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

18th November I'm cold, have a headful of Polish grammar, am mildly vexed (the bus back was so late that it chucked everyone off a mile and a half before the end of the route), and slightly not sober after a very much needed beer. This may be useful when it comes to synthesis.

Another random card reading excrcise. The Close (death).

Very misty mountains in the distance, with a sparse conifer forest in front of them.

The midground is a wide river, which either forks or has an islet, and there's a heron where it appears to fork. A barn owl in flight, and a Death's Head Hawk moth are also in the midground.

On the bank in the foreground, to there's a clump of primroses, and a naked baby who sits looking at the moth (or at Death?) and to the left there is borage, and a misty skeletal figure in a dark robe and carrying a scythe over one shoulder.

This card is usually about inevitable endings (seldom actual death), without which new beginnings would be almost impossible.

Good to see you can say the important things in Polish

Interesting amount of wildlife in that card, I am now wondering what is symbolism of a heron, going to google, thanks Herenna

According to the book which came with the deck, the heron represents morning and the generation of life. I seem to remember that you look out for herons (as well as watching those owls) in your area, Peanut?

The same book says that (in Egyptian mythology) the owl is associated with the dead sun which has crossed beyond to the waters of darkness; therefore it's linked to darkness and death and, combined with the heron, you've got the entire cycle of life and death on the same card.

Well, that is interesting, because I associate the heron with mornings, when we are out for daybreak, along with the little residents in the trees the heron also gets going early, I expect them to be among the first birds I will see.

I love herons and barn owls, both close to heart my heart and in my soul , that is going to for some interesting reflection today I think, thank you for that Herenna

Circle of life, choosing which fork to travel, fascinating stuff

Your journal has been brilliant for me today Herenna, some interesting trains of thought, maybe some insights will come. It has been a

There was as well timely reminder and a nudge in the right direction, one letter I had opened straight away, was from talking therapies got it yesterday and meant to act on it this morning, I clear forgot, it is done. I think also from a somewhat different and more reflective perspective than if I had done first thing, as then I would have been doing it in the just 'get it ticked off the list mode'

How did I get there, the Heron sun and the Barn Owl moon, my sun and moon in opposition, a personal connection there worth contemplating in my choices of birds and an 'ah yes remember you need to sort out TT'

19th November

Consider this a marker - more details tomorrow when less tired and cold.

[Amy P]

Entry owed for 19th November:

A bit of a stressful day. After attempting to relax for an hour in the pool, the showerwhich kept going cold (not to mention the cleaning lady trying to turf me out the changing room all of 5 minutes before I'd finished dressing) was not exactly good for serenity.

The day was chilly and damp - so I settled on a full set of themals and a couple of layers for the eveninng march to the Town Hall and the protest outside it (an attempt to save social housing in the area from being knocked down and having more expensive flats built on the same ground, when the teneants just want their homes repaired).

Considering the weather, and the fact that we were outisde at an hour coinciding with either tatime, putting children to bed, or getting home after woek, the turnout was pretty good. Some of us were allowed to goin into the council meeting, but I wasn't one of them.

Anyway, while waiting around outside with placard and T shirt, some people came over and asked about it, and I think I may have directed a few to a local website/forum where they might be able to find a abit of moral support and (hopefully) local contacts for what do do about their own situations.

There was one bloke who'd hurried back form work, only to find that he'd missed the main protest. He'd got a highly detailed handpainted placard which I took a photo of. Still he'll be making a larger verion of it for the next time.

Ther was also a homeless woman who, in spite of have spent the day traipsing between Brixton and Westminster in order to try to get help (and a roof for the night), had still wanted to show her support.

She was so cold, tired, and stressed that she could barely remember the address given her, and was a bit panicky about the area. To be fair, Brixton's got quite a bad reputation to outsiders, but the main bits are safe enough, if you look as if you know where you are and as long as you relax but keep your wits about you. So, after she remembered that the address was on a bit of paper inside a zipped up pocket, I had a look at the address, realised that we were on that road anyway, and offered to walk her there. Got her to the door, just as a young bloke buzzed himself in, so she didn't even need to punch in the door code. I hope she was okay, as it really wasn't the best night to arrive in a place you don't recognise.

Got home, thoroughly cold, damp and tired. I was too tired to eat most of my tea (even after getting outside of a hot drink), so had that for breakfast today.

20th November
Another random card.

The Wheel of Fortune. On my card, a king in one top corner and a peasant in the other stad apparnetly debating the state of the wheel. The rim of it is ouroboros, a long black and white snake eating its own tail. A red and yellow clad jester at the bottom of the card lies on his back, apparently supporting te wheel with his knees.

As for the contents of the wheel, the bottom of it is dark water with a fish, and an owl against a night sky. Then there's a young girl (Persephone?), naked, curled up, and sleeping, with one hand on an animal skull and the other supporting stalks of ripening wheat. Above the earth, in the upper half of the wheel, an archer hunts on horseback with hounds, and peasatnst toil on the estate farm, in both spring and summer. The upper part is the active bit of the year and the lower section is the fallow/rest time.

This card is more gradual change than The Close (Death) but every bit as inevitable. Change will happen, and the most you can hope for is to influence the nature of and direction of that change.

[Amy P]

I hope the lady had a good night where she was staying and can find something more secure for winter.

Glad it was a good turn out and sounds like you managed to raise some awareness as well give out some good info for people to get connected.
Have you heard yet what came of the meeting?

Hope next time you get a swim in, the showers are nice and warm and you have time to get changed at your leisure

21st November

No pool time today, finding the time to get there was going to be more stressful than giving it a miss. Instead, I did nothing much, apart from grocery shopping, checking the poost and the usual chores.

I know that if you judge my life purely from the amount of time I seem to be online I've got a lot of free time, but that's pretty misleading. Anyway, we're now into the relapse time of year, when even getting Him Indoors to do the small amount he can is a chore in itself.

After yet another late night by most standards (no point going to bed earlier as he has to wait up until it's time for his last lot of painkillers etc, I've got to be up, out, and alert by 10 am tomorrow as there's another so-called workshop from then 'til noon about the future of this estate.

And then, in the afternoon, I need to pay for a coat which (even 2nd hand) is probably worth quite a bit more than the winning bid. And there's a chicken pie to make, if I get the pastry out in time. It's all good, except for the bits which aren't.

21st November

No pool time today, finding the time to get there was going to be more stressful than giving it a miss. Instead, I did nothing much, apart from grocery shopping, checking the post and the usual chores.

I know that if you judge my life purely from the amount of time I seem to be online I've got a lot of free time, but that's pretty misleading. Anyway, we're now into the relapse time of year, when even getting Him Indoors to do the small amount he can is a chore in itself.

After yet another late night by most standards (no point going to bed earlier as he has to wait up until it's time for his last lot of painkillers etc, I've got to be up, out, and alert by 10 am tomorrow as there's another so-called workshop from then 'til noon about the future of this estate.

And then, in the afternoon, I need to pay for a coat which (even 2nd hand) is probably worth quite a bit more than the winning bid. And there's a chicken pie to make, if I get the pastry out in time. It's all good, except for the bits which aren't.

[Amy P]

22nd November

Not a day of relaxation, repose, or recreation.

The morning was taken up by being given the same information yet again about what might happen to this estate if it's knocked down and demolished. Strange how they've only got firm figures for the things they want to do and not for anything else. Oddly, all these workshops aren't part of the official consultation process, nore were the questions asked earlier in the year, nor were any of the meetings so far. I'm assuming that this is a softening up process then.

Rushed home, grabbed dinner, then rushed back to hand over notes from the morning workshop to somebody who couldn't be there but could get to the afternoon one, which I couldn't get to (attendance divided by tenancy/ownership status).

Then out to top up my payment card. This is usually half an hour by bus on a Saturday, but today, the software was down at that branch, so another bus ride to reach one which was up & running. By this time, my Oyster card had run out of credit, so after topping up my payment card, I had to find a newsagent to top up the Oyster to get home (not as easy as it sounds in an unfamiliar area).
Two s-l-o-w buses to get home, paid for the bid I won on a coat last night, then started on the pie.

The pie was as good as hoped, but I'm shattered now.

[Amy P]

23rd November

A day without leaving the flat. Partly because it's Sunday and there's nowhere to go, partly because I'm at the end of the money until payday, partly because of the cold and rain, but mostly because Him Indoors had a migraine (now nearly over) and therefore was mostly unsafe to be left on his own in the flat.

So, in between the usual, I've crocheted a few more inches of a ridiculously loose tension freeform stole and indulged in reading the fiction equivalent of a B movie. It includes a lot of zombies.

And now, for the sake of something more to say, and to keep Peanut happy...

It's random card of the night - King of Rods (Wands)

I say because reading the court cards is not my strong point at all. Still, practice is practice.

There's quite a high probability that I know (not in the biblical sense) the man in question. Still, back to the card. He's not elderly, but his hair is aurburn or chestnut with greying strands. He's clean shaven (because the beard and moustache would show more white than he's happy with?), has strong features, and hazel eyes. He looks straight out of the card, as if calmly weighing up the person looking at it. Right in the foreground of the card, his left hand displays a wide gold wedding ring, as he holds a thick and leafy ash brings in front of him. It's not quite brandished, yet.

The thing to remember about the ash tree is that its wood provides a hot steady flame, even if you burn it while green - an appropriate choice for the suit associated with the element of fire. This suit is also associated with business, building (physical as well as metaphorical) trade, training, communication of the sort which involves bargaining, and sex.

Sorry, back to the King. His right arm is folded behind the left, and he's richly clad in red and yellow (associated with fire). There's an ermine trimmed red and black brocade cape over his shoulders (is this to ward off the cold as much as to show his status?), he wears a gold pendant of a large circle with three tongues of flame hanging down from it. the collar of his tunic is gold and orange horizontal stripes (so near the throat does this suggest that he speaks with passion?). His gold crown has flame shaped points all the way around, and the tips are tinged red. The centre of it is padded red and gold cloth - this again suggests to me that he's either quite practical or feels the cold a bit because of his age.

Behind his left shoulder, there's a yellow Iris. *Cheats and reads what the bok says about that - it indicates a passionate nature. Also, that branch is goat willow, not ash - oops! Willow tends to burn with a hot flame if you dry it out enough and bundle it up, but I'm assuming it's in this card because willow will take root almost anywhere and grows quickly* The card is also supposed to refer to a married marn with children who prefers living in the countryside.

Told you I don't get on well with court cards.

[Amy P]

24th November

Yet another meeting about the future of the estate tomorrow, which clashes with my Polish class, so I'm giving it a miss. OTOH I've asked to be sent the details, as a matteer of course. I've also sent in the information which an architect wanted - one thing I like about this flat, and one thing I don't.

Both were easy, with a digital camera and access to the net. I love the amount of natural light which the living room gets all day, from windows at either end. The way the ceiling slopes down from the top windows throws the afternoon and evening sun a lot further into the flat than it could otherwise reach.

Granted, in high summer the windows end up needing to be shaded, but it's far better to have too much natural light than too little.

As for what I dislike, it's something which is mostly a fault with maintenance and the way that whoever records the faults passes on the information. I mean, I'm no building expert, but even I can work out that if there's no water tank and no water pipe above a certain level, the fault probably lies with guttering or flashing rather than being a plumber's job!