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

Terri,
I've sent some mails, and also picture, as promised.

Oh, and I completely missed your Polish hitchhiker on the first read - hilarious!

Thank yo Terri for the very helpful advice, I will tell my sister when I see her.

It's good to hear that you don't have thrombosis and I hope your leg will get better soon.

Terri, I can chat via my Gmail page as well as having regular Gmail chat. I have it on my work PC as well.

Minerva is not Herman's biological sister- we adopted her from a rescue. The attempt at adopting the baby kitten didn't go well, as she was hyper and bite-y. This girl is a four-year-old calico, very mellow, and they get along OK already after just a few weeks. I have photos to share!

Oh and Minerva isn't wobbly, but has allergies and asthma, apparently, so she sneezes & wheezes & coughs. Hence her name (Minerva gave Prometheus a sneeze to breathe life into his clay men, in Greek mythology...)

Terri I love playing with sisters kitten , he likes to watch people going up and down the stairs and any other type of sudden movements. Has a very sweet miaow and likes to make a toy out of anything including the empty kitchen towel roller.

Oooh, cat convo time!

Today was First day Outdoors for Yoda & first day for ages for Fritz, both in collars with address to return to, Edda out as per usual, me & P watching what might happen....

Yoda was fine, seemed like she had been here all her life; loves her nice new blue collar with fake diamonds , wandered around; jumped up onto high walls "How can she do that, she is so fat?" said P!

Fritz sorta crawled slowly out, hating his harness (he slips out of a collar)and slithered across the grass & eventually perched on the BBQ.

"Oh look, is that tonight's supper? " quoth P, for which he got heavily poked in the ribs!

Then Yoda decide to investigate out of the gate; she is very well camouflaged, but moves fast, then Edda's BF Tyson arrived, Edda isn't interested in him any more 'aprés une certain age' stuff, but spotted Yoda moving & rushed barking , Yoda fled up the lane & i despaired....but a minute later she reappeared, seemingly unconcerned

My room now has 3 tier sleeping system: Fritz on top bunk; Yoda & me on lower bunk, Edda under the bed. P seems to get the 'sleep alone' deal, since His Dog has decided I am Major Food Source & arrives at around 5am for 1st breakfast, then returns to him looking pathetically starved, so then he has to get up & give all domestic animals 2nd breakfast, it's no wonder he wanders off to count, who need only grass really. Molly goat decided to be playful with him today, ramming him from behind, life in rural Oirland is not as peaceful as it seems!

But the blackcurrants are out, we are picking every day, P makes them into jam, raspberries are ripening now too; he usually makes ice cream from them , health food shop advises honey to be put on naughty leg wound & i am considering importing giant tortoises to gobble grass but not berries & provide Disabled Chariots into town (Animal Tanks)

Basically; we are completely nuts, though they don't come out until Autumn.

Webbie, for email & Loverly badger pics, when i get time i will try & get Flickr thing up & running; the main problem here is that since we depend on the weather for Natural Energy, not mains payable nonsense electric, & have different sleep patterns, when we happen to coincide, we usually etc & get left with little time to sort out computer stuff!!

***Old Hippies never die, the just get Deja Vu



zdt

EEEK!!!!

I just spotted i seem to have a new badge on my PS "My work's in the Edited Guide"!!!

Can someone explain this to me please; i have obviously been out of touch with hootoo too long!

zdt

With sister's little kitten, he get's excited every time the telephone rings and I am sure that soon he will try and answer it. When I play with little Simba, I say meow and he says meow and then chases my fingers. Simba does go out but does not go away very far and after he had his 'snip' operation he had to stay in for three days.

Where I used to live with my parents and sister we had blackurrants which I tried to make jam out but was a bit on the burnt side but successfully made blackcurrant icecream.

I hope that your leg is feeling better.

Terri, that new badge thingy is part of the new <./>solo</.> Entries. It is to acknowledge those who have written at least one Entry and less than 25 Entries, when a 'gold' badge will replace the 'silver' one

Hey Terri! I'm trying to get an art group going at my church, wish me luck!

A new Harry Potter flick opens here tomorrow! I'm going with my sisters.

Hmm....so i only have to write another 24 to get gold then? Maybe one on "How to survive a European Tour in back of Red van, whilst being rejected from every Medical dept in Europe, despite being told on verge of death?"

Or: "How many blackcurrants can two people pick on an average day in Ireland"?

Or: "Weirdest road/rail/ferry signs in Europe"? (i have photos!)

Or: "Why is this seagull following us around?" (We christened it Jonathan Livingstone obviously)

As to stuff, all you lot who are enslaved, take a look at this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8147566.stm

Sorry not been on here much lately; abnormal service will resume as soon as possible; i am still totally mad; therefore you are allowed to be also; please tell me your latest madnesses....



zdt

Yooooo hooooooo!

please tell me your latest madnesses....

I think I'm a tree, that must be why I get on round the back

No real madness around here. Work's been busy. Going to see Harry Potter in IMAX with K this Saturday night. Still looking at houses and condos- and working with a lender for mortgage pre-approval. Hope to find something within the next year or so.

Not much else to report, really. No news is good news.

Hiya 'you lot'; just thought i'd pop in to make sure you are all still there....and say hi, really enjoyed the gmail chat with JEllen, Milla, i still haven't had time to sort all the photos out yet (well, they are sorted & in slideshow format, but it's a bit big to send all in one go so am sending them 3 or so at a time)

Here is busy, it's been the Annual Music Festival, so we've been out most nights, a 'general craic' (jam session) in the oldest, most traditional local bar, a recital of harps, sean nos stuff (ie: very old trad music & dance) at the local Convent school hall, a singing session ....guess who did a loud & raucous 'Twist and Shout'? (was told 'Full Marks!'), another few craics here & there...in between, when it's sunny intervals rather than scattered showers, madly picking blackcurrants, raspberries, bilberries, lots of hacking grass, weeding etc.

Much at the antics of Fritz Yoda & Edda, the swallow babies are now flying well & buzzing between the ears when they are sunbathing; hilarious!

The silly leg seems to be slowly on the mend, i went back to & he said "continue the antibiotics, rest it up as much as possible, it's cellulitis (deep tissue infection), may take ages to really heal, just be patient, you are doing right using Arnica gel to reduce swelling"

Had my eyes tested & need stronger glasses for reading/computer but basically no major problems (Phew!!)

Have to go back to the bloody hospital on 31st July for a check up, someone please remind me! But all seems Ok in the sinus dept so far, so hopefully they won't imprison me for long! I really do get the impression that sometimes these medical bod over-react, maybe 'cos of possibility of being sued if they miss something, maybe 'cos they need to use up their budget for admissions, get the statistics right etc.

No news yet re: the benefits appeal, left messages on various ansaphones, i think they are all on holiday!

P may be away next week on an Urgent Mission to sort out major Solar Installation down south, so i will probably be on here a lot morethen; when not trying to keep the farm from turning into a jungle, counting etc....weird that 'counting sheep' is supposed to be a method of inducing sleep; in reality it's pretty hard work, since the wretched creatures tend to hide away; you spend ages thinking "oh My Gawd, there's only 9, where on eath is the other one?", go trudging up the hill & discover it has jumped into the next field/ got trapped in a fence/given birth despite no ram for miles/been trampled on by the neighbours bull etc...'tis not the most sleep inducing method i can think of!

Anyone else have fail safe insomnia remedies? I tend to get by on two hour naps during daylight, but find it hard to sleep at night; if i don't get my afternoon nap, i get ratty & it sometimes means i don't actually sleep well at night either, over-tired i suppose.

I'm certainly getting closer to a more 'normal' sleep cycle now, mainly i guess 'cos during dalight hours, with this changeable weather, we tend to do lots of outdoor physical stuff, so are pretty much tired by around 10pm.

So i think i may say 'night night, sleep tight, don't let the bugs bite, if they do, squeeze 'em tight!' for now!



zdt

You seem to enjoy this life so much, I'm so happy for you! And thanks again for emails w. photies. You look really happy and well!

As for tips... sometimes my legs feel all twitchy and restless, then I know I haven't had enough water, I drink a big glass and sleep.
Otherwise, counting my breathing: Begin at 200, and count down for each breath you take. If you lose count, begin at 200 again. I have never made it to zero, but if you do () begin at 200 again. Losing count is a *good* sign, so feel encouraged if you do.
Another (well known) trick is to do relaxation stuff. Begin at the toes. Stay focused on relaxing your toes until you really are certain they are relaxed. Then move up through body....
In extreme cases, I have taken a motion sickness pill. It's just antihistamine, so not really possible to get physically addicted (but probably psycically...), but it makes you drowsy and able to relax and fall asleep. The effect can be several hours, so even if you wake up, it's not too hard to fall back to sleep.

Stay on the path of healing the body. Can't hurt to pitch a beautiful flower in a sacred well or something, just in case, huh?

I love to read about the animals! Baby swallows zipping around the ?
If a big swallow is called a gulp, is a baby swallow called a sip?

Terri every Friday and Saturaday I hear a few rowdy people coming down the road and on weekends I can hear the roar of go-kart racing even though it is over a mile away.

I had a little shock thought I had a lump but all it was a spot, and I went to the Doctor's today. I am still battling sinus problems but not sure if it is hayfever and got mentioned at the Doctor's as she asked me if there was anything else, this is very unusual as my experiences once you have finished one sympton they want out of the door. So it was very pleasant change and I was not rushed.

I have quite a few remedies to help me get to sleep ranging from herbal tablets and herbal tinctures, basil and rosemary tea (that I made myself) with a dabble of honey, cheese and/or pickled onions or cup of hot milk with a teaspoon of sugar.

Milla:*If a big swallow is called a gulp, is a baby swallow called a sip?
!!!!

It's a bit like today, i said to P "the elderflowers are going to be berries soon, get ready to pick!" & he replied "Ah, maybe i prefer younger flowers though?"

Yes, i can honestly say this is really a lifestyle that seems to suit me, varied, busy, certainly *Not Mainstream* & with lots of stuff ....what a lucky woman i am!

Every day is different, today was:

8am; wake up 'cos Yoda is sitting on my chest purring loudly, demanding breakfast (or she will tear my shoes to shreds; she has a leather fetish; so get up, feed her, Fritz jumps off top bunk & also wants feeding, then Edda arrives, also in Desperate need of Feeding (i have to leave notes for P "the Dog is fed, ignore her pleading big brown eyes!"

Potter around, become somewhat humanoid slowly, watch the swallows, sitting in the newly glassed in porch, brilliant, rain showers don't matter any more ( V & P for building it)

P emerges, does 200 revolutions to grind his Essential & have 1st breakfast, becomes humanoid.

We discuss Ordeals of Today; ie: anything involving deadlines in Real Mainstream Time; such as blackcurrant picking, bureucracy, counting & finally, aquisition of stoopid bits of paper & coins that seem to make this life possible.

I am in "What a good secretary am i" mode, so get on phone to various folk who haven't yet paid him & the ones desperate for his services; believe me, i am actually quite good at seeming to be utterly charming; efficient, but with an undercurrent of supressed menace lurking if they don't play ball

They play ball. so i decide to phone the Appeals office about the bloody Disability stuff; get a very nice chap who says "to be honest, we are snowed under, don't hold out your hopes for a letter before September earliest"; which is pretty much what i had expected.

So: back to reality; we go off picking blackcurrants, jeez; it's a massive crop this year, not even time for P to make jam, into the freezer, plus found more raspberries lurking, gooseberries are not yet ready, but apples coming on nicely.

2nd breakfast time! And read email detailing the complex probs this poor guy is having with his Solar panels (it's a biggie, he runs a Leisure Centre, mainly powered by Solar & this seems to have developed major probs; so since P is the official recognised expert in Oirland, he is the one called in to do a neutral analysis of the probs; bit of a pain 'cos means he will be 'On the road again' for a few days, but ££££ do matter....

Then we decide to start sorting the woodshed out, yes, it's Summer, but you have to think ahead to Winter, much nicer doing this now than in cold, damp, rain, snow, howling gales etc!

*Meanwhile & dog are lolling around resting after the exertion of eating & watching stoopid hoomans w**king*

P brought me a bucket of cold water to dunk silly leg in, then gently massaged Arnica on it; aww, what a nice man!; leg is improving every day now, not needing painkillers anymore!

Yoda seems to be in 7th Heaven here; unlimited access to the great outdoors; loads of ; unlimited supply of small creatures to attempt to murder, another to play with, a to torment, nice warm porch with Her Chair covered in fake tiger skin rug (obviously, us slaves have to stand up)unless she wishes to be groomed....she is definitely Boss of this household!

Suppertime menu for humanoids today was:


Cream
of cauliflower soup (leftover yesterdays cauliflower cheese)

potato salad with homegrown herbs

Pasta with pesto, made from home grown basil

Couldn't manage dessert after gobbling down all that fruit!

Yes, it's a very good life....if i could grant one wish; it would be for all 'You Lot', who have seen me through good times & bad, such a fine life as this, i truly would. Obviously, any of you who can make it over here to this lovely Oirish garden of Eden would be welcomed with open arms!



zdt