Roll up, Ladies and Gentlecreatures, the Bluestocking has been redecorated

[DeanElderberry]

Here for your delight and delectation is the hostelry by, for, and about wise, intelligent, creative and kind women, their assorted avatars including (but not limited to) a remarkable beetle, an astute android, a wise cake, and an assembly of companion creatures and animal assistants.

Food and drink available in abundance, all with remarkable non-damaging qualities.

Males may congregate in the nearby Staunch Ally and sometimes visit the stableyard to view outdoor performances by the gerbil waitstaff (who need to be distracted after the moment after that terrible 'misunderstanding' about the meaning of safe sex).

last thread here if you need to know why the Quokkas need some extra cuddles, and why the Cabybaras are being particularly efficient just now

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5273255-the-bluestocking-all-gerbils-welcome-must-have-own-frou-frou-skirt?

Just popping in, reading and waving.
Hurrah for the Bluestocking x

As I copied and pasted the last lines from Prayer 1 by Herrick for Swashbuckled and her magical heron encounter, I re-read the whole poem and thought 'Gosh I can see where Hopkins got his piling-up-words-together style!'

I also spotted the title of a Kate O'Brien novel, and of course a R4 programme.

John Donne was also a bit of a lad and a clergyman - though I think he was consecutive whereas Herrick was concurrent

Prayer (I)
Prayer the church's banquet, angel's age,
God's breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth
Engine against th' Almighty, sinner's tow'r,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
The six-days world transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;
Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,
Exalted manna, gladness of the best,
Heaven in ordinary, man well drest,
The milky way, the bird of Paradise,
Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul's blood,
The land of spices; something understood.

I think I've just invented time travel.

I entered the wormhole on 26th February 2025.

If I've got my calculations correct I should be two weeks into the future and it should be 12th March!

so, quick question...

What's the date? And is it still 2025 and not something crazy like 2125?

If it's 2125 then my god! How is Mumsnet still going?

well hellooo boily glad to see you, it is 3025 bluestocking turned out to stop any aging so we just stayed here

Until you showed back up

Ciaróg!

Boily's back! and all is well with the world!
well... all is well in the Bluestocking, but that's a start
Welcome back, the place hasn't been the same without you.

Ciaróg eile!

@Boiledbeetle Btw Posie Parker was in fact Queen Camilla in disguise, she made Charlie write lots of letters to the government which have only just been revealed.

Dresses have been banned altogether and flat footwear is compulsory, has been for years.

Everybody is gender neutral, and the world is very green. We have no carbon emitters at all but the tribles became such a problem after they escaped from the blue stocking. So they are the main menus item.

the scientists have made them taste like bacon or lamb or whatever so no need to worry.

Tunnocks are still available, i control snowball production now and the rights are all mine…

I suppose we should explain for the non-Irish speakers: the equivalent of
'It takes one to know one' in Irish is 'Athníonn ciaróg ciaróg eile'

'One beetle recognises another beetle',
which because of the very distinctive word order of Irish translates literally as
'Recognises beetle beetle other'

@MarieDeGournay i looked you word up….

Ey up, Boiley. 😊

Lovatt's cryptic crossword is relatively easy. https://lovattspuzzles.com/online-puzzles-fullscreen/cryptic-crossword-fullscreen.php It has hints and letter and word checks. The answer to today's (Thursday as it's based in Australia) puzzle is wisecrack.

I also downloaded "Learn Cryptic Crosswords" which is a free app on Apple and Android and learned so much about solving them.

I was looking at the page count and trying to work out how many Tunnocks tea cakes would be required to lay a trail from this thread to the new one...

I ran out of fingers, thumbs, bones in the body, and moons around Saturn...

So, thank goodness you've returned. We did ask about you A LOT.

Thanks @MyrtleLion

I was saying that I used to enjoy them when I first started doing them, decades ago, before life happened.

I used to get The Guardian and could do a Rufus, but found the other compilers too difficult. I found The Telegraph easier and fun, and The Times somewhere in the middle.

But it’s been decades and I don’t think my brain would remember how to do the moves it used to make. My biggest joy was when I didn’t cognitively work out the answer, but it just emerged like magic, and you “knew” it was right before you knew it was right.

One day, maybe….

I did the app early last year and stopped doing daily cryptics ages ago so I was really pleased I got the first clue so quickly.

Dresses have been banned altogether and flat footwear is compulsory, has been for years.

Dammit @Bannedontherun, you know I like a good dress! But of course all my footwear is flat <<shuffling slightly to make sure my high heels are fully hidden in a divot in the ground >>

Or did you just mean for human women, in which case I shall just carry on being a flamboyant magpie.

Thanks @MyrtleLion

I’ve taken a screenshot so I can investigate this summer, and hopefully have a go 😊.

One is allowed to wear very wide trousers that look like a dress (culottes i think)

And we are allowed wedges of sorts.

I forgot to report on norkages commonly now known as bosimly people,

Sadly with the gender neutral ruling bosimlyness was considered problematic for a while.

But the ample queen Parker decided that was a step too far.

So bosomy people are aloud as long as they do not over use their bussomly beliefs, and avoid oppressing non bosomy people.

i think i am stretching a joke here.

🤣🤣🤣

Welcome back, @Boiledbeetle

I tried adding gerbils and the regulars but AI was rubbish so I settled for this rapturous welcome.

I second that wonderful rapturous welcome.

Very glad you are here again, @Boiledbeetle.

Hooray! Boily's back!

The Times Quick cryptic is quite a bit easier, it’s also a 13x13 grid rather than the normal full scale 15x15