Thread 16 - TalkLair: "Well, I'm not exactly quaking in my stylish-yet-affordable boots, but there's definitely something unnatural going on here."

[Kucinghitam]

(Previous thread 15).

Another year over, a new one just begun...

In the TalkLair, the hearth is glowing, the walls festooned with tinsel, books by non-approved authors line the shelves, rugs are down on the floors, the tree is twinkling with fairy lights (and possibly being clambered on by cats). The denizens of the lair are a welcoming bunch though, always eager for general chit-chat on all manner of topics.

We just won’t mention the gnawed bones of our prey Christmas roast beast over there in the corner of the cave…

That sounds brilliant! (Mostly the capybaras but probably more importantly the speedy PET scan.)

Capybaras are quite vicious; last year, there was a video of one attacking a woman in a kayak! I still think they're cool, though.

MrG has eaten capybara in Colombia, back in the late 60s when he was doing fieldwork for his PhD in a remote riverside village. It was something of a luxury for high days and holidays and he said it was very tasty.

From what I've read about capybara they're only aggressive if they feel threatened. Maybe it was the kayak paddles?

I was going to say if some random creature suddenly appeared in a kayak in my home, I might get a bit cross ... especially if I had a weight advantage.

Vegemiteandhoneyontoast · Today 16:10

From what I've read about capybara they're only aggressive if they feel threatened. Maybe it was the kayak paddles?

I seem to remember that it was a male and that they're quite territorial.

Particularly a creature of a species with form for eating members of my extended family. Team capybara.

Capybaras are so obviously giant guinea pigs and are adorable! Do they make the weet-weet-weet noise?

Well that sent me looking, Kuc.

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Ooh, I've just sent that to my daughter, she'll love it. She's currently in bed with a blinding headache, I had to get her from school at 1 today.

If there's one thing that could take my mind of a bad headache it would be the chirps and grunts of capybaras. Hope she feels better soon, @SinnerBoy

What is it about Mumsnet that draws so many people who love small furry mammals? Capybaras, gerbils, hamsters, quokkas....

Binturongs...

You may well be right, Vegemite but not a peep since I took her an Ibuprofen at 4:30.

OMG they do make the weet-weet-weet 😍 thank you @Vegemiteandhoneyontoast!

Can I also add jerboas @Britinme?

And guinea-pigs!

My children had a couple of gerbils in their youth. Unfortunately we also had a cat prone to gerbicide.

Quokkas are fab-u-lous and well worth a trip half way round the world to Rottnest.

Capybaras are so chill that they even get on with crocodiles and other animals just like hanging with them. And now I've heard their noises I'm going to have to try really hard not to peak before April 10th!

I thought I would have to find a way to get to Costa Rica to meet sloths and now I can do it at Drusillas which is not down the road exactly but is sort of down the road. I think I'll use some of the money that I don't have to get to Costa Rica to adopt some so that they're looked after in their homeland.

I'm creating a cutting garden for someone and in looking up flowers for drying I came across a site about arranging them. Not keen on the hearts, but there are some gorgeous arrangements here.

www.laylarobinson.com

There are some stunning arrangements there and I’m not generally a dried flower person (except for hydrangeas, I love those dried).

Also, I had never heard of quokkas but they look awesome.

I've ordered a lot of seeds and will sow them around the garden so the Lady of the House can find them and make arrangements. She asked me to grow more for picking and drying, so she'll be thrilled. I'll keep some back for myself so I can make one of those 'flower meadow in a frame' things. It will look nice in front of the fire place in summer.

To this restaurant!

Makes you wonder how many are let in deliberately. I mean look at that sweet little face.

How could you say no, it's more of a heart string puller than a Labrador!

Can I ask, does it grate with anyone that MN posters seem to insist on using the word 'child' to refer to their kids, when in many cases it's a 16 or 17 year old schoolkid under discussion? 'Child', to me, suggests a primary-school age kid, and is certainly not the word to use when you're talking about, say, GCSE results. I can't see what's wrong with 'son' or 'daughter' (and yes, I get that 'some' posters might not want to reveal the sex of their kids: up to them, but I can't see much logic in it). As much as anything else, it may be a flaw in the English language. There's not much else; 'offspring' is accurate, but clumsy and somewhat arch.