The Breakfast Club

[LilyLangtrey]

Good afternoon, Clunkers!

Welcome to the Breakfast Club where the kettle is permanently on, the drinks flow and the snacks are both self-replenishing and calorie-free.

We start each day with a look at history and a tribute to a brave or inspiring woman. Mostly though, we just chat randomly about current affairs, recipes, life in lockdown, literature, music and anything else that comes into our heads.

Veteran Clunkers welcome. Anyone else who wants to join in the chat - sense of humour essential! - welcome.

Kettle's on

Morning all, I've gone back to bed with coffee this morning, my kidneys hurt . Planning on a nap, I will return later.

Morning Clunkers,

Great to see old friends and new. Welcome AnotherDrifter and MoreHippothanPenguin

Coffee is on - and tea. Grab a chair, settle down and the butlers will be along with breakfast.

Morning, Nessa- sorry to hear this. Sending hugs.

@TofinoSurf

Hello, may I join? I wasn't in the previous BC but I found a few of your crumbs eventually and here I am!

I'm a bit of events from the last day or two. And feel a bit homeless!

Hi Tofino! And hello all. Checking in. I have a looong day and need to try to focus but wanted to say: Hullo to you all.

Morning everybody. Sorry to hear that Nessa, hope you feel better when you wake again.
The sun is out so I’m taking the dogs out before it goes. I feel like I need to take a deep breath after the events of yesterday on here and that place. Have a good day everybody.

Morning, Clunkers (including Anotherdrifter)!

On this day in 1853, Lillie Langtry was born in Jersey. Well, she had to have a mention sooner or later, didn’t she? She was an actress and mistress of Edward VII, the Earl of Shrewsbury and Prince Louis of Battenberg. Just not at the same time, mind.

The siege of the British garrison at Mafeking started on this day in 1899. Colonel Robert Baden-Powell and his forces held firm for 217 days against the Boers.

In 1971, the British Army blew up minor roads along the border in Northern Ireland to crack down on IRA gun-running. It was resented by local people who began to repair some of the roads and off the record, it was criticised by senior British Army officers. By the late 1970s it was generally accepted that the policy was not a success and it was largely abandoned.

In 1988, the government failed to stop the publication of Spycatcher, written by former MI5 officer Peter Wright.

Margaret Thatcher was born on this day in 1925 in Grantham. She was the first female Prime Minister as well as the longest serving Prime Minister - from 1979 to 1990 - for more than 150 years. She was both a qualified chemist and barrister and was proud of the fact that she was the first scientist to become PM.

As a girl, Margaret saved her pocket money to help pay for the journey of a teenage Jewish girl to escape Nazi Germany and her family briefly gave the girl sanctuary in their home in Grantham. As an MP, she was one of the few Conservatives to support Leo Abse’s bill to decriminalise homosexuality and David Steel’s bill to legalise abortion.

When Margaret came to power, the UK was in a sorry state, battered by the industrial strife that had brought everything to a standstill. She shook things up - not everyone appreciated what she did - but she was a reforming PM and was instrumental in bringing the Cold War to a close by convincing Ronald Reagan that Mikail Gorbachev was someone with whom the world could “do business”. She urged the end to apartheid and argued for the release of Nelson Mandela. He said, “[Margaret Thatcher] is an enemy of apartheid. Our differences are in regard to the methods of inducing the Government to dismantle apartheid.”

Margaret’s motto was “Cherish Freedom”. She died in 2013 at the age of 87.

And today is Ada Lovelace Day, an international day to celebrate the achievements of women in the STEM subjects. Ada, daughter of Lord Byron, was born in 1815. A gifted mathematician, she devised an algorithm for Charles Babbage’s analytical engine and is the first known female computer programmer.

Here’s to you, Margaret and Ada 🥂

Excellent, good morning, Lily.

Ada Lovelace is such a fantastic name and I raise my coffee cup to Maggie and Lillie.

A special nod for Ada - at a time when the sciences, engineering and maths were largely off limits to women. Most impressed she was the first female programmer. I know there had to be one, just didn't know who and how far back it was.

Morning Lily and Cam. There was a BBC 4 documentary on Ada which was v interesting, not sure if its still available. I've visited the Byron tomb in Hucknall, I'm sure she rests there (although its decades ago now).

Lots of things about MT I didn't know there. Growing up in Yawkshire in the late 70s and 80s she was a very unpopular figure. The industrial north, and of course it was much more industrial then, hated her with a passion.

I love these stories, I will tell my oldest daughter about Ava Lovelace. She is very into coding and hopefully she will find it really inspiring.

It is a lovely day here. Am treating myself to a brief walk in the sun before settling down to a very stressful day.

Sorry - morning everyone, not just Lily and Cam .

Morning everyone.

Hoping things level out a bit more as the days go on. I have no idea who most people are here now apart from our old BC regulars, but welcome one and all.

I'm happy to stick with our old style here in the Breakfast Club, so on that note, in come the butlers with the breakfast trolleys.

A breakfast tray for Nessa. Hope you soon start feeling better Nessa. Do you have to go back for check ups?

I'd be profilerating the 'likes' on this page if I could! ;)

Thank you my dear - that looks the ticket.

My GP is checking in on me every few days at the min, check up with consultant in 4 weeks.

Morning everyone. Happy Birthday Lily? Does this mean you can celebrate 2 birthdays ?

Had my porridge this morning . H was in Salisbury and had some spare time . He went to see the Magna Carta .

Nelllyyy , how could you say anything that merited a look ?

Thank you Lily, I didn't know about MT's family giving sanctuary to that poor teenager. As a soft southerner, I admired her for her indomitable spirit and, as a woman, I admired her for her achievements.

Morning everyone. I mainly lurked on the BC in the other place. I did post on other threads although not with this name.

I love the Ada Lovelace story. I always think it would have been fascinating to be in the Lovelace/Byron/Shelley/Wollstonecraft circle.

Oh, all looks delicious, Tracy, thank you. I'm losing track of who is who, but it will come with time.

Nessa - Agree on the industrial North not liking her, however, I think she was given the stick she did moreso because she was a woman, as opposed to her policies. I've always thought that Maggie was one for people being less reliant on the welfare state and building up to independence. Her monetary policies were tough to crack.

She was a leader, apparently a kind and caring one.

Did you watch A Very British Revolution? Superb on her by one of your Sunday am staples, Marr.

Morning Clunkers, love the OTD, and my granddaughter did a piece on inspirational women for homework last year and she chose Ada Lovelace. We have a Lovelace in our family tree, but not related. I have always admired Margaret Thatcher and felt she didn't deserve being called the milk snatcher. I hated school milk; it came either warm and disgusting or lumpy and frozen.

Take care everyone and look after yourselves. Please wash your hands.

I think you might be right Soapy. I watched the first two episodes of A Very British Revolution, only last month though, I must finish it (now is a very good time for TV!).

I saw great hardship locally during the miners strike. It affected families hugely, teenage pregnancies up, school achievements down, it was like great swathes of the county became sink areas. I think the people look at the likes of Scargill and his agenda very differently to how they did back then but at the time MT was abhorred.

The world needs strong female leaders, I was really impressed with my hospital consultant (female) recently, very commanding and in control.

@OVienna

I'd be profilerating the 'likes' on this page if I could! ;)

Me too. Have to do a tick. Find one on the keypad.

Morning again, Cam, Nessa, Hippo and Tracy.* *

Thank you for breakfast, Tracy!

Nessa, your kidneys are hurting again? You are going to ring your GP* today,* aren't you? Don't try and be a hero. Ring and take advice. Hope you are feeling better soon.

It's lovely to see so many old friends return. We seem to number 53 now which is brilliant. Regardless of what anyone else might think, there were lots of lovely, wise, intelligent, kind and supportive women in our old premises and I was bereft at the thought I might lose touch with them.

Now to business. While Tracy has the butlers scurrying around with breakfast and Nessa is resting on the sofa, some welcomes and some help needed please.

A warm welcome to TofinoSurf, Autumngoldleaf, Gramgram, SylviaGold, Onprozacandmyhighhorse. I will let old friends in the RP know you are here.

A warm welcome too for FelicityPike, DorisLessingsLesson, Anotherdrifter, OddHappenings, CouldIHaveAPenguinPlease and feistyoneyouare. Please could you give me a clue? And SulisMinerva, a second clue please? You don't have to, of course, but I'm still trying to round up waifs and strays and it will really help. Of course, if you would rather PM me, I'm happy to hear from you.

If anyone was wondering, Thistledown, DouceFrance, LolaMontez and Headforthehills are in the other place now and also the one who is Jeff Goldblum-mad.

I did try to get a desperate message to Winter, Koala, Buttery and a few others but Admin blocked my attempt (even though I asked very nicely).

Chin up, Clunkers! The sun is shining - well it is here in this part of the world - and more old friends will turn up soon. Till then, more cuppas all round and I'm going to snaffle a slice of toast and marmalade to tide me over.

Gah! Bold fail! Sorry....

Lovely bowl of porridge with pecans and berries for me this morning.

I can remember the day MT came to power and the excitement of my friends parents when they were able to buy the council house they had called home for fifteen years, I just wish council houses had been replaced at the same rate they have been sold off.

Good morning Clunkers and thanks, as usual for the OTD Lily and thanks Tracy for breakfast. I am trying to lose some weight and your breakfasts help because they are delicious and calorie free.

Another one who had no idea about MT and the young girl escaping from the Nazis.
It is cold here, but bright and sunny. I have to go out later for a real live meeting. Exciting!
Can't remember when I last did that. Zoom is the new normality now.
I've given up trying to work out who people are. I have sorted a few but I shall think of the others as "new friends".