The Bluestocking: home of the ice-cold Mojito foot-bath

[MarieDeGournay]

Welcome all to the Bluestocking Women's Pub, where food and drink are free as in gluten free, calorie free, alcohol free - but still delicious. And free free too, of course.
Served by highly professional staff who are gerbils.

The Bluestocking Ice-Cold Mojito Foot-bath kept us deliciously cool through the heatwave. Come and join us, in case there's another one🌞

My brown bin was emptied this morning so I should get outside to start refilling it. First job is trim back the neighbours pyracantha which is encroaching on the gate to our side alley - he’s still in hospital after a stroke and other complications, poor man.

@MyrtleLion 🥰

I'm backing Bagpuss’s Mice

Poor you, mind the bloody spikes i hate the stuff. There are plenty of berry baring plants who are not quite so vicious.

A village sports complex a few miles away planted it outside the chain link fence to deter thieves, vandals, and people trying to avoid the turnstiles on match days, which I thought was quite clever.

Here is why I love men. The Walrus is 6’2” or 6’3” tall, so he just picked up the secateurs, reached up and snipped all the overhanging branches from next door’s really annoying apple tree.

Snip, snip, snip. Done.

I’d have had to get the big stepladder out of the garage and probably some loppers because my hands can’t snip anything as thick as a branch.

So, men. Really bloody handy sometimes.

I always enjoy showing up my male students who can't prune cleanly. It's partly grip strength and partly cheap secateurs. I swap secateurs with them, they marvel at how much easier it is with my proper secateurs, and then marvel again (with some chagrin) when I make clean cuts with their secateurs, because I know what I'm doing and have the grip strength to do it. It's usually the ones who spend a lot of time in the gym, too, and being bested by their middle aged female tutor is something they don't expect!

“Some of these players,” Griselda said slowly, “are extremely dead.”

“So was the Hanseatic League’s accountant,” said Gertrude, without looking up. “Didn’t stop her doing the books.”

I want to be Gertrude! She always knows exactly what to say😄

Good spot, Errol, so it is!

@Magpiecomplex You cannot beat an expensive and sharp set of secatares.

I once had a customer who said gosh they are jolly good sharp shears, i said well it would be unprofessional to show up with a rusty old set.

For @MarieDeGournay or anyone else concerned I might not get enough alcohol after a hard day of c&p[1]... Here[2] is my one drink. It's a Bermuda Rose (no, not that Rose) and it's mostly gin.

[1] actually with some help from gpt5.2 I have eliminated the part of the job which was setting off my RSI, which helps a lot!

[2] if you know me well enough to work out who I am irl from this photo I probably don't care!

Snap on the brown bin, @ErrolTheDragon except mine is green. I've spent most of the day using my beloved loppers (Fiskar) to reduce down all the hedging stuff I cut down last time. Then cleaning up, and then doing some weeding (wrong way around, isn't that?), so now I'm very tired. I'm finally well again ( the shingles rash has almost gone, and I have so much more energy), so making the most of it before it gets hot again next week. I guess I was more unwell than I had originally thought.

Bar gerbils, a mojito, extra lime please. I've just popped in for a quick drink because I want to catch up on The Tribunal. While I was having lunch, I think they introduced a new character, so will have to go see...

@Chickadeeinme I hope the vet said "Good to go for another couple of years!" 19 is a good age, though. My last but one only reached 10, but she'd had a poor start to life and had cardiomyopathy. 😿

ps. @Magpiecomplex have you seen the price of the Niwaki secateurs??!! I want a pair, but can't justify the cost. I use Fiskars for everything, and just make sure I re sharpen and oil all my tools regularly.

I use Felco, I prefer the lock to the fiddly thing on Niwakis. Also the handles are nicer.

Welcome @fanOfBen i think i know 😁

@MyrtleLion

'Gerbil World Cup HQ: The Late Entries........

Bill and Ben trained by talking exclusively to each other, at length, in flobbadob'

I'd pay a lot to see that tournament😁

I was wondering about size differences & how mice would cope against a team including Aragorn.

But somehow I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.

you know who I am irl? That would surprise me as I have no idea who you are! Often one drops more information than one thinks though...Do feel free to drop me cryptic proof (such as my initials) by PM :-)

A vat of iced coffee please, gerbils.

I've been over the border in Yorkshire today. Met up with some friends to do a lovely walk in Wharfedale, then a late lunch in Grassington. I think Wharfedale is my favourite of the Yorkshire Dales.

I was quite jealous earlier this week when everyone was discussing fish finger sandwiches and I had no fish fingers in, so when I saw the menu there was only one choice.

I'm off to catch up with the ET threads. I may be gone some time.......

That looks AMAZING.

I'm literally drooling. I've also realised I forgot to have tea.

Hello @fanOfBen
I have no idea who you are, ( look, Im a puffin and I can't do cryptic) but it doesn't matter and a big fat welcome anyway.

Does best feed me I'm starving face at @DauntlessDamson

Mmmmm

I think @Hedgehogforshort means she knows who Ben is, @fanOfBen.

Anyone who knows me IRL would have identified me ages ago from the Kitty pics.

@Chickadeeinme I hope that the vet visit goes well. I’m at the vet’s too tomorrow with Hunter who has an ouchy shoulder that isn’t getting better.
re secateurs, I agree, buy the best you can afford, it’s always worth it.
Bar gerbils, it’s been a less than wonderful day so would you kindly rustle up a very large Subjunctive Soliloquy. Easy on the pronouns. Thanks. And to anyone who’s gone off to the Tempest Tribunal thread and makes it back both alive and sane, drinks are on me.

Looking through my telescope I’d say that The Clangers are taking the World Cup pretty seriously though in practice sessions there are frequent hydration (soup) breaks.

Oh god i loved the clangers, i still do.