The Breakfast Club Returns!

[LilyLangtrey]

Good evening, 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, Clunkers,

Thirty dangerous women eh?

I read a book once, back in 2003. Why women can't read maps and men don't listen. Little less clunky than Venus. It said that women had smaller brains than their male counterparts but that men can only think in single streams. Women were able to think of several things at once. (Multitasking)

Lifetooshort

Absolutely intrigued now about your grandson's forthcoming questions.

I still have an army of builders here. One week for completion date. In true mumsnet style, my nerves are jangling.

@AnneRIPanki and @BakedCam
I've no idea but as I grew up seeing top-shelf mags as porn I'm not sure I'll know the answers! I'm hoping he'll feel relaxed enough to mention it anyway!!

Our butlers were discussing being furloughed again. I hope it doesn't come to that.

Morning, Tracy

Butlers and furlough? What a nonsense. If my builders aren't furloughed, the Butlers can't be either. I have had to do everything myself and it is becoming tedious.

Good morning all
Thank you Lily

Loving reading all your cat stories. The food of love, or more likely the love of food

Hope your GS doesn't ask too many taxing questions Life

When DS was around 4 we were out in the car. DH was driving. DS asked, "Where do babies come from?". "Ask your daddy", I said. DH was concentrating and absentmindedly said, "Oh, I don't know son".
"Well, when you find out, let your daddy know", I said.

Another day for tidying and tootering around the house.
Have a good day all.

Another great OTD Lily thank you.
Women daring to unfurl banners and shriek hysterically. Inspector Scantlebury must have dined out on the outrage for years after.

Cam, I hate map reading. None of it makes any sense to me and things are never where I think they should be in the road map book, especially when it involves turning pages over. I can however multitask like a good 'un.
Bet you can't wait to wave the builders off.

Morning again, everyone, and thank you for breakfast, Tracy.

Lifes, it's as well that children are being informed and asking questions before the sort of extreme stuff they will see online (what a world we live in) becomes so entrenched that it's the expectation but it's the trickiest of areas. The most alarming - and frankly, quite damaging - outsourced teaching materials you could imagine were stopped from being nodded through onto the RSE curriculum at the last moment. That was thanks to the Safe Schools Alliance, to Baroness Nicholson and to others who mustered widespread grassroots resistance. I'm proud to say that we Clunkers did our bit, but it was very much a nationwide effort by teachers, school governors, parents, grandparents, aunties, health care professionals and anyone who thinks that children and safeguarding really do belong together in the same sentence.

Constant vigilance. It's key.

Anyway, it's wild and woolly here - real autumnal weather - but today, I am going to take the last of the pears off the tree and then lop the branches back. MrL will have to hold the ladder for me while I perch and lop. Sooo looking forward to this. We work so well together as a team 🤥

There will be tears by teatime, mark my words

Morning all, and thank you for the breakfast. I have decided to channel my inner 'dangerous woman' today

I have a pleasingly unexpected day off work today - yesterday I went through my holiday list at work and discovered that I still have 8 days to take before the end of the year. So I'm having one of them today.

Morning Clunkers,

I love the cat stories. 😻

Thank you Lily, I think I would have been one of the “30 dangerous women” way back then.

My cousin did our family tree a few years back, seemed to be no suffragettes in our family line but there were two family members who kept a house or two of ill repute.

Morning walk done, breakfast done, shower done, clean and tidied up done, not dressed yet.

The leaves are now falling quickly from the trees, but the grass is to wet to rake them up, we have sunshine here, so hopefully will dry the dew off, then I will get out there and clear them up.

Fly tip has gone but it has been replaced with some old garden furniture and a tyre.

No daughter coming over today, but she is bringing the Grandsons here after school, where they will fed and watered and more than likely won’t leave Gangang Nelly alone.

Have a good day today everyone.

Proud of myself no emojis apart from the kitty one and I think that is well deserved.

Oh how can I forget Tracy, the best breakfast supplier in the world, also makes the best smiley coffee. 🌷

Morning busy Nelly. I bet most of us have those kind of ancestors somewhere along the line .

UK/Japan deal signed

www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/10/23/britain-signs-first-major-post-brexit-trade-deal-japan/

Is that a tulip Nelly, thank you? Very appropriate as we have been planting tulips this very morning.

Has anyone else got spring bulbs coming up? The dwarf Iris bulbs' leaves are almost full size now. I wonder if they will get killed off with the weather? Yellow, you know about these things don't you?

Lily be careful on those steps. Are you dropping the surplus pears off to the BC kitchen?

I noticed a primrose in my front garden the other day Tracy, and the fuschias are still going.

Does anyone know if I can cook japonica quinces? I have loads again.

@TracysShoulder, yes a tulip. 🌷

I bough a few boxes of tulip bulbs, one lot is named Black Parrot a deep burgundy colour the others are named Jan Seignette, colour red with yellow edging, the other bulbs are Allium Atropurpureum this is almost a deep burgundy in colour and final one is Allium Purple Sensation, I forgot I had them, I will put them in my big pots by the back door, I think I will pot these tomorrow morning. 🌷

Morning all. Sunny but a bit chilly here. Might walk over to M&S Food hall later. Might even treat myself to a bottle of wine, seeing as it's half term, depending on how much else I end up buying, as I have to carry it all back. (Could get a bus, but because of the one way system I'd have to cross over two or three busy roads to get to the bus stop, and it's too much faff.)

I love a good map. When we used to go on family holidays, when I was in my teens I always did the route planning and map reading for days out in the car.

A well known historian used to say you can read an Ordnance Survey map as if it was a historical document, and it's quite true. Has to be a One-Inch, though. Can't be doing with this metric stuff.

Anyone who does like maps and would like to waste some time should go here. It's not just Scotland - scroll down for other maps.

We have some primroses having a second coming too gcat.

The bulbs have been on offer at the Coop - 3 packs for £2.58. I had some peach tulips from there last year and they bloomed for the longest time.

Our winter flowering cherry has some random pink flowers appearing. That's at least a month early.
The deciduous bushes have lost their leaves earlier than usual. Almost as if the garden season is a month in front? The fig tree lost its leaves early last month. Clematis all finished early. Some evergreen bushes are sprouting a second showing of smaller flowers.

I blame the covid effect

Yellow, hope the news is good today.

Great OTD, Lily.

Weather has turned to rain here. I need to get some bulbs in, Tracy. Never planted any before but fancy trying them in a patch in the garden. No idea what to go for though...

Morning Clunkers, showers ☔ here, I like the purple umbrella, wonder if the dangerous women would have carried one.

We've done some vegetable shopping but went the road way instead of the field. I got myself some thick socks too. Mr G is downloading a poppy to put up in the kitchen window.

Take care everyone.

Morning again folks,
My partner is doing well. Coming out on Saturday I am being told. Thank you for all your enquiries and good wishes.

I too have spring bulbs coming through. They're not supposed to but with the warmer weather who knows. I am hoping the frost doesn't kill the tiny tender leaves.

My DGCs have been coming to stay with me at weekends or half terms since they were tiny so they are used to it. My DD is delighted to have a few days peace, so it is good all round. This is the first summer that I have not been able to take DGD (12) away since she was 3. But am taking the little fella (7) away for a night next week.

Good news, Yellow! Hope you have a relaxing weekend together.

Good morning everyone < running in, looking for a butler >

Is it too late for pancakes? With bacon and maple syrup? Tracy, that looked amazing, as always.

Thank you for the OTD Lily. Love the stories about the suffragettes.

Lifes, I would need more than Oreo cake to answer those questions... It is good that they are informed, but sad that it is necessary if you know what I mean? Threesomes and sizes, when did this become something we needed to discuss with children? I remember my grandmother telling me that my boyfriend of 6 years had to sleep at a different floor in our summer house as we not were married.

We are having a quiet day here. I have told the little hippos that they can watch TV if they do quite a bit of school work and their music practice (on the instruments they actually are getting lessons in). I am currently treated to scales (flute) and a surprisingly not annoying violin (LittleBoyHippo decided to work on his sound and play easy pieces).

yellow hope your partner has kept improving.

Sulis, you can have a lovely display from February through to May if you check the flowering dates on the pack.

They are showiest when planted in groups rather than random planting. We layer them (lasagne planting as I've learned from the experts on here) with the earliest flowers at the top and the later ones planted deeper. Planting in the ground though you can just go crazy and pack it with bulbs.

@yellowspanner, that is good news. ❤️

Just again ventured into the garden, it has now stopped raining, yes I have things poking up, not good, they are spring flowers, let’s hope they make it. 🙁

My fuchsia has loads of “dancing ladies” on it, I was going to give it a good cut back, it has got enormous over the last w summers, feel guilty because it is still flowering.

@TracysShoulder

Sulis, you can have a lovely display from February through to May if you check the flowering dates on the pack.

They are showiest when planted in groups rather than random planting. We layer them (lasagne planting as I've learned from the experts on here) with the earliest flowers at the top and the later ones planted deeper. Planting in the ground though you can just go crazy and pack it with bulbs.

I cheated with the lasagne planting, Tesco was doing them for £10.00 in terracotta pots, so I bought 2, can’t wait to see them when each group grows in the spring/summer. 🌷

Thank you for the tip, Tracy. Never heard of lasagna planting before but it makes sense.