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

Hi Catharina

Just wondering if you are working yet. I sent an email yesterday(I think) but decided you must still be out of action.

Bit of a slow week up here, and no MB's to have a laugh on.

See you later when the CB is back

H

Hi Helen,

I THINK my e-mail is working again, but I didn't get yours from yesterday. Would you please have another go?

Isn't it awful the way we feel so cut off without the boards? I believe the CB is working again, albeit SLOWLY. I wonder what they've been doing to speed things up, it hasn't worked, has it?

Will be nice to meet up for a drink later.

See you then,

Love

Catharina

Hi Helen,

What a mess!
Every time I go to Outlook Express this damned "Connection" thing keeps popping up, whether I'm Online or not. Even when I'm just reading an e-mail it pops up and when I get rid of it, the e-mail disappears as well and I have to start at the beginning again.
Driving me nuts!!!!
When I talk to people who haven't gotcomputers they feel so pleased they haven't got any of this, but they don't understand that when everything is working well it's all so marvellous.

How sad about your dad. One would think something's happened to make him so unhappy and bitter, but then his sister says he's always been like it. How miserable for you, Helen.
The thing is, we imagine that we have to love our parents, no matter what. We forget that they are all "people". Think of SC who has a little son. What will that boy think of his dad when he gets older?
I had a friend who hated her father. She was from a large family and when she was small her mother used to go and stand outside dad's workplace on a Friday evening to get his wages off him, otherwise he would go out drinking and spend it all. I don't know how his wife felt about it but my friend never spoke to him, she couldn't forgive him.

It's strange, but I always thought my parents were the most wonderful people in the world and that they had no faults whatsoever. It's only in the last ten years or so, perhaps because I'm alone a lot and do a lot of thinking, only now do I realise they had their faults, especially my mother. I wish I'd not been so analytical, it was nicer when I thought they were perfect.
But our parents are only what their own parents made them and years ago there was so much ignorance about bringing up children. I expect your dad suffers a lot as well, knowing he upsets everybody and turning them against him. It's a bit like a chicken and egg situation, isn't it?

I once worked with a beautiful girl. Everybody loved her and she was very sweet and kind as well as beautiful. But life was so easy for her, we all adored her and it was easy for her to be sweet and kind and always smiling. We had one girl who was (really) very ugly, and had a personality to match. We all avoided her and that made her even more miserable and unloved. I sometimes wish I'd tried harder to get closer to her, but she was very difficult to approach.

God, this has turned out like a page out of my diary, hasn't it?

I'm reading a wonderful book, Helen, did I tell you? (I can't remember who I told what)
It's about a little girl in America, a fewdecades ago and she has grown up to believe that she shot her mother and killed her. Her father is horrible to her and one day she runs away with the black servant they have.
The book is called: The secret life of bees" by Sue Monk Kidd (from the library) and basically it's about the girl who is constantly looking for love. You would really like it, I think.

I can imagine you were hurt by what your dad said, it's bad enough that we all walk around with guilt-feelings all along, isn't it?
But you know it's not true what he said. It's strange, but just by seeing each other's messages on the boards we get a picture of what the other person is like, and I've always felt you were a very kind, gentle lady. You never say anything cutting, even when it's warranted and your "fun" is always gentle.

Well, must get on with my ironing again.
What a strange day I'm having.

Was supposed to go to a wine-tasting this evening, but we've cried off. I don't think it's all that sensible to drive home after all that tasting. My friend was quite game, but now her car has blown a gasket and we decided to stay at home.

Bye for now.

Lots of love

Catharina

Go on, let's have a few and cheer ourselves up.
Sod the Outlook Express!

Hi Catharina

Thank you so much for your kind words. I felt so much better when I read your message. The funny thing is my Dad comes across as being very nice to everyone else that he meets and is not always hurtful. I've been told he likes to control everyone and always thought he did me but no more. The more I think about it, I think that's the reason behind this latest problem plus he is in some pain I know.

I see SC is back in disguise on the R2 board and they are arguing again! I don't think they will ever be able to stop him completely from getting on to the board. I had a look over on the RR board one day and I thought it was rather boring but recognised a few names.

I'll look out for that book next time I'm at the library. I'm reading Precious Time by Erica James at the moment. It's taken me longer to get into it than it did the last one. last summer I had a yen to write a story and made a few notes but never found the time to sit down and get started. Funny thing is that when I'm cleaning up, ironing etc I get the inspiration and my mind is full of imagination! A shrink would tell me what's up no doubt!!

I haven't been in the CB yet so may see you there. I was going to do the IQ test but they take so long about it I get tired before we get to the end!

Bathroom's finished and it looks so much better.

Well must go and pour a drink so see you later.

love

H

Hi Helen,

I'm almost scared to go to Outlook Express in case it isn't working again. I think it's all sorted now, but then I thought that before.
I suppose the fact that I had to have another password was the reason that it was disconnecting all the time.

I read that Erica James book, can't remember what it was about now, but I like all her books.

Went to a Garden centre with a friend this morning and bought 6 more plants, I'll have to put them in tomorrow-morning. The motor-racing starts at midday.
Do you have friends for different things? This one is for garden-centres, that's all we do when we are together. Another one is for going out to lunch, another one is for shopping, another one is for whole days out, a few come over and stay a few days. They're all so different.

Yes, I noticed SC on R2 again the other night. The arguments are endless, aren't they? The same things over and over. I really feel he has a big problem when his whole aim in life seems to be to wind people up. Hetakes pleasure in everybody disliking him, how sad is that?

Yes, Helen, wouldn't it be good if we could say to people like your dad: "Won't you tell me why you are so difficult, you are making everybody unhappy", but I don't think its possible to talk to parents like that, not many anyway. When I think about it, isn't it strange; your parents you know from the moment you are born and at the end of their lives you feel you never really knew them at all.Not what they were thinking and feeling, anyway.Sometimes, when they're very upset they'll open the shutters but then it's almost embarrassing, it's perhaps a question of generations.
I visited an aunt in Holland who was in a home, she was 87 and still beautifully dressed and made-up, nail varnish and all.
I hadn't seen her for years and when she said she was ready to die, I was surprised. I said: "You've had a very long and happy life, haven't you, auntie?" (She always lived just a few doors away from me and I saw her every day when I was in Holland). She started crying and said: "My husband has made me unhappy all the time we were married, he always had other women." And I had never had an inkling, she always seemed so happy. It made me very sad.

Got maudling now.
I'll have a look in the CB, only have a feeling there's something I wanted to watch at 9-00.

Take care, Helen,

Speak soon

Lots of love

Catharina