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].

lechiffre55 , I think you are new here? I don't recall seeing you in the Bluestocking before. Sorry if I'm wrong, in which case you may peer over your lorgnette at me and say 'I beg your pardon, I was here many many years before you!😁

So if you are new, you are very welcome, you've obviously tuned in perfectlu to the ambient sense of humour already, and perhaps you've already had your order taken by a very professional gerbil? Do you know that food and drink in the Bluestocking is all yummy, but magically devoid of gluten, sugar, alcohol, calories, but you'd never know ? 🍸🍹

I asked the AI to include you, Maggers, but it put you in naked. 😱

embonpoint
/ˌɒmbɒ̃ˈpwã/
noun
the plump or fleshy part of a person's body, in particular a woman's bosom.

I think embonpoint works!

Shocking!

Don't they? I love the way Swashy's accessorised her dress, & Errol's decision to have her dressmaker tweak the design works so well, with her loooooong neck.

I'm not sure what Inky's up to, though. Bandito or BDSM outfit?

I went along with it to show willing. But I’ll have you know that I’m in full pirate gear beneath the dress 🙂.

Fair enough, android, but if the brolly is being held aloft by means of the handle being wedged between the breasts, they must be pretty norkish norks😃

My fave expression for a generous er.. norkage is the French 'il y a du monde au balcon' - the balcony is crowded.
The first time I heard it was from a friend's husband - my friend was absolutely horrified and glanced nervously over at her radical lesbian feminist friend to see how outraged I was; in fact I was laughing my head off😂

You do you.

Ooh, love the neckline on mine. (Irl it wouldn’t work!)

Hurrah for Myrtle being the Gold Patient! (She always was, to us.)

Are they using any barrier between your skin & the adhesive things, @MyrtleLion ? I'm allergic to the more powerful plasters (physio ones in my case), & there used to be a thing that looked like a stick lip balm, that you could wipe over your skin before putting plasters etc on. Then they withdrew it. I don't know if there's an equivalent these days. I think it was originally developed for people with a bag for a stoma.

They're using VAC film for the most part but I'm reacting even to that. I think I'm inflamed (that's what four cancellations will do to me) so I'm overreacting, but it's clear I'm troubled by acrylate dressings. I prefer alginate (made from algae). The big manufacturers also don't list what's in the newer dressings.

They don't have a balm but it sounds amazing. I will see what Amazon can provide. They use my personal wipes that remove adhesive (Zoff or Remove) to take the dressings off without ripping the skin. These wipes are also good for removing HRT patches.

I love the dress! Particularly because it hides my sore paw and the drainage machine attached to it that I must carry everywhere.

I completed reading the Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland. It is outstanding.

And it turns out they have barrier film on the ward. So they could have been putting that on before putting on the dressings.

Better late than never.

I've just looked that up. Interesting to see the different interpretations of the technique.

Yay! Hope it works & you're more comfortable from now on.

And it turns out they have barrier film on the ward. So they could have been putting that on before putting on the dressings.

Aargh, aaagh! Is it hidden behind the secret stock of chocolate digestives at the bottom of a locked cupboard, and needs to be applied for with signatures in triplicate? Or did they just forget? No joined-up thinking.

Better late than never.
Excellent attitude. Very positive. But still.

To take your mind off that, Myrtle (& for - who is it who knits toys?), I saw this:

https://crochet.bangkokbikethailandchallenge.com/2025/10/17/book-nook-bunny-free-knitting-pattern/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNiZGRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBTNm5KaDQ0MGNoTHV3ek5OAR5wXOuAxv113R7lwZnkyDlkZQTJEWOtMEG3H7jBrdXmZ8QB-rOpmrdDT1lgOg_aem_zcsgjwcvZD9Ys7pM74PV5A

That is adorable!

Very advanced for me.

I've got myself twisted in the magic loop and I'm trying to fix it. 😥

I have my loop on three needles and two cables, straight on the left, but twisted on the right. I feel sure that I could knit them in the right way and end up with it untwisted but I can't work it out.

The top half is on a needle and cable with an end cap. The bottom is on a cable with a needle at each end.

I was searching Amazon for barrier film, as per your suggestion, and a nurse saw it and said they had it! I haven't tried it yet. I will offer it to the surgeon as a solution.

If it's not possible to untangle, let me know and I'll rip it out and start again.

By the way those knitted bunnies and puppies will fit right in at the Bluestocking.

We could be matching. I'm assuming there's a blue stocking Christmas shindig?

Read on,,,

re shindig - I can't remember last year, so either we don't do anything or it's REALLY good.

Could we maybe each have our starry dress in a different colour?

I love this. I feel so welcome.

I could try, but the AI seems to reach a point where it refuses to change an image any more, & just serves up the same thing over & over.

... visits AI...

Ooh! Though I need to get my head fixed, & Swashy's now got a double eye patch!

I had a lot of catching up to do!