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

The bank is prepared to lend three times what she needs. Blimey.

Anyway, now I'm just waiting to hear whether she's made an offer or not. I figure she should get that over and done with.

It would help eh?

I just found my sister's first-ever text message; it seems to indicate that an offer has been made, but the typing's a bit eccentric so I can't be enirely sure. *sigh*

(Now that they've worked out how to send text, I'll never have any peace, dammit.)

*giggles*

Who introduced them to texting and mobile phones??

Not me, that's for sure.

Mum made an offer on the house this morning, and it was accepted just after lunchtime.

Even more exciting, from where I'm sitting, is my phone bill... 35 minutes and 55 seconds of talking to you appears to have cost me all of $4.09. I think that's somewhat less than 2 quid.

So there you go - two bits of good news in one day.

Brilliant!!


That means we can do it again one day!!

Poor Mum's in shock, but in a good way. She feels like she should have consulted more before buying the place - but with whom? She always made big decisions with Dad, and her mother's not there to be told. I think it's finally sunk in that she's free to do Whatever She Wants.

The next big step will be buying new furniture that appeals to her, without having to make a joint decision with anyone. She'll like that.

She is a liberated woman. At Last!!!

Yes - and she had to wait until she was 64 to be free. That really is far too long. But a least she's still 'young'; I dealt with a letter from someone her age today; the letter-writer was moaning about the lack of support for people on age pension. I don't think it's crossed Mum's mind for a moment that she should get some sort of publicly-funded 'support'. Attitude counts for a lot in getting the most out of life, don't you think?

(I also had a letter from someone who claims to be the rightful King of Iran. He says the Australian government is an agent of HezbAllah. I think it was a full moon last night.)

She probably thought she wouldn't be entitled anyway, so wouldn't have bothered

a-ha!.. Did you send the men in white coats to escort him to one of your luxurious palaces??

Mum isn't entitled to age pension, but she's getting on with life rather than moaning about it. I wish more people had this sense of perspective - especially the ratbags who write to us.

Our new Minister has stated that he's going to sign every single letter we write on his behalf. I can't help thinking of Jim Hacker. I wonder how long this will last. But in the meantime, the King of Iran will get a response personally signed by the Minister, so that will help his delusions of grandeur nicely, won't it?

It is likely to be a PC generated signature.. *sceptical manner*

We differ, as everyone here is entitled to a pension, even at minimum level.

Nope, it'll be a real signature, in real ink, inscribed by a real Minister. (Or possibly just a big 'X', with the words 'his mark' underneath; this chap's abilities remain to be determined.) But not a computer-generated thing at all.

Our pension system is basically socialist - 'to each according to his needs' and all that. Mum has a two-thirds reversion of Dad's superannuation, as well as her own, and that's enough to disqualify her on grounds of income. Now that she's an heiress as well, she can forget all about it.

(The old girl used to get the maximum rate of pension; her only real asset was the house, and the house in which a pensioner lives is exempt from assessment. )

*giggles*

You look funny in your official hat!!

The official hat doesn't fit comfortably, but I've been wearing it since 1994 so I'm used to it.

And now... Breakfast!

*waits for him to come back for lunch*

Sorry, I was in a pub, then in another pub, then at the movies, then eating Chinese things. Quite a nice day, all up.

Was that a date?

A date? Well, it was 4 February 2007, but in the sense you mean, no. It was a trip to the pub and the movies, with food.

Aww shucks!

I thought I had missed out on some gossip