The Bluestocking. All gerbils welcome, must have own frou-frou skirt.

[Magpiecomplex]

New thread!

OK I admit I kept a few of the beetle babies.

Don't they grow up fast!

I've found them a nice all girl beetle boarding school. The headmistress is lovely.

That's my parenting done. I'll visit them at graduation.

Maybe.

Ah, that famed school St Beetles. I'm sure they'll all do you proud there. They look very smart.

I like to se a well dressed school tween on their way to the first day

Soon enough they'll be rolling their skirts up, wearing their ties at half mast, and buying non-regulation shoes. But @Boiledbeetle has cannily avoided having to deal with it, to which I say Brava!

What if they get expelled?

Still, Boily is a beetle of infinite resource, I'm sure she'll think of something.

On it.

Luckily I'm a beetle of independent means, so I don't have to wait for a sale to go through.

Now where's the limo?

You’ve just reminded me of the Joanna Trollope book The Rector’s Wife which was on TV in 1994.

I was fully in sympathy with her then, and wonder what I’d make of it now. I’d be crosser, I think.

That cat has such a sweet, innocent, winsome face.

I suspect it's done the 'make a steak disappear' trick that was a special talent of Hector (the cat) RIP.

I’m not sure what I think about a headbeetlemistress who dresses in school uniform, the same one as worn by the students.

At my last school there was an increasing trend for all PE and games staff to wear school games kit, paid for by the school, when involved with sport. Not many teachers managed to avoid joining in on games afternoons, which were 2-3 times a week, but I did. I taught the youngest classes then, instead.

I suppose the uniform encourages team spirit.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand how a cat can be called Hector. It gives me cognitive dissonance every time. Does not compute... sparks emitted from Android's head

I'm also sorry to have failed utterly with the AI yesterday. I tried to get a nice image out of it, of us all toasting ourselves with glasses of champagne (a response to the posts here) & no matter how I tried, it would NOT comply. I've got some nice pictures of robot puffins in fancy dress, though, if anyone needs one.

Who on earth would need a robot puffin in fancy dress????

Hector and his brother Argus (also RIP) were indeed named after dear departed dogs. The names seemed good for much loved animals - both Hectors were adorable dimwits. The dog was the one who wouldn't enter a room with a cranefly or even a butterfly for fear it would attack him, the cat was the one who leapt out of an upstairs window in pursuit of a bird.

I spoke with fella about the ET and, it seems, he and I are on the same page 😁 I mean he's not generally a fuck wit but people who seem to be clever have swallowed this guff hook, line and sinker.

It's such a relief.

I thought he deserved to know what had been distracting me these last few days and why I was suddenly interested in a niche Scottish charity.

I picked my moment, sprogs are out and he's being very solicitous because I've got a stinking cold.

Talking of sprogs, Beetle your kids are adorable. Do they take after their dad?

Also, some beetles are excellent parents. The sexton beetle lay their eggs on a small corpse they've carefully buried. Mum and Dad will chew the rotting meat and lovingly feed it to their larvae. If they've miscalculated and have more babies than than food for them they'll reduce the litter size by eating the excess larvae.

Anyway, bar gerbil? Could I have an Old Fashioned cocktail please? I haven't had one for ages and it'll be just the thing for a cold.

My dogs were both very silly when it came to the canal. One of them jumped in after a duck and was very surprised to find herself having to swim, as the duck flew away. The other jumped onto the surface of the canal thinking it was solid ground because there was slimy stuff floating on the top of it.

Well, you were my likeliest candidate, so if not you then nobody.

I had a lot of goes & as you can see, it was well confused by the end...

... although it did produce an unasked-for, proper blackbird for the first time ever.

I didn't say I didn't.....

Cripes, I've put on a bit of weight. But at least I'm not a Magpise or a poose or a pumbe.

Call David Attenborough...

wow!

Call DrBlackbird. Actually I haven seen her for a while.
@DrBlackbird coooeeee.

I identify as a Marpin! I've just been on the booze with a Valentine's dinner, so I'm off now.💘

That Tudor Lady looks a bit dodgy.

I know there's something about her that isn't giving Tudor vibes. Can't put my finger on it.

I'm not sure if I'm annoyed or delighted that there are no lions. At least I'm not a Pombe.

Here is an Old Fashioned for @lcakethereforeIam

Sorry there's no ice and it's not in a rocks glass, but this is a pretty good job otherwise.