Hippo On The Lawn


Mary ripped the "Underpants of shame" from Winnie mid afternoon
The Prof found them in a heap by the back door when he arrived home, and was not best pleased as they were his second best designer briefs.
( I had picked the wrong pair out of our undie drawer in the morning)
I have had to walk carefully ever since.

Anyhow, I've been thinking of a couple of fellow bloggers today.
Gary, the cheerful gardener from " A Day In The Life" who has been suffering from a bad chest for a little while now, sort of took a blog discussed turn for the worse yesterday . Alarm bells started to ring in my nurse brain last night , and I suggested that he got checked out by a chest physician .
Luckily his pretty wife also sussed that something more serious was afoot and a hospital admission ensued ,
I wish him well.

This kind of brought home the fact that we the blogging community generally lie in that fiifty year old plus category of people whose body systems all start to get a little cranky and " delicate" from time to  time.
In a similar vein, I am also rather worried about our old ex mercenary mate Tom Gowans over at " A Hippo On The Lawn" who has not blogged for almost a year. I last head from him by email, a good few months ago, and although his correspondence was filled with typical good natured British " spirit that won the war",  his chronic health issues ( namely a septic leg)  was still a huge cause for concern.
His recent silence is worrying to say the least  and it perhaps illustrates the way that fellow bloggers have become friends over the years of pithy two line comments and the odd email.
Tom, If you are still alive and kicking ( albeit with your good leg) let us all know.....

When a blog , just stops, out of nowhere everyone is left hanging.

69 comments:

  1. I hope he gets in touch, he had a very 'gung ho' attitude to his health on his blog, to go completely silent is worrying :-(

    Bad luck on the 'wrong knickers' being torn 'oops you did it again' .....

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  2. I've been really worried about Hippo for months now. I hope he's ok. With all the bad news January has brought so far, when I saw the title of this post pop up on my sidebar I felt a moment of dread. I'm glad it wasn't bad news, but sorry it was no news.

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    1. Indeed jennifer...his prolonged silence, and his non reply to threet emails is indeed very worrying

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    2. Amazingly , I was Thinking of him yesterday And wondering if I should ask you about him. I didn't know the leg was still a problem, now I'm really concerned about him!....and wasn't there a baby on the way too?

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    3. Yes marcia was pregnant

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  3. Good grief man you nearly gave me a heart atack. I thought someone had take a photo of me. :-)

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  4. Somehow I can't ever see "Going Gently" coming to a sudden end. There might be a small hiatus for the funeral and then you'll be blogging again from beyond the grave. This might happen sooner than you think if you misuse Chris's underpants again. Lay off them and use your own! Winnie will look so cool in Homer Simpson boxers.

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    1. Yp
      I too will go gently one day...........

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  5. Tom Gowan last posted on March 18, 2015, but he was replying to comments through March 27. He is sorely missed in the blogosphere. I do wonder about Marcia and the boys and how the restaurant is coming along, but mostly about Tom's leg and overall health.

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    1. I last heard from him in around june

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    2. I too keep an eye out for him and wish him all the best. But I worry...

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  6. i'm so glad you brought this up. i too miss tom and worry about him. he is such a tough one but that leg sure took it out of him. i hope he responds to this!

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  7. Really John??? The Prof's underpants? Doesn't Winnie deserve some pretty girly panties? Why must she wear men's underpants! I hope your blog friends are Ok.

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  8. ok, so you buy the prof a new pair of sexay undies as remorse. and you buy winnie her own pretty girlie undies. and you buy yourself a scotch egg and never speak of this again.

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  9. Its lovely and incredible how the blog world works and how you become part of the community - whether you have a blog or are just happy reading blogs. I hope the chest gets better and the leg makes a reappearance.

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    1. Yes..... Both have wonderful blogs, tom's of course was more interesting and animated than most as he was an entertaining drunk with a wonderful way of writng when under the influence.

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    2. I thought he had given the booze up in favour of some other weird concoction? I have been meaning to ask you if you knew anything, but if you have already sent 3 emails I guess there isn't much more to be done. He is still on my bookmarks bar but I don't check so often these days.

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  10. I did wonder about Gary and his chest as Tom has had PE's in the past and it did sound a lot like the same thing. Also I loved following Hippo on the Lawn and likewise have been wondering what happened to him.
    You're so right about becoming online friends with just 2 liners on the blogs.
    Briony
    x

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  11. Re: dogs and undies .. I had a Borzoi once upon a time, a female .. for those days, once a month, we bought her children's panties, girls .. pink .. cute. It didn't matter, she was mortified and my husband refused to walk her.

    About missing a blogger .. that is so difficult for me. There was a couple that I loved reading their blog of their travels. Suddenly, dead silence. I was fearful of writing and asking, not sure what the online blogging etiquette is in cases like that.
    So I finally sent a very short hope you are well, miss you note.
    Happily I got back a short All is well but busy note.

    I never knew about Hippo on the Lawn, I will go there now ..
    and hope your friend Tom is just so busy enjoying himself that he has not been online ..

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  12. Several of us have left follow notes on Hippo's last post, but nothing. I hope we hear.

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  13. I do wish we could find out about Tom...the silence is a bit unsettling.

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  14. I know whatyou mean about our blog friendships John - and how unsettling it is when something odd happens like this. Hope the silence is soon broken by some good news.

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  15. I knew Mary would have those pants!!! I was wondering about Hippo too and have been interested in his welfare ever since he came to London to get treatment. I do hope that he is OK.

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  16. Come on Tom say something

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  17. The only time I accept radio silence is when the bloggers are cancer patients and even then it is tough when their sites go dark.
    I wish all bloggers could give a heads up for a hiatus or leaving the blogsphere, but I understand they cannot.
    I hope Tom is okay, his writing is hilarious.

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  18. I don't know Hippo at all - but it sounds as though I've missed some very entertaining blogs. I hope all is well for him and the silence is just a blip.
    Give up John, and buy Winnie some decent undies.

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    1. He was a blast when drinking..his posts got a little more bland when he became sober

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  19. It is unnerving when bloggers disappear isn't it, makes me worry and wonder too! I am still here, just busy, so not commenting much!

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  20. Same for me as Miss Fifi. When a blog site goes silent, there is an unspoken worry.

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    1. And, bad as this sounds, perhaps bloggers might tell their spouses or some friend that if they get very ill (the sort of thing that keeps them away from the computer) or pass away, please to put up a note on the blog. The worry for everyone is that something like that happened, and it would be helpful to get the news the same as in-person friends do. :(

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    2. And, bad as this sounds, perhaps bloggers might tell their spouses or some friend that if they get very ill (the sort of thing that keeps them away from the computer) or pass away, please to put up a note on the blog. The worry for everyone is that something like that happened, and it would be helpful to get the news the same as in-person friends do. :(

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    3. I think the prof will drop everyone a line when i go

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  21. Thank you, John, for reaching out to Tom. I hope we hear back; I've kept his blog link in my reading list in the hope that one day it will pop up with a new entry.

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  22. I too popped on over to Tom's blog recently hoping to see an update, but sadly ....nothing.
    It would be lovely to hear that he is doing well, and plodding along nicely.
    ~Jo

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  23. I've also been wondering about Tom G. I've always been somewhat sporadic with my blog, but as you say, it does very much have a community feel and I don't like when folks go missing.

    As for the pants, I say buy a pack for Winnie. I love my furfriends dearly but do not wish to share underthings with them.

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    1. One lady i know, who has biulldogs uses disposible nappies

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  24. I have been thinking about this so much. One of my favorite darling bloggers who is in her eighties stopped blogging and I have no idea if she's still with us here or not. And when someone goes silent it just worries the hell out of me. We do care.

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    1. I think we all should leave our passwords in a secret place so if, in the case of our death, our nok can at least post an eulogy of sorts

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  25. I saw "The Second Best Marigold Hotel" the other day. Dame Maggie Smith's character enters the doctor's office with the words: "Let's see what else has slipped."

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  26. I have wondered about Hippo for some time too.

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  27. damn....no comment from tom? i wish there was a way to contact his wife.

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    1. Marcia has not long had a baby ( hopefully)

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    2. unless i made a mistake, Marcia miscarried

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    3. but then there was another.

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  28. Umm - yeah - guilty as charged. I let the muse wander off somewhere just over two years ago, and have been meaning to call it back. Think much of it was how sad I felt when we lost Sheba, and the rodent issue afterwards - I'd have just been moaning all the time.

    That said, there's something rather teasing about having posted 99 entries.

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  29. I have been thinking about updating my blog list, I just don't have the heart to do it. I find it disturbing when I get birthday reminders on Facebook for people who have been dead for a couple of years. One this week, his kids and grandkids posted a wonderful video of his life (a high school teacher of mine - he was only 13 years older than I.) What happened to eternal youth.

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  30. I agree, John, that after you have read the ramblings of someone's blog for a long time and they just stop posting, you assume the worse. We need a heave ho before they stop!

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  31. well, i looked up obits for angola and thankfully didn't find one. i hope tom reads this and gives me shit for checking to see if he is dead.

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  32. I have been concerned about our Hippo friend too. His blog is very engaging and now silent.

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  33. Underpants of shame made me laugh so hard. It bothers me when bloggers disappear. I worry.

    Love,
    Janie

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  34. Bad chests kill; best Gary gets it seen to. I often think of Tom too, and wonder what happened to his problematic leg. I do hope it's just pressure of work that keeps him silent.

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  35. I often wonder about those bloggers who seem to disappear...I usually think the worst. I do agree with you, we are a community that cares about our fellow bloggers and wish them well. I hope you hear from your friend soon.

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  36. As the only under forty blogger :-) and a female one at that, I thought I'd add a curmudgeonly thought of my own. (Did I spell that right?) 'Underpants of shame' for something your poor dog can't help seems a little harsh.

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  37. Tom had so much on his plate, Marcia's miscarriage, she was expecting another child after that, the setting up of the restaurant, cars not working, his septic leg and, if I remember well, he was looking into Italian machinery for cutting timber ...? Re your comment to Coppa, John, he most probably stopped drinking so that's the reason he does not write anymore. I do hope he and family are well. Greetings Maria x

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  38. I too have missed Tom's blog and always wondering if he's ok. It would be great to get word

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  39. OK, let me just say, I completely agree with the prof on the underpants thing. If my best pair of Bjorn Borgs wound up on (and subsequently torn off) of the dog I would be incensed.

    I don't know Tom but I think it's great how blogland looks out for its own! (I'm not quite 50, for the record. :) )

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  40. In response to this "whatever happened too?" line of thinking, I eventually got into action to find out whatever happened to Shirley Goode who blogged "The Goode life" now I know, sadly she passed away on 6th November. A wonderful old soul, with a no nonsense approach to her blogging. Lots of great recipes and tips about cooking, and her day to day day life.

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    1. Aww did she, I used to follow Shirley's blog but for many reasons haven't followed many at all this past 6 months... I am sorry to find out she has passed away.

      Jo in Auckland NZ

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  41. Oh I hope Tom gets in touch soon. I enjoyed his blog posts (for obvious reasons!) Bloggers do become friends, John. I've been struggling with blogger issues for a week and worried that someone out there would miss me. Did they? Mmm. Will have to wait and see now I'm back on blogging and commenting again. xx

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  42. Overtime blogs disappear or become private and I wonder what happened that they chose to stop or become private. One blog I had followed for about 6 years just disappeared, including their facebook page. I now they were having a difficult time and then to completely disappear is worrying. Strangely enough \i had just checked Hippo on the Lawn a couple of days ago and saw that there was still no update.

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  43. There have been a few that have disappeared from blogger suddenly, including the Hattats, this year.

    I hope this post reaches Hippo or someone who knows him.

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  44. It is a funny old community in blogland, I think some people suffer sadness, depression, loss and they fade away from blogging because they have hit a low spot and don't have anything to chat about that is cheery, I have noticed this with a few I follow and have sometimes done so myself; I blogged with a lovely generous lady for about 3 years who had long silences and later revealed she went for 'respite' due to mental health issues, (nothing wrong with that but then she disappeared altogether so I guess they didn't let her out) you can feel you really know someone and be concerned but they sometimes like the way things are as they don't have to deal with 'feelings' from this distance ...I do hope your Hippo blogger is ok and will reassure you.

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  46. John, did you ever get a reply from Marcia. I think about him and wonder how he is

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    1. Sue, have a look on cro's blog a few days ago, cro got an email from him!

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