The Bluestocking, where the short days shorten and the oaks are brown

[MarieDeGournay]

Welcome all, regulars and newcomers, to the Bluestocking Women's Pub, a place of refuge and inspiration and camaraderie and silliness, where all alcoholic drinks are non-intoxicating, cakes contain no gluten, sugar or calories, but still taste yummy, and the attentive staff are small but very professional rodents wearing snazzy little outfits.

Other roles - such as acting as foot stools, looking decorative in the garden, or just being impossibly cute when you need something impossibly cute to go awwww at - are filled by a team of miniature pigs, quokkas, wombats, etc etc.

If real life is difficult, you can bring your troubles to the Bluestocking and a comfy chair will be found for you at a roaring fire, a miniature pig will settle down happily to support your tired feet, and a gerbil will serve you promptly with a comforting drink - very large G&Ts or massive mugs of hot chocolate with extra cream and marshmallows are popular choices [don't forget: no calories in the Bluestocking].

Step 3

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Step 5:

Sorry, Magpie.

I appreciate the effort, sweat and blood you have put into it, Android. Gemini is being more than usually intransigent at the moment.

Things have been a bit tricky recently, but today I was introduced to DD's new kitten. I thought you'd like to see him.

Aw! 😍Ours must've looked like that (we got him from a rescue at a year old, so we don't have any kitten pix 😥).

That's one word for it.

If you want something done...

Awesomely perfect, thanks Android! 💙

Oh, dear, and broken hips are so common in older* women.

*I refuse to put “elderly”. A close relative has just been in hospital with a broken hip, and she’s only 5 years older than I am.

I ran an Age Concern advocacy project and the word "elderly" had been replaced by "older" even then.
This was in 1995.

I did not know this!
Bloody Hell, that’s alarming.

Well, I have a positive update on the cattle situation. Yesterday, I walked through the field behind the cow field, although this doesn’t have an official footpath through it. A tractor turned into the field and my friend the farmer asked if I was scared of the cows. So I told him the tale. He was very sorry. And I shared my observation that this herd seemed younger than the usual lot. He confirmed that they were bull heifers. He said he would move them. I believe he meant it because, at the end of our catch-up, he said it again. He said it might take him two days but he would move them, and said sorry again. Felt like a win.

This is what AI says:

The risk of dementia following orthopaedic surgery in older adults is a nuanced topic, often linked to post-operative cognitive complications rather than the surgery itself directly causing dementia. Here’s what current research and clinical guidance suggest:

🧠 Key Cognitive Risks After Surgery

• Post-Operative Cognitive Dysfunction (POCD):
A temporary decline in memory, attention, or executive function that can occur after surgery, especially in older adults. Most cases resolve within weeks or months, but some may persist longer.
• Delirium:
A sudden, acute state of confusion that can occur after surgery. It’s a strong predictor of later cognitive decline and is associated with a 300% increased risk of developing dementia in some studies.
• Unmasking of Preclinical Dementia:
Surgery and anaesthesia may reveal previously undiagnosed cognitive issues, especially in those already at risk.

🦴 Orthopaedic Surgery-Specific Factors

• Hip and knee replacements are common in older adults and often require general anaesthesia and prolonged recovery—both of which can contribute to cognitive stress.
• A 2024 study noted that while orthopaedic interventions like total knee replacement don’t directly cause dementia, they may interact with pre-existing conditions like osteoarthritis, which itself has been linked to higher dementia risk .

🩺 What Helps Reduce Risk

• Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA):
A pre-surgical evaluation of physical, cognitive, and social health can help tailor care and reduce complications
• Anaesthesia choice and monitoring:
While general anaesthesia has not been definitively linked to dementia, careful monitoring and minimising exposure may help.
• Post-operative care:
Early mobilisation, hydration, pain control, and cognitive engagement are key to reducing delirium and POCD.

That's very good of the farmer.

Pedant alert, heifers are female, young male cattle are bullocks. Much safer than cows, but skittish and excitable, like young males of other species. And biggish. The field behind my house and the field across the road are both often full of them, and a couple of times in recent years they have breached the wall. I got very bossy and waved my arms around and told them off and they ran away, terrified.

My most terrifying testosterone-powered beast encounter was with a ram. I was relieved to hear a few days later that the same animal had butted his owner and broken his pelvis, so had a one-way trip to the 'meat factory'.

Look!

🐄🐂🐏

It might be a local phrase @DeanElderberry

He calls them bull heifers because they are heifers destined for the bull. Once they’ve been “bulled” and had a calf, they will become “milkers”. They will have calmed down by then and hang out with the other milkers, happily munching on grass while women wander through them with their hounds.

Yes, I thought so too. It was a lovely, gentle conversation. Easy and kind.

ah, that makes sense, so a bunch of sex-starved teenage girls. Much scarier. Presumably the 'bull' will come in a straw.

That’s exactly what he said! 🤣

Yes. From previous pub chats, I understand that’s how they do it. Pleased really, as I don’t want an actual bill to start contending with too.

Bull, not Bill. Unless the bull is called Bill. Who knows.

I am only 56, as is DH, but we totally bloody love The Repair Shop. Cannot watch it without a box of tissues on hand, either of us. Dollies and Writing boxes tonight and DH is bewailing the absence of the cuddly toy ladies with their painted nails and matching sweaters and lippy.

Thanks for the explanation re. bull heifers. I was a bit perplexed too.

The 3 cornered leek is a pretty plant in flower but it's not native and it is a bit of a thug. I've only seen it in my garden and on a caravan site near Benllech. Possibly, iirc, along some fence lines above Kimmeridge in Dorset. The native ramson can be a bit over enthusiastic in a garden though and so can bluebells. I think it's now one of those plants that it's illegal to sell, like Japanese knotweed.

As far as I know the 3 cornered leek is completely edible. I've thought, but never tried, their bulbs might be a substitute for pearl onions which I've never been able to find for sale. I wish it had a nicer name. The current one is just functional.

I think recently saw a parody of the Repair Shop, by Mitchell & Webb, called the Weeping Shed.

It's happened again - I missed the middle of the day and so many different things posted...
Let's see, in no particular order:
Fuzzy, I hope the lovely little kitten lifted you🐱
Swash, it sounds like your Close Encounter of the Bovine Kind was a one-off, so I won't bother suggesting things like carrying a cutlass or a blunderbuss to scare them off
Thank you for all the cyclamen info! Corms - so that's what they are.
And the propagation by ants isn't a myth! I can confirm that there are two kinds of cyclamen: pink ones that thrive, and white ones that don't😠

Magpie, sorry you had a migraine-y day - high atmospheric pressure I wonder?

Android, I'm surprised AI took the word 'bowser' in its stride, though what it has produced looks more like those ovens for roasting chestnuts.. 'Stocking', however, is beyond it🙄

There was a 'shouty' - well more constantly-complain-y - woman a few beds away from one of my elders, she accused the nurses of being cruel, of trying to poison her, of neglecting her.... I often saw them stepping out into the corridor and taking a few deep breaths before going back in and being as they always were to her: patient and caring.
I don't know how they managed it, but they did.

But Myrtle doesn't have the option of stepping out for a few minutes to escape the situation and regroup, you're stuck beside her, Myrtle, and it's really bad that you have to deal with that as well as your own problems.
The fact that the poor woman isn't being shouty on purpose doesn't help much on a practical level, I'm sure😑

Isn't it funny that a ram is so terrifying, Deano? I mean, us humans are much bigger than them, we tower over them; but maybe the threat of having your legs taken out from under you - and probably fractured😬- by a bundle of woolly fury is just as terrifying as being trampled by a cow.

Sorry if I'm ignoring someone's posts - not intentional I assure you