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

...

Got a large brown envelope of photos through the post yesterday...

Don't worry - actually, they were my brother-in-law's photos of my nephew receiving the prizes he won in the first week of the Cartoon Network's big competition.

The photos showed my nephew surrounded by his prizes & dwarfed by the two actors who were dressed as the cartoon characters from "Dexter's Laboratory." The crowd of neighbour kids in the photos outnumbered the TV publicity people, but only just!

Also in the envelope, there was a copy of my sister's local newspaper, the "Bucks Herald", with a report of the prize-giving. The reporter who wrote the piece either (a) copied all the TV station's publicity material word-for-word, or (b) is an employee of the TV station. The article included full details of how YOU TOO could enter the competition, a huge photo of the prizes donated to the local charity... and a tiny photo of my nephew at the side.

Mustn't forget your earlier question. If I join the pirate R2 MBs, I probably won't get involved in any music discussions, because they will invariably lead to the new CD by Bebel Gilberto, which is sung half in English and half in....Portuguese! I don't think SC would be impressed!

Continuing apologies to PG...

The sister I was thinking of - upstanding member of the community, senior library manager, has one son who can play Nirvana & Metallica by ear on the guitar (yes, by ear - even has the specially adapted Jimi Hendrix Clip-On Lobe Plectrum...), other son who is a law student & drummer.

I did remember you're a Fire Rooster - helps that I know someone else who is one!

Spotted this week in my local Waitrose Top 10 books: "Last Tango In Aberystwyth".

Blindingly funny follow up to the equally hilarious 'Aberystwyth, Mon Amour' or so Pondboy says. I haven't read it yet, it's next on my list after I finish 'Morality for Beautiful Girls'.

Hi &

Haven't found any Malcolm Pryce "Aberystwyth" books in my library yet so I'll have to order them sometime. The Waterstones review page has favourable comparisions between Pryce, Terry Pratchett & Robert Rankin (who writes suburban comedy horror novels).

Great excitement yesterday. I picked & cooked the first spinach of the year from the garden - woooooh! This year I only planted a few remaining seeds from an out-of-date seed packet, so there aren't as many spinach plants in the garden as usual, but they're the "perpetual" type of spinach which keeps producing leaves until September. The spinach was cooked using the approved "Ready Steady Cook" method - washed thoroughly, stalks removed, then wilted in a large saucepan with melted butter.

If you all can stand the excitement, then I'll also reveal I'm digging up the first potato plant this morning! And I have two green chili peppers, both three inches long & one inch wide at the top.

Hope you both enjoy any tennis/football/studly rowers you might encounter this Wednesday. Honestly I had no idea Holland were still in & drawn against Portugal...

Rich

Hi

I can understand the excitement of eating your own spinach and potatoes. There's just nothing like it.
Where we lived before we had a large veg.garden and there was nothing I liked better than walking down the garden path with a large fork over my shoulder, little plastic bucket in the other hand, kneeling down and digging up the potatoes for our dinner. And oh, the joy, when you thought you've collected them all and another little movement of the soil discovers two or three more. I do envy you. One of the miracles of life.
Yes, Holland is playing Portugal to-night, both won by penalty shoot-outs before, so it may be interesting.
What with that AND Tim Henman, AND the new potatoes, I hope you'll survive it all.

I put "Cedars" to one side, will pick it up before the next book group meeting. Started "Lovely Bones", read for 5 minutes, couldn't keep my eyes open, so can't tell you anything yet

Hi

I've solved the problem of where to put the last pumpkin plant. Sadly, the 12 broad bean plants produced just a small cupful of beans, plus about 50,000 black-fly, so I've uprooted & thrown away those plants and I'll put the final pumpkin in their place. Other two pumpkin plants don't seem to be growing much, but there's still a long time until Halloween!

For your "small bucket" of potatoes, read my "even smaller paper bag". Due to the very dry Spring weather, there seems to be only one portion of potatoes on each root. Still got 28 potato plants to dig, though.

I finished reading "Mission Canyon" by Meg Gardiner yesterday, an excellent computer-security thriller, with a heroine who is allowed to be smarter than the reader. I've got 9 other library books to read, several of them are due back next week.

Sorry to see Holland were knocked out of the football last night, and Sjeng Schalken from Wimbledon too! I'll be watching the Tour de France over the next three weeks on ITV2 - are there any good Dutch cyclists I should look out for?

I wonder who's posting offensive messages about Ken Bruce on the CB? I like Ken Bruce - more than I like Wogan or Allinson, probably.

Hi

Broad bean plants always used to be covered in blackfly. One wonders what gets sprayed on them nowadays to keep them off.
Have you ever planted mange-tout? Or don't you like them? I tell you, you won't be able to keep up with them, every day another lot and they are at their best when very small. The bushes are very prolific, I don't know why mange tout are so expensive in the shops.
My husband used to give his veg. lots of lavish attention and as the soil was almost pure chalk, it needed it. I never got involved, except to cook them. He used to try unusual things too, once he grew okra. You needed about a bucketfull to make 2 portions, and we didn't even like them. He just thought he'd see what they were like. My heart used to sink sometimes when I saw him coming down the garden path with another bucket of stuff. Cabbages full of dirt and slugs! Lettuces ditto! Pounds and pounds of tomatoes. I even made chutney, don't know how I found the time. Pre-computer-days, of course.

How lovely, it's raining at last.

Yes, Holland is out and so is Tim. In a way I'm not sorry, I can get on with my life now. Except..Sunday is the Grand Prix again. Come on, Jenson!!!

Speak soon

Forgot to say
There's always somebody griping about someone, isn't there? Maybe their mums never told them: If you can't say anything nice about somebody, say nothing. Agree?

Hi

Agree - yes... Though I was certainly brought up to judge other people, and I still have to struggle against the temptation to do it.

Never tried mange tout & I'm not keen on cabbage, but I do enjoy sprouts for Christmas lunch!

I planted out the last pumpkin yesterday, and then the garden got a good soaking from the thunderstorm at 3.45pm. (If there's a storm here, it usually arrives just as the Upper school kids are walking down the road out of school...)

I hope you watched the ladies' semi-finals yesterday. Did you see Maria Sharapova v. Daniela Hantuchova last Friday? I hardly knew which end of the court to look at!

I don't think Maria will win the final, but it's good that there's no pressure on her to win (which there would've been if she was facing the mentally-weaker Mauresmo in the final).

If Maria DID win the final at age 17, perhaps all the media & promotional distractions would wreck her game in the future?

Things I like about Maria Sharapova... apart from the obvious... She has the ability to put each point behind her, so she's ready to concentrate on the next one. And she's had two tough matches which she won by continuing to make risky shots until they started to work in her favour.

I'm looking forward to the men's semi-finals today. Roddick will have to get through to the final, so that the BBC can do the "Can the American player win on Sunday 4th July, Independence Day?"

Greece in the football final, eh? Who says you have to be a tip-top team in order to win matches?

Morning

It's going to be a day of sports, isn't it? I awoke this morning feeling cold, so get up and put the heating on.
It was lovely to see the rain beating on the windows, it makes me feel less guilty being slumped in front of the T.V.

I'm being very selfish here, I hope it rains in Wimbledon until after the Grand Prix is finished and then I can watch both.. And then the football! It'll be lovely to be back to normal.

You MUST try mange-tout, , buy a few and cook them just for a few minutes so that they are still a bit al dente. In Holland we cook them and then mix them with cooked fresh peas and cooked young carrots, all mixed with a lump of butter and a sprinkling of white pepper.
That's what I'll be having with my leg of lamb. See, I am greedy as well as selfish, I have a whole leg of lamb in the fridge!!! I was going to invite a friend, but then I couldn't watch T.V. I hate it when people talk through it all.

I tried to send Jason an e-mail but it was returned to me, must have the wrong address or something, although I got it off his site.
Things like that never seem to work for me the first time, someone has to point out where I'm going wrong. Perhaps I sent it too much before his broadcast.

Saw a re-run of the Ladies Final last night. That girl is a phenomenan, isn't she? I read in the paper this morning that she'll be worth 30 Million Pounds now. Why does it all have to be about money? It may change her for ever. It would be almost impossible not to.

May see you later . Going to put the winter-duvet back on my bed!!!





Catharina

Hi

Don't talk to me about Duvets...

I put on a brand-new "Spring/Summer" duvet last night. Woke up at 2.45am with indigestion & feeling hot. Don't know what time I got back to sleep, but I did glance at my watch at 4.50am, just as the birds were beginning to sing.

I really enjoyed the Ladies' final yesterday, thrilled that it was a close match despite the straight-sets score.

All those break points that each player had in the second set - that's what made the match so exciting. Serena wasn't playing her best tennis, but in the second set she was playing well enough to have beaten most of the other women players.

But Maria kept fighting for all the points, forgot about her bad shots & double faults and - remember - she won five straight games in the first set, and four straight to win the match.

I'm glad Maria won this year, because the women's game is becoming really competitive - Venus, Serena, the two Belgian players (injured this Wimbledon), Anastasia Myskina and the other Russians. on any year, any of those players could win Wimbledon...

...Although, I believe Maria was tired yesterday & she had a cold, and she still won!

I was thinking exactly the same thing as you about all the sport today. Let's have the French GP & Tour de France stage 1 this afternoon, and the men's final held over until tomorrow!

Hi

I couldn't remember whether I'd answered your message or not.
Trouble is, if I READ the message, it sort of disappears and I forget all about it. Shouldn't really read them unless I have time to answer.

Don't talk to me about duvets!!

It's still going on.
Changed to the warmer one on Sunday and kept waking up suffocatingly hot.
So, yesterday. yet another one has gone on the bed. The bed in the spare room now has three duvets! No joke, is it? I have a double bed and it takes me ages to stuff them in the covers.
I don't know why they have a hole on one side only. If they had three open sides it would all be much easier.
And another thing.
In Holland the duvet-covers have an extra "flap" at the end that you can tuck in underneath the mattrass. It doesn't slide off then. Such a sensible idea.

Haven't read much lately, am still into "Lovely Bones", it's a very odd book but I'm enjoying it. Don't know why but lately I can only read a couple of pages before my eyes start shutting.
Come on, tell me I'm working too hard. Yes....I know.

See you soon

Hi

I'm quite lucky with my bedroom - it's small with a south-facing window, so it's a lot warmer than you would expect for a house with (GASP) NO central heating. (I repeat - house was built 1919 and has NO central heating.)

I'm finally getting used to the new warmer duvet. I guess my old one just had a "tog" of 6 or 7, new one is 10.5. So it will be handy in the Autumn.

Your mattress flap idea sounds good - why don't you market it in the UK?!

Currently struggling through the comedy novel "Azur Like It" by Wendy Holden - slow moving & quite clumsily written.

Have moved on to "Dance Hall of the Dead" by Tony Hillerman, a classic Native American crime novel, written 31 years ago!

Tell me when you get another book club novel...

Hello

Well, I have been sleeping much better the last few nights. the 10.5 tog is the one that was too hot for me at the moment, but I must say, I don't always believe these manufacturers' "togs". And then they claim: "Warm in winter and cool in summer", how can that be?

I think "The lovely bones" is going to be on my bedside table for a long time. I don't seem to be able to keep my eyes open once I start to read. You know the feeling: you have to read the page 5 times and at the end you still don't know what it's all about. I should go to bed earlier, I suppose, but after I've looked around the MB etc. I start watching the T.V. programs I've taped.

Nevertheless: bought 3 more books for the price of 2 yesterday. Actually, one of them was for my friend. I was telling her about "lovely Bones". She lost her husband a year ago and "talks" to him all the time. I think the book will be a comfort to her, she is not a great reader and I think she'll actually believe her husband's spirit can see all that's going on. Still, maybe he can. Who am I to say otherwise?

One of the books is a cookery one by Nigel Slater-quick and easy stuff and the other one is by Helen Fielding. Tell you the truth, I've added it to the pile beside my bed without looking at it. I am in danger of reading 6 books at the time.

See you soon,



have a glass of with me. Cheers!!!

Cheers

A bit early in the day for (9.20am) but why not!

"Six books at once" - sounds like my own reading technique. I got fed up with those slo-o-o-w moving books by Wendy Holden & Lee Child, so I took them back to the library and borrowed a few brand new reprints from this Summer's Classic Crime display:

"Ice" & "Sadie When She Died" by Ed McBain

"The Choirboys" by Joseph Wambaugh

Also, I found an excellent computer manual:

"Visual Quickstart Guide: Google and other Search Engines" by Diane Poremsky

...which is so up-to-date that some of the screen printouts are dated March 2004! It looks like an extremely handy book. For instance, I didn't realise that Google has a section where you can browse catalogues ("catalogs") page-by-page, or a Zeitgeist section which lists the most popular queries of the week.

Quite cold & grey outside this morning - perhaps instead of ?

Hello

Sorry, I didn't reply earlier, sometimes when I look at "my space" I can't remember whether I've answered or not.

Life is very busy the last few weeks. Sort of..
I do some very boring things some days.
This afternoon I went with a gaggle of W.I. ladies for "tea" at a farm. Beautiful place, actually, 14th century, very low ceilings, very large beams and very thick walls. The farmer's wife does B and B and these "teas". I couldn't help thinking that those old farms are much easier to keep looking good than a modern house. A layer of dust is almost obligatory, together with old ashes in the fireplace and a worn carpet. It all adds to the atmosphere. We ate lovely, wafer-thin sandwiches, home-made scones and jam with whipped cream and an assortment of little cakes. We all seemed unusually quiet and subdued at first, I think we were taken aback by the pure, white linen tablecloth and the heavy silver cutlery. But after a while the noise of the chatter was deafening.
Afterwards we walked in the garden and sat on the terrace admiring the vieuw.

I know what you're thinking: Yawn....How exciting!

We'll see what the week-end will bring. Motor-racing, at least, but that may be equally boring.
Go Jenson, Go!!!

What will you be doing?

See you

Hi

Weekend plans:

Go home

Make bed

Cook

Eat

Watch GP qualifying

Watch T.d.F.

Eat

Watch C.S.I. Miami, final episode of the series

Sleep

Wake

Eat

Go to library

Go home

Cook

Eat

Watch British GP

Watch T.d.F.

Eat

Etc, etc...

Oh boy, my life is one big Thrill-O-Rama!

Hi

I don't know how you'll survive all that excitement.
But my week-end is much the same. I did visit the Farmers Market earlier to-day, only because I wanted to post some letters. I bought far too much food that I didn't need. I always imagine I have to stock up when F1 comes on, three hours of lying comatose,eyes and brain fixed, it's hard work, isn't it?

I should be gardening, weeding, but it's blustery outside and I don't feel like it.
Do you know, I've been sleeping 7-8 hours the last few nights and I'm sure it doesn't do me any good, I'm yawning all the time and my mind is dull. I need more excitement, I think.

Perhaps I'll have a look at the paper and have a few pages of The Lovely Bones.

Hope you enjoy your week-end. Do you meet interesting people in the Library? Have you had any more of your own produce?
Saw a friend at the Farmers Market and she'd bought a punnet of blackcurrants. They had fallen out of the punnet into the plastic bag and it looked like she had instant jam.

XX

Hi

It would be quite interesting to do a sociological study of a typical library, maybe a future topic for my favourite Radio 4 programme "Thinking Allowed" (Wednesdays 4pm). The people here are definitely divided into certain "cliques", such as:

the people who always go on the computers (ranging in age from late-teens to seventies)

the pensioners who always head for the newspaper tables

the mothers with screaming babies who always have to pay £7 in overdue fines...

We're quite lucky in this library, it's a very open building inside, so the librarians can keep an eye on any bands of roving kids who come in to cause trouble.

Unfortunately, I can't hear myself think at the moment, because one of the Sunday library assistants is playing "Slim Shady" by Eminem on the CD player!

Last of the garden rhubarb today - and there are a few more blackcurrants to pick too.

Enjoy the race!

Hi

I'e got Radio Jackie on, it's 4.15and Jason hasn't spoken yet. Wonder if he's late or something.

Haven't really got time to sit her, I must wash my hair and cook my dinner.
In the meantime I'll have a little chat to you.

Is it usual to have music in the library? It's always very quiet in ours.
Wonder what you would make of me then. I return the Book Group book, wander around the shelves for half an hour and go and have a look at the Sales Table and out again.
I used to take out 4 books every time and often brought them all back (late) without reading them. Or read one, no time for the others.
You get greedy, don't you, when you see books by your favourite authors. When you get home you realise you've already read them, or they're nothing as good as the last one etc.

Jenson Button came fourh. He seemed a bit fed up. He's a good racing driver, but the car just isn't anywhere near a Ferrari. And Schumacher wins, not because of his skills, but by having the faster car and the skillful planning of the Ferrari team.

Well, see you soon,