Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

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

1000 replies

MarieDeGournay · 11/10/2025 23:41

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 BluestockingSmile].

OP posts:
Thread gallery
141
ErrolTheDragon · 21/10/2025 08:41

MyrtleLion · 21/10/2025 08:06

They're taking me to theatre now!!!

Yay! See you on the other side.

inkymoose · 21/10/2025 09:55

Chersfrozenface · 21/10/2025 07:52

Couldn't sleep.

Got Copilot to make an image. It:s a bit scary, but hey...

Auntie Sfrozenface must have warned you about going out in t'wintry wind without wearing a fur-lined cloak with a woolly vest under your dress to keep the kidneys warm. Tsk!

The Bluestocking, where the short days shorten and the oaks are brown
MyrtleLion · 21/10/2025 10:24

I'm back! The wound is closed!

Light approaching at the end of the tunnel.

JoyintheMorning · 21/10/2025 10:30

Pardon my interrupting, As I walked in I overheard the concern about warmth. May I suggest a Liberty Bodice to keep the back warm?
Perhaps we could make the garment popular again.

AsWithGlad · 21/10/2025 10:30

Hurray, Myrtle! Happy healing!

FarriersGirl · 21/10/2025 10:37

So please Mytle 😀

FuzzyPuffling · 21/10/2025 10:40

Woo hoo Myrtle. Love and healing to your paw. X

DeanElderberry · 21/10/2025 10:49

MyrtleLion · 21/10/2025 10:24

I'm back! The wound is closed!

Light approaching at the end of the tunnel.

Welcome back!

ifIwerenotanandroid · 21/10/2025 11:05

JoyintheMorning · 21/10/2025 10:30

Pardon my interrupting, As I walked in I overheard the concern about warmth. May I suggest a Liberty Bodice to keep the back warm?
Perhaps we could make the garment popular again.

GIF by JoyPixels

Welcome! Personally I have insulation (where needed) made from shed gerbil fur, but that's just me.

Marie will be along soon with an official welcome, but in the meantime have a seat & a drink, & join us in celebrating Myrtle's 192nd attempt to get her paw put back together - finally successful.

To Myrtle!

JoyintheMorning · 21/10/2025 11:12

To Myrtle

lcakethereforeIam · 21/10/2025 11:13

Brilliant new on @MyrtleLion 's paw.

In other news a life sized Spitfire has been crocheted in Liverpool and adjacent wards.

MarieDeGournay · 21/10/2025 11:25

Myrtle! welcome back from theatre [not the RSC one, but that's something to look forward to]
I'm so glad they at last got around to you🙄and hope that you can really start your road to recovery now💙

OP posts:
MarieDeGournay · 21/10/2025 11:33

ifIwerenotanandroid · 21/10/2025 11:05

Welcome! Personally I have insulation (where needed) made from shed gerbil fur, but that's just me.

Marie will be along soon with an official welcome, but in the meantime have a seat & a drink, & join us in celebrating Myrtle's 192nd attempt to get her paw put back together - finally successful.

To Myrtle!

Yes here I am JoyintheMorning, the default Bluestocking Tigger who bounds up to new people and says welcome😄
I'm a bit worried though, because I welcomed lechiffre55 recently, and she hasn't been seen since... maybe I need to restrain my inner Tigger..
Come back, lechiffre55, I can do formal and distant as well! Look at what you're missing - delicious cakes, gin and nonic ....😁

You are very welcome JoyintheMorning . Doubly so as you bring with you the campaign to restore the Liberty Bodice to its rightful place in the hot presses of the world.
'Liberty' as in Liberté Fraternité Sororité, and 'Bodice' as in 'Bodicea' - what's not to love?😁
[and yes I know it's Boudicca, but never let the facts stand in the way of a joke, eh?]

You are obviously already aware of our sense of fun, but are you also aware of our team of highly professional gerbils who will serve you with any food or drink you fancy - and that food or drink served in the Bluestocking has none of those problematic things like calories, gluten, sugar, alcohol, etc. but still taste yum.?
Here are Gelsomina and Garbanza with some tempting items off the Bluestocking menu.

The Bluestocking, where the short days shorten and the oaks are brown
The Bluestocking, where the short days shorten and the oaks are brown
OP posts:
lcakethereforeIam · 21/10/2025 11:45

The Knitfire*

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/gallery/stunning-life-size-spitfire-made-32706740

Apparently it took hoursHmm you don't say.

It can be visited in Southport Townhall until 7th November.

*I realise it's not knitted but I'm only human and that pun was too good to resist.

Stunning life-size Spitfire made out of crochet took hours to make

The artwork will be in place until November 7

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/gallery/stunning-life-size-spitfire-made-32706740

Britinme · 21/10/2025 12:25

Hooray! Five hours behind everyone else as usual, but I’m very happy to hear Myrtle’s paw has finally been attended to!

MarieDeGournay · 21/10/2025 12:46

The Knitfire is wonderful, and the words that spring to mind are 'they must be completely out of their mind but in a lovely way'.
I love it that there are people in the world who do entirely daft, entirely wonderful things like this ❤

OP posts:
MarieDeGournay · 21/10/2025 12:50

android Personally I have insulation (where needed) made from shed gerbil fur, but that's just me.
Presumably the gerbils spin the fur into yarn on one of these?

The Bluestocking, where the short days shorten and the oaks are brown
OP posts:
inkymoose · 21/10/2025 12:59

JoyintheMorning · 21/10/2025 10:30

Pardon my interrupting, As I walked in I overheard the concern about warmth. May I suggest a Liberty Bodice to keep the back warm?
Perhaps we could make the garment popular again.

I never had to wear a Liberty Bodice as a young moose - perhaps I had a lucky escape?

From Leicestershire Museums: "At its peak it was generally accepted that there was not a child in the country who had not learned from an early age to put on its Liberty Bodice when dressing. About 1912 a ladies Liberty Bodice was designed for those requiring more freedom for games and similar pursuits. The child's Liberty Bodice, both loved and loathed by thousands of children was finally discontinued in 1974."

The Bluestocking, where the short days shorten and the oaks are brown
JoyintheMorning · 21/10/2025 13:10

As well as warmth, no cold gaps they could be fitted with suspenders. The stockings did not pull it down so we were warm and our hosiery was wrinkle free. Norah obviously got something wrong!
A glass of stout please, and some pork scratchings.

inkymoose · 21/10/2025 15:55

JoyintheMorning · 21/10/2025 13:10

As well as warmth, no cold gaps they could be fitted with suspenders. The stockings did not pull it down so we were warm and our hosiery was wrinkle free. Norah obviously got something wrong!
A glass of stout please, and some pork scratchings.

I have a rather blunt friend who commented that the leggings I wore the other day (nice merino wool ones) looked like Nora Batty's stockings!

The Bluestocking, where the short days shorten and the oaks are brown
The Bluestocking, where the short days shorten and the oaks are brown
MyrtleLion · 21/10/2025 16:31

I've just seen the surgeon. Apparently the wound was very clean, they removed stitches from the first operation 12 days ago and it closed very easily.

I may have to wait till Thursday or Friday to leave. The leg has to be elevated for at least two weeks while this wound heals. I also need outpatient antibiotics support as I will need blood tests and the dressing will need changing.

Thank you android for the barrier film recommendation. They used it in theatre.

I can go to Stratford and probably stay in the hotel. I just need to work out how to keep my leg up as much as possible.

The Bluestocking, where the short days shorten and the oaks are brown
NotAtMyAge · 21/10/2025 16:57

FuzzyPuffling · 20/10/2025 17:27

I reckon Edith has wedged the brolly handle in her cleavage.

😂 I wondered whether she'd grown a third hand for the purpose.

NotAtMyAge · 21/10/2025 17:19

So pleased for you @MyrtleLion Here's to a problem-free path to complete recovery. 🙏

Sorry to be so late catching up. We've a houseful of family visitors. so MN time has been non-existent. However daughter is insisting I take it easy this afternoon after losing control of my centre of gravity while bending over to sweep up scattered cat litter and falling flat on my face. Now sporting bruises and welts all down my left side from my cheek to my knee. Us oldies don't bounce very well. I'm just going to lay claim to a comfy chair in the corner and ask one of the gerbils to bring me a big pot of tea plus calorie-free chocolate cake.

Britinme · 21/10/2025 17:32

Hooray - so glad @MyrtleLion has finally had her surgery!

I now feel even older as I report that I remember wearing a liberty bodice as a small child in the 1950s. I speculate that my mother might have been worried about how I might feel the cold in England, as I was born in India and we went back to England just before I was 5.

Magpiecomplex · 21/10/2025 17:33

Coming right up @NotAtMyAge!

The Bluestocking, where the short days shorten and the oaks are brown
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is not accepting new messages.
Swipe left for the next trending thread