The Bluestocking: Next stop, Christmas!

[ifIwerenotanandroid]

Join us as we open our slightly wonky advent calendar. 🌲

(copies available behind the bar £12.50 each, no refunds)

It coz i love you and popped up to say hello xxx

Being a sloth, you can probably hug all of us at the same time with those arms - and being knitted, they are extra stretchy
Hoping things improve for you and all of us💙

Gosh that hedgehog photo didn't travel well, did it? very poor res, for some reason😒

G'night all, the Sleep Gerbils and Dream Gerbils are doubling their patrols tonight to make sure we all sleep well and have acceptable dreams🌛

Thank you dear Marie.

Love my bauble Android❤That mallet will come in very useful over the festive period. I might take it to Waitrose when I do the festive shop!

Thank you, Marie!

I've been sleeping so much better in the last few days. I think you've been working your magic.

It turns out that someone has been taking secret photos of me and the family. And sent them in to the Comedy Wildlife awards! 😮

AIBU to think they should have asked me first??? 🤣😂🤣

https://www.comedywildlifephoto.com/gallery/finalists/2025_finalists.php

typical family party, @SionnachRuadh?

https://www.comedywildlifephoto.com/gallery/finalists/2025_finalists.php#&gid=1&pid=34

I'm so glad the Sleep Gerbil is doing the biz for you Myrtle You've been through so much, good sleep and good food are the basics for getting back to full strength. I have that on good authority, Dr Badger told me😄

I love the scenes from your family album! I like the last one where the cub is literally literally launching itself at its mother - 'I don't care if you're resting, you shall pay attention to me, Mother!'

I didn't get a chance to react to your car news yesterday- new car, and an EV - that's great, enjoy!

My next car is going to be an EV, but my current one shows no signs of aging [unlike its driver😒] so...

Shopping with the DSiL today? hope that goes well, you can be fairly relaxed since you already have most of your presents, two people both frantically looking for different things could get a bit fraught😱

I seem to have assumed the non-sleeping mantle from @MyrtleLion - last night, I think I was fretting about getting home -the weather is absolutely awful, here on the Cornish Riviera, and I was having dark thoughts about flooding and not being able to get to London in time for our train from Euston - but we are on the train so, fingers crossed, it will be OK.

the cub is literally literally launching itself at its mother - 'I don't care if you're resting, you shall pay attention to me, Mother!'

And people say they look back fondly on the time when their offspring were very young...

I’ve still got a slight scar on my forehead from where DD launched herself while laughing when she was a toddler.

Can you doze on the train?

Today is the great cross-country expedition, isn't it Woley?😟
First part has gone well, you're on the train it's getting you to your next connection whatever the weather, that's a good start.

Imagine you're on Auden's Night Mail:
Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb:
The gradient's against her, but she's on time.

Here's the original film:

I just got a letter from the NHS breast screening, I've got to go for further screening in 2 hours at a hospital bloody miles away! They're lucky I was in to get the letter. Or possibly I was lucky.

Anyway I've had to cancel it. There's no way I'd have made it there on the bus, especially as I'd have to wash off deodorant first.

I rang the first number on the letter. The perfectly pleasant woman told me I'd rung the wrong number! She could cancel the appointment but couldn't reschedule. It's minor stuff but it doesn't fill you with confidence. I've rescheduled for next Tuesday morning.

I'm not particularly concerned except I'm going to have to tell fella and he's going to freak out. I'd rather get it all sorted out myself, tell him when/if he needs to know, but there's no way I can disappear for several hours without him getting curious. He's off work on Tuesday so I can cadge a lift.

That's a worry you could do without, Cake
I know what you mean about just getting something over and done with by yourself without telling anyone, but you have a DF [=Dear Fella] and he has to be factored in. I can understand he'll be worried, he wouldn't be much of a DF if he wasn't.

I suppose it's good that they are doing what they are supposed to do, and it'll all be fine, but it would be better still if it wasn't happening at all to our dear Cake!

Lots of love and hugs💙

What Marie said.
These things are anxiety-inducing enough without the added hassle of having to rearrange. Good luck Cake

I am very grateful that since I've moved, i only have to pop to the new specialist unit in town (1.5 miles) as opposed to the 90 mile round trip plus extortionate parking charges. I tell myself these things if I ever feel any regret about moving.

Hugs and sympathy to cake, hedgey and woley in stressful times.

Yes, and sympathy to all.
if we ever CBA to move, quality and access to healthcare will be one of the top criteria. It’s quite shit round here.

Lovely Cake, nothing happens till it happens, & with any luck you'll be fine & they just need to make sure you ARE fine. So difficult as regards Mr Cake, though, because he cares about you. 'there's no way I can disappear for several hours without him getting curious' - could you just tell him you're having an affair?

Join me later, everyone, for more tips on relationships that only an android can provide. New episode of my podcast 'The Trouble with Humans' at 4pm today.

Actually I think what we all can do is go and visit our dear old friend Germaine Bunbury.

Not surprised you couldn't sleep. Hope the journey goes well. 💙

could you just tell him you're having an affair?

🤔tempting.

I thought 'Couldn't you tell him you need hours to find the perfect Christmas prezzie for him?' - much more innocent😇- but then I realised you'd have to give him a real humdinger of a present after spending all those hours trawling through the shops....

As Judge Judy says: if you tell the truth, you don't need to have a good memory😄

While I'm here - checking in on Deano - how are you?

Meanwhile in this dragon’s den…
my retirement is now very real. Last ‘working’ day will be Monday but I think I’ve done all I can. P45 and dhl boxes to return my computer etc have arrived. I suppose I could start clearing up my desk - I’ve already put a couple of piles of old papers in the recycling (never could take to reading them on screen). So much history…