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

Hello Mar,
Well, we made it back to our dear Dorset village. Having spent a short while with our friends in Worthing and catching up with their news we drove the rest of the way here this afternoon. It's about 3 hours driving but we also had to stop for some lunch and then to visit the supermarket for supplies. We shall only be at home for a few days and then we have to drive to Birmingham, about 4 hours, and stay for a few days there at the Quaker College. That will be on Tuesday which of course is a big day for you too.
==
I'm aware that Tuesday is really giving you a lot of anxiety. I think it's partly because you feel that so much depends on everything going well and because you've had so long to wait. It has become a 'milestone', a hurdle to be overcome before you can move on and I can well understand that. I'm sure that it's all going to work out ok and you will be able to look forward to doing all those things that have either been put on hold or have given you so much of a problem during the past months. I really shall be thinking of you all day on Tuesday, especially towards the evening and I shall, as I have promised, be holding you in the light. Of course I can't determine how it will all go, we both know that, but I do believe that it is a real source of positive, healing energy when you know that someone cares for you that much and is focusing on you. You have family and friends who love you and will be thinking of you and that will work for you I'm sure.
==
Thank you for you kind and encouraging words about my little piece of prose. I shall be giving some thought to weaving it into verse although I can't tell how long that might take.
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You are clearly a woman of many talents and I want to encourage you to take your colours with you on Tuesday if that is practical. I think it would help you greatly and will probably be better for you than trying to study. Relaxation is so important as I'm sure you will agree and study in those circumstances may only make you feel more tense.
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I have done a little very amateurish sketching in the past - quite a long time ago - but I'm very much out of practice and although I guess you never really lose it I do think it takes frequent practice to achieve a level of ability that is going to be satisfying to yourself. I don't think I ever had any really serious artistic ability but I did enjoy producing some passable sketches. I think I try to bring some degree of artistic awareness to my photography and have produced a few pictures that have given me pleasure.
==
I'm going to post this now as it's rather late and I need to sleep. I shall continue to answer your lovely message tomorrow. You sleep well too my dear friend and we'll talk again very soon.

Abrazos,
Les
sys

Ah, I just also picked up your last post. The video clip is lovely - I want to BE THERE!

Les

Thanks Les
I read your post last night. Me hizo llorar. And comforted me. YOur words are tender hugs. THanks my friend. I´m afraid I´m too sensitive these days.



... I´m not that talented woman... I paint and draw also as amateur, sometimes I "produce" nice ones, but not always. I enjoy the process as much as the result. Sometimes, more the process.

::
I was in Brighton one day with the family I was as au-pair in London.
A still have a volcanic little pebble I picked up in the beach. It was a grey day. I didn´t like the Pier. I mostly remember the grey sea and the grey sky, and someone having a bath! it was November!

hasta pronto Les

Here I am, back again!

I really must stop making you cry! But not stop comforting you of course.
==
Well, the garden looks as though it has been neglected for 5 weeks - I'm sure there's a good reason for that! Actually it hasn't had very much attention since the start of winter, it's just too cold to work out there and I'm afraid we don't do cold nowadays. We always leave the plants to run to seed anyway because the birds enjoy that so much and we enjoy watching the birds. The thing is though that this means we have a great deal of tidying up left to do before the new season's growth begins. And that's where we are now, at the 'in need of tidying' stage. Having said that, there are quite a few flowers starting to show themselves; bright yellow crocus, purple crocus and the pale yellow primrose are all in flower and there are still daffodils in bud ready to flower soon. There is also a pink hebe that clearly doesn't know what time of year it is and is begining to flower. I hope we shall have some days when it is sunny enough to tempt us out there to make some progress.
==
How right you are about the colour of November! Grey sky, grey sea, even the trees and grasses manage to look grey somehow - and we people turn grey to reflect the rest! I think it's this as much as the temperature that sends us seeking warmer places in the winter. We start to long for brilliant colours and sunny faces.
==
Hugitos
Les

Hi again!

Looking back over our conversation in the last few days I see that I never commented on Amelia's "strange desire" on the beach!

At first it seems quite simply that she experienced a sudden desire to go and paddle in the sea instead of just sitting there on the beach. It wasn't until she found herself in the water and her feet colder than she would have preferred that she stopped to question what she was doing there and quite why she had left the warmth of the spot where she had been sitting.

I think her self-questioning led her nowhere. She had the feeling that there was more to it than that but could not decide what it might be. I think she hoped that her soliloquising might lead her to an answer but to the best of my knowledge she is no wiser now than she was at the time! (Hence my 'older but no wiser' comment) There may well be something in your suggestion of nostalgia. Certainly I'm sure that she would now be only too happy to be on a warm beach!
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You mentioned Mindanao and it made me think to ask if you ever read the 2 journal entries on my PS. They are, chronologically, "A day in the life of..." and "From Mindanao". If you haven't already, you might like to read them. Here's a link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/U6925776
==
Hasta pronto querida amiga mía
Les
s+s

Just a quick visit to give you this link. It's a piece of music I enjoy very much. I've heard a number of different arrangements and liked most of them. I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWzSUCB4iq0&NR=1

Goodnight my dear friend,
Les
s+s

Hi Les,
thanks for the that song. I love it. Aranjuez is a beautiful town at the south of the province of Madrid. It has a palace, gardens... and delicious strawberries!

Other authors like Rodrigo or Albéniz are Tárrega, Segovia... youtube them and it will appear more of them.

Well, time is here. I´m started to get things ready, tomorrow is a great day! I have to do a few things in the morning before heading to Hospital in Madrid.

::
I had read those journals ( I lurked on your PS) YOu should keep them as a collection of your travels memories. For me are interesting, I guess that your family, specially your nietos would love to read them one day.
Meanwhile, I´ll love to read them first, if you want
::
I think you will love this:
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
::

Un abrazo fuerte my dear friend
and for sweet Amelia

I see you're online so I'll just take a minute to say thankyou for the message and especially that amazing link. What a site! I simply had to look at lots of those images, they're so lovely.
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I hope everything's going well preparing for tomorrow. In case I miss you this evening let me also send you my very best wishes - I'll be with you every minute. I'm sure it will all go fine.
==
I'll post again a little later.

Great big s and s
Les

Thanks Les

I HOPE that everything salga bien. I must have that hope.

::
I´ve put in my luggage:
my study notes, some drawing and painting material, a book of Neruda, my diary and my pluma...

I´ll be back,I expect, about Thursday or Friday, I hope.

I´m very happy with your fine friendship. You are a gentle-man

::

A big my friend

Mar

Hi Mar!
Glad to catch you!
So you're all packed and ready to go. I hope your day will not pass too slowly tomorrow and you can find some relaxation in the good things you're taking with you.
We'll see this through together and then we'll get you back to 'full working order'.
I'll be looking out for you on Thursday or Friday my dear friend and you had better have some extra hugs to see you through!


Les

Hi les,
I´m a bit tired. I must have my leg up and can´t walk. I´m now also a bit doped with analgesic.

I entered the surgery room about 20:30. A long wait. But it was alleviated by a friend who lives near the hospital. We had a very good two hours chatting and laughing.
I draught for her a strawberry plant and she liked a lot.
I read Neruda, slept, wrote in my diary...
I wrote a "poem" I´m going to put now in the BP.

All the men in the surgery room were quite mature, about 50 and 60 years old. They were very kind with me.
I´ve got a nice stab of about 8-10 cms. It aches. But Last night wasn´t bad, I expect to sleep well this night too.

Back to the sofa.

Hasta pronto

Hi Mar!
Good to see you back.
I'm pleased there were some good things to make Tuesday a little better for you. That was nice having a friend who could be with you. I thought of you all day and especially in the evening and felt close to you.

I guess it will be sore for a while, I hope not too long. If you can sleep well that will be a help to healing the wound.

So, sleep well my dear friend and I'll talk with you tomorrow I hope!

Here's a bigand ato help you on your way!
Les

Why aren't you in bed? Naughty girl!

Now off you go, and sleep well.


Les

Hi Les,
I was in the sofa when I read your last poem this morning.
Bed is for the night, sofa is better for me during the day. I study there, when the pain is not the protagonist of the moment.

I´ve got a laptop I could use there, but it´s a bit painful to use it for me. I come here, to the spare room where we have the computer. I put my leg on another soft chair and write here. But it is still painful. But being in the sofa all day can be as painful as that

I´m glad you liked the poem. I noticed later that the "hands" could be the surgeon´s But I wasn´t thinking of him, at least consciously...but... I was writing the poem when the nurse came for me to take me to the surgery room.
I mixed a bit of Neruda, and ideal man and my longing for feeling my body "new". There´s a first version much more in the mood of Neruda "celebration" of the woman body, but I changed to the other also "celebrational" version.



I´ve written a sequel:

YOu are The Woman
your magnetic eyes drag me
to their ocean night
I know I´ll get addicted to you

YOur hands
warm,
soft,
draw me a transparent new body


Un abrazo Les

Hi Mar,
I'm sorry you're in pain, I really feel for you. I'll think healing thoughts, let's see if we can get you better soon!

Thanks for the verse. I've put it together with the first part and saved it in my poetry collection folder. I think it's quite magical and it sounds lovely read out. You have a spiritual feeling for words, they touch me somewhere deep inside - I love it.

I'm afraid I'm not getting much time for writing just at the moment and I miss it. My mind just won't settle to it and there seem to be so many distractions. I have a house in the nearby small town that is becoming vacant and I need to get a new tenant in there as soon as possible. I hope to show it to two people tomorrow (Saturday) so I hope they like it - or at least one of them does!

We had to cancel our trip to Birmingham because my wife is unwell and couldn't travel. She is still not good and we have taken her to the doctor and the dentist to try to find out what it is. She has a lot of pain and no energy.

I should go to bed now as it's getting very late.
Good night my dear friend
Les
Bigs

Can't you sleep Mar?

I nearly went to bed but didn't quite make it!

Oh, you have gone.
Sleep well dear friend.

Saturday night.

Well the cautiously good news is that one of the people we showed around the house today liked it and wants to move in next week. It's not 100% sure until he signs the contract of course but we are hopeful.

I hope you have had a better day today and the pain is easing. Are you able to concentrate on your studies or is it too soon? Don't forget, be gentle with yourself!

Hasta pronto querida amiga mía,

s+s

Les

Hi Les,
Good luck with your tenant.
I´m glad you liked the verses
I study well, the pain is getting easy every day, except at night, when it get stronger.
I feel a bit dull in my mind, I´d like to say or link something nice for you, but... nothing comes to me now.
I hope your wife feels better soon and you can go to Woodbrooke soon. Surely it´s a peaceful place to enjoy and work there. I saw the link you posted somewhere.

My dear friend, Amelia will soon feel refreshed and will write some of her sweet verses for us.I wait for them.

Tomorrow I´ll visit the surgeon again, he will have a look to the wound, hope good news...

Un abrazo fuerte Les

To un-dull my mind I´ve just translated this poem, I read for first time last night. It´s from Pedro Salinas, he belongs to a poetical group, The generation of 1927. Very good all of them.


Do you hear them how they ask for realities,
they, ferocious, with their hair wild-looking
they, the shadows that we both forged
in this inmense bed of distances?

They are already tired of infinity, of time
without measure, of anonimity, wounded
by a big nostalgy of matter,
they ask for limits, days, names.

They can´t
live so any longer: they are close
to the dying of the shadows, which is the nothing.

COme, come with me
strech your hand, offer your body to them.
We both will look for them
a color, a date, a breast, a sun.
May they rest in you, be their flesh.
Their wandering longing will get calm,
while we hold them tight
ávidamente between our bodies
where they can find their soup and rest.
They eventually will fall slept in our hugged
dream, they, hugged. And in that way, later
when we get appart, and because of feeding ourselves only
with shadows, they, from far,
they
will have by then, memories, will have past
of flesh and bone,
the time they lived in us.
And their continuous dream
of shadows, again, will be the return
to that mortal pink corporeity
where love invents its infinity.

::
I haven´t used the spanish dictionary, so I guess it could be more accurate.
ávidamente, I´m not sure which word to use. ávido is quick and willing.

::
Hope you like it