but maybe volountary redundancy is the way to go......as you said, the money might not be on the table later? It's a hard decision to make tho. Will it affect your pension if you retire early?

Pleased to hear that your ankle is healed. Hope it didn't cause you too many problems.
If I take early retirement I have a discounted pension. If I take early retirement and redundacy I don't have a reduced pension. If I take disability pension I don't pay tax so get a bigger pension. It depends on what the beeb are prepared to give me.
Hope you enjoy your England tour and chatch with old friends, it's always nice to see them, I know.
Well the central heating has been fitted. Don't know if it works yet. They let me keep the gas fire as a back up. The shower has more force and I'm wondering if I need have the power shower fitted. Might just sell it. It is still in the box unopened, cost me £120 in Argus and I may flog it off cheap. Let's see what happens. Keep your fingers crossed for the heating, I too have the sort of experiences where nothing works for me, but seems brilliant for everyone else.
Turning chilly now, so it was put it in time, he said hopefully, to keep the place warm for winter, not that I'm there much. If I'm not at work, I'm with Colleen, and I shall be three weeks in hot dog and hamberger land.
Colleen has friends who live in Dubai, they are English and are working out there, she is talking of visiting them at Christmas. I'd sooner noy spend Christmas there. We did discuss visiting B'Elana, and may just surprise her by popping over to Frankfurt. Don't say anything to her as we may want to surprise her. Also find a decent hotel first. Wouldn't expect her to put us up.Fares are quite cheap if you go Ryanair. About £130 or so. All in the planning stage at the moment, may not come off.
Very rarely get call on mobile, left it at work, and guess what. three missed callsMy Luck
Bad about hurricane Rita, huh?
Keep in touch

BOO!!!!

Hello there ........how's you tonight?

been meaning to get together a reply but haven't got round to it yet.........haven't had much to report to be honest......life's pretty boring right now except that I'm on holiday for a week as from Friday morning!

Oh yes and my eldest daughter is pregnant and I'm going to be a granny next spring .......am not ready for grannyhood yet!!!

A granny? Ah
Hope you have a lovely holiday. Going anywhere special?

Going to spend the weekend with my pregnant daughter and son-in-law and then off to Scotland on Monday to visit some friends I've not seen for a couple of years......long overdue a visit! Will just be good to get away from work and stresses and strains of life for a few days to be honest

So how are things with you and your good lady?

We go to USA for 3 weeks on oct 29
We will be staying with her son.

Apart from that nothing much has happened here. We are still waiting for the news of redunadacy. Will hear by 25th October. Agincourt day

I wonder if that has any significance......being Agincourt day?

Hope you have a good time in the USA.....only time I've been there was to Florida with the kids and the 'ex' about 7 years ago......we did the Disney thing but spent a week on the Gulf coast after to recover! Whereabouts are you going?

Her son David lives in Clearwater, Florida. We intend to visit Disney while there. He is organising some sort of cruise for us. It is to the Caymans and Mexico and will cost us about £285 for 5 nights.

It was Clearwater that we stayed in after the week in Orlando..........it was really nice and relaxing after the hustle and bustle of Disney, Seaworld, Universal Studios etc. The beaches are fantastic and the natives are friendly too

Yup I'm told the beaches are lovely. He has his own business and has just had a new house built there, so we are looking forward to it. Coll's grand-daughter is now three and she has not seen her for a year, so is looking forward to seeing her again.

Am sure you'll have a fabulous time

Have you met her son and his family before? It shouldn't be too hot either at that time of year.....we went in February and although the weather was changeable it was quite pleasant and we did have a couple of warm days where we could take the kids to the water parks!

Oh yes. David was over here just recently he was best man at a wedding. The lady I met once in June and the grandaughter last year in June. The son and I get on very well as we are in a similar business. He tells us it is cooling down there it is only 90 at the moment. It should be 85 when we get there.

It should be pleasant then

Am hoping to go over to Canada at the end of the month but am waiting to see how the finances work out before I make a decision. I'll be staying with friends so don't need to plan too much in advance, just find a cheap air fare and then hire a car when I get over there!