The Bluestocking Women’s Pub: definitely full of ludicrous halfwits who refuse to get a grip (with unionised gerbils)

[MyrtleLion]

Welcome to The Bluestocking: convivial by design, opinionated in the best way, generously stocked with excellent food and drink that complies with whatever it’s meant to comply with, and any calories, gluten or alcohol are entirely virtual.

Staffed by impeccably trained, unfailingly polite gerbils who run a tight bar with plenty of enthusiasm and good intentions. Quick with the drinks, but terrible spillers spellers and liable to turn an idle thought on existential existence into a full blown musical with Busby Berkeley routines. You have been warned.

All women welcome, just in case that isn't obvious. Men can go to The Staunch Ally round the corner.

Previous thread here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5477133-the-bluestocking-your-local-womens-pub-warm-friendly-and-not-at-all-unusual-in-any-way

Yes. That’s why you can’t just look at the last line of a Maths problem and tick it if it’s right, especially if the answers are in the back of the book/online.

Ah...so familiar.

I've been caught out twice in my teaching career. Both were blatantly obvious, I'm sorry to say.

The second time, the pupil failed to meet the department deadline I'd set to allow time for checking. A member of the new SLT accepted the essay from the kid on uplift day and not one member of my department had sight of it... I refused all responsibility for that one.

The first time was when my husband was very ill. The class teacher didn't pick it up and I didn't have time to check every single essay myself that year since I was spending so much time travelling to and from hospital.

The class teacher was moving on and had checked out...I now realise that he hadn't even read the damned thing and it wasn't one of the essays that I sampled. I'm still annoyed at myself. Thereafter, I checked every single essay, no matter what.

The exam board software picked it up.

The irate mother phoned our then HT and demanded to know why there was "No award" next to the subject name.

Apparently, he responded "Madam, would you rather it said 'Cheated'?"

Lovely shop, I’m in the market for cotton velvet to make curtains.

I couldn’t see Tana lawn-is it the cherry and pear print?

@Britinme , do you think it was a whole-school problem or just one student sneaking something in?
Did they know what the essay topics would be?

No cheating here, though, but it could have been. I remember my O level German when we had to listen to a poor-quality tape recording in German and then either repeat it or answer questions about it, still in German. I guessed early on what the point of the story was going to be so was able to concentrate on the vocabulary, which I’d need to repeat.

The story was about a couple (male/female naturally) who went out for a meal. The menu given to the man had the correct prices on it, which of course he would be paying for them both. I think the woman’s had more expensive prices, certainly different ones. Ah, the late 1960s. 😕

It’s all of them on that page. I don’t know with complete certainty that it is tana lawn: it was when they first started printing their own designs but I haven’t needed to buy any so don’t know if it still is. You could always ring up and ask.

Lovely shop, I’m in the market for cotton velvet to make curtains.

There’s usually a bigger selection than that. Sometimes some very luxurious velvets are mentioned on Facebook or Instagram, especially if there’s only a few metres of it.

That student had made the numbers up.

And had been struggling for the whole period. They submitted the final draft to my ex as their supervisor for marking and he had to fail the thesis. He called the student in to discuss it and a resolution was found. The student resubmitted and was passed, then went to second marking and a viva.

I didn't hear all the details except that the student did pass eventually, and only because I asked. My ex was very reticent about everything his students so the fact that he told me about the PhD was a huge surprise.

He was from a Yorkshire farming family and was an academic, so communication was never his strong point. Sadly though I loved him very much, it meant I had to leave. Which was a good thing because I wouldn't have got together with the Walrus.

You could try the combination of me and my Dad's approach (although it might result in a disciplinary):

1/ I have told you time after time. Your ability to refuse to learn isn't down to me.

2/ Everything has been laid out and explained. I am not your mum and I refuse to feed you with a spoon.

3/ I know that you think you are special but, at the end of the day, life is shit and then you die.

4/ If you are looking for sympathy, it's between shit and syphalis.

It was more loosey-goosey than that. They all submitted different essays on different subjects. The lack of supervision by the teacher became even more clear when I got all the other folders in and discovered students who had clearly been copying from each other.

Ah, dear, @Britinme.

It’s a pity I’m not one of the talented dressmakers as I quite regularly walk near that fabric shop, albeit on the river path not the road.

Ah, Merry Christmas to you, Little Christmas Hat Rodent ❤️! Stockings first, then roast dinner and lots of cheese…. Maybe chocolate and alcohol. A bit of telly. We’ll have fun.

When Standard Grade English was a new exam, back in the '80s, there were 8 pieces of coursework. (This was later cut to 5. The Nat 5 exam originally had two and then one.)

There was a weird interim period when Standard Grade and 'O' Grade ran in tandem and most schools ditched the new exam for the first year or so because of a work-to-rule.

The first year that everyone was doing Standard Grade, I had to stop pupils from passing their 'spare' course pieces to pals who were short of a piece.

'No...you can't do that...'
'Aye...It's aa right - I've got plenty!'

Many years later, I had a pupil hand in a Higher piece which I recognised straight away: his best pal had handed it in the year before.

'Are you sure that this is your work?'
'Aye!'
'This is all your own work?'
'Aye!'
'So what does this mean: "the re-establishment of the equilibrium"?'
'Aw, speak English Ms Weary!'

Yes, his best friend had 'loaned' it to him...

I do hope that all the showering hasn't washed @Boiledbeetle into the drains. We haven't seen her for a bit...

Just popping in to wave to everyone

Wishing everyone g'night, but anybody needing the services of the Dream Gerbils and the Sleep Gerbils - you're on your own tonight, you don't want this lot blundering into your bedrooms singing raucous songs, spilling their drinks on your duvet and then bursting into tears because you are their best friend and now they've ruined your lovely duvet...🙄

Do you take commissions? 😉

I’ve been awake since 3.30 & need to get up in an hour. 😡

This may be because I had friends round last night & there was wine.

Lovely! I hope you'll show us some of the finished products.

We are having disturbed nights because of our cat. Last night and two nights ago she started yowling at about 1.30 and about 3.30. Each time we put the light on and she was just lying on her rug by the radiator looking at us. Absolutely no idea what's going on. Any cat experts in the BS? Or is that a bit scary for the gerbils?

Obviously as a cat myself I feel I should understand...

Food? Attention?

How long have you had her?

We have had her 12 years. Food available, water available. Cat flap. If it's attention she should try coming down and sitting with us in the evening! She's 15 but doesn't seem to be in pain or anything.

That is completely understandable. And I'm not going to judge. There will may be day drinking tomorrow as it's our legal wedding anniversary on Saturday and the Walrus is taking Friday off work...

Oh, I so wish... 😂
I get as far as the end of step 2. I have to leave steps 3 and 4 implied but unspoken.

I haven't...but it would be a treat.