The Bluestocking: All You Need to Know About Risk Assessments, Jazz Hands, Battenberg and Sourdough (But Were Afraid to Ask) - and gerbils. Lots and lots of gerbils.

[MyrtleLion]

Welcome to The Bluestocking, the perfectly overblown, gloriously chaotic all-women’s pub where you can have a bit of a lie down if you need it.

Expect serious debates on musicals, cake and knitting, and whimsical musings on women’s rights and why the world’s on fire (again), all under the calm supervision of our support staff: gerbils, capybaras, and the occasional quokka on secondment.

The alcohol won’t get you drunk, the pastries won’t make you fat, but the conversation will digress, and that’s the point.

Remember to namechange before posting if you’re sometimes someone else.

I didn't think it was up to me to name her, Boily, I thought that was more a participatory democracy kinda thang
I was pleased that I was bringing at least one more letter of the alphabet along - the Gs are becoming more and more arcane, two if we went with 'husky' as well as 'rat'.

Human Resources is a lovely name for her, thank you Boily.

I went back and checked what Boily said and it was an Eats shoots and leaves moment:
Hurry up and name her Marie
😁

I haven't had breakfast yet, thank you for reminding me!

I had half a toasted bagel with Polish plum butter. Bit European really.

She's bigger than I expected

I like Percy as a name. Lots of previously masculine names have bestowed on females, particularly in the US. Take Sydney for example.

Is she a variety of domesticated rat or a different species?

The Internet agrees it’s their colouring. My alternative theory was that in the US ‘husky’ is used as a euphemism for the sizing of plump kids clothes, it’s hard to tell under the fur if she’s particularly chubby.

If we're going with Human Resources we could call her Hugh for short.

I prefer "Saucy".

'Human Resources' and 'Personnel' both have horrible resonances for me that I fear even dear Huskyrat could not overcome.

.

Ooh! I like Saucy.

rKathySu, telling you. (the r is silent, as in gMaud).

I'm back after a breakfast so healthy I will not besmirch the Bluestocking thread with details😏

f I could have anything at all in the fantasy breakfast world it would be mushrooms on toast, a reminder of early morning breakfasts in a greasy spoon in East London after a night installing things in empty offices. Always the only woman there, apart from the café staff. It always felt a bit transgressive, and a bit rebellious to be there with all the lads, wolfing down mountains of calories after a night of hard work...

Sorry about the resonances of Human Resources Deano - I suppose we could call her Hormone Replacement instead?😄

Maybe we should just name her HR, and everybody can have their own little pet name for her, murmured into one of her GINORMOUS ears while stroking her soft fur and telling her all your troubles?

But HR is a thing that would make even the Balrog run away screaming.

How about Edie?

Um... sorry to be dense but why Edie?? I'm off to follow the Sara Morrison trib now so I'll have to remain in this state of moideredness till later😁

I just asked her what her name is. Apparently the name she was given is "Born during the witching hour near the three rocks just past the turning for Penrith off the motorway" so she's cool with anything that shorter.

Don't we have 'Director of Workforce' or something as a title now, as in recent tribunals?

As an offshoot from 'Personnel', how about Prunella? It could be in tribute to Prunella Scales.

EDI😬

@EdithStourton I have discovered that I cannot learn to use a cable needle and watch Clarkson's Farm at the same time.😡Simple bit of knitting, frogged THREE times so far.

Hah! Same with the lace knitting. I've gone from having to have the instructions in front of me, to remembering them but having to write down which row I'm on, to being able to look at the work & know which row comes next. Yay! And I've been able to do some other things while knitting, but nothing too engaging.

It's nearly finished, & I can't wait to try another pattern, but maybe I should finish one of the 492 projects I've currently got on the go. I think @MyrtleLion had the right idea in making squares of lots of different patterns (but how d'you get them all to be the same size?).

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5443442-are-you-sitting-comfortably-hidden-books

I shouldn't look, cos I'll get drawn in, but I know I'm going to.

High drama in court in the Sara Morrison tribunal.

NC and CE absent as they write up an application for a recusal. (Of who? We don't know).

The judge is very very angry.

sorry (ish) to intrude real life, but as a northsider can I take this moment to say hooray for Pope Leo https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/1114/1543972-dublin-pro-cathedral/

The southside already has two cathedrals, that is enough for them.