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jigjag

I also enjoyed the report. I am sorry that Gotte declined your offer to escort her home. I am sure you would have "conducted" yourself like a gentleman!

malone

That's a clever comment about Route Mistresses. I suppose that as ships are considered female, buses should be too.

Thanks, Grunger. The Route ... Master thing didn't strike me until I started typing, so I felt I should do something with it!

Malone, Grunger

Glad you enjoyed the report. I think some of the -esses are still valid. I particularly like shepherdess.

I know what Malone means about getting inspiration whilst typing. I have often sat with a pen and a blank piece of paper for half-an-hour, but as soon as I type, I get ideas. I have no idea why this is.

Jigjag,

I've never had an occasion to use the word 'shepherdess', so I won't need to excise it from my vocabulary. I'm quite happy for a 'shepherd' to be someone who looks after sheep, a 'goatherd' to be someone who looks after goats... oh, has there ever been a 'goatherdess'? What a piece of nonsense that would be!

The current hot spell reminds me... I bumped into one of your old friends recently, Ivor Tutchasunstroke. I think he's pals with your chums Ivan Napple and Ivor Burger.

Malone

There are no shepherdesses or goatherdesses in these parts, but I think some -esses are vital, and I was pleased to see one in a Times answer today. Also delighted to see an "Ivan" in another answer, and wondered if the setter has been following this thread for inspiration.

I mentioned -esses to my hairdresser Jason today. The girls who work in the shop preferred waitresses and actresses to other possibilities but they thought that hairdresseresses was probably wrong. I think I agree with them.

I hope you did not have a touch of sunstroke when you posted, as I think Jigjag's friend is Ivor Berger. The sort of typo I often make.

Nice (and relevant) clue in the Guardian earlier this week:

Judge Jenny? (6)

Perhaps malone, grunger and others would care to be reminded of this poem:

Three little ghostesses,
Sitting on postesses,
Eating buttered toastesses,
Greasing their fistesses,
Up to their wristesses.
Oh, what beastesses
To make such feastesses!

Malone

I dont think I could live without shepherdesses. Apart from their vital contribution to the local community, they have been important in literature. For example, in a Miss Marple story, the shepherdess lamp is an important clue, and where would we be without one of my favourite characters, the careless shepherdess Little Bo Peep?

Grunger

I love your "hairdresseresses". With a string of 5 consecutive letters repeated, it may be unique in the English Language.

Orson

I was not aware of your poem but I like it.

As no-one has asked, the solution to my clue @769 is

ASSESS

ChrisE

I was still thinking about it. I could only think of "donkey" but "assess" is very clever. Thanks.

Orson

I also liked your poem. I think "ghostess" is acceptable even if the other words are made up.