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

I saw your convo with Vicky and I decided to be polite and not butt in. I know from my own experience that can be annoying. I just wanted to be clear with you that on the off chance you were referring to me when you said,

>I get the feeling that a certain member of the community has been struck by your faith in a positive way<

You couldn't be more 100% wrong in that thought. It has nothing whatsoever to do with that. I *never* make up my mind or feelings about someone based on whether they have a faith or not. That it completely and utterly irrelevant to me. I never think about it at all. I'm only interested in someone as a person.

You should understand Mikey that lots of us use our hearts and brains to make our minds up about things and are not even the slightest, even the tiniest bit interested in whether someone has a faith or not. That's clearly important to you - fine. I wouldn't expect anyone would be struck by my atheism in a positive way, that would strike me as a bit arrogant, in assuming it meant anything to someone else. In fact the only time I ever talk about stuff like this are on threads here. In my life 99.9% of the time I don't give it any thought. I just get on with getting on with people full stop and liking them. It never crosses my mind to think about whether they have a faith or not. I judge people by other criteria entirely.

Of course you may not have been referring to me anyway. But in case you were I wanted to make things crystal clear to you.

I hadn't intended bothering you with this message, but after reading some of your recent posts I felt it was most important that you didn't get 100% the wrong idea about my friendship with Vicky, just in case you meant me.

Apologies for bothering you.

Okay Mikey, I'm back here a few hours later. Having thought about things. I want to be clear that I am in no way being harshly critical of you, whoever it was you maybe were referring to. Ultimately it doesn't really matter probably. I just wanted to be clear about things.

I'm not at all basically a judgmental person at heart. Very much the opposite. Ask Vicky. And I respect both of your 'faith positions'

But I'd like you to also respect people who are not 'faithers', and understand that it is perfectly possible to be a very loving and caring person, and not have a faith in the way you understand it. My type of faith or whatever one might call it is a fundamental love for people and the natural world. It is most important for me to minimise suffering in the world. But I take a different approach to it from a religious believer. So all I'm saying is I'd like you to respect that about me, as I do your position. It's good for you know that some of us without belief in God, have a basically very benign and strong desire to not hurt our fellow creatures, and love, as much as you believers do.

****But I will *never* compromise my position with regards atheism, as much as I respect that you won't your position.*****

PS I worship blackbirds.

Effers

Thanks for all that,

I think I need to clear things up.

I've been meaning to say some nice things to you recently but have held back because I didn't want to give you the creeps, but you've given me the opportunity!

Here goes: the vast majority of your postings I find either heart-warming or they make me giggle; they make me think that we have a lot in common!

I regret some of the things I've posted on TGD post recently. I exaggerated my own experience and also I deliberately exaggerated my opposite view to the non-faithers because they all seem to think that faithers are moralists who have no regard for anyone else. I thought that if I explained my own sense of immorality, it might come across as disarmongly honest...it had the opposite effect.

I've actually always been a very compassionate person...since I was little. But life experiences all but shut off that side of me and brought out a completely opposite mikey! I've been through a lot of darkness and am trying to find a way to explain about it to others, especially as I seem to have found something that works.

Effers, please believe me when I say that I RESPECT you and LIKE you.

Please forgive me for the arrogant way I talked about you to Vicky. I've no excuse.

mikey2

Hey no worries Micahel. Thank you for your lovely reply. And I'm pleased you like my posts.

And I'd always imagined you were kind before you found your faith. It's good to hear that. Yes I did get the wrong end of the stick about how you were previously from reading one of your posts on TGD thread, sorry. And I understand you went through hard times and you have been helped by your faith, which I fully accept and respect.

Maybe becoming friendly with Vicky has helped me to be a bit more respectful towards people with faith.

And I completely forgive you for thinking that. Not much to forgive really. It's always worried me a bit that people might think I'm changing my position, by getting on with Vicky well. I've made things abundantly clear to her about 'no appeasement' and Vicky completely respects that. I am actually very interested in many of the ideas in Christianity, and agree with much of it. I also loved singing hymns when I was at school. I love much of the bible, (KJV). It's just I the belief in God/Jesus bit that is not for me. But I accept and fully respect that's what you and Vicky have.

You've really made me feel good with your lovely reply. Thank you so much.

Effers; flying ants

Effers

Thanks for accepting my apology...I've been worrying all day!!

I seem to remember something from a recent posting of yours that might be something we have in common:

I've recently discovered growing my own vegetables...so recently, in fact, that they are teeny little plants on my bedroom windowsill. I was totally bowled over by these shoots growing literally 5 days after I'd sown tiny seeds. I was almost as exited as when my kids were born. How sad is that! I say good morning to them every day and try to encourage them whenever I pass by!

Am I right in thinking this is an interest of yours too? If so, what are you growing?

mikey2

Yes Mikey growing things is a passion of mine. And it is wonderful, never sad. Joy in 'life' of any kind is the very least sad thing in the universe,

I'll get back to you tomorrow in more detail about the plants I'm growing this year.

Hi Mikey,

In my actual garden I have planted quite a few broad bean seeds, which are coming up. I've never grown them before, but I love cooking with them. And yes it's very heart warming and exciting to see them coming up. I've also grown potatoes this year for the first time. I just chucked some King Edwards in the ground a few weeks ago. I think you are meant to get proper what's called 'chits' from a garden centre, but I've had excellent potatoes in the past from just bought ones accidently finding their way into the garden, so I'll see.

Indoors I have planted tomato, chilli pepper and basil seeds. I'll put them outside later. But they grow fine indoors as well with plenty of light. I have this old compost bin in the garden to which I add stuff all year, and then add that to the soil.

I don't know what your circumstances are to 'outside' growing. But even indoors and on window sills it's possible to grow loads of stuff.

Please feel free to ask me any questions about growing plants, here. I'm not the greatest expert but I've learnt a fair bit over the years. And my mother is also a growing plant fanatic.

Whatever you manage will be great. And you'll gradually learn more and more.

I'm so pleased it's giving you so much pleasure to try growing things. It's huge fun.

Hi Effers

Broad beans are lovely.

I've planted blueberry, tayberry and raspberry bushes a few weeks ago...so I think I must wait till next year for fruit.

I've planted onions (sets), beetroot, tomatoes (cherry and normal size) and a row of potatoes. On my window sill I've got leeks and strawberies.

I had broccoli till this morning. It came up really quickly about a month ago, but now, at about 2 inches tall, the leaves have gone brown and they look really unhealthy. The only thing I can think is that its too warm (the packet recommends 13 degrees), so I've moved them to the greenhouse.

Any suggestions about the broccoli?

mikey2

Mikey, you actually sound far more expert than me.. We had snow here recently and some really cold weather. Maybe your brocoli were affected if it turned really unusually cold, like here in London.

What else do you have in your garden?

I keep the back of mine very over grown and wild for birds and wild life. Ivy, hawthorn, holly, elderberry, privet, black berry brambles, blue bells, long grass etc.

You may have seen where I mention stinging nettles. The young shoots are great in stews and food. The sting goes immediately when cooked. And later in year they are good for caterpillars of butterflies.

Do you grow any herbs? I l have a lot of those like thyme, mint, lemon balm that are perrenials as well as parsley and basil which I grow every year from seed.

I have a small pear tree and a very young plum that my next door neighbour gave me.

I have huge problems with snails in my garden. I try growing spinach each year and they always eat it.


And yes I get every bit as excited as you when stuff comes up. And I have loads of bird life in my garden. One year I had a family of foxes.

Oh yes I have some rasberry plants that come up every year on my overgrown fence on the left. I think they came from bird droppings, cos I never planted them myself. Rasberries are wonderful. My holly and hawthorn also appeared via birds.

The hedge is composed of an overgrown ramble of honey suckle, rambling roses, wild plants like night shade, covolvulous, brambles, buddlehia and goodness knows what else. The flocks of sparrows certainly love it

Hi Effers

I've always wanted a wild garden because I love watching birds...in fact, the only reason I planted an apple tree a few years back was so that I might attract bullfinches to come and eat the buds! My wife prefers a slightly neater garden though.

We have a lot of hibiscus bushes and clematis. I'm growing a tray of sweat peas...they remind me of my grandmother because she always had sweat peas in her house. Its funny...I have forgotten a lot of my childhood but I remember all the smells and sounds etc of my grandmother's house as if it was yesterday...she was a special lady.

I'm quite into birdwatching...not in too heavy a way, but I enjoy being able to recognize calls etc. Locally we get barn owls, herons, kingfishers. We live in a village near a river...its a very peaceful location.

mikey2

Sorry..did you say a family of foxes...that's awesome!

>Locally we get barn owls, herons, kingfishers. We live in a village near a river...its a very peaceful location.,

That sounds brilliant Mikey. I've always loved being near rivers too. Some of my childhood was lived near rivers. It actually completely broke my heart when we moved to some horrible location away from the river Medway.

Kingfishers are incredible. Watching one swoop down to catch a fish is wonderful, and the small explosion of electric brilliant blue, orange, and white that occurs.

Yes it was the just the one year I had the family of foxes. It was a den made right at the back of my garden in some hole in the ground. The funny thing is that in the morning I would see bits of small plants that I'd just planted strewn all over the place. Presumably the cubs playing in the night in the garden. I love foxes. At night if I'm driving round here, I regularly see foxes roaming around.

Effers

I only occasionally see foxes. Do you live in a town?

Yes I love kingfishers; it makes my day when I spot one on my early morning walk. My other favourites are long-tailed tits...do you get them near you?

We get deer round here aswell. I could spend hours watching them; I'm amazed at how gentle and graceful they are.

One of my neighbours has just been round to look at my broccoli...he's quite an expert and says they're going to be o.k.

mikey

Yes mikey, I live in south London. But I'm so lucky to have a garden, and there are lots of gardens around here; a huge overgrown cemetery, run by the London Wildlife trust, and a big park, with lots of vegetation, about a mile away.

Yes I've ocassionally had long tailed tits. They are wonderful.

I saw a wild deer once in Ashdown Forest, in some woodland. It just stood stock still and stared back; and the next moment it was gone. Magical.

I'm pleased your brocolli are okay. Maybe it was frost damage?

Tell me more about the river where you live. Are there moorhens and coots?

It sounds like there can be some great wildlife in towns. I used to live in Croydon when I was younger, but was too busy growing up to notice wildlife!!

Yes we have Moorhens and Coots. There were 11 Swans on the river on Sunday morning. I usually disturb a Heron if I'm the first person down there.

I once saw a Water Rail and I've seen the odd Water Vole too. Perhaps the rarest was a Cetti's Warbler...a very shy bird with a very loud voice. It took me a fortnight of daily visits before I actually saw it.

I also had a close encounter with a deer once. I was walking in Dorset at about five one morning and stopped to lean over a gate to admire the view and a deer wandered up. Because I was perfectly still it didn't notice me until I waved my arm and it bounced off into the distance just like the deer on 'Bambi'!

I am mystified about my broccolli..it could have been too warm or they could have outgrown their very small compartments in my self-watering propagator (do you have any of those...you fill a reservoir and some material soaks up the water and distributes it to the underneath of the plants).

mikey

Hey mikey I'm so excited to hear you mention Cetti's warblers. They appeared in my garden about 5 years ago. Such a little bird for so much racket and the funny hopping around and wing movements it does to announce its territory.

It mostly is invisible in the thick undergrowth. But I see it ocassionally or its mate. Someone has a big pond a coupleo f gardens away.

Because of global warming they are quite common now in the south east. Originally from Italy.

They are one of my favourite birds. A bit like a slightly larger wren with some speckles.

What's a water rail?

No I don't use propogators. Just grow stuff indoors in pots with compost.

I planted some lupin and nasturtium seeds today.

And I've got some brilliant very dark blue sweet pea seeds.

Did you know it's very important that you grow them in rich soil with plenty of compost? I saw that last week on a garden programme. I've tried growing them before without much luck. My soil is lightish and slightly sandy, which would account for them not doing well. It makes it easy to work and warms up quickly so some stuff does brilliantly, but I have to add plenty of compost for some plants.

A Water Rail is a bird similar in shape to a coot but brownish with a long red bill; lives in marshes; highly secretive (he says, quoting verbatim from his bird book!!)

O...sweat peas need rich soil...oops, the cheap compost I used from Wilkies is really sandy and there is absolutely NO activity
going on. I may re-pot them in some different stuff.

I went out today to buy tomato planting compost bags and some 8 foot canes to build a framework for runner beans which, according to the packet, need to go out in the next month. I also bought some ericaceous compost to re-pot my blueberries, having been advised that they thrive in acidic soil.

Its all getting quite expensive but I'm sure its worth it and I should save money later in the year at harvest time!(me holding some broccolli)

mikey

Yeah mikey your sweet pea seeds/seedlings don't need rich soil. It's only later when they get bigger and start climbing that they need rich soil. In the summer I also add a mulch of grass cuttings round some plants which stops the evaporation of water from the soil.

Most seed/ seedlings are fine for germination in basic cheap multi purpose compost.