The Bluestocking, where Maud reigns supreme...

[ifIwerenotanandroid]

... & Magpie regularly drains the hot chocolate bowser.

If you understand that, or you're just cool with it, come on in & bagsie a chair by the fire.

Previous thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5410054-the-bluestocking-the-one-where-the-nights-start-to-draw-in?page=1

I read the first line about the fall and thought 'Oh no...'
but then there's the more positive news that FIL knows he can't be on his own. I hope the --I was going to say 'transition' but that word is taken -
I hope the change to being cared for goes Ok for him.

At least two of my elders positively blossomed when they went into care homes! It was obvious that although fiercely resisting going into a home, they had actually been worried about coping on their own, hadn't been eating properly etc.

Then they found that they didn't have to worry about all the practicalities of life, they were eating regularly and well for a change, and they were more relaxed and healthier than they had been for years.
One of them said to me 'It's great - if a light bulb goes it's not my problem'

Wouldn't it be great if FIL reacted like that? We can but hope, but anyway, at least you and DH will know he's being looked after, there won't be that constant worry about his safety.

What a funny dream, Britinme! an exhausted KStrmer falling asleep on your shoulder is very weird indeed.

But it's nice that you were protecting his sleep in your dream, a sleep-deprived leader of a nuclear power is not a good thing😬

I'm not really a big Star Wars fan.
My mistake, Cake, I don't know where I got that idea😁

Love the Tribunal haikus - I haven't caught up on that thread yet so nice to get a sneak peek at them.

It's a funny thing Britinme, when politicians turn up in my dreams it's always got an element of randomness, but not exciting randomness.

There was one time when I can only assume I'd fallen asleep watching the German news, because Bavarian premier Markus Söder popped up in my dream, but he just wanted to talk about sausages. I had some pointed questions for him, but every time I asked him a question he'd just hoke a couple more beers out of the fridge and drone on and on about sausages.

I wonder what it meant.

German sausage dreams. They're the wurst.

I'm so, so sorry 😞

No you're not, it was a brilliant joke and you know it😉
Very very very funny😂

"Acceptable gift" 🥰

No flowery prose or overblown assertions. Beautiful.

No, Colin, she wasn’t directing an insult at you just then.

Sometimes a sausage dream really is about sausages.

Inky! There you are! I've been wondering where you are - I do this mental census of Stockingers every now and then, and I didn't think you'd been in for a while and I was hoping all was well with you, so... hello!

'Acceptable gift' became a family catchphrase, along with another old retail chestnut: 'Something in a black?'

Was he talking in proper Mittelfraenkisch? Did he say "Worschd" not Wurst?

He was indeed! It made me feel less self-conscious about my lapses into Oberfraenkisch - I usually say "Wörschd", or even "Wörschdla" for the wee slim ones in Nuremberg.

We really do need a wider range of emoji responses to use in some of these posts. 🤣 😭 🤦🏽‍♀️ 😮 at the very very least!!

Worschd in the singular (not needed very often), Wörschd is plural, I'm not sure how middle Frankonians do the plural in diminutives, we Lower Lower Frankonians use "ein Wörschdle" but "viele Wörschdli". Der Markus probably prefers Neernbercherli.

Still, I'd rather be talking with him about food than about Bolidig.

My cousins in the Bamberger area (Eltman in case you know it) use the "a" ending for singular diminutives as well rather than the "e" further down the Main.

Haha yes, who wouldn't.

Totally agree - I often use the 'agree' one as a form of a conversational 'hmm mmm, yes, I'm listening..' but it occurred to me that it would be completely misleading for me to 'agree' with
Worschd in the singular (not needed very often), Wörschd is plural, I'm not sure how middle Frankonians do the plural in diminutives, we Lower Lower Frankonians use "ein Wörschdle" but "viele Wörschdli". Der Markus probably prefers Neernbercherli.

when in fact it was all Greek to me😁But very interesting nonetheless.
And I managed to get a toehold in the conversation about pronunciation of the vowel in wurst:
In an inner-city Dublin accent, which is very distinctive [as readers of Ross O'Carrol Kelly will know, the author Paul Howard has a forensic ear for it!]
worst is pronounced woooorst.

Well it's sort-of relevant - perhaps even germane - to the subject😏

I'm all about the love emoji. 💙

Mostly instead of the laugh, often as sympathy and/or extending compassion, and "I love that!".

I'm aware I use it a lot and wonder if that devalues it 🤔. But then you might miss it...

Anyway, here is something that I know a lot of Bluestockingers will love, helpfully providing cost per 100g, so you can see the true value.

I'm more of a boiled sweet fan, but Lindt Dark with Sea Salt is my goto bar and I still have a whole bar and two squares in the fridge from my birthday. Mostly because I am immobile and don't see it.

www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/oct/04/supermarket-dark-chocolate-tasted-rated-tom-hunt

I will never miss a chance to quote Buford T Justice:

Happy to have provided you with the opportunity

That Guardian chocolate article reminded me of this

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z7Htwb6g3c&pp=0gcJCRsBo7VqN5tD

I'm always faintly horrified when a singular word is longer than the plural. It just seems wrong!

That is funny. But Bournville is waaaay too sweet.

In difficult news, I am currently in A&E. My wound was inflamed on Saturday and eased as the antibiotics took hold, but took a turn for the worse this morning. I bled through a little and was in pain at 6am. I showered at 9am and it had bled through completely. I saw the nurse practioner for an arranged dressing change at noon and she asked a GP to look at it.

It is very red, hot and swollen and the doctor referred me to the hospital with likely cellulitis. This will probably mean IV antibiotics and at least one night stay in hospital.

I feel generally OK but obviously quite upset about the situation. I have a whole series of photos from the last week and I was surprised the progress and how much worse it has got.

Oh, Myrtle, that's really awful. I do hope the problem is properly diagnosed and dealt with.

Funny ad, but while bournville may be dark, it’s barely chocolate (36% cocoa). I’d much rather have a high cocoa milk chocolate than that, if I want a change from properly chocolatey dark chocolate (>= 85% cocoa, the ones in the guardian ad I’ve tried are indeed too sweet).

💙Myrtle.