The Bluestocking, where we look forward to good things happening, both soon and later.

[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 other interesting things. Any curious menfolk are welcome at the Staunch Ally down the road.

Previous thread: here.

'S'all right, Janes - any bloke tries to come near me like that and he'd get a good licking too👊💥

a health warning was issued that nothing should be inserted in the vagina that hadn't been thoroughly sterilised by boiling first
I've got a copy of Our Bodies, Ourselves somewhere.
If I'd spotted that bit I would have photocopied it and left it around as bedtime reading for DH.

Most entertaining catching up with an evening's worth of the Bluey (as opposed to Bluey, Bingo etc).

Anyway...
We had sudden lashing rain out of the NW here earlier this evening, coming down in stair-rods and lashing against the windows. I went out a couple of hours later, and torn rags of rainclouds were drifting around in the NE. The west was one magnificent sunset, a stripe of very pale orange, fading to yellow away from the sun, under a layer of dense cloud, underlit by the last of sun. Some of it was a strange colour, a sort of silvered beige, but over the course of my 15-minute drive it all turned into that dark purple-black bruise colour.

Trees kept appearing in silhouette against the sky. Sometimes there were oaks still in full leaf, so the impression was of late evening at the height of summer, but at others they were poplars, already stripped by a combination of drought, wind and rain, and it really looked like autumn.

You get a lot of sky on the flatlands, and it can be stunning. I remember driving around Devon once, and feeling a bit suffocated by one pretty narrow valley after another.

I'd have stopped to stare if I'd had the time. I wasn't late, but I had planned to be early, and that wasn't going to happen anyway, so kept on.

Oh, and we have bats in the parish church. If you go in at dusk at summer you can see and hear them.

We walked on Hornsea beach this morning - grey and drizzly with a fresh breeze. Reminded me of the summer holidays of my childhood, especially when we went to the cafe in the Floral Hall afterwards for a bacon and egg butty.

Good morning.

Odd couple of days here, there was the sublime moment when my fears were eased and I read: "And Kitty was here," said Gimbal." and then for no apparent reason the Bluey was full of male bits and pieces and why ffs?

In what they call real life I had a lovely moment yesterday when I went out to the car to see could I find something that was missing from my shopping bag (I could) and huge wings swept silently over me from the cherry tree, then a buzzard rose into the sky and joined a friend drifting higher and higher. Can't decide whether to hope they're thinking of nesting next year, or to hope they'll stay well away and leave some hope the rooks will return. I don't know how big a territory buzzards like around nest sites.

And now my internet connection is playing up yet again, so I have no idea whether I'll be able to post this - but anyway

HAGADAPA

Let’s chuck the male bits and pieces back to the Staunch Ally.

Kitty says good morning. She had extra Dreamies for having looked after the gerbils.

Internet being back prompts me to tell everyone that last night was my first hot-water-bottle night of the dark half of the year. But must go and placate the starving hordes.

I was sweltering last night, but that’s got more to do with night sweats. 🙄

My starving horde got placated an hour ago & now we’re back in bed.

The gerbils have decided that today is "Duvet Day" in the pub.

It has nothing to do with the fact that the pub washing machine is broken and they've run out of clean clothes and uniforms.

It's definitely taken a turn to the cold side this past week.

A duvet day sounds just the thing Boiled. Especially as my boiler seems to have decided that I can have either heating or hot water, but not both at the same time! I predict a visit from the gas engineer 🙁

Meanwhile, a large cafe au lait and a pile of buttered toast with marmalade, please gerbils.

It's that time of year, my neighbours boiler packed up on Wednesday!

I am currently regretting throwing out all the old winter door curtains as the new curtains have yet to be ordered. I'm waiting for one set and a lining to be delivered so I can see if they are suitable.

Of course I could shut the room doors, but the cat is 18, he taught me how to leave them all propped open when he was a kitten. Every time I attempt to close one he gives me so much grief that putting on another jumper and a blanket over my legs has always seemed the correct solution.

Mmmm doughnut and hot chocolate! Thanks Gertrude.

Bore da! It's clear and breezy this morning, but, yes, quite cold last night (isn't it too early for this? do I say this every year? probably). My first hot water bottle night as well, and an extra blanket on the bed. Duvet Day sounds perfect. It's a great day for cleaning windows, but I'm not sure I have the energy. Besides, it's going to rain again tomorrow...

Bar gerbils, large hot chocolate please. No cream today. But I will have one of those doughnuts you brought Boily, ta!

I hope you get your portières sorted soon Boily, they make such a difference. I only have them over exterior doors, but you are inspiring me to wonder whether I should make one to go over the living room door, for cool but not absolutely arctic days Or even buy one, but I have about half a dozen American Airlines 'blankets' in a cupboard just waiting to be adapted.

Oh. Service the boiler. I knew there was something I had left off the list. Meant to get it done over the summer. Irritating. <makes another note>

Hope you get yours fixed asap, Damson.

Of course I could shut the room doors, but the cat is 18, he taught me how to leave them all propped open when he was a kitten. Every time I attempt to close one he gives me so much grief that putting on another jumper and a blanket over my legs has always seemed the correct solution.

Absolutely. In the same way that I leave the balcony door open & put an extra layer on.

I’ve occasionally considered getting a catflap but I don’t want Kitty going out there unsupervised. I think she’d be fine but just in case.

Do it! Definitely helps to cut down on the "where the hell is that cold air coming from?" thoughts.

Even with a cat flap you get no peace.

The boy cat will sit and knock on the cat flap until I open the door. 45 minutes he kept it up for the other day. I ignored him, until I could ignore him no longer, and finally gave up and went through and pointed out that the door right next to the cat flap was bloody open.

I think he's getting dementia.

Dementia or thinks it’s a good game.

Ours were always Threshold Cats. They wanted to stand in front of the open door for a while to mull over whether or not to go outside after all.

And expect you to turn the rain down to a fine drizzle whilst you're stood freezing, and getting wet from the torrential rain, there holding the door open whilst they decide.

If anyone is imagining that dropping an 8" Pyrex soufflé dish on a quarry tiled floor would be a fun diversion for a Saturday morning, I would advise against.

Was a cat involved? I hope there aren’t any cut feet or paws.

I read all the cat people hassles and it makes me feel quite mellow towards Batshit's stupidity.

Mind you, she is currently standing around looking sad because she thinks I should be somewhere else giving her a cuddle. She is also making it known that she thinks the heating should be on.

I (generally) keep the cats out of the kitchen which is just as well, but I'm going to have to be careful myself. It fell out of the dishwasher. At least secondhand Pyrex turns up regularly in the charity shops so I'll be able to replace it easily - it's the exact right size to fit into my air fryer.

Why have I never thought of using Pyrex in my air fryer?

@MyrtleLion, does AI understand sarcasm? I started wondering after posting on one of the It’s all JKR’s fault threads.