30s TTC. It was the BESHt of times,it was the worst of times, it was the age of rummaging in gussets, drinking gin.....

[ginhag]

C'mon in BESHes to the beach bar...sprawl on comfy sofas while you wiggle your toes in the sand and watch a glorious sunset....and drink brightly coloured cocktails with sparklers in. Cos we're classy,innit.

I've got Adam and joe in as barmen, and we have a rather nice Cave of Gloom in the corner for those 'whyyyyyy meeeeeeee???' moments. We have a reggae sound system playing mob barley's greatest hits. It's a sunshine paradise!

Newcomers welcome,as long as they drag along a bucket of black humour and a vast amount of gin. And please note,some of us have been here so long we have forgotten the real world almost entirely.

Now,who's getting the next round in?

I have failed initiation. Can't find a questionaire anywhere. Boo....

OOOOOOH. Via twitter, this lovely thing by Marian Keyes, who I know lots of us adore, about depression. She writes so well about nasty things, I just want to cuddle her and be her bessie mate.

Marian made me cry. And not for the first time. I would like to be her friend.

Oh I love Marian Keyes. That blog made me blub. She is so ace and open and honest I just want to wrap her up and stroke her hair.

saltygoodness Hang on a tick, don't want to be exclusive. Let me see if I can help.

salty Try here

Can't find it so I've done my own questionnaire, hope it meets with your satisfaction...

What was the last thing you shouted while alone in a car?
Gold!! (whilst singing to the song of the same name)

If you were alone at the time, what would be the least hygienic location from which you'd be prepared to retrieve and eat a potato chip you'd just dropped?
the car floor

What is your preferred method of sharpening a knife?
with my teeth

In your view, is it more important for the Americans to adopt a less confrontational foreign policy, or to learn how to pronounce the word "aluminum"?
pronunciation,every time.Oh,and spelling too.

If you had the opportunity to become immortal, would you take it?
No

Do you lick the underside of the foil top when eating a pot of yoghurt?
Hell yes

Do you abbreviate the words "you", "are", ?to? and ?for? in text messages?
No,I am a giant, unapologetic pedant!

thank you for your time.

1. Do you like gin? (This is compulsory, you must say 'Yes')

MMMMMMMMMMMMM.......*drools8 Giiiiiinnnnnn

2. Men - are you a gold digger or a cradle snatching cougar?
   Gold digger...except, erm, he doesn't have a big, erm, wad.....

3. Baybee-making - to put a baybee in your tumtum, which hole do you use:
   Foo-foo, except on weekends....

4. Testing - when someone wonders if they should test for updiff (pg), do you:
   a) bellow 'POAS!' at them non-stop and punch them repeatedly in the kidneys till they wet themselves anyway.

5. Is R2D2:
   c) C3PO?s bitch.

6. what colour are your walls?
   Mainly the colour of the underneath of wallpaper as am stuck in decorating hell...

7. Number of pets?
   2 cats

8. Inappropriate (read: weird) crush of shame?
   sob Fergal Sharkey....

9. Lesbian crush?
   Ooh, erm Natalie Portman.

10. What are your views on camping?
    If I have to. 2 nights only. Plenty of beer.

11. How much money have you spent on sticks you then urinate on?
    Ahem. I. don't. add. it. up.

Thank you for the directions!

May I say how much I appreciate the Palais and you laydees therein. And how many giggles you have brought me over the last few months. And much warmth I feel wafting out of my screen via the BESH vibes. And how...oh everything. Can't wait to hook up with some of you.

And to Extreme and Muse and Drom - the BESHt of wishes. Here's to the summer of diffedness

Aw, lovelyAries. You is gorgeous, too. Hurrah for summer of diffedness.

SalineSolution good answers. Although you seem to be trapped in New Romantic 80sness. Which I, for one, respect.

NB C*mping is A Very Bad Thing.

I think we've added a question since that questionnaire, but I can't remember it. Brainfail.

I am going camping this very weekend . What the hell! What have I got to lose!

Thank you lovelyonehump I brought a bottle of sparkly wine, where's the fridge>

Also, what's 'diffedness'

I heard that camping gives you the pox.

HERE ARE THE KWESTIONS WOT I ADDED:

1. Are you ginger? (desirable but not completely necessary)

2. Are you anal about punctuation? (but you have answered that one already with your text-reference).

Must get to work before awful boss dear Husband finds out I'm on MN.

Clearly I have clambered out of the Pit. Sorry to be melodramatic. Hope LoobyLou's ok down there.

I'm not ginger, but my gorgeous unhusband has lovely auburn curls.

I will go to a whole new level of anality, especially around correct use of apostrophes - I am the sphincteress......

diffed=duffed=pregnant. Something us BESHes aspire to greatly.

Welcome salty, nice to see a new face. If you normally partake of the symptom spotters thread are you currently in the 2WW going menkul? We like some good symptom spotting here.

I am half way through the two weeks.

Ages until I can realistically do the stick thing.

Ages before I would realistically actually feel any real life symptoms.

Does that stop me? whaddayouthink??

Every month I think, hey, I'm a strong independent type, I'm not going to spend every waking hour obsessing....pshaw...

How is my hangover getting worse? And why do I not learn? I was posting about hangovers last week, ffs.

Death, death, misery and death. Nurofen has not worked.

Is gingerdom on the questionnaire? Discrimination, surely?

I want to write lots but can't, work chaos, staff breakdowns etc. Woop woop.

extreeeeeeeme [bundle]

cam you is lush. And a lush.

hello chocolatesaltyballs

where is my DRINK?!

Drink! Feck!

GINHAG

I tried to make the hairdresser dye me ginger yesterday. She humoured me for a bit but as it turns out she only gave me one random stripe of red on the underside. Damn her.

ahem

Could I make anyone a leetle lunchtime tipple?

Perhaps a Jug of Pimms for the lovely laydeeeez?

Pimms! Yes please! May cure hangover of death.

HeadGirl WHERE do you think you're going, young lady? Come back here immediately.

Gin Leave the staff to take care of themselves. It's Friday.

IslandsInTheStreme Ginger upside-down skunk is an interesting look...