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].

Won't the farmer be taking them in soon? Or do they stay in the pasture over the winter and get supplementary feed?

Are you really sure about that, Swashy?

That’s true, Cake. No, I think they do go inside over winter. Still very mild now, but I have their imprisonment to look forward to 🙂. Thanks for that!

🤣🤣🤣🏴‍☠️

That really did make me laugh out loud.

Swash that sounds utterly terrifying, I'm very glad you survived. Slurry pits are very bad juju.

I'll just take one box of dark chocolate teacakes - she doesn't like those, does she?

The Sabbath, eh? Did the vicar base his sermon on Matthew's gospel this morning? 'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,'

Munch munch luverly

I knew I was right!

(But hadn’t realised Boily was away at a clinic having work done… Barely recognisable.)

A dress!!!! No way that has to be a doppelgänger

And no crocs!

Boily's not here.
EAT THE TUNNOCKS.

I once started reading Bill Bryson’s ‘a walk in the woods’, which begins with quite a catalog of ways you might be injured or die on the Appalachian trail. This includes various animals all the way up to bears. This inspired me to start a thread pondering what dangers a British walker might encounter. The general consensus was not a lot…except cattle. I don’t think anyone mentioned literal pitfalls. Poor swashy! Hound dog should be grateful for such selfless protection. I hope you have antihistamine cream.

we once encountered a lost bullock in a valley he shouldn’t have been in, he was discombobulated and gave chase. We waded across the small river…that didn’t help. Fortunately he desisted when we scrambled up a steepish slope.

Gosh “it” put the dashes over the a

Oh-oh, jungo…

Eeeeeeeeeeeek

Eeeeek all over again, Banned 🤣

Scary stuff, Errol! Young bullocks should know their place.

I read that book too. Made myself finish it despite losing interest about three quarters of the way through.

Yes, it seems I need to go back to my original cow avoidance practice. If I ever go back into the village pub I shall have stern words with my friend the farmer 😡.

I do wonder what @boiledbeetle is up to maybe sunning herself on a yacht, crafting a legal challenge, writing a new collection of poems, or maybe having a beetle rights convention.

Maybe we should @boiledbeetle all over the pub

In the meantime the snowballs are all mine oh mine.

I'd love to write a long, witty, amusing post for you all, but I am so very tired.
Stick me in a corner with a cuddly animal please.

Here you go @FuzzyPuffling Soft side down, so you don’t get prickled.

Bloody hell Swash! And Errol too, albeit less recently.

The most dramatic thing that's happened to me this afternoon is recovering a dropped stitch. I think I'm happy with that lack of drama.

Curl up in the corner, Fuzzy. The gerbils will bring you a warm blanket and some soothing tisane or gin or both.

.

Thank you for all the lovely cuddly corners. X