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

Attractive though these abstract paintings are, somehow I can only admire the artwork if I know that the artist really could draw, say, a human face or figure. Maybe that's because my great grandfather was a professional (commercial) artist - I can draw a bit and my father's very talented. So perhaps that's why I find much abstract artwork a bit of a cheat!

<> Why?

I failed to cut a single blade of grass as the lawn-mower appears to be terminally ill. It groaned a bit when plugged in but the blades didn't even turn. Rain's got through the shed roof and rusted the mower. I doubt it's worth paying someone to take the thing apart though I hate to throw out anything which could be repaired. So instead I dug up some lawn to extend a flower bed and planted a young birch tree which has been languishing in a pot for years (it was a self-sown seedling I rescued) also a rhododendron given to me on my birthday last summer - the poor thing had flowered in its pot and should have been planted ages ago. I now have piles of turves. It's so difficult to cut turf without chopping worms in two. However careful you are, there's half a worm stuck to the spade. The phrase "Sod's law" is very appropriate in this case!

I do like your I haven't seen that before. Oh, I wonder if... Yes -I'd thought that would be far more complicated. How about... I could spend hours guessing these! Surely I have better things to do...

MJ

<> Why?

no particular reason - or not a serious one. I've been in the Pizza Express just off Broad St in Brum several times and it seemed pretty er... ok, no that's a bit unfair, it was quite acceptable. But I've never been in Pizza Hut.

>It's so difficult to cut turf without chopping worms in two. However careful you are, there's half a worm stuck to the spade.<

I believe Seamus Heaney also wrote "At a Turf Digging" which includes "Split by the spade, they show all soft and squidgy (and still wriggling)."



no that doesn't work

btw I complained about the link from my discussions not working and got this reply:

Hello Andy,

Thank you for your query.

Although you haven't given us any links in order for us to test this (which we'd need if we were to solve a bug), it's most likely that this is due to you viewing h2g2 content on one of the other messageboards.

There are occasionally 'compatibility' problems when viewing content from one site in another's skin, this is usually due to the fact that the same functionality isn't available on all messageboards (e.g. Radio 3 messageboard users do not have Personal Spaces).

Therefore, for the optimum user experience, we'd advise that you view the content from a specific site in its own skin.

Kind regards,

h2g2 Feedback

.....which isn't very helpful

For every hit I must have tried another 10! Do you have a list? I have some here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/U216223
but there must be loads more. One of the h2g2 skins offers a link below this box but not alabaster. Anyway it's fun to try to find new ones! I'm so good at finding useless things to occupy me instead of housework, schoolwork etc. Played the piano today though and that doesn't come under the timewasting heading. But writing about it does...

MJ

try

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A155909

Re Therefore, for the optimum user experience, we'd advise that you view the content from a specific site in its own skin.

Actually, apart from that being a load of gobbledegook, it can't be true since my links from Discussions to h2g2 were working perfectly well for a month or two and I first registered on R3 before R4 came here. Also, Achilles's link was working then broke and he was registered through the Archers not R3.

"optimum user experience" - I love it!

I suppose we get used to coming here via jont's h2g2 link (sorry Achilles if you're reading this - that one's yours!) or Bookmarks and it does feel a bit more hidden away, off the beaten track.

MJ

you're right, it's rubbish. I originally registered with h2g2 not R3 or R4 so it's nothing to do with registration - I might pursue this if I can be bothered - I can can be quite tenacious when the mood takes me

btw jont's link to h2g2 didn't take me to my page, just to h2g2, I had to amend the code to go directly to my home page

Thanks for the smileys. I'll use them sparingly or my h2g2 friends will get rather fed up with me. (More than usual.)

I found that jont's h2g2 link takes me to my own page only when I've signed in; if I'm not then it's that h2g2 intro. It must be fun to know how to amend the codes.

When I wrote "beaten track" earlier I'd tried but it needed an s: !!!

Goodnight!

MJ

Noticed HtoHe (H to He Who Am the Only One) on yr home page and, as a result, have just unearthed my Van de Graaf Generator LP "Godbluff" which I haven't listened to for yonks and yonks. Must pop in and say hello to them sometime. I wish I could remember what a V de G G is from my school physics - will have to google I suppose. Something to do with static electricity I think.

I have to admit ignorance about the music but yes, I do remember the Van der Graaf generator in physics and I think too it was to do with static electricity.

Do join us in The Green Room if you like! It's a thread on HtoHe's page which 4 or 5 of us have been using for a while now as a place to talk. H is very keen on what I would describe as less well known "clssical" composers (you may like some of them too) as well as Wagner (whom I know you dislike!). You're welcome to join in.

MJ

Static electricity seems to be correct.

Have found site which points you at building yr own V de G G - also quite amusing pic.

http://www.amasci.com/emotor/vdg.html

Thanks 4 invite - is that green as in eco-friendly, naive, mouldy, unripe, jealous? The one I like best is: green n. the colour of green things (!) - a rather circular definition!

You need to grow your hair if a)it isn't long already b)you have any!
Strange writing messages to people without a clue what they look like! I think we girls give away a lot more in our posts in the Bull - I can picture some of the others - though the phots in the Lock-in did help! Have you seen my photos in there? I posted them earlier today. Look in the My Cats thread. Unless of course you hate cats?

A Green Room is where we artistes wait before being called onstage! (Those were the days!) Oh bu**er! My Backspace has finally completely broken having been difficult for days. This is an old laptop rigged up to a moniter (or? or is that the lizard?). But I do like to be green as in eco-friendly when I can. I do like my compost heaps!

MJ

>Strange writing messages to people without a clue what they look like!< So I'm not the only one who finds the lack of non-verbal communication a bit off-putting?

Just had a look at yr cat pix. I like cats not dogs however (with individual exceptions). Have got a photo of a cat sitting on top of my greenhouse somewhere but can't find it. Don't own any cats but there are plenty who seem to hang out in my garden so they must think it a friendly place to be (so no cat mouths to feed! oops sorry!)

I was only joking re green room - know all about them in my concert promoter's role! You should see the Green Room in the venue we used to use until recently. I'll tell you about it someday. So many stories to tell and so little time to tell them!!

Have found pix of horse, cow (several) and my mother's cat but not the cat on the greenhouse - still looking. Oh and thousands of pix of cricketers.

(literally thousands of pictures of cricketers) but I have found the cat on the greenhouse. Will post it somewhere some time.

I do have some of my cricket pictures already on the web but no-one at all seems interested in looking at them (apart from the players involved) - I wonder why?

I've gone nocturnal again. Slept so late this morning I'm not the least tired now. Glad you like cats or that would certainly be the end of a beautiful friendship! No, only joking. Dogs I'm not so keen on but I used to like my Welsh uncle's succession of dogs and there's a sweet one down the road - oh it's annoying not having Backsopace for little corrections so I'll leave mistakes in if you don't mind - or even if you do!

I did wonder why you didn't appear to be familiar with a Green Room! I'd ask you lots of questions avbout your concerts but they might seem too nosy! I've had fun tackling the easiest Beethoven piano sonata he wrote having found it most serendipitously in Oxfam on Saturday. I could actually sight read it all the way through, playing every wingle note but rather slowly. Just noticed I've invented a rather attractive new word so I'll leave it for your delectation! I've always found my left hand uncooperative playing the piano but it 's done well in this Beethoven.

Suppose I'd better go. Expect you have ages ago! If not, Goodnight.

MJ

Not gone yet but am going now. G'night!

Oh you're still there! It's easy to post in the Archers Lockin as you'll find registering a being a techie type. So do that asap so I can see that cat.

Cricket - hmmm. I'nm sure they're lovely pictures! Knowing who you are now I've seen a reference to someone with your name actually playing but maybe it's someone else with the same name. Even if my name's revealed there's absolutely nothing on the web about me! Whereas if it's you then there are personal details out there! But not that personal - I still don't know if you have any hair at all to go all static!

MJ That's supposed to be a yawn - or it could be a high C.

>But not that personal - I still don't know if you have any hair at all to go all static!<

A bloke's got to have some secrets!

My brother always said how sad I was for doing a Dave Gorman ie searching for people with the same name - then he admitted the other day that he'd googled his own name and was surprised to find how many there were. In fact a friend of mine's wife's nephew has the same name as me - small world! She had the same surname as me before marriage. There are a lot of Andy D-'s around (now I'm starting to sound scary!)

My favourite other A D is no longer on the web but I've got a copy saved which hopefully you'll be able to access at:

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/andyd.music/Chester%20City%20Council%20-%20Best%20Value%202001-2.htm

That's really me!!! How proud I was to get that award, it stands on the mantelpiece next to my collection of antique Marmite jars.

Cat coming up later - off out shortly.


(no hair, just antennae)