Sad, so sad

Well I know I haven't written anything in ages and this is not an update but more in the way of reporting a death, the death of a very dear friend, one that had a huge family. Yet another venue has gone, one with a great deal of history. The Black Cap in Camden is no more, we were lucky enough to be friends with so many people there. So many 'girls' started their careers at this venue far too many to list but include the fabulous Regina Fong, Mrs Shufflewick, Lilly Savage the list really is endless. Here are pictures I took on ther last night. All I can say is it has affected me far more than I thought possible.

Catching up

Time slips inexorably by and no updates. Well of course I've been out and about. January proves as usual to be an expensive month, credit card, electric and gas bills amongst others but to more enjoyable pastimes. Post New Year see me off to collect madame from Ray and Sian in Canvey a rain free but very drafty trip round the M25. She brought a cold home with her but luckily I have managed to not catch it.Of course her return curtailed my daily outings which was a bit of a downer.
I don't know why companies have to do it and it does make life difficult for us colour blind souls. We go into Fenwicks to replenish stocks of makeup. I'm after some Estee Lauder foundation and we find that they have change all the shades, not on;y by name the shades are different so its rematch time. I have to admit though it is the best foundation I have tried, easy to apply and results in a much better finish which proves that cheapest is not best. It also shows that one should never go by colours shown on websites. When selecting in the shop we found two shades which were a good match and to those with better colour vision than mine were very close. The website however showed a marked difference that even I could see and could have had me selecting the wrong one if I had ordered online. As an aside needless to say I have a a fair few makeup brushes but have found, especially for primer and foundation the best results are got by abadndoning brushes and using fingers.
A visit to Debenhams resulted in a confused assistant. When asked if she could help me I told her I as looking for something that appeared not to exist. What is it she asked. Pearlised nail varnish I said. Not a clue, not a flicker, she had never heard of it, amazing. Luckily I found some in John Lewis made by Jessica and in a lovely range of colours. not cheap at £10.50 but not that expensive.
first Sunday in January sees me off to the LAM alone with Madame away where I meet up with Natacha, Penny and Russell. A few hours gossiping whizzes by and Penny and I have to get our cuddles in early as she and Natacha are off early to go to a concert at the Wigmore Hall. A couple of weeks later it is the pantomime at the Black Cap in Camden, Madame is back of course by then, a highly entertaining version of Sleeping Beauty by the Familyy Fierce. Highly entertaining and of course rather risque. Being in the favoured few we get premium seats and for free. The following week its the Camden Crunch, and off we go and meet up with friends and relatives.
What with Madame's passion for dressmaking and her recent purchase of material and a new sewing machine plus my current obsession with kilts has resulted in me being the proud owner of four ranging from short to very short to drafty ;-)

Goodness me

A month again and now a new year to boot. Lots of outings of course mostly alone and either to the West-End of Westfield at White City, its the best way not to get spotted.



Prior to Christmas we were invited by our grandson to dinner at the restaurant where he is a chef, The Hawksmoor in Commerial Street, fabulous meal, lobster, potted beef, yorkshires, gravy and belly of pork and that was the starters! Then he and I had porterhouse steak and madame had chicken all of which came with mash and gravy, mac n cheese, brussel top and pureed spinach with anchovies, all at a huge discount, thankfully. Of course he was told he had amazing grandparents :-)

Christmas was hectic. The family came for xmas lunch, not bad only 10 of us which I cooked, we decided to roast the turkey xmas eve to lighten the load. All passed off well and we left them to it late afternoon and went off to stay with friends Dolenta and Andy in Cockfosters. Boxing day saw the arrival of Andys' cousin Steph and Peter and Sarah and much fun ensued and Dolenta became a domestic goddess and we came home the day after Boxing day. On the Sunday we were off again to friends in Kent for dinner and an overnight stay with the lovely Penny and Natacha. The Monday morning we took a trip to the seaside at Hythe then it was back home again to rest.
On Thursday we were off again to friends Ray & Sian on Canvey Island as they were going to get heavily into dressmaking, madame having taken her sewing machine.

Goodness me

Goodness gracious it been ages since I posted anything, how time flies. Well I 'spose the best way is to work backwards to a point where I can't remember.

Yesterday (Tuesday) wa a trip out. Madame was busy so I took advantage and went out myself in red and black jumper and my new black and white hairy coat, nice thick black tights for warmth with the new mini kilt which madame had made for me and the Dune suede boots. Off on the bus and off at Pret in Baker Street where I'm now well known :-) Post Pret breakfast and thanks to the traffic I managed to keep up with the 74 bus and catch it outside Selfridges and it was off to the V&A. A lovely stroll around the V&A although slight disappointment finding that while they said the cast courts had reopened there still was one part closed for refurbishment. In fact there is quite a lot in the V&A closed off because of the reconstruction work. They seem to be spending massive amounts of money on new additions while many galleries are in dire need of updating especially in the display of items. Most disappointing is the silver gallery, it is so depressing. Aaaanyway stroll finished it is off for a quick tour of Harrods. Again a part of woman's fashions under reconstruction, not my day was it. I don't know but I am quite put off by Harrods, it just seem to exist for tourists these days. Quick tour finished its on the 74 bus back to Oxford St. As we round Marble Arch we are right behind my bus and of course I miss it at the next stop so I decide a look in Selfridges only find my bus about to do its turn round so its back to the stop and five minutes later I'm homeward bound. A quick lunch and I'm off again to Brent Cross in the afternoon and coffee and a bun in John Lewis where I am getting quite well known.



The week before sees me out again, Oxford Street of course. Breakfast in Pret and then a walk round M&S then opposite into Selfridges which is quite my favourite store, its light and airy. Having window shopped thousands of pounds then its out and onward. I call into Elliot Rhodes our favourite belt shop in St Chrisopher's Place to see our friend Vlatko who has neve seen me 'dressed' and he just doesn't twig until I come up to the counter and have to out myself. His face is a picture and he holds my hands and just says fabulous, fabulous !!. Then its off to Boots by Bond Street where I get clocked by an assistant, "well hello" they say with a lovely smile, so I return the greeting and smile which seems to make his day then its off to John Lewis for a stroll round.

The week before I am out a couple of days with madame on the Paddington Bear hunt around Paddington itself and then over to the city. The other days she is gadding about I am of course out and about, including Liberty's ;-)



We are now into jumbled memories so forgive me if things get out of sequence. The week previous, around the middle of November Stephanie and I are having a professional photoshoot. I meet Stephanie in Pret feeling a little naked with little makeup on.
We arrive at the photo studio and while the girls are doing our nails and makeup I get complimented on my nails and eyelashes and then she says and we have all seen your legs !! We have a fab time only marred when they tell us how much it would be if we had all the prints, £5,120 !! Needless to say we didn't take them up on that but did spend just about all the money we had. Nicest compliment came when I got home. Madame looked at the pictures appreciatively and said she preferred the way I did my owm makeup :-)



Monday saw madame and I off to Westfield at Stratford, she is after a pair of Timberland boots that are an Office special. We have tried various Office branches without success so she settles for a different colour. Apart from some makeup that is all we manage to buy thank goodness.
Saturday it is off to The Old Crown pub in New Oxford Street for the London Fetish Scene reunion. Unusually madame doesn't seem to mind being out with me 'dressed'. We travel down to Tottenham Court Road about 2.00pm and walk down to the pub returning about 9.00 including a meal. She is pleasantly surprised that I draw no attention. My goodness prices in tourist areas are a little steep, a large Rose wine and a coke is just short of £10 !!. A fab time catching up with old friends. Quite a few turned up, well over 30 of us.
Friday was a mega window shopping day, we had gone out to get the above boots but were unsucessful. Arriving at Pret in Baker St about 9.30 am we got home around 6.30 pm totally shattered! I did however stock up on makeup.
Thursday I'm off out with Stephanie. No Sarah so take ourselves off to the British Museum for a wander then off to lunch at Pizza Express in Marylebone High St as I have a 25% off voucher then a wander around Selfridges.
Wednesday sees the return of madame who has been off to see a friend for 11 days. This of course meant I had spend the whole time dressed, a real treat. It was really nice to be out almost every day.

Long time no see

Well off we went to Palma Mallorca early September for a week in the company of Dolenta, Andy and his cousin Stephanie. An early Sunday start the taxi picking us up at 4.00 am and taking us all the way to Gatwick as there were no trains except the Gatwick Express which would have proved more expensive in the end. Uneventful flight out and we arrive in sorching sunshine just after midday...



We get to the Hotel Saratoga our home for the week at about 2.00pm, a slight delay as the room is not ready but then check in is at 3.00. We have a little wander for 30 mins then back to unpack etc and off out.

Monday madame is set on buying some Mallorca pearls and we go a wandering to compare what the shops have to offer. We find her favourite and decide to leave it until later in the week in case she ses something better. Back to the hotel for a wash n brush up, slap on and out to dinner with Andy and Steph.
Up with the lark the next day, well not exactly it doesn't get light until around 7.30 which to me is half the day gone. Grab the camera and I'm wandering...



Back to the hotel to get the slap on and then all of us, minus Dolenta meet up for breakfast at BeeWi opposite the hotel, a lovely little cafe which has free wifi! We all go our seperate ways and meet up for lunch later then its the hotel pool on the roof



Post breakfast its going to be a beach day. As Dolenta's mother and father and friend Lola and her two girls are to join us. Madame, Step and I get a cab to Illetes and grab a slice of the beach. My god its hot and its not long before I'm in the water.



Luckily we get a lift back with Lola to the hotel and we get ourselves ready for dinner.
Tuesday we are off to buy madame's pearls, just the two of us.....



The afternoon is spent with Dolenta's mother and her excellent Paella at the end of which we all doze off :-) Post snooze we all attempt to walk it off and descend on a local material shop before madame and I wend our way back to the hotel finding this sign along the way....



Wednesday madame and I return to the material shop, she has her eye on a few fabrics. A slow stroll up Avenue Argentina, across Plaça Madrid and up Carrer Francesc Martí i Móra to the shop where she selects three fabrics and off we go again. All too soon it time for holiday beer and lunch, such is the life of the holidayer. The afternoon is spent at the hotel pool where we meet six female forty somethings on a break and very welcoming they were, well after their initial discussion over whether I was female or not and the result was that... 'it is her husband' LOL. Still the result was that I got my bum felt which I enjoyed enourmously. All of us out to dinner that night at a decidedly upmarket restaurant for tappas to belatedly celebrate Andy's birthday. Another fabulous exhibition in the gallery above the restaurant.



Thursday is the obligatory tourist bus trip around the island, a non-femme day. Well sitting on the top deck of a bus in blazing 90+ temperatures with makeup sliding down your face is not a good look is it.



The evening is spent at Momo, a restaurant owned by a friend of Dolenta and his partner who is rather taken with me ;-) Aaaanyway after a fabulous meal we crawl our way home around one o'clock in the morning.



Friday is another beach day, this time we catch the bus, a 1.5 euro journey each as opposed to 15 in a taxi! After much splashing about in the water madame, Andy, Steph and I repair to the bar leaving the rest to the sand and sea for the afternoon where we prove quite a hit with the lady that runs it. Madame and I have an evening wander alone window shopping and wind up almost getting lost in rapidly darkening and emptying streets until we find our way back.




Saturday and our last full day, things to buy, bags to start to pack etc etc. It's back to Momo for dinner and all too soon its over. We say our goodbyes and crawl back to the hotel.



An uneventful journey home apart from nearly missing the plane and that was that, until next year.

Proud

So we went off Proud City on Saturday night, a friends birthday which started as a group of ten but turned into a group of eight due to illness. Aaaanyway I thought mmm, City of London, wanker bankers and more money than sense which was right and wrong at the same time. The upshot was I elected not to 'dress'. A good decision as I would have been the only 'trans' and I was seated with my back to the stage runway less than a foot away which would have guaranteed me being dragged onstage. A lovely meal and all things considerd not too expensive as it was a Groupon offer at £29 each. I must admit burlesque is not really my thing, yes it is entertaining but its just not me. That said the young lady with the hula-hoops was excellent but my personal highlight was the compere, Joe Morose, funny, witty and a great voice, luckily he was onstage in total more than anyone else. The crowd was surprisingly well behaved especially as it consisted mainly of hen nights, must have been six of them. It gladened my heart to see so many real girls struggling to cope in heels before they got to the drink let alone after and as for appropriate dress to their size, mmmmm perhaps not.



Sunday saw Stephanie over for some photo'sthen off to Brent Cross. Poor Steph, she realised her outfit error too late, a little too short and flimsy, ooop, or she said to me, if I do this again tell me not to.