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].

Surely there must be one already? Pied wagtails are well known for flocking in town and city centres during the winter. It's believed they're taking advantage of the heat island. I used to hear them in the trees in St Ann's Square in Manchester during the Christmas Market, but I've not been for a few years.

Google AI says it's a volery!

Interesting, Cake, thank you. I then had to look up the derivation, which appears to be from the French "to fly". Bit dull, really, although the word itself is good! Apparently one could also refer to a trip of wagtails, particularly yellows.

You could also sing volery as in:
Volery
Volerah
Voler ah ha ha ha ha ha ha
Volery
Volerah...

Wagtails are funny little creatures, they seem to be completely at home in cities.
I read that no one knows why they have that distinctive tail movement.
Maybe they just like doing it, or they're doing it to confound the scientific community

I'm sure I read a bit of folklore years ago that said the wagtail had stolen its tail from another bird, and was wagging it to make sure it was still attached. Naturally I can't find hide nor hair of this now.

The funeral of the old family friend who died last week was this morning. A lovely farewell, and the sun shone.

For those who are interested, the hymns sung were:
an Irish one called Ag Críost an Síol 'Christ's is the Seed', composed by Ó Riada
and
Ave Maria
and finally
The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended
which is one of those 'Protestant' hymns I always loved, and it is heard more often in Catholic services now. A beautiful hymn, though it really challenges the tear ducts when sung as the 'recessional hymn'.

I'm catching up here now - great to see Myrtle back in action, doing the TT transcribing, thank you Myrtle, hope you are feeling well and positive about your progress.

I've not heard that tail. Seems very Just So Story. Their generic name, Motacilla, means moving tail and I've now got Alexis Sayle stuck in my head. In French a voler is a thief, iirc. Is that just a coincidence or, because thieves usually depart quite quickly (7 minutes according to latest estimates), is there actually a relationship?

I've only seen yellow wagtails once in England, at Malham tarn. They used to be split into loads of different subspecies based on their plumage, possibly also their usual range. I wouldn't be at all surprised if some are now considered full species in their own right.

When my late father snd I were discussing his funeral, I suggested " The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended", but he (a chapel organist) said he didn't want Victorian schmaltz! We didn't go with it. I still like it.

I love the Protestant hymns. We weren't a church going family so I learned them at school assemblies even though the schools I went to weren't church affiliated. We were all given a hymn book when we started secondary school, I've probably still got mine somewhere. I used to leaf through it and would have loved to have tried more of the many, many that it contained. We always used to cycle through the same couple of dozen. My kids didn't have the same experience and I think it's a shame, Big Red Tractor doesn't have the same oomph!

It might have been a Combine Harvester.

Big Red Combine Harvester traumatised me when I heard it sung at the DC's school. In the local accent, it was "freshing the corn"... Shudder...

It was such a dirge. All the songs were like that. That's the only one I can just about remember. Boring to sing. Boring to listen to.

@MarieDeGournay i remember that song and also the guano, guano guano you referenced earlier. I think either you and I can’t be that far apart in age or you had a lot of exposure to songs popular in the 50s of my young childhood.

When I was in secondary school we always sang “The day thou gravest, Lord, is ended” at the end of year, end of day, assemblies.

Victorian schmaltz - huh🙄
The words are a bit OTT when viewed from a non-religious angle, but dammit it's a hymn so it's bound to be about Thy wondrous doings and Thy Church unsleeping and that sort of thing

The tune isn't at all schmaltzy - it can sound quite jaunty and folksy if you speed it up.

Sorry Mr Organist, Fuzzy and I outnumber you😁

You don't often see a red combine. Mostly they come in green (John Deere) or a rather yucky greeny-yellowy shade (Claas). I live in the sort of area where the prayers at harvest festivals remember not only the hungry, but also livestock hauliers and agricultural advisers.

Modern school hymns are terrible. I remember the DC performing in a harvest assembly where I winced my way through one that included the deathless line, 'and corn for our flakes'. 🤮

Or as my friend put it..." Sorry God. You used to get the Hallelujah Chorus, now you get this".

Victorian Schmaltz would make a great username

Waiting to be discharged.

Done
Physiotherapist seen.
Surgeon seen.

Not done
Drugs to be given/prescribed.
Outpatient antibiotics team to be coordinated.
PICC line to be removed (a nurse will do it in 3 minutes flat once I'm approved)
Discharge letter to be written.

I had thought it would be this afternoon but no information yet.

They are really busy and need the bed, so I thought it would be quick.

Just waiting on the pharmacy so hopefully I'll be discharged in the next hour.

Sadly that often seems not to be the case, Myrtle. We're waiting to hear when an old friend will be discharged after nearly 3 weeks in hospital. It was supposed to be at the beginning of this week as she is medically fit to go home, but still nothing. I hope you'll be back in your own bed very soon. 🙏

Drugs to be given/prescribed. Waiting on pharmacy
Outpatient antibiotics team to be coordinated. Phone* *appointment arranged and my availability to attend weekly agreed
PICC line to be removed (a nurse will do it in 3 minutes flat once I'm approved) waiting to see if I'm discharged before 6 when next IV is due
Discharge letter to be written. In hand while drugs are issued.

.

Ha ha ha Android. Love it!

Is that Maud about to make a rousing speech?

I could bake you a cake with a file in it, @MyrtleLion - or maybe you could tunnel out?

Yes! Living with K&P & being so famous has gone to her head. There's no stopping her now.

Drugs to be given/prescribed. STILL Waiting on pharmacy
Outpatient antibiotics team to be coordinated. Phone* *appointment arranged and my availability to attend weekly agreed
PICC line to be removed (a nurse will do it in 3 minutes flat once I'm approved) next IV is still due but no reason why I'm still waiting.
Discharge letter to be written. STILL In hand while drugs are issued.

However I AM DRESSED!