The Bluestocking Pub, where we continue to read about gerbils nobly and bravely working undercover in the Fen.

[AsWithGlad]

Welcome to The Bluestocking, the best (perhaps only) online women's pub. Nothing in the food or drink can harm you, everything is served by a very enthusiastic crew of gerbils, who enjoy doing this, and any curious menfolk are welcome at the Staunch Ally down the road.

Previous thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5564959-the-bluestocking-womens-pub-in-which-we-wait-excitedly-for-the-next-instalment-of-goseis-adventures

@AnonyMumAuDHD https://amzn.eu/d/0djF2UCb is the book I was thinking of. Haven't read it for a while so I can't remember how close it is to what you need, but I think there's stuff about funding bids.

OMG thank you so much for that link. Will order it and have a read this weekend - am thinking it may also come in useful for any interviews as I won’t be completely green when/if I actually get to sit down with a proper academic.

I’m so pleased with the kind comments about “daughters of earth and for.”
Perhaps this can be thought of a start to make up for my moving The Bluestocking onto the wrong side of the border between Feminism: Sex and Gender discussions and the Feminism: Chat.
Unfortunately this delayed some members as they had to go through passport control and then wondered why their natural instincts to find our new location weren’t working.
Or something.

Here’s the whole of AI’s final offering:

Here are a few poetic and evocative ways to express "women and animals" for a casual feminist discussion:

• "Wild sisters" or "Sister spirits" — Leans heavily into a shared, instinctual bond and mutual respect.
• "The daughters of earth and fur" — Creates a rich, grounded image of shared earthly origins.
• "Creatures of a gentler kinship" — Highlights a connection based on empathy and shared vulnerability, moving away from the dominance implied by "man and beast."
• "Kin and creature" — Keeps the rhythmic, alliterative flow of the original idiom while remaining entirely gender-neutral and inclusive.

Yorkshire, Anony. Met Office says gusts around 40mph here.

May I have a little whinge, please? I am more than normally exhausted today, and my colitis is flaring up, so I am feeling rather sorry for myself. I could be tackling the lace edging on a mohair shawl, but instead I am moping, and getting bitten by the cat, who thinks that, if I’m doing nothing else, I should be making a fuss of him.

I am packing him off to the Staunch Ally, whilst I curl up in the snug with several hazelnut iced lattes, please. And some coffee cake, heavy on the coffee. And maybe a swift kick up the rear to stop the whinging and moping!

Blimey - I lived in York for 4 years and remember that the weather could be brutal. Am not sure we had anything like that down here.

Now I think of it, I also remember heavy snow one Easter on the banks of York’s historic walls, already peppered with defiant yellow daffodils that refused to cower under the white stuff, and the obligatory student snowball fights. And also that, as the winter nights closed in, the air would be thick with the scent and taste of chocolate from the local factory several evenings a week. It used to wrap itself around you like a comforting fog-formed scarf which, strangely enough, never really put me off chocolate in any way at all.

Sigh. Loved it there.

Ooh no, that sounds awful. Do you know what’s triggered this bout and is there some medication you can take?

I think you need a Tia Maria infused cake - both heavy on the coffee and a little bit boozey!

The Tia Maria cake sounds perfect, @AnonyMumAuDHD - brilliant idea!

I could take steroids, to damp down the flare, but I’m reluctant to do that because I worry that it could mess up the diabetes - so I’m hoping Imodium will do the trick for the moment.

Am wondering whether I may be touched by god, after all. Or at least just a little bit ‘touched’. Had a convo with Chat GTP and am, in equal parts, both astonished and horrified at the fact that I may have a half decent statement of project and research intent.

Is anyone around that I can DM it to, as I am not sure it should have been that easy. Though I did give a very clear description of my PhD and what I was trying to achieve… maybe I know more than I realise?

Check this one out… I have a serious craving now! 😍

https://loveeatsleepfood.com/?p=2651

Sorry to hear you are feeling 'weird' Magpie🙁
I found this photo which is of you as a baby magpie! so cute.
We don't see baby magpies much, we only see you when you are already perfectly turned out in your elegant monochrome outfits.

You are allowed any size whinge you feel you need, Woley
There's a special area in the Bluey called the 'Whingery and Mopery' and everyone is entitled to put it to full use when needed, and to indulge in whatever eatables and drinkables they think might help.

One large, inexplicably 100% digestible slice of coffee, pecan and Tia Maria cake and a large coffee over here for Woley, bar-gerbils, as swift as your little furry legs can carry you

Whinge away Woley. I often find a good whinge therapeutic in itself, without any added therapy

I do like the idea of a coffee, pecan and Tia Maria cake though and would be happy to join you in a slice, if you feel like sympathetic company.

Gorgeous Magpie chick, Marie. She looks like the Gubbins of the bird world😁

Edited for stray word

On the understanding that:
A) it's not even close to my own area of research, and
B) I can't vouch for how many of my brain cells are actually doing anything right now,
I'm happy to take a look. I do at least have the advantage of having been through the system in the last ten years.

I've been pretty good with my diet so far (six months! and thirty pounds down!) but that cake recipe is oh so tempting!

Aw, thank you - will copy n paste in a moment. I am wondering whether the basic tenet that anyone - ie someone in a completely different discipline and/or from outside academia - can make sense of it, that may be a sign that it is good enough? 🤦🏽‍♀️

At first glance I thought that was Brains and Batshit! Your doggies are lovely, and I like the way they line up on the back of the sofa - both lined up facing in the same direction to spot anything interesting, or edible, coming into the room I'm guessing?😄

Earlier today we had driving rain and what must have been at least Force 6 wind, out of the blue - the kind of sudden squall that causes trouble at sea.

Blue skies again now, and very little wind.

The back of that (very expensive) sofa is completely trashed as Murphy is very chunky and they like to sit sentry there - looking out of the window onto the street for delivery men (or DH coming home) and also being within jumping distance of any activity in the adjacent kitchen… occasionally the the rear dog (Cooper) turns around and looks out of the window that side into the garden in anticipation of trespassing cats and audacious birds who have rudely dared to peck at his lawn.

Come and join Woley and me in the snug for a slice of cake, Chickadee. There are no calories in the cakes here.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius , you have to be feeling extremely strong and confident to approach a mohair lace border, at least I do. Leaving it to one side when you are not at your best is just very sensible approach.

For the non-knitters here I’ll mention that it’s quite easy to make mistakes when knitting lace, especially at the start of each section if the pattern repeat changes, and mohair can be very difficult to undo.

I made a note of your cheese recommendation so I can keep an eye out for it. Would you believe I went to a friend's for lunch today and they served a cheese board, complete with Pié d'Angloys! So I obviously helped myself and I must say it was delicious.

Anony, I have the time to read anything for you but not the skills to assess it or suggest improvements. There are several academics in my wider family in the generations above and below me but it missed me.

OK, I have started a new thread - including noting that clicking “Preview” does indeed publish the opening post rather than giving me chance to check it first. 😢

It’s here, www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5574810-the-bluestocking-a-unique-location-for-daughters-and-sisters-of-earth-frost-feathers-fur-scales-and-spines?reply=154561416

Perhaps a kind person can check if I’ve got it right. I hope this leaves enough time for it to be deleted if any errors might cause us to lose any of our valued women with the move.
I can already see that I demoted our home to ‘bluestocking’. I must be channeling DS, who often avoids capital letters.

edit: I considered “an unique location” but decided that Pedantry Corner was only one part of our pub.

I’m having a lovely meal out with my sister. The wonderful novelty of being spoilt for choice in a veggie restaurant.

I have never lived in York but have visited. I live somewhere which also has lots of stunning older buildings, but its more modern sculptures are not as delightful as this one. I suspect seeing it was not random, but a result of my hosts choosing a devious route to walk past it on an otherwise direct path into the city centre.