Trip to the country

So last Thursday I am off again to Oxford Street trawling the usual shops when I get a text from Madame, will I go to John Lewis to enquire about our flooring. Just as well as the previous day she had phoned them and after waiting 25 minutes they hadn't answered her call. Aaaanyway the upshot is our order had disappeared and they have had to order it all again and we will not be getting it until nearly xmas.

Friday see Madame and I off to Oxford Street to see if we can get my Christmas present in the M&S black friday sale and we do, a thumping 30% off which makes the difference between getting it and... not. We pop over to Primark which surprisingly is not busy and I get a new bra. I fancied being a bit bigger so go for a 36D :-) We pop to John Lewis and take lunch in Bond's in Dering Street and them home.

Saturday see us off to see friends in Kent. A nice drive down, 2 hours including a half hour stop at the dire service station just before the Dartford Crossing. A lovely time was had and we all got to bed around 12.30. Up with the lark Sunday although by the time everyone is ready its nearly eleven and we all go off to Faversham. A rather quaint place but as born and bred Londoners it is rather quiet. We take coffee in a rather nice cafe/gallery with the most lovely cheese scones. We wander the little market and its back to the car. We take our leave after a light lunch about three and are home in an hour and a half which was a miracle considering that forecast 50 mph draft and no rain thank god.

Off to the Camden Crunch last Friday, daughter on the door and son DJ'ing more like a family business. I must admit with the change in DJ's and music the numbers have gone up and there has been a marked change in the average age in a downward direction which has brought about more eye candy. We both a got some lovely comments and its so nice to be told by a young straight man that you look fabulous.
So there we are sat sitting there having lunch and I am struck by a thought.. You put on a radio and you listen, sometimes you may read at the same time, or stare into space, or even wander around but when you listen via the television I find myself looking at the screen and of course there is nothing to look at you silly bugger.
Of course we are all being flooded by images and sounds of Christmas and getting thoroughly sick of it but we are in Marks and Spencers at Marble Arch on Monday and I hear the Phil Spector version of Frosty the Snowman by the Ronettes, mmmm nice. Off we wander with madame saying she wants to go to the charity shops in Marylebone Hight Street, I relectantly go along but am glad we did. In the Cancer Research shop she goes straight to the CD's while I persuse the clothes and find a frock, oh do I find a frock. I wander up to madame and she asks if I have found anything. Well there is this frock I say and show it to her. Try it on she says so off I go. Oh my it fits and its all floaty and rather nice plus its only £18.....

John Lewis outdoes itself again with its sparkling choice of hot food (see previous post) so we go off to the pub, Bond's in Dering Street where we can get a far wider choice with two hot meals for under £12.

So yesterday I meet up with Stephanie and we trot off to Westfield at White City. She gets caught in traffic and is going to be late while I am sat sitting in Pret in Orchard Street so its off to Selfridges for a few pictures....

So I'm stood there, in front of a mirror phone in hand, as you do when a young female assistant comes up to me and says Don't worry you look fabulous, makes a circular motion over her head and says love the..... God I love my life.

I seem to be getting into a competition with myself as to just how far up my legs I can get my hemline :-)

So its off to Westfield, get the train from Marble Arch and I'm away. I get to Shepherds Bush and for some reason think I should get off at the next stop, White City. Mmmmm wrong so have to get the train back. We wander and there is just not a lot to tickle my fancy. My love affair with Ted Baker is well and truly over. It is all so been there, seen it, done it, sooo boring. Three lush frocks in Karen Millen though and a couple in Lipsy although of course their website has far more choice but I'm a have to see it in the flesh type of girl before I buy. We decide to do lunch on the cheap and go to Burger King, my goodness how drab. Mind you I wouldn't like to say how long its been since I have eaten at that type of joint and hopefully it will be that long until the next time.

Thursday

 Eeeek where does the time go. The Kings Cross fire was 28 years ago today. The day I walked from Swinton Street in Kings Cross to Gloucester Place to get home. Yep I used to catch the underground at Kings Cross to get to and from work. If I hadn't been on a late night could have been in the middle of that.

 Off out today, usual breakfast in Pret with a smile and a wave from the girlies. Post food and drink into M&S where I find a rather nice coat which Santa may bring me....

Off to Selfridges for a troll round...

 

 

 So whinge of the day. John Lewis Place to Eat Oxford St at 12.15. Your hot meal choice today was sh*t. 1/4 roast chicken or quiche, no fish, no sausages, you are crap. ‪#‎johnlewisplacetoeatcrap‬ ‪#‎johnlewisgetyourfingerout‬
 
 So wandering Radio and TV in John Lewis I find direct evidence that shopping is a taxing and tiring business...

I'm wandering through John Lewis' on my way to their christmas shop and espy desks etc. Just how can people justify paying £2,200.00 + for a computer chair. Or even the average price of £900, leather or not you are a mug.

I carry on past these highly expensive chairs and into Christmas Decorations and get myself into a conversation with a middle-aged woman on the cost and effectiveness of Christmas Trees. How I love these random conversations with strangers.

So there I am sat sitting there, on the bus, as you do when someone rings the bell for the next stop and the little light in the bus says... bus stopping. All is well so far.... Then someone else rings the bell, and another. Look you lot are you both visually and aurally impaired? Good grief it only needs one of you to do it !!!!

Almost done

So the sons bedroom is finished except for the flooring which is on order. Sooo much brighter. Shelves are up and sewing table installed. We then took an eyes closed clear out of the main bedroom which we use as a spare bedroom, dress up storage and I use for photo's. So many books from our university days. Theories that which are out of favour now, have been debunked or are just plain illegal (we did social science and feminism). So the skip is now full to the top and they are dragging it away tomorrow. Mind you there are still as many books still on the shelves.
Popped out Saturday afternoon down to Dolenta's shop Breathless to deliver a top madame had made for Dolenta. Andy joined us later and we all went off to dinner at Mai Sushi in Charlton St round the corner and most enoyable it was.
The son is with us today going through all his DVD's we have here, about 200 of them going off to CEX tomorrow and just as many if not more still here not to speak of a vast collection of CD's which far exceed the number of DVD's.

Well done

So we have cleared out my sons old room that we were using for all our rubbish to make it into a sewing room for madame.  Of course the room now needs decorating etc. Off we went yesterday for what was ostensibly a mooch around the shops. As per breakfast in Pret, a visit to Primark for stuff for my daughter and thence to John Lewis. Lets look at the flooring says madame, OK. Of course within minutes of getting there she has selected what she likes and she is advancing on a salesperson. I did notice that this particular department is, as far as staff is concerned, quite a male preserve.

I must say they coped particularly well with me as trans, I cannot think that they get many 'ladies' in that department as customers. The guy dealing with us on a couple of occasions must have been mentally trying to recall his training as he desperately tried to find appropriate words but he did did magnificently and 'word' did not get around that there was a tranny on the loose so no visits from non-departmental staff and believe you me I can spot those in a flash.

After returning home I am struck by a thought, redecorating. Mmm better get on with it before the flooring arrives. So there I am, full makeup, dressed fem but appropriately for the task tearing out the old carpet, stripping the wallpaper and flinging it all in the skip before that disappears this week and washing the paint at about six o'clock last night.

I am constantly amazed at madame and the things we get up to, talk about where angels fear to tread, she is wonderful.

Culture Vulture

So Monday see me off to the British Museum, a stop over at Pret on the corner of George St for breakfast then into Selfridges. I've got madames camera today to see how it goes. I really cannot be bothered with my big camera, too much of an incumberance. Aaaanyway I get a few selfies in Selfridges, ooo poet and dont know it. The upshot is that it is difficult to keep the camera straight using it one handed but I'll just convince myself they are a bit arty-farty. It is one of things if they are slightly off it looks odd and you don't know what you are doing but if you make it a long way off it looks intentional.

So there I am on the bus trundling along Oxford St and we get to Oxford Circus, masses of people innit. It is not until much later I find it was all for the Balmain clothes at H&M, ah well. We get almost to Tottenham Court Road and the inevitable traffic comes to a standstill and some moaning Minnie who wants to get off starts having a go at the bus driver to let her off. I'm late she says. Well dear you should have left earlier then you wouldn't be would you. After a fair bit of arguing he lets her off so we can all have a bit of peace and quiet. Goodness that Tottenham Court Road is drafty so its down the side streets and into The British Museum via the rear entrance, just where I want to be.

Soon its time to go home so I wend my merry way back to Portman Street and the bus home. There I am stood standing there, as you do, waiting. My bus doesn't figure in the first 10 but not to be dishearted I've learnt that as this is the first stop on the route it could turn up any time. So there I am and I can 'feel' someone looking at me. I half turn and sure enough there is. Some bloke, eyeing me up. So as his attention is focussed on my legs I can see who can't I. Oh my! Is he a looker? Hardly. But much to my amusement I know him, well used to, a long, long time ago. We were childhood friends, he lived on the corner of my road, we went to junior school together, played football together. Yes I know but at that age I didn't know any better. Then he went off to grammar school and... I didn't.

Been having a clear out this week. The dump that was our son's room needs to be cleared as madame wants it to be a sewing room and all his stuff has been making the room damp. So skip hired we start. We are taking a breather and next thing we know a van pulls up and some guy starts nicking stuff out of the skip. Well he gets told to go forth and multiply for not asking first. It is on my property therefore it is still mine, if the skip was in the road I could understand but it isn't. He feigns no-speak-English, yes right but I bet you can speak it when you come to argue a price when you sell it.   A few days later while I am out another van arrives. According to madame a nice, polite Irish guy comes to the door and asks if he can go through the skip and take stuff. Madame says of course, help yourself and he does. See that is how you should do it.

In no particular order

So whats-a-bin-happenin'. Saturday night saw us off to The Magic Theatre in deepest darkest sarf Lundun innit. A slightly lower attendance than usual but a good sized crowd. I do wish the DJ was better and knew at least something about sound levels. Nothing sounds good when its so high you get distortion and I suppose they think its the average age of the punters but old cheesy pop is not my thing. The band were good once they had warmed up and yes I did like their style of music. With the odd exception the costumes were below par, it really is amazing how some people think they look good in a mish mash of tat.

Our journey there was, shall we say, fraught. Roadworks and closures made our through London 13 mile journey take two hours and the journey home via a different route, well past midnight, take over an hour as we got caught up in the traffic mahem caused by the Lambeth illegal rave that saw us stationary as seven police riot vans went sailing past. All in all we got to bed about 3.00 a.m.

Sunday was London Alternative Market day, so after three and a half hours sleep I was up and about, just. Suprise of the day, although I didn't know it at the time was two totally delightful maids. One trans and one female. After complimenting them they told me that they had them made and were considering getting more done and selling them but were unsure of their market and pricing. The next day I saw, on Farcebook a picture of the two outfits on mannequins, they had been made by a friend Andy of Stichin' Business, what a coincidence !

Chatting with David, who runs the market he asked if I had been shopping recently which begged me to say, why? Apparently he had people phoning him from America asking why I hadn't been posting about my shopping trips on Farcebook and how only David could know anyone called Ann Drogyny! So not only London fame but international fame!

Oh yes in a previous post I said I'd got new boots.......