The Bluestocking Women's Pub: Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs

[AngleofRepose]

Croeso/Welcome to the Bluestocking Women's Pub, with our lovely gerbil staff, the icy Mojito foot-bath for those of you fed up with the heat, a Quilting/Craft Nook, lots of yummy food and drink with zero calories, gluten, or allergens, the Gerbil World Cup, and a brand new magic pool that becomes a babbling brook whenever you want it to!

Come on in! All women welcome! (Men welcome at The Staunch Ally pub down the road aways)

(security provided by the capybaras, lovely folk, but try not to get in their way)

(oh, and don't mention triangles, please. Gubbins gets very overexcited)

(did we mention the Gerbil World Cup?)

Oh God, Pasta.

I thought I’d finished last year at 52 when my period vanished for 6 months & then it bloody came back.

Women’s bodies have some major design flaws.

I had a seven month gap last year. They're just toying with us, aren't they?

I had an eight month gap 5 years ago.
Then I went through a year of one every 12-20 days so they swapped my HRT about a bit.

Funnily enough, I too have been described as scary. And formidable, intimidating, and not someone to get on the wrong side of.

I'm imagining the Venn diagram of Bluestocking regulars and scary women would be akin to a circle, somehow.

I suspect there is a large representation of resting bitch face within the Bluestocking, and that's before we start counting the gerbils.

Five years ago?! Bugger that, I was hoping a seven month gap meant I was nearly done!

Sometimes people mutter ‘sorry’ to me and I have absolutely no idea why because I usually wasn’t thinking about anything in particular & hadn’t really noticed them.

Sometimes people comment on my ‘lovely smile’ and I have absolutely no idea why because I usually wasn’t thinking about anything in particular & hadn’t really noticed them.

It’s all very odd.

Mine was done at around 45, due to various cancer treatments and medications. And I mean DONE. Long time ago. Don't know if I should feel grateful...? It's one of the only perks, let's put it that way?

(Marie, I really wanted to use "perqs" but apparently that's antiquated, says duckduckgo)

Yeah, in my experience "lovely smile" is all very well, but it just means "why do you always look so bloody miserable?"

(I'm sure you do have a lovely smile) 💙

Well, I’m a lion. Nuff said.

I'm looking at menopause in the rear view mirror. Actually it's further back than that. Commiserations to those still dealing with it.

Hello @pontefractals.

Have been out for a rather extended lunch with very old friends. Not, I have to admit, currently very sober.

It probably does! Take heart.

Mine's buggered because of genetics - late to start and very very late to finish like my mum. I've already apologised to my daughter for that particular genetic legacy.

That sounds a lovely afternoon, Cher! Cheers!🥂

My family history is early finish, usually around 40. I was 36 when it started but thanks to PCOS/PMOS mine has been extended for far too long.

Now the Hanseatic League are out I can join my English husband on the Couch of Mourning.

MrPasta's just called across from the Staunch Ally about the Deputation.

I'd been musing about whether banners are required, or a march maybe.

He wondered whether we'd fancy going all French and setting fire to stuff in the middle of the road. Tires, a bonfire of tampons, whatever. Chucking mooncups of petrol onto it, perhaps?

I very given him a Stern Look because I'm not the destructive type. Nevertheless, whilst acknowledging we are undoubtedly more than capable, should there be any assistance he and the others in the Ally can offer, just give them a nod.

A bonfire of tampons has a certain flair to it, I must admit. Offer of support from the Staunch Ally noted, with thanks.

Instead of A Bonfire of the Vanities, it could be called a Bonfire of the Sanitaries!

Oh yes, I like that!

We could go all French farmer and bring tractors. I'm sure Magpie and I could rustle up a few.

I didn't do too badly period-wise, but the menopause was a bit of a sod - it didn't just mess with my cycle and my temperature regulation, it also buggered up my balance for a while. I'd be getting out the door key and almost fall over, that sort of thing. I'd also have to think very hard about things like reversing into the garage and turning off the engine, stuff I'd been doing on autopilot for years. Fortunately those effects wore off.

I have now entered the arsey mare stage of life. Honestly, I have no shits left to give. I wish I'd felt like this 20 or 30 years ago. I'd have saved myself a lot of trouble.

I too am mourning Hansa's departure from the fray.

The farmer in his now flag-less mule drove past me today. He did not look like a terribly happy man, but whether that was due to harvest panics and crap yields or to England's departure I couldn't be sure.

I liked the mule when it had its two little flags - it looked very jolly, and slightly official and important. Now it just looks like what it is, a grubby and work-worn old Polaris, decorated with nothing more than a thick layer of dust.

I'm afraid you're all in wellies for this one:

Oh yes.

That's the "I'm gorgeous and I know it smile!" 😃

Very nice hers and hers tractors, Edith.

Every cat knows she’s gorgeous! (And every big cat too, obviously, @MyrtleLion).

@pontefractals Welcome, and what a wonderful name! A combination of two of my favourite things, Yorkshire and Maths ♥

You wrote I remember my late Dad saying he found it easy to remember my Mum's phone number when they started courting in around 1960 because it was the same as their divvy.

That's amazing. How did they manage that? It's too unlikely to be a coincidence, but I didn't realise you could choose either number.

Theirs wasn't Barnsley British Co-op was it? I can see my parents' Ercol dining table as I sit here, on one of the matching chairs. They came from their Barnsley branch and were certainty built to last.

Why do I pronounce the place as Pont-ee-fract, but the sweeties as Pomfret cakes?