The Bluestocking - where the laugh emoji is sorely missed.

[MyrtleLion]

Welcome to the Bluestocking Arms!

The company is always sparkling, the drinks are always sublime, and the cakes are mysteriously free from gluten, sugar, calories, and troublesome booze… not that you’d ever notice. 😏

Our enthusiastic team of gerbil waitstaff is ably supported by capybaras, quokkas, and other charming creatures who excel at their jobs while looking outrageously adorable.

You will find many things to laugh at - usually out loud - so take care not to spit out your tea. We are considering a petition for the return of the laugh emoji - just as soon as the AI gerbils learn how to spell.

New Bluestockingers are always welcome. Men can pop along to The Staunch Ally nearby.

Currently also knitting a Woolly Hug blanket for Bluestockinger Swashbuckled. Details here if you can knit or crochet a square before the 18 July.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5350941-woolly-hugs-desperately-sad-news-we-are-afraid-making-a-blanket-for-lovely-swashbuckled-whose-son-has-tragically-died

Beautiful images, thank you Boily.

What do we think about including Swash's daughter in pictures? I don't know how we'd represent her - have I remembered rightly that she's studying medicine? I suppose she could be the ship's surgeon on Swash's galleon

To @Swashbuckled

This too will pass.

Probably not a comfort now and I wish that I could give you comfort but it might give you comfort yet.

A few tries on the AI

Watching the sun go down.

Just come in from a day with grandkids who do not believe in bedtime yet.

Dear @Swashbuckled this place is a thread of a world we have all developed and created together, women come and go the dreamscape ebbs and flows. It is an escape from stuff we can escape from.

it is not real but we women here are all real people with real feelings for you depicted as best our AI artists can do.

nobody here can feel as you do now, but we feel that.

My love care and support to you, i think of you often.

Beautiful words, Banned.

🩵

Dear @Swashbuckled

I am so sorry your enormous loss has been exacerbated by your parents’ coldness. I hope your weekend with your daughter is restorative and I hope there are others in real life able to support you.

Before my mother died she told me (she had some expertise in bereavement counselling through her job) that it takes two years to come to terms with the loss of someone close like a child or a parent or a spouse. Not to “get over it”, which you never do (she mourned the death of my sister and her own parents till her dying day) but to get to the point where the grief is more manageable, and doesn’t suddenly grip you unexpectedly with that feeling of overwhelming horror - like you say, being unable to breathe. In my case she was right. It’s seven years and I still miss her like crazy, still cry at times, still feel desperately sad that she is not hear to share important moments, but the grief lives alongside me and, from about the two year point, no longer controls me. I wish you safe passage on the horrible journey through your first two years and then the years beyond - but specifically in the days and weeks immediately ahead. Be kind to yourself and do not expect to be able to be normal before you are ready.

Some good news is that my daughter has now qualified as a doctor.

We’ve also had some unexpected good news about her shifts on her first rotation. Last Christmas, the three of us were aware it would be the last time we’d be able to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Day as Consultants don’t work those shifts and the junior doctors always need to cover. So we planned to do it later on.

She has received her rota and has Christmas Day and Boxing Day off. Unheard of. It probably won’t happen again, but it’s the best year for it to happen for us. Christmas Dinner has always been such a massive deal for the three of us, what with Bear being a chef.

There are no trains on Christmas Day and she finishes her shift late on Christmas Eve. I’m going to drive up to the far north to collect her after her shift. I think it could have nice Christmas vibes to do that. Bear would have said it will be like Gavin and Stacey.

It will be different, of course, but not so dreadful as I’d anticipated.

Thanks for all your lovely posts. x

Oh good, congratulations to her! And something to look forward to for both of you.

Congratulations to your daughter, Swashbuckled, and I'm glad about Christmas.

I'm so sorry that your parents are not supportive. I know it's not the same, but as PPs have said, there are real people behind the screen sending sympathy and hugs.

Recently we visited a replica wooden three-master - my husband is mad on likes them - and I thought of you as we went round its decks.

Well done to Doctor Swash.

The gerbils are eager to see her, and there's already a queue.

Massive congrats to young Dr Swash - a good thing in tough times.

Also good news about Christmas.

Wise words upthread from Alexandra. My DM always said that 'you don't get over it, you get used to it' and this is very true. I think of grief as being like a ball in a box, and every time it touches the sides it hurts. At the beginning it touches the sides constantly, but slowly your life expands again, the box gets bigger and the pain is less - even though the ball never goes away. Struggling through the really painful time is horrible, though. One foot in front of the other, day after day, waiting for a ray of sunlight to break through the pain.

But that day does come. Hang in there.

I think Germoleen is smitten with the new Bluestocking doctor.

Bless, she's even left a Trust Pilot review.

So...

If anyone is wondering why their tea and toast is taking a while the gerbils are all currently busy.

Can we maybe take their mobile phones off them whilst on shift? They all saw Germoleen's review.

Personally I think they all just want stickers

And hugs

I didn't get a sticker when I was having trouble with Neville ->😐

I was very brave. Sad now 😢

Yep! They were after stickers and hugs.

Look at the look of bliss on their little faces!

Oh I'm sorry, let me rectify that

Congratulations to Dr Swashy'sgal. That's excellent news and I am very grateful for each andvevery young person for taking this route ( amongst others).

The gerbils are very sweet. Maybe we should be giving them stickers for their hospitality work? Seems fair.

Oh how typically Bluestocking!

Boily's new images Including Swash's daughter were so lovely, I confess that the one on the bottom right, with their arms around Ted, made me cry.

The came the wonderful news from Swash herself that DD is now DDMD - huge congratulations to her, she has accomplished this great achievement while suffering the tragic loss of her dear brother, so deserving of all the congrats in the world

So I felt glad about that, but of course tinged with sadness. So still a few tears.

The Boily gave us Doc Swash Jr and her gerbil fan-club, and now I'm laughing!😂

And the good news that Swash and Doc Swash Jr don't have to face next Christmas apart from each other.

Very very very Bluestocking!

Love to Swash and to Doc Swash Jr 💙

Swash's daughter ❤️ Heck of an achievement 👏

If we're going to sticker the gerbils on a regular basis, and they deserve it, we should get one of those machines they used to use for putting prices on groceries. I bet one can be picked up really cheap.

But won't they all say "30% off"?

The gerbils are having a brainstorming session.

I'm glad to see stickers for everything has already been vetoed by Geraldine.

I have the power!

Who's next for a sticker?

Huge congratulations to young Dr Swash, @Swashbuckled - and good news about Christmas.