Bunburying and wassailing into winter - thread 7

I think it was good to see it on aibu

A year ago you would have seen many people saying it was transphobic

But now you see many eyes have been opened.

And taking time to find out it’s not about toilets it’s so much more

Yes, I'm sure that's right, Coffee. How kind and thoughtful of them. Maybe also wanted to not upset the delicate sensibilities of AIBU with difficult questions, I suppose.

I think I saw one or two posters complaining that the whole thread (with topic why the question could not be asked) was hateful and transphobic and should be quarantined sent to the FWR board.

If I was a suspicious person, I would believe that some elements were trying to avoid the discussion being visible to people new to the topic. Luckily, I only believe the best of people, so someone was probably trying to very helpfully categorising content in the best possible way .

Yes coffee . I missed the bit where my thread was sent to this board and sent back again but very pleased to see it reinstated with the poll. Lots of new women plus lurkers with eyes wide open....does none know why it moved?

Agree, highame.

I resent being treated like a child tbh, that's what all of this feels like. Not MN per se but closing down this debate is basically telling us that we are not able to discuss, we do not have the capacity. Yes, there are people who are transphobic but I often see them put in their place here and elsewhere, so why are we not given credit for being able to hold civilised debates, in our own country, on our own board Mumsnet. This has been discussed many times, just a bit tetchy over the last few days. Am gearing up to say a lot to the Government Equalities Office and it's not all about whether they move offices or not

It is amazing how discussions in AIBU can open the eyes of posters new to the debate. No wonder certain elements want to keep many discussions away from there

I sense a plopper.....

I can report that plums soaked in vodka for a year then boiled with sugar make acceptable jam. I've not sieved it only taken the stones out.

Good point, Arabella. That section is a revelation.

Have you read the Appendix, Grinitch, which also notes that it's interesting to see which subjects remain mysteriously completely absent of certain voices. And which - some might say frothier subjects are almost guaranteed to attract endless empty pontification?

I'm minded of a certain type of tawdry tupperware party, which I'm sure Geraldine wouldn't bother to attend.

ooh preserved lemons! I've remembered I have frozen raspberries and vodka so more liqueur making will commence.

Mmmm preserved lemons! That is exactly what is needed this bleak time of year. We always do them with salt, though, for use in savory dishes.

🍻 to you, Delphinium, and to women and girls everywhere!

Thank you for the kind reminder...I shall now set down my rapidly typing hands (it's been a rough day) and get back to preserving lemons. That was on my Sunday to-do list and I need to consult two conflicting recipes (one has same weight sugar per lemon, the other 1/4 weight sugar per lemon).

Raising a glass of red to the women of Mumsnet whilst re-reading Germaine's classic On the Law of Diminishing Returns of Engaging with Misogynists.

She acknowledges that some degree of engagement with misogynists helps the public at large to see the issues and the characters involved more clearly, but she advises against spending too much energy or text in said pursuit, especially when it allows the misogynist to direct the topics of women's conversation.

Brown v white sugar just gives a slightly different colour and taste. I make a batch of each so I have a choice.

fatblackcatspaw, it doesn't have to be a jelly-bag for the pips and pith; you can use a flat bit of cloth the size of a drying-up cloth and tie a bit of string round it tight to keep it together. That's actually quite useful because you can hang the string over the edge of the pan and use it to pull the cloth-bundle out by.

The reason to leave it overnight half way through the process is so you can squeeze the pulp out of that without burning your hands, as far as I am concerned.

Appears to have gone. As you were.

V new Trump thread (last few minutes), bit daft, feels like screen grab trawl.

realise I failed to get myself a jelly bag... I'm now craving marmalade BAD.... however I have liberated the plum gin which was on a high shelf and drunk it liberally tonight.

You forget the incantations, 2Rebecca. You can't put grans in the marmalade without doing the proper incantations.

2Rebecca how much and what sort of difference does the white vs brown sugar make?

Isn't removing the pips a faff? I squeeze mine on a food processor squeezer so the pips are mixed in with the other stuff and it all gets tipped in the bag. Not having to remove the pith and membranes would save time though so I'll try omitting that step and chucking it all in the food processor once I've squeezed them.

Thanks ItsLateHumpty just me being a Numpty

But worth checking in here as I have marmalade oranges