The Bluestocking, a unique location for daughters and sisters of earth, frost, feathers, fur, scales and spines

[AsWithGlad]

Welcome to The Bluestocking, the best (perhaps only) online women's pub. Nothing in the food or drink can harm you, everything is served by a very enthusiastic crew of gerbils, who enjoy doing this, and any curious menfolk are welcome at the Staunch Ally down the road.

Previous thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/feminism/5568996-the-bluestocking-pub-where-we-continue-to-read-about-gerbils-nobly-and-bravely-working-undercover-in-the-fen?page=1

I must remember to make a note of that travel company, Kitty

Errol, my parents really liked Fred Olsen, although his ships used to be smaller.

Myrtle, I think you're on the same meds as DS2. On meds days he barely eats, never sleeps but is very focused. His weight has reduced too, and he spent 11 hours walking up and down the mountains of Seoul listening to podcasts.

Magpie, thanks for your family members' company at my morning swim. I did an hour's exercise before we headed out for the day.

I once chopped down a pyracantha that dominated a very small garden. I spent weeks anointing myself with TCP because the 1000s of scratches got infected.

I have ever had a wood that I wanted everyone else to stay out of, I'd hedge in pyracantha, and the wood pigeons would get so vast on the berries that they'd barely be able to fly.

That looks beautiful, Pasta.

Swashy, I took these photos of the Bergen harbour fish stalls for an angler friend but I think you might enjoy them too.

Magpie’s family are so hospitable.

Last full day ☹️
Quick early breakfast & down to catch the 5.5 hour train back to Oslo. Part of the route was new to me because of my detours on the original journey, and one of the new things was a museum at Finse Station about the history of the line. It’s called the Rallar (Navvy) Museum & what first caught my attention the old snowplough sitting outside. Scroll down the page for the English version.

At some point I also saw a Volvo-maybe-tractor.

On arrival I dropped my bag at the hotel, which was a lot easier to find the second time. I thought I might have been able to make it to the cathedral before it closed but was just too late.

I got pleasantly lost exploring the harbour walk, stopped at a street food place for a Thai tofu stir fry & once I started recognising places again, walked on to the opera house & climbed up to the roof to enjoy the view, then came back down for a farewell ice cream.

I ate it by the water & then realised it wasn’t long until sunset, so stopped to enjoy it.

What a bloody brilliant week, & thanks for all your company on it. It would never have occurred to me to look out for farm
machinery, for instance!

I've been loving your updates so much!

Thank you, I’ve really enjoyed writing them!

Car is packed (right to the blooming roof) for DD heading off to uni tomorrow. She's so excited it's a bit contagious. I'm looking forward to seeing how she's planning to squeeze all her stuff into a tiny halls room 🤔....

Still, gonna miss her an awful awful lot. I need to go a new adventure of my own I think. Ideas welcome...

So glad the rain stopped and you had glorious blue sky for your final day, Kitty. It's been such fun accompanying you on your travels in a country I know I will never visit now.

I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it, @NotAtMyAge.

The beach is very quiet and lovely. So, so lovely.

A brisk breeze, warm sun, and accessible facilities including a beach wheelchair that can go in the sea! I have never seen such wonders.

Also a very lovely restaurant on the beach.

A beach wheelchair that can go in the sea??? Wow. How does that work?

A big step for you both @ShinyBlueTractor What will your daughter be studying? I still remember how quiet the house seemed after both DS and DD had left for university and they're both in their 50s now. Being very busy at work helped and it was lovely to welcome them home in the vacations.

English Lit, I think she's going to have a great time. DS is heading back to uni soon too..

So. Time marches on eh! Keeping busy sounds like a good plan...

And the terms are actually quite short so they'll be back in no time (is what I'm telling myself 😭)

@EmpressaurusKitty it's been such fun enjoying your Norwegian trip with you :-)

Look at the colour of that sea! Glorious.

Wow that sounds perfect, Pasta!

That sounds - and looks, thank you for the photos! - wonderful, Pasta, enjoy!

That's a big step for you ShinyBlueTractor and Young Ms Tractor, I hope the move goes well and she settles in OK.

And what can you do by way of new adventures? hmmmmm..
we've got various crafts, lots of reading of historical books, tractor-spotting - [=busman's holiday for you], learning new languages via Duolingo, walking dogs, being bossed around by cats, reading 15-16th century French feminist philosophy, taking beautiful photos, baking, dieting, baking, dieting, baking, dieting, gardening, writing gerbil-based aventure stories, attempting unsuccessfully to evade mozzies, consorting with pirates, being a pirate, doing blackwork embroidery, publishing books of poetry...

Or something new and unique that suggests itself to you in the fullness of time.

Until then, we're always here if you feel you need distracting

There's some very industrious sock-pairing going on here, in preparation for heading back for Sr Jr Magpie's final year. Mr Magpie is taking him back on Saturday.

It's AMAZING. There are wheelchair parking spaces regularly, accessible toilets in every block, wheelchair seats at the public beach showers, accessible wooden boardwalks to the shore, and these remarkable three-wheeler wheelchairs for going right into the water, to borrow.

This is mostly what it looks like, but taken from a promotional image as my phone wasn't immediately to hand.

What a time to be alive!

It sounds amazing. Wheelchair access (or, more usually, the lack thereof) is something I've noticed for nearly 50 years, since spending some time hanging out with a wheelchair user in my teens. He was stubborn and determined and energetic, but even he must have been exhausted at times by the constant effort of trying to bend things to his will. Basic stuff like getting the train and going to the cinema always involved extra layers of complexity and pre-planning. I have spent my adult life being grateful that I am fit and able. It's the luck of the draw.

Kitty, if you carry on like this we'll have you shouting, 'Oooh, look, a Fendt!' and 'That's a Claas Lexion!' by next summer.

Next step: attendance at an agricultural show. LOTS of farm machinery, beef cattle with backs like tabletops and stewards in ties and bowler hats (or formal frocks and fascinators).

Marie, I think you omitted bird-spotting via Merlin, knitting and DIY from the list of hobbies. You're spot on about the baking-dieting cycle. I made some biscuits today, mostly to give some to a neighbour as a thank you for favours rendered, but a regrettable number of the ones that didn't go in the package for her went down me.

@EmpressaurusKitty thank you for sharing your adventures with us. I think the Norwegian tourist board should employ you as there's quite a few of us now considering a trip to Norway!

@EdithStourton your comment about beef cattle reminded me of this picture my sister sent of a ginormous horse.