The Bluestocking - where women are women, and small furry animals are gerbils, quokkas, capybaras, or a red panda called Rosy

[MarieDeGournay]

Welcome all to the Bluestocking Pub, a haven safe from harsh reality [mostly] full of good company, and excellent food and drink served by the most efficient team of gerbils in the hospitality industry.

Yes, when we lived in the US for a couple of years around 1990 we saw little egrets there for the first time and thought them exotic. Nowadays they’re pretty common hereabouts. I’ve seen some great whites a couple of times (including one in Cambridgeshire when visiting DD down there - she says she’s seen them a couple of times), and cattle egrets have reached the longhorn herd at WWT Martin Mere in the last few years.

Yesterday's birdlife: nothing remarkable. Didn't even see any egrets (though unlike the 1980s here, we do have them).

Collared doves and goldfinches used to be pretty scarce, but I see a lot of them now.

Apart from what I heard/saw yesterday, birds I'm seeing but not hearing at the moment include the long-tailed tit, wrens, a goldcrest - I assume they are all busy with family duties. There was a bullfinch pair earlier, haven't even seen them recently, but again I suspect they're nesting. There's a songthrush, jackdaws, wood pigeons, a couple of collared doves. I miss the rookery we had for nearly 50 years that moved when two of the big trees started to sicken and die, but it's quite nice to be able to pick a bunch of narcissi without having to reject half them for being too splattered - and the rooks haven't gone far so if I go to the end of the garden I can still hear them. There are buzzards nesting in the wood at the far side of the field across the road. And of course, bluetits and chaffinches and starlings everywhere. I do love Spring.

I recommend having an overgrown garden and keeping the cats indoors.

Red pandas are my obsession. What did I miss?

We have a red panda called Rosy who is one of the Bluestocking support animal, available for cuddles - which she loves, so don't worry about being exploitative
She actually gets very bored when there's no-one to be a support-animal to, but that never lasts long as Real Life often leaves a Bluestockinger in need of cuddles with Rosy..
'Cuddles with Rosy'.... hmm that gives me an idea for a book

Just don't give her any cider. I'm not clearing up....

On the bird spotting front, or more accurately bird hearing, there was a woodpecker providing a backing track to one of my lessons today! Didn't see it so I don't know which sort. Probably Greater Spotted, I've seen them here before.

I has anuvver interview!!!

Friday at 2pm online for 30 minutes with a five person panel. <Gulp>

If I get through this, it's an interview in person on the 11th in that London.

30 minutes feels very short. Particularly as I can talk.

This has been so easy - CV via EasyApply on LinkedIn. Quick 20 minute chat with recruiter less than a week ago. Now 30 minute interview.

Well done Myrtle. And good luck.

Those cheerleading gerbils will be asking for a week off to recover soon! 😀

Congratulations Myrtle!

I need the hot chocolate paddling pool again please. Students are being particularly studenty at the moment.

Good luck Myrtle

The upside of the clocks going forward is that my G&T tastes much better now that I am drinking it outside in beautiful early evening sunshine.

Deffo

i have some personally exciting news to share.

My daughter who is a nurse used to get angry if i mentioned my politics re women's rights and once called me a transphobe.

Anyway travelled back to her house, she driving on Saturday night, asking me lots of questions, and her views were spot on it seems that she has been peaked by the Darlington Nurses and female lesbian friends, who told her i was right.

Happy days!!!!

That's brilliant! Great news, Banned! 🦔

So we've gone from pic 1 to pic 2 😁

In no particular order - great news about DD, Banned; good luck on Friday Myrtle; hope large quantities of hot choc do the trick, Magpie.
Um... that's all for now

I went for the lego option too! 🤩

Stellar, Magpie!✨

What she said.

Saw two little egrets today.

@Bannedontherun I hope your DD enjoys the view from Peak Woo.

That's magnificent, @Magpiecomplex !

DH has disrupted my evening's solo watching crappy telly decompression time by installing magic electronic boxes that will hardwire our broadband into the livingroom/my study. He was so rubbish at explaining exactly why he was doing it and couldn't answer my questions that we resorted to diagrams.

I lknow exactly I don't know why I was quite so fucking angry with him but it turns out that he can't explain things simply and I had lunch with annoying DM yesterday for Mother's Day. She asked one of her usual pointed questions. This time was "why are you so obsessed with money?".

Apparently the explanation that I don't have a job and we have a very large mortgage which has to be refinanced in June or it will be 3.5% above base rate which will add thousands to our repayments, didn't cut it.

So I explained if we're lucky we may be able to refinance with our current lender, because they may not ask for proof of income which would be helpful because I don't have an income. But that might mean we're paying over the odds because we can't access the whole market. And on top of that the car lease will be up in July so we need to find the money for a new lease or spend thousands we don't have on buying this car. Still she was saying I was obsessed with money. (Who wouldn't be in my position?)

All in front of my younger DB who is looking to retire in five years because he's paid off his mortgage (and isn't he clever for being in that position!).

But definitely my DH's fault that I'm in a bad mood.

@MyrtleLion as it happens, I have a large patio which needs lifting and relaying. Just saying...

Maybe DH could help. DM is nearly 80. Nobody would miss her...

It's big enough for your DH too if he continues to be unable to explain stuff! And my DH, who is a terrible mansplainer. Three is probably the limit though.

@Bannedontherun that is the most excellent news! My heart is swelling.

@MyrtleLion congratulations and good luck!

Amazing Lego @Magpiecomplex

I’ve been driving for hours, but am home now. From seagulls and egrets, to rooks and owls.

And I’ve just had a message that someone has sold my old car for me. That’s a good bit of news to come home to 😊. So I’ve poured a small gin, despite having work tomorrow. it seemed like the right thing to do.

You've been doing a lot of travelling on land, Swashy! How nice to be home.