The Bluestocking Women's Pub: Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs

I wish to announce to Bluey that I now have Valtra-coloured toenails.

With thanks to Magpie for the recommendation.

I've forgotten what colour 'Valtra' is - electric blue? but maybe it's red? Is there a classic Valtra colour, like the John Deere green?

I'm sure your toenails look fab-u-lous, Edith, and you've been hankering after Valtra-coloured nails for a while now, so well done on achieving your heart's nails' desire💅

Chickadeeinme, I loved your poem yesterday, thank you. Poems are always lovely, but when they've by an actual Bluestockinger, that's special.

I've had problems with coming up with a short name for you in your last two username identities, Chickadeeinme - calling you 'Brit' seemed a bit rude given that I'm Irish, and calling you 'Chick' seems a bit rude given that you're a woman, but I've thought of something - may I call you 'Chic' for short?
The only double entendre is that you are incredibly stylish, which I'm sure you won't mind

It rained here yesterday evening! not much, not enough to make an impact on the reservoirs, but cooling and wecome.

Looking at the UK weather maps, it looks like Scotland is going to get a lorra lorra rain during the week, but the odd shower is the best we can hope for elsewhere. Even in Ireland - the wet weather that usually comes in off the Atlantic is skirting over the north of us, and hitting Scotland instead.

When I see the UK weather map, I wonder where each Bluestockinger is located, and how good or bad the forecast is for her. I have a fair idea about some of you, and my heart sinks when I see uh-oh! high 20s there again😕

I’ve just been for a walk in the local country park with my friend & her dog. It was early enough to be fairly quiet & we saw deer, horses, butterflies, dragonflies & what was either a crane or a heron.

As well as Chic's poem, I forgot to admire Woley's wonderful blackwork yesterday - I had a funny day yesterday, felt a bit weird.
In the words of who was it? Shakespeare? Confucius? Aristotle? no - wait - it was..... Gilbert O'Sullivan😁-
'Nothing rhymed'.

I blame atmospheric pressure, which triggers migraines - I think we had a bit of a dance between high and low pressure and it messed wiv my 'ead a bit without causing a full-on migraine.

So a lot of the activity in the Bluey passed by uncommented by me yesterday, but very much appreciated and admired, especially the creativity of the nature notes and the poetry and the needlework

It's funny, cos I wrote some long posts on other threads yesterday, I could manage the deep and meaningful, but not the Bluey badinage..

@AngleofRepose I haven't noticed any cranes in the deepest darkest depths of Cardiff, but I will keep my eyes peeled. My friend has just got a job driving bin lorries and will be based up the road at a local rubbish tip. There are some lakes across the road from the tip and herons often hang out there.

The tip has also been known to have a feral cat colony, so I have told him to keep an eye out for abandoned kittens.

Snap! I did mine for going on holiday.

And doesn't it look splendid?

Marie, 'true Valtra' is a deep metallic red, though Valtras come in other colours.

I always think of ShinyBlueTractor as being a New Holland.

The big news is, WE HAVE HAD RAIN.
Not much, but quite the downpour while it lasted. It's laid the dust, and should mean that there are no field fires today - I was out this morning (running in through the rain with my jacket over my head) and some of the conversation was about a field fire several villages away yesterday, did it get the standing grain, who owns the land etc.

We have unbaled wheat straw fore and aft of the house at the moment, and I shall be glad when it's gone.

I also have holiday toes, but they are duck egg blue rather than anything more vibrant.

A friend of DC had a giant centipede. It was called Harry after the children's books by Lynne Reid Banks, Harry The Poisonous Centipede. (Yes, she probably meant venomous, but never mind).

I very much enjoying the poem and the creativity yesterday, so thank you all for that.

I'm flattered @EdithStourton , that's an excellent-looking tractor. Strong, self-confident and able, without the need to shout about it, isn't that the perfect set of life goals? (and shiny and blue of course!)

Ah, thank you for that info, metallic red sounds lovely!

All eyes on ShinyBlueTractor now,* on her feet in particular... I'm sure Magpie can recommend a nice 'New Holland Blue' shade of nailpolish for your toenails, ShinyBlueTractor - *no pressure of course💅

[I googled New Holland tractors, Edith - lovely colour, and they seem to maintain the blue brand ID. Valtras are a bit more promiscuous colourwise, aren't they?]

You had some proper rain, even if there wasn't much of it - ours was more the 'soft day thank God' variety, no need for jacket over head, more lifting my face up to feel the very gentle cooling mist..
and it might have dampened down vegetation enough to slow the wildfires.

It's rained a bit here too, so I had a daft version of It's Raining Men in my head all morning:

It's raining rain,
Hallelujah! It's raining rain...

A bit less metaphorical than the original 😁but the lawn and flowers would agree with the hallelujah!

I'm not going to bother editing my last post - inexplicable asterisks and emboldening and all sorts appeared for some reason🙄
you get the drift!
[but ironically I DID edit this one, for spelling.]

I liked the font changes, it had the air that you were leaning in at the Bluey to make a very firm point about nail polish 😁

And it's amazing what you can find on a quick browse - New Holland nail stickers, for the tractor nail art afficionado! (Disclaimer: these are not my nails pictured)

New Holland Tractor Waterslide Nail Decals Set Of 50 Instructions & Bonus | eBay UK share.google/wfFg8GWhRdm2yHXcH

Or 'We're blaming men' as we used to sing it in the good old days:
'For the first time in history/we're gonna start blaming men/Hallelujah!'😄

Hahaha love it 😎

@MarieDeGournayI rather like the idea of being Chic, if only in the Bluestocking, so thank you for that. Many years ago before a holiday in France I made myself a sundress with a matching jacket. I even figured out my own pattern and was very proud of the result. I wore it in Paris, pre-children, and one day when DH1 and I were on top of the Arc de Triomphe standing near a couple of French women, one of them looked me up and down and turned to her friend and said (thinking I wouldn’t understand her) “fait en la maison”. True, but I felt crushed and nowhere near chic.

...and made in Basildon!

https://agriculture.newholland.com/en-gb/europe/new-holland-world/news/2024/new-holland-marks-two-millionth-basildon-tractor

Catching up from last night, I'm loving the examples of knitting, blackstitch, quilting etc but I'm glad I wasn't around when the various creepies and slitherers were being discussed. I'm not generally a wimp when it comes to insects etc, but don't like them anywhere near my bedroom, especially the ones that sit on the ceiling so that you spot them as soon as you open your eyes! I found another grasshopper in the kitchen this morning (common green type) - or it may have been the same one, that sneaked back in when I opened the door. 😁

Some more rain overnight, which is welcome, but we really need it every day for a week. Selfishly, I'm hoping that doesn't happen this week (at least, not in the daytime) as I'm going to be without my car for a few days. I don't mind if it rains at night.

Love the tractor nails ShinyBlue.

The French can be very crushing.
French teenagers have a way of glancing over you that can make you, your life and your entire outfit feel condemned.

Obviously, NAFPALT.