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.

Passing interest

Although all we 'girls' think we are alike we aren't are we. So many different shades and if we are honest all with a different agenda, different needs and wants. Those on the outside, especially men, in the main lump us all in together indeed some on the inside do the same, i.e. must be gay. Well we dress like women and women set out to attract men. Wrong. I can never see the attraction of male company, never have. But there it is.
Aaaanyway off madame and troll to Brent Cross and she tells me I or we, I'm not sure which have been getting some very strange looks. The problem is what is it? Well its summer so I am in shorts, denim ones, a t-shirt, plain white, white socks and a pair of Birkenstocks, admittedly blue with white piping. So what can it be? Is it what I'm wearing? Is it the walk? Is it the tattoo's or is it the bleached hair. Goodness I would love to know. Of course madame never thinks to herself it might be her tattoo's, it has to be me they are looking at. Well if it is then I might as well do fem all the time, surely I wouldn't get looked at any more than I do now.

Tuesday I meet up with Stephanie and we take ourselves off to Westfield at White City. We both prefer it to Stratford, its lighter, airier and a better class of shop. I am unable to fathom what it is, are we changing or is it fashion or both. There was a time when we could have spent an absolute fortune on clothes etc but now there is so little that takes our collective fancy. Whatever shop we visit there is maybe only one or two items that we would buy, given that we could afford it. We pop into Dior mainly to have a little chat with one of the assistants, he is soo nice and always gives us the lowdown on next season. Apparently it will be red's and leopardskin prints. Its all about sensuality and sexiness.
So there we are strolling along and approaching us, in a hurry, probably late back from lunch is a young man, he sees us and as he passes he points. Oh dear I thought what is coming? He speaks, 'lovely tattoo's' he says and is gone. Oh we laughed, more from relief than anything else.

Tuesday, Wednesday

Tuesday sees Stephanie and I off out and about. No photo's this week. A little snack in M&S and off to Selfridges, a peruse of the Lulu Guinness handbags, Karen Millen and Ted Baker and into Oxford Street and a bus down to Oxford Circus, cut through into Great Marlborough Street and into Liberties. I haven't been there for simply ages. It was the programme on Channel 4 that reminded me. Aaaaanyway we peruse the ground floor then the first and second floors which while interesting didn't exactly fill us with desire.
We depart and go to John Lewis for a wander and meet up with madame in the shoe department. A little chat and we part company Stephanie and I intending to be very brave and go to Primark which we know will be sooo rammed but when we arrive we change our mind and its homeward bound, the remains of Stephanie's cold getting the better of her.
Wednesday and we are off to Westfield at White City, madame and our daughter have already departed to Westfield at Stratford. We arrive and have a quick snack in M&S then wander. We find a lovely assistant in Dior and we both ooze over a fabulous red day frock at a mere £2,500. Miu-Miu have a wonderful black coat but knowing how far it will be out of my price range I don't bother to enquire. We take a light lunch on Byron's and get our usual chatty waiter. We take out leave around 3.30 which puts us just ahead of school chucking out time. As we exit the station I hear... oh no not you, it is madame and daughter who have arrived back from the opposite direction at the same time !

Buses

Off to Westfield White City yesterday with madame. The overground is out of action so we elect to go by.... bus. Big mistake. Not only do we have to wait and wait, with the bus in sight because of traffic but it takes an age. A very popular bus route that to say it goes around the houses is no exaggeration. Not only do we get traffic just about everywhere but being popular it stops at nearly every stop! Ah the delights of Willesden and Harlesden, Acton and Shepherds Bush... not. So not only is it long and drawn out it is desperately boring and frustrating. Aaaaanyway we get there, eventually and a nice day ensues, a late, late breakfast and lunch. Biggest disappointment was Reiss, the three visions of loveliness that were there last time have gone to be replaced by.... men. We pop into Aspinalls and see three totally wonderful handbags. The Hepburn which is nice, the fabulous python and the absolute favourite embossed Brook Street but just a tad out of our price range. Of course it happens again, up comes the assistant who says, can I help you ladies! That is until I turn round LOL.
Madame gets herself one of the limited edition LBD's in H&M, not a shop we usually frequent but it is rather nice.
Thankfully the trains are mended and our journey home is vastly quicker.

A few days

Well a few days have slipped by, two photo sessions in the week, more stuff tried on etc and yes they all fit. In total nine corsets have been dispatched to D of Second Coming to be sold on as they are too big for both of us.
Session 1



Session 2



Aaaaanyway, Saturday is a night out at the Magic Theatre in far flung Brockley for their Halloween event. We leave in what we think is plenty of time. The AA reckons three quarters of an hour, hmmmmm. Well at least an hour and a half later we arrive, thankfully we manage to park quite close. The delay was an accident at Russell Square :-(.
We meet up with the lovely Penny and Natacha and admire the eye candy. Of course Magic Theatre events are a bit of a tranny magnet and some rather lush ladies are there. The first 'act' is a bit, well to be honest not that good and I wonder if they are paying the venue to be there more than the other way round. The band are rather good once they have warmed up and a good time is had by all. We take our leave not long after the band finish as the DJ has turned the volume up a tad too far. Now don't get me wrong I like my music loud but this was rather strident and verging on the painful, there is a world of difference between good quality loud and as this was bad quality loud. So we arrive home around 1.00 and sad people we are sit down to watch Strictly Come Dancing and all those wonderful frocks.
Stephanie came over Monday, loads of pictures taken in the A.M. then a visit to Brent Cross, it is of course half-term round our way and the place is rather busy. Today we take ourselves off to Westfield at White City. We much prefer it to Stratford, less crowded, more airy and a better class of shop. We spend a rather nice few hours window shopping.

Ah Sunday at Brent Cross, packed of course but it doesn't stop us two 'ladies' doing our thing. It is odd normally somewhere that is crowded results in only being spotted on rare occasions but Brent Cross seems to be a law unto itself. Oh yes we get clocked and it is fun! Autumn of course is not our season we need spring and summer for pretty things. All this dark colour is just not us.

Monday sees us trolling off to Westfield White City, quite our favourite of the two. Better class of shop and clientele. Stephanie moans about being clocked, silly girl of course she is in that colourful frock and everyone else in autumnal fashions.

Go East young lady

Off window shopping to Westfield Stratford today. We have decided that White City is our favourite, better shops, more space etc, etc. A rather damp but uneventful journey and a lovely pre-lunch wander from shop to shop, well with a few notable exceptions We are rather surprised, not that many people considering its school holidays etc and my visit to Brent Cross yesterday saw it packed like a weekend.
We partake of a rather nice chicken and king prawn salad for lunch in Giraffe topped off with a cloudy lemonade and mint, delicious and lovely staff. We go for a post lunch wander until it gets rather warm and we make our way home. Yes of course people notice but no stares, comments or pointing.

In and out round and about

A lush couple of days. Off out and about on Sunday, Regents Park. It starts cloudy but warmish then hot and sunny. We stroll through the park and I learn that it is not a good idea to wear new shoes with bare feet so its walking barefoot through the park.
It never ceases to amaze me how I have changed. In male mode I would never dream of walking barefoot, I would not even be barefoot in sandals but in girlie mode.... Aaaanyway we decide to walk down to Camden so it is definitely shoes on. Camden is of course packed to the gills. Its summer, the sun is out and its hot therefore the place is rammed. The clement weather of course requires me to be... tattoo's out and even those don't get much of a look, quite amazing. On our way down the the High Street we pop into the Dublin Castle for a drink, never been in there before. It is one of the most famous pubs in London, famous for its live music and the many groups that have cut their performing teeth there. It is wonderfully seedy so seedy that your glass sticks to the table, but then there is a right time and place for seedy and this is it. I expected it and therefore would have been disappointed if it had a sparkly and shiny corporate look. It wouldn't have suited it and attracted the wrong customer and driven away the right ones. I do wish some chain eateries etc would recognise this but if course they won't, they haven't got a clue really.
By the time we have walked through the market we are both shattered and catch the train home and relax in the garden.

What to do yesterday? Well it promises to be really hot and it is, thoughts of going up to town fade rapidly so its off to Westfield at White City. The day does not start well. We go out and the traffic is jammed solid, is it roadworks or an accident? We get an alternative bus which leads to another and may, just may get us around the problem... it doesn't. All the buses are diverted so off we get and walk to the station and enables me to inspect a sofa in a shop that I have coveted for ages. The fact that there is no way on earth I could afford it does not turn me off nor the fact that the cats would tear it to shreds as soon as your back was turned. So we stroll on to the station. A short wait and we are on our way with the air conditioning running full blast. Of course it is lovely and comfortable until that is we arrive at Shepherds Bush station and full heat of the day hits us as we alight. Phew my dears is not the word.
I am under instructions from madame to go to M&S to find an item which of course they do not have so am thence sent forth to the Ted Baker shop for an alternative which they do not have. later I requested to return to M&S where we do find an alternative. Thankfully using technology we manage to send her a picture to get confirmation.
One of our first ports of call is Boots, I need some Clinique makeup and various other pre-holiday sundries. While I am looking around the shelves I am approached by a young woman. Excuse me she says but I normally never talk to strangers or pass opinions. Oh dear I thought, ready to put the shutters up and ready myself for a slanging match when she says......... I just have to tell you that you look absolutely amazing ! To say I am gobsmacked is putting it mildly and can only mutter thank you with the sweetest smile I can muster and of course spend the rest of the day with a smug smile. Very naughty, two visits to Byrons for a their utterly delicious and highly addictive milkshakes and their attentive and above all friendly staff. The journey home is hot and sweaty, the air conditioning has not been cranked up enough and the bus is packed and we are exhausted but as I say a fab couple of days.

Well all that snow has been and gone. Strange isn't it how one's love affair with the prettiness of snow disappears when you have to go out in it especially when its pristine whiteness has gone. Aaaanyway a lovely trip to Westfield White city last week. We have decided that this is out favourite with Stratford being to pushy and shovey for our liking. Don't get me wrong but there is a difference between things being comfortably busy and packed, plus of course the shops are that little bit nicer. Very little was bought, just a little Olay and a foundation spreader. No not a trowel, a sponge LOL.

Upon arrival we selected a rather nice little coffee and bunnery and indulged in hot chocolate with whipped cream, mmmmm, even if the whipped cream came from a squirty can. Going along a deserted aisle we espyed a policeman, as I said to Stephanie, if this was 30 years ago we could have been arrested for this ! Talking of Stephanie she was tempted by shoes that naughty girl, black suede, although we both were in heaven after seeing a pair of suede black and gold heels in Miu-Miu but well out of our price range :-(

So a stroll round and lunch in Byron's and then suitably refreshed we take in a multitude of things we cannot afford. As I have said, I don't mind things that are far out of reach pricewise, it doesn't worry me in the slightest its the things that are just out of reach that get to me.

So my partner and I need to go up to town, off we trot. She needs some dressmaking accoutrements and I some loose powder. A nice breakfast repast in Marks and Spencer and quick stroll through Selfridges and then down to Charles Fox in Covent Garden. A nice chat with the girls about foundation and powder bought its back to Oxford Street and Morplan in Great Titchfield Street only just before we get there madame realises she hasn't bought her student discount card with her! So home we go but not before she has to have a pair of Ugg ear muffs in John Lewis!

Bloody Olympics

So not only are we 'encouraged' to avoid using our own transport system, you know the one WE pay for but now we have no-go areas for those who live here.

Want to shop in Westfield Stratford? Well some would, if they could, but it seems unless you are staff or have a ticket to an Olympic event you are barred on Friday and Saturday

So any criticism of the Olympics is actively and rigourously verboten and now we are told where and when we can go out !

Up and down

Well a week of up and downs that's for sure. The poor car looks like it needs to be pensioned off. Getting to the stage where repairs are more than its worth. Such a lovely car and so faithful over the past twelve years. Seriously looking at a Fiat 500 now.

On the upside a lovely trip out with Stephanie to Westfield Stratford. Well we thought we'd get our visit in before the bloody Olympics which will result in the place being packed to the gills.

Took the train over, sat sitting there as you do when Stephanie notices we are having our picture taken. I do wish people would realise that when they do things like that or remark to companions it is blatantly obvious what they are up to. Aaaanyway if she had asked we would have posed for her quite willingly.
Herds of schoolkids both on the train and at the centre going for guided tours of the Olympic stadium etc but we go for the most part unnoticed.
I suppose it our collective confidence and certainly my willingness to be engaged in conversation that almost without exception we are greeted by assistants in shops extremely pleasantly.
We troll our way round then take lunch in GBK and again after the initial shock are treated wonderfully. A few of the customers are gobsmacked but once over their shock ignore us.
It is strange that some people look at us in very odd ways, perhaps they think that being a tranny is catching.

Got my lovely wife to cut my hair this week in preparation for a little trip away :-)
At last, I managed to do a proper photo session today, of course most of the planned outfits never materialised but hey that means I can have another session in a few days.