The Bluestocking women's Pub- spring is sprunging and MN's name generator can do one!

[lcakethereforeIam]

Welcome to the Bluestocking women's pub. Men are directed to the Staunch Ally just down the road. Otherwise all are welcome. Pull up a chair, give your order to the Wait Gerbil or the Gerbil behind the bar.

Don't forget to name change if you wish to.

Yes, heating oil is another story as you have to buy it in such large quantities. We managed to get through the winter on just one tank which had cost £275 for 500 litres last April, but couldn't wait until the summer to top up. The 500 litres we bought on March 2nd cost £361 and we're thanking our lucky stars we bought it when we did. DH has just checked and BoilerJuice is quoting £659 if you can allow a flexible delivery up to March 30th. If we needed it tomorrow it would be £699!!!!

Gosie really is eating and drink well. Fortunately the alcohol is Bluestocking type so she's not actually drink driving.

Also it's hard to tell the difference between Indifférence and Insouciance, or indeed the time of day or style of bistro.

She's living her best life, though.

The Walrus ordered a titanium Apple Watch with his unexpected bonus from work. Given that I'm not working and he's been under threat of redundancy, fortunately now lifted, he deserves it.

The box arrived today. Security seal intact.

But it was empty. We could tell that the side of the folded cardboard had been forced open and the watch stolen in transit.

Apple will brick it, so unless someone sold it in the last few hours, it's worthless.

But honestly I do blame Apple. They should not be sending nearly £1,000 worth of electronics in an easy to open box. It should be sealed all the way round.

stupidity by Apple and also the thief. Apple are going to send you another aren’t they? Still must have been a horrible disappointment plus hassle.

We try to avoid getting that sort of thing delivered after a lot of problems with a Dell computer which never arrived.

They have to investigate first. So he had to get a crime number from the police. And of course the moment it is switched on they'll be able to locate it. We don't know when the replacement will arrive.

When he was handed the package he said to me it's very light. Then he opened it and turned the air blue. 😢

And because it was stolen before it arrived, we can't claim on the insurance.

Bloody hell, Myrtle, I hope you can get that sorted out ASAP.

After the time you've been having, you could probably do with a Gosie-type holiday.

Oh God yes!

We haven't booked this year because we like expensive all-inclusive holidays in June or September and we need the money to live on. But once I get a job we will try to get a last minute break.

I do have a big tax rebate coming, so I might use some of that to go somewhere hot and sunny on my own for a few days.

The Walrus is on leave from Wednesday till after Easter, so we will go out on Tuesday night and have a nice few days out while he's off. And we'll clear out the garage. So exciting!

I like the look of the cheeseboard in the first picture. Not sure about les escargots? in the second. I never really took to snails.

Just seen your other post @MyrtleLion How awful that the Walrus's new watch had been stolen. I hope you get a replacement without too much trouble

Thank you. He's really upset about it but being a nearly 62 year old northerner he's not showing it.

I love escargots. So buttery and garlicky. I've always said I'm try anything once and had escargots, frogs' legs, alligator (surprisingly tasty) and foie gras. I didn't have foie gras for years because of the way the animals are overfed. An ex had some once and I tried it, and even though it's liver paté and I hate liver, it was delicious. So much so that I really didn't care how the animals are treated.

I have only had it a couple of times since because I could get used to it, and they really don't treat the animals well.

Having only had liver in school dinner I thought I hated it, dry and leathery, but I tried some veal liver that a friend ordered in a restaurant and it was delicious. I think the geese might be treated slightly better than veal calves were at the time. I've cooked chicken liver (not for ages, I should make it again) but I've never tried goose liver.

A holiday in the South of France many years ago I was surprised to see you could buy postcards of the geese being force fed! Elderly ladies and metal funnels.

A friend used to work in the section of Tesco where they sold electronics. She said loads of the boxes arrived from the depot empty.

I hope the Walrus gets a replacement or a refund pdq.

Oh goodness I know it makes me morally depraved to say so, but the pate de foie gras we had in France last summer was the most delicious thing evah.

Myrtle that is shocking. Hope it's sorted soon as every Walrus needs an apple watch!

Evening all- large glass of anything please. Had a busy day, chaperoning Miss Frankie with her active diary
Lovely day though.

Hope they sort out the missing Apple watch without making a fuss, Myrtle - the last thing you need is more fuss!😕

When I was out in the garden today I heard a whole lot of seagull squawking, really making a fuss.

The last time I heard that level of noise from seagulls was because a heron had perched on a nearby roof and for some reason the gulls had taken offence [they'd never shown any interest in that roof before].

When I looked up, there were about 5 gulls chasing a 6th bird which I quickly realised was be a bird of prey - I was very excited, I've never seen one over my garden before! They were mostly just shouting at it, they weren't making dives at it or anything, but they managed to drive it upwards, and northwards until it was out of my sight.

I tried to memorise what the underside looked like- the distinctive feature was stripes on the wings. When I googled it, it seemed most likely to be a red kite, though I didn't recall tail being the wedge-shaped.

That's my Nature Report - minor stuff compared with what many of you witness on a daily basis, 👋to Edith in particular , but I was chuffed🙂

Wait, what! Gosie rocks up in a bistro in a French town called Indifférance and actually got served? I find this highly unlikely.

It’s hit and miss there, they simply don’t care if they serve you or not. 🤷‍♀️

Morning all.

Next autumn I'm going to have to get someone to clear the overgrowth (including young wild cherry trees) outside my back bedroom window, but I really enjoyed the male blackcap that showed up this morning and sang at me while I lay in bed drinking my tea.

And yesterday I enjoyed the young lovage shoots with my pork medallions. I use lovage a lot when it's available (now until September) but the just-out-of-the-ground stuff is particularly delicious.

I'll have to add lovage to my list of things to grow, Deano.

Marie, red kites have tails that usually looked forked, but can appear slightly fan-shaped, like a buzzard's. We get them in the village (they're recent arrivals in these parts), but I've not yet seen one from our garden. We sometimes get buzzards, and over the past week or so I've really noticed the kestrels making a lot of noise, possibly setting up home to raise chicks, which won't delight the smaller birds.

I've seen rooks mob a buzzard: they kept on flying above it and dive-bombing. It wasn't wanted anywhere near their (enormous, noisy) rookery. Jackdaws are similarly arsey, especially when their young are fledging.

Good morning everyone - I'm up early because it's knitting group this morning. I think I have finally cracked the stranded knitting I'm doing - but it's taken me at least a fortnight to get this far, so I hope I can pick up the pace a bit, otherwise my grandchildren will be in secondary school before I finish the dresses for them!

Raptor sightings are always a thrill. I have not yet seen red kites in Ireland, but they're expanding their range so I live in hope. Buzzards are newbies here too, but they've done really well, and nest in the trees at the far side of my neighbour's field - seeing them mobbed is quite a spectacle.

Last winter I saw a hen harrier doing its sky dance over a field beside the road to craft club village - they have a nest in the hills, and back when I walked Teddy (RIP) in the mornings I saw a white-tailed eagle from the island in the lake a few times. Very impressive birds.

You're not wrong. Gosie was seated at a small bistro table with a perfect table setting, studied the menu, considered the wine list and tried to get the attention of the waiter who passed her three times without acknowledgement.

The next table were clearly regulars and were already on their second course.

But Gosie was completely unbothered. She had half a glass of something she may have poured herself, independently acquired a bread basket and enjoyed the sunshine.

We get a lot of buzzards in this area now, they were a rarity when we moved her ~30 years ago. I believe they are recovering after their numbers crashed due to pesticides - top predators though they do also scavenge and won’t turn their beaks up at worms.

I’ve not seen any red kites in this area yet. The raptors which are now a very regular year round sighting at the RSPB and WWT are marsh harriers. I believe they didn’t used to overwinter in the past.

Here in rural Mid-Wales we are at the epicentre of the work that went on to reintroduce red kites, which were down to a few breeding pairs here back in the 1980s. The first official feeding centre was less than 20 miles away and they are now an everyday sight over much of Wales. Magnificent birds.

Loving the gardening info - I am learning from you all.
Our garden was gorgeous when we moved in (the house wasn't) and it's in need of more colour. I think the previous owners spent more time out than in.
Or bunny and guinea pigs used to keep the lawn well trimmed, but we don't have any small pets now.
Wishing I could evict more carp from DH's sheds (à la Boily) but the 'things' in there may be useful one day 🙄

Hmmmm so maybe my bird of prey wasn't a red kite... I can't be sure what it was, but it was a big thrill anyway
Seeing a white-tailed eagle must have been amazing, now that would be a real thrill over my garden!!

'Young wild cherry trees' sound lovely but I take it they are not exactly wanted/wanted where they are located😒

I know you know John Spillane's song about the cherry trees, Deano -

Let me tell you about the cherry trees
Every April in our town
They put on the most outrageous clothes
And they sing and they dance around

Hardly anybody sings or dances
Hardly anybody dances or sings
In this town that I call my own
You have to hand it to the cherry trees

And they seem to be saying
To me anyway
"You know we've travelled all around the sun
You know it's taken us one whole year
Well done everyone, well done"

The idea of cherry trees in blossom congratulating themselves, us and the earth on surviving another year is magic, isn't it? He has a very special imagination

And thank you to Edith and Deano for using the very word I could not for the life of me think of when descripting the aerial dispute - MOBBING!
Duh! of course🙄

Woolly Hugs squares complete. The lacey one should block out to 6" but we're told not to block them ourselves.