30s TTC: Summertime, and the diffin's easy. White goods are jumping and the WOOFLing is high. MSDP in full swing.

[MountTheFairy]

The one before the BESHory Towers. Easy one for summer: I have dug up a fishing pond in the middle of the Palace, put a roof light over it, got some fishin' sticks and put some Gershwin on. Salad's providing Elderflower Fizz, served by newbs in topless bikinis. Could life be better?

Isn't A Million Little Pieces the v controversial James Frey? I love Augusten Burrows, tho'.

Epilator - like tweezers, but more efficient. And very, very painful.

Lyra If you're in the mood for literary sci-fi - there isn't a lot out there, I suspect. I quite love Peter Hamilton & Alastair Reynolds in terms of "proper" sci-fi. If you're buying The Hunger Games, you will also NEED book 2, otherwise your brain will asplode with the need to read more. It should also satisfy literary sci-fi desire.

I might go sideways into a bit of magic realism - has the same weirdy dream-like aura, but obviously less futuristic. You could read The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter, but it's v seventies and brain-hurty and you have to be in a really specific mood...

Thanks Salad, yes I have, but that info was spread across separate posts so can see why you wouldn't realise immediately

REALLY must do some work

Back later lovelies

Literary sci fi? What about Iain M Banks? Or is that TOO sci fi. I love him but not everyones cup of tea. Acsherly he prob should have been my inappropriate crush, he's scottish and has a beard and can write WORDS, what more could you want?

I took The Wasp Factory on honeymoon.

Romance FAIL!

Sorry, had brain frieze. I read James Frey right after I read Running With Scissors which is the Augusten Burrow's that I meant...

Salty - yes am easily upset, perhaps will avoid!

Thanks Drom, have added 2nd one now too. Third will be released on my return . Am really looking forward to these.

Ursula Le Guin might be a good one, you can either go fantasy or sci-fi with her, and her books are quite thin so good for traveling. Hmm, perhaps we should set up a separate BESH book club thread :D

I REALLY need to do some work so i am going in the other room and leaving the computer behind.

OMG How did I forget Iain M Banks? Lyra That is the perfect choice for literary sci-fi. I am a loon.

Edie I took The Edible Woman. NOT a good book for honeymooning. Beyond romance fail and into something v dark.

What about Iain Banks without the M? The Crow Road is ace burgers.

Gracious yes Camel - doesn't immediately spring to mind as likely to bond a loving young woman to her new hubby (sic)

Mmmmm, nothing says 'sexy honeymoon hi-jinx' like The HandMaid's Tale, eh, Drom?

I read The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan on my last hollibobs. Is perfect dystopian lightreading hokum.

Have you read If I Told You Once by Judi Budnitz? Is about 10 yrs old, but I really like it.

I'm v good at suggesting books for people (was once briefly my job), but not so good at holiday reading, as I eschew the usual chicklit/bonkbuster route and go for steampunk oddities and teeny wamypr/magick crap. Well, some of it's not crap - Michael Scott, for example. But is all deliciously shameful for supposedly highbrow reader like myself

You shlaaaags know my thoughts on shaven ravers - whywhywhy? I am au natural, everywhere. Anyone (I mean the general public, not you lot) who thinks women should remove bodyhair can bollocks. Topiary-fied bits make me do a little sick in my mouth when I see pics of them (or women stripping off in changing rooms). It looks wrong! I like hairy men too, if that has any bearing on things. Admittedly, I am the least hairy adult that ever lived and haven't worn a swimsuit since I was 24 (bikini since I was 15) because I hate my body so much, but there we go. Thus speaketh Chewbacca Scorpette

Feel better for having it out with TYF about his parents being really uninterested and meh towards me, but sad that this is the case. Strangely, feel worse that he's admitted he's always found it hurtful that they're like that, because when I worried it was all in my head I could ignore it better, if that makes sense. I know this is v dreary, but as I said to him, I've got to go and stay for a week with people who make me ill and don't even try to pretend they're bothered about me being there

FRED ALERT! We're near the end of yet annuver one and it is not back-to-school time at all. Am I being too anal about the whole Mallory Towers thing? I just want there to be another Summer Diffment thread before it's back to school. I still belieeeeve in the MSDP! Any ideas for noo fred names/themes?

Whits also a good one from Iain Banks

What are you two like with your inappropriate honeymoon reading. I am impressed you can remember though, no clue what i read on ours. Would like to think it was because we were too busy shagging but its more likely we were too pissed on 'free' booze. ssshh i'm not really here.

You're lucky you're not such a hairy girl Scorps. I have (non PCOS related) wonky testosterone, and as a result, my bikini line travels two thirds of the way down my thighs. It makes me depressed. Proper coarse, dark hair, and I'm a natural blonde so it takes the piss

I've never been waxed as I'm too embarrassed.

I won't even mention my facial hair.

We should open a harem for the dying days of summer. Hookah pipes and oiled-up boys BESHes in silk pyjamas, and passing sheiks a-brim with healthy jizz, and Scheherazade (plainly a BESH) fending off the droid with one last desperate tale. Baklava laced with crushed-up Clomid. Turkish Delight flavoured with Pregnacare. Satin slippers that go all curly at the toe, for kicking BESHes when they're down. The young Omar Sharif in the Pit distilling some species of desert liqueur. Sand up your chuff. Goat's milk yogurt on hand for the odd bout of thrush.

Re. hairiness - can't speak for Score of course but I reckon most feminists' aversions to body-hair-removal would evaporate if they were proper hirsute. Principled I may be, but if I didn't resemble a loaf of unbaked bread dough, and were heading for the beach in 2-piece, I would almost certainly not want to look like the wolf-man where my inner thighs are concerned...

Harem harem harem. That sounds luvverly, although not the turkish delight which is all manner of ming.

You had me at baklava.

My Mum's a Feminist and her Mediterranean heritage is never more obvious than in her lustrous bikini line and she's never bothered trimming, because, as she has always so succintly put it, 'why the fuck should I?'. I follow her line: if my body hair offends other people then it's for them to deal with their own inadequacies, not for me to pander to them. Rock on, Ma!

Of course, I'm on about being offended by society expecting it of women. If women want to whip it off for their own reasons then be my guest. I just get annoyed that it's seen as a given and a necessity. If I have to accept that others like to remove hair, others have to accept I think it's a load of pointless sexist bollocks and not actually hygienic to remove most/all pubes. And I'm talking about society in general, not you lot, cos I know we is all-embracing of feminine beauty in its many forms (I also know you all get your fetish on for my authentic 70s bush* ). I'd never go out with a bloke who was freaked out by normal pubes, leg hair, etc., cos he'd either be pathetic or a closet misogynist (or a possible porn addict). I'm not talking about preferences, I mean yer actually being grossed-out. Loser.

HB, I loveloveLOVE your BESH Harem idea (can we have many, many young and delectable male concubines to 'consort' with?)! When we get to the end of this one, I'd be totally up for you setting it all up (if others agree?).

Be prepared, however, for me doing my impression of the old Fry's Turkish Delight advert and also making many bad puns about scimitars, etc.

*Sadly, I mean bush of a woman in her 70s, not from the 1970s

That's exactly it Headbanger, exactly! I like to think of myself as a pretty decent feminist (won't be changing my name upon marriage and everyfink) but I am quite tragically hirsute, so needs must.

Writing down some of these book recommendations for my next trip to t'library. I actually have a copy of The Little Stranger at home, loaned from a friend. I've had it for a year . I always say that doing a degree in English Lit destroyed my love of reading, and it sort of did, but the truth is I'd rather piss about on the internet.

Belated sympathies to Lyra. I'm a 25 dayer usually. Don't think I've ever got to 31 days in my life, so I can imagine how utterly shit that is for you.

You are right I suppose ScorpyPankhurst, and perhaps I have been unduly influenced by what society says

However, it's hard enough maintaining my sunny personality (no, honest, in RL I am frequently told off for being 'far too positive'. Tis only here I allow pit wallowing. Well, here and with Mr S. Oh and a few carefully chosen friends..) without also looking like I'm wearing a grass skirt. Maybe it offends my personal aesthetic? Or maybe I am cowed by misogynist media

Headgirl do please set up the new fred. I can't wait.

Sat on M62 in traffic so have time to say hi (not me driving I might add)
Cass - wwwwohooooooo so pleased for you!! Try not menkul too much (easier said than done emoticon) Glad to see the MSDP is still in full swing.

Am on way home after lovely night away for wedding anniversary. Couldn't have come at a better time as Mr O has been having huge wobbles about his job and prospect of redundancy. I have not helped him by demanding sex 'casue thought I was OV'ing. Turns out I wasn't due to wonky cycles but has not at all helped our marriage/sex life (sad). gah X 1000000000000000 think we do need to swi now but I daren't mention it!!! Think I might join Saltceller in the pit _ still room down there Salt??
am on phone so finding it hard to keep up with rest of the antics but wanted to say congrats to Cass.

In my fantasies you are often wearing a gimp suit bikini HeadMistress. Just saying.

Lyra - if you like fantasy stuff and Philip Pullman you might like Robin Hobb. Her Assassin series is great and not too taxing. Ideal page turning holiday fodder.

Haruki Murakami - love.

lettuceleaf please don't bundle me yet, 8 week cycles get thrown in once in a while (after I've come to rely on 6 week ones) probably just to fuck with my head (or do you call it menkul?!) so will not POAS until 2 more weeks if droid has not shown it's ugly little self before then.

Thanks MTF for the head kicking!

Pssssst, Salty - you don't actually have to show everyone your furry wizard's sleeve you know! As I said, I don't care if people shave/wax/whatever so long as society doesn't tell me I'm a freak for not bothering. I was just putting my twopenneth in. You wax away, my little darlin'

Although I guess we should all let the body hair flow free for a true authentic harem experience. And at last I have a legitimate reason for wearing the appalling and hilarious MC Hammer-esque harem pants I made the first time I used my sewing machine, because I didn't want to follow a pattern and just guessed at how big my thighs were and in doing so, ended up with some sort of elephantine trouser instead of some comfy lounge-pants. Body dysmorphia, anyone?