9th of July, my eldest got the bus to college for an induction day, I parked up nearby to make sure it turned up and he didn't require a lift - all was well thankfully 😌
11th of July - East Yorkshire Thoroughbred Car Club show at the Humber Bridge. I was staying at Charlotte's for the weekend and took Josephine to show. My brother and my friend Alice were attending too - 1st time had shown at an event with my brother present, and first time he would meet any of my friends.
Aside from some horrific detour due to the M62 being closed by an accident, it was a pleasant if slightly shorter evening. My brother seemed at ease with my friends - it was nice for him to see I was not the only T in the village 😀
The next day I took Charlotte out to a country house in Josephine, but we ran into problems half way, the clutch actuating rod snapped in half, leaving me unable to select any gear while moving - which is sub optimal.
We were on a fast A-road coming off a roundabout, and going slightly downhill when it happened, so luckily I managed to roll her into a large concreted field entrance.
I have breakdown thankfully, and after 40 mins to so a man with a recovery truck arrived to take us back to Charlotte's. He was OK didn't really speak to us after picking us up.
After arriving back, we had lunch - as had intended to eat at the cafe at the country house. Then we spent the afternoon bodging - we headed to B&Q to purchase some bolts and a bit of metal I could use to join the remainder of the rod and a new bolt. The fix worked well and did get me home fine the next day.
In the evening we went around some bars on Newland Avenue in Hull - by coincidence a friend that is usually otherwise engaged was free, and another was going to visit her. Plus some of Charlotte's trans-hull friends were around, so there ended up being quite a big group of us. The last bar shut at midnight, but I was a bit merry and gave Charlotte little choice in going to the gay quarter in town for a few more G+T's.
I was not so well in the morning 😢 - but did get home OK.
18th of July - Due to inset days, and my eldest being finished with school now his exams are over, i found myself with a day off and both kids at my disposal.
So decided to be good, and make the most of it. I took them both to see my parents in the morning - they don't get to seem them that often. Then afterwards to McDonalds for lunch to treat them a bit. Then popped into Sainsburies on the way home for something for me - I am giving gluten free a go, as it does seem to help with my digestive issues.
In the afternoon we took their drones to the playing field and had a go with them - they had not used them in ages. It was a fun half an hour or so, we tried shooting some video from them which worked quite well.
19th of July - Day before Leeds Pride, I had suggested to my friend Benni that we get a room the night before pride, as well as for the evening, as we were meant to be going to see one of the LFF admins speak on stage at the pre-form up event.
I got into Leeds by 3pm , she wasn't arriving till 5ish and there was no point going earlier as the check-in was 3. We met up at 5ish, and went for Pizza at Tapped, I had a nice GF ham and mushroom.
We did a few bars afterwards, then headed to an LFF organised cocktail event hosted by Lucy. We had a really nice time , and some nice cocktails. There were 6 of us, as at least 4 didn't turn up - which was a shame.
After this we decided to try the roof top bar of the hotel we were staying at - The Hyatt. It was nothing special, so we got some photo's of the view (mainly ourselves in front of the view) then had a fairly early night.
20th of July - Leeds Pride
We had breakfast at the hotel, which wasn't as nice as the last time I stayed there. Got ready and walked the fairly long way to the pre-parade event near the city museum. We stopped on the way to buy poncho's as it was already raining, and looking like it was going to get worse.
We got our water confiscated on entry which was annoying, and then found out that Kandice who we were going to watch speak had been moved earlier in the set list, and we had thus missed her. But we did manage to meet up with everyone else who was parading and get our lanyards.
After a while we walked as a group to where we were meant to be in the parade - quite a few groups had already formed up, so it was a bit of a squeeze to get us all in. I had been promoted to a banner carrier due to a no-show.
It took a while for us to move off, I had put my poncho on, as I wouldn't be able to to with one hand on the banner once we set off. Unfortunately we barely made any progress before a group (unseen to me) had blocked the parade as part of a protest about some of the corporate sponsors. It took a while for the police to move them - I didn't see more than 15 or so when we did have to walk past them kettled up against some shops by as many officers.
The rest of the parade was as normal, just a bit damper on occasion - spectator turnout was still very impressive, and lots of love and support on the way. I was looking out for Charlotte and her kids to wave at them on the route, as they had come to spectate too. But due to the poor accuracy of the map pointer on our shared locations on WhatsApp, i was looking at the wrong side of the street. Apparently they were screaming at me, but with the rest of the noise from the crowds I had no chance.
After the march had ended, I sneaked off before the rest of the LFF crew went to do a group photo - instead heading back to where Charlotte and kids were - the tail of the parade was still passing them by the time i arrived back.
I spend an hour or so with them, we went and found a nearby cafe to grab a drink. After walking back to the pride area, and car park that Charlotte was in, I said my goodbyes and re-joined Benni to check into our next hotel.
We freshened up then went to a food place where LFF had booked a section for us all. Unfortunately not much GF food, so I could only order gnocci which was a little salty, but better than nothing,
After an hour or so mingling with other LFF'ers we headed off with Alice and Rebekka for a drink, with Bella joining us too for a bit.
Then myself and Benni went back to the main pride area to watch Liberty X, then a Chappell Roan cover band. The cover band was excellent, really enjoyed it - although only knew a few songs.
I hadn't had much to eat all day, so got some chicken and chips from a food stall, then we went to the Bridge End Social for a few frames of pool - which I lost 😔
Then on-wards to Tapped to meet up with Alice for one last drink !
I had booked the morning off work, so was not in a massive rush the next day. We had breakfast at the hotel, then I headed off after rush hour had ended. Didn't get much done at work, but was at least signed on and available !!
13th of June , East Yorkshire Thoroughbred Car Club
I was off to Hull that weekend, and it turned out there was a free to attend classic car meet at northern car park of the Humber bridge.
Did need to register prior to turning up, which was a bit of a pain as it didn't like my primary email, so had to do it twice. I invited my friend Alice to come along too, as she is not that far away, and does invite me to some herself.
It was quite a hot day, so driving from mine to Hull wasn't that pleasant, but i made good time. I went to Charlotte's to pick her up, and also wait for her friend Danni who is also a classic car enthusiast - she has a pride flag on her car roof !!
We got to the car park fine, and Alice soon joined us, along with another lady who I have totally forgotten their name.
I was a really nice show, there were loads of cars, some nice food vans, and of course an ice-cream van. We had some food there, and looked at plent y of cars. It seemed like every Vauxhall Nova still in existence was there, several of us commented that we hadn't see so many since the 90's.
There were some friendly members of the GCCG (Gay Classic Car Group) that came and talked to us a bit - it's open to LGBTQ+ members, i had seen their stand at the NEC last year.
It didn't go on too long, and it was starting to look a bit sparse by 8pm, and we said our goodbyes.
14th of June, Spurn Point
Myself and Charlotte had been talking about doing Spurn for a while, it is somewhere we both likeexploring. I had tried to take my wife and kids a few years ago, but they were put off by the sand blowing across the exposed section of spit, and had turned around before anywhere near the main part of the point. I continued and had a lovely afternoon while they were bored at the visitor center ....
We drove there fairly early, and was parked up by about 10:45am. I had applied loads of sun cream - but it seems not everywhere !
I had only gone in a light dress, as it was expected to be hot that day, but some cloud cover and wind made it a bit cool for the first half an hour or so. It did eventually become quite warm later on. We walked down the seaward side of the beach, to start with. The aim was to get to the lighthouse - which serves cold drinks and ice cream and has benches - where we would eat our packed lunches.
The sand on the beach was a bit hard going so it took a bit longer than i had anticipated, but we still managed to get to the lighthouse just after midday.
We got some drinks from the friendly lighthouse attendant, and sat on the bench outside. We were very careful not to touch any furry caterpillars, as they can cause skin irritation and breathing difficulties !
After sandwiches, and crisps and such we headed back into the lighthouse to pay to ascend it. It's 128 ft high with 3 floors and the light area at the top. There were some displays and things of interest to look at on the way to the top, but being able to get into the top of it is the primary attraction. You get a fab view, almost 360, there is a small bit that is blanked off.
The steps to the top are very steep and they recommend you treat it like a ladder on the way down.
We stayed up there quite a while - there were not that many people on the point it seems that day. We did meet one chap who was ascending but there was room to pass on one of the walkways.
After this, we headed towards the end of the point, using the path down the middle as it was easier going. We did some investigation of things along the way, eventually getting to the abandoned RNLI accommodation and cafe area. We discovered that the loo's still existed and were operational - although one was a bit wet under foot. Met a nice lady in there who was very friendly to both of us.
We decided to try and get right to the end, so after a dead end due to a dangerous path that had been closed, we did make our way further on. We passed by the ruined gun emplacements, but didn't try and get in any. It seemed more closed off that my previous visit, lots of boards up.
I was using my 360 video camera for this bit so didn't get any photo's but we did get there.
We walked onto the beach, and then took a right to head down the inland side, but only for a bit as that side of the point is not so good for walking down. We eventually ended back at the RLNI station and used the main path to go back.
We did meet a lady who from a distance inquired something along the lines 'how far to the end ladies' , but then who seemed to be confused by us as she got closer. It was a bit odd, but not upsetting.
Popped back into the lighthouse for more water, as we had drunk our supplies and we were both quite hot by then !
I was quite tired, and the trek back for me seemed a lot more arduous than my leggy companion. But we still had enough energy to try and walk on all the bits of the road that had been washed away on the exposed part of the spit.
Was very glad to get into an air conditioned car for the drive back to Hull !!
14th of June, Beat the Clock Disco - Hull
Yes after a day of walking, we were off dancing !!
We had a pizza, some wine, a shower and got changed, then got a taxi to Princes Avenue, arriving at HOi for about 20:45
The disco was upstairs, but it doesn't really get going till later, so we had some drinks in the bar downstairs first. I had a baby Guinness, some actual Guinness and then discovered they did my favorite flat cider brand 'Seacider' - i think it was Bakewell Tart flavor - it's gorgeous.
We headed upstairs about 10pm, and I got some seats. Gemma, Emily and possibly Danni were expected to come along later, but they were attending a comedy show 1st so we were not sure when they were due.
We did a fair bit of dancing, even with tired legs - it was pretty good music. They do 60's 70's and 80's but try and steer clear of all the 'best of' type hits that get overplayed. It's all on original vinyl too.
The others did eventually turn up, but were not there that long. We we thinking about heading off just after midnight, so i booked an uber for us, and we waited downstairs in the bar for it to arrive.
It was a fab night, i really like that event and venue, and excellent company too of course 🤣
One of my friends had noticed I had not blogged for ages and got in touch using other means !
This has spurred me to sit down and mash the keys 😊
So current state of play, I am not too happy at work at the moment, so the weekdays are a bit of a low point. Weekends are not so bad, I usually have things to distract me.
Got blood tests on Friday morning, I am keen to see what my levels are, I am possibly expecting my Oestrogen to be too high now that I am on testosterone blockers. We shall see !
I do think i've had a bit of a boob-spurt too, seem to be less finger room in the bra's - not a scientific method, but a method at least :)
Adventures !!!!
It's been a fun filled month since my last post.
Wales was the high point, it was a 'Womens Drivers Social Club' meet, we were all mostly in classic or at least old cars. Camping for four nights at 'Bryn Ffanigl Ganol Caravan and Camping Park'
I was taking my friend Charlotte, she had not been to the group before, or been camping in many years, or done long distances in Josephine, so it was a bit more of an unknown for her !
Wales Day 1
We had planned to leave on the Friday morning, stopping off for lunch in Chester, then on- wards for a quick detour to see her father who lives near Chester. It seemed rude not to pop in since we were so close.
The journey over the Pennines was very good, we had nice weather and although we had gone a fairly non-motorway route using Woodhead pass we made good time.
On arrival in Chester we had a lovely lunch in a nice cafe - had originally looked at the posh food places in the market, but they were too fancy for my simple tastes. How hard is it to do a jacket potato !!!
Spent an hour or so with her father and partner, consumed some nice fruit tea, then on-wards towards the campsite. I think we arrived at 5ish , the traffic was pretty bad with it being rush hour on Friday.
After getting the keys from the nice site manager we drove up a steep hill to the end of the site where the non-electric pitches were.
Then came the fun of putting up the tent - a brand new one never been out of the bag. It was a 'bell tent' design with a long central pole that facilitates standing in the centre of the tent - at least if you are a heffalump like me, Charlotte is taller 😆
It only took us about 30 minutes, which I thought was good considering we were researching knots, and trying to figure things out as we went.
My friend to her horror did discover that the toilet block had loud piped music blaring, which was a bit of a downer. We assumed it was to stop people sleeping in them ! - we had decided to use the disabled as per my previous po st. It was at least very modern and clean.
I had brought cooking equipment and a selection of easy to cook food, so we did that next - I think it was a pasta and sausage affair.
After unpacking the car and getting the airbeds blown up we were not feeling particularly energized and had a quiet night. Some of the other ladies did have a bit of huddle and socialized for a bit, but figured we would get chance the next few nights to do that.
We didn't sleep too well, although it had been a sunny day, there was no cloud cover and it got rather cold ! The sleeping bags we had brought were sadly lacking, way too thin. The pillows were bad too - so we vowed to go shopping for some additional warmth the next day.
Wales Day 2 - Anglesey
Breakfast was consumed, with hot beverages - I had to boil a saucepan of water as my tiny kettle was not sufficient. Charlotte had brought some biscuits she had made, and also jam. I had not had chance to buy eggs on the way, but they were a nice alternative.
The plan for the day was a group drive to a motor museum in Anglesey , were we would stay for most of the day, then a scenic drive back to the campsite.
I spent some time getting my 360 camera attached to the back of the car, then we sort of formed a formation to get going. The instructions were a little vague, but i was meant to be following a white beetle, so I did that :)
The drive was fun, lots of tunnels which do sound good when you go through them, although we were keeping to a steady pace so nobody got left behind.
We arrived at the museum at 11:30ish , and managed to mostly park together.
The museum was fab, lovely staff and cafe, and plenty of exhibits. I won't bore with all the photo's I took, there was a lot to see. We had lunch first, then wandered around with some of the other ladies, and spent a good few hours there.
We decided to forgo the scenic drive back, and go our separate way as we needed to find better sleeping equipment. So we headed off before the rest. First to a farm shop to buy eggs for my standard breakfast :) - also got some real apple juice and some Welsh bread, i I forget the name.
Then we set the sat nav for Dunelm ! figured this would have bedding, our aim was a duvet to go over the top of us and provide more insulation.
We got that, and also some pillows and some throws to put over us while sat out on an evening, then headed back to the site. We were the 1st to arrive by some time, some of the other girls had mechanical issues and a puncture, and had been helping each other out to get back !
Wasn't much we could do, so we had some food - there was meant to be a communal cook later on, but we were hungry and wasn't sure if there would be a delay so we did some rice and sausage.
The others did eventually get back - aside from one car which took a long while to get fixed ! Food was cooked, and we ended up sat around with everyone in a big circle.
We had a few beverages with the food, and spent a while chatting with everyone, it was really nice. The throws were not that warm though, and as it got colder we did decide to head off to the tent - we were not the 1st though. I think if i do camping again in May I need an oodie !
Wales Day 3 - Llandudno
This would be a day where no driving of Josephine was required. There was a big transport event in Llandudno - which has terrible car parking. So the plan was to take everyone to a nearby train station in as few cars as possible. Then we would get the train in, spend the day there, then train back etc.
We ended up in Tashe's mum's Mazda 2 :) which had been borrowed for the day.
After the short drive, and short train journey we ended up in the town centre, and were given instructions on where to meet later. There was a vintage bus ride around the Great Orme, and we had to be at the transport festival to meet the other ladies for that.
There were lots of things we could do during the day, but I had always fancied going up the Greate Orme on the tram, and Charlotte is a fan of these too, so we decided to go get some lunch, and then ascend the headland !
I found us a vegan cafe that did intresting food, and we had our fill, and a beverage. Then we walked along the front - there were some supercars doing a bit of a show along the front so stopped and watched these for a while.
Upon arriving at the tram station, it was clear there would be a bit of a wait. I think we ended up waiting about 30 minutes. The ride up was fun, you have to stop half way and change, which broke it up a bit.
At the top, the cafe was a bit disappointing, and it was very windy, so wasn't feeling too great about the plan - but we stumbled on a food van doing really nice food and drinks in a very out of the way location - and also two other members of the group using it !
We sat on a bench and had a nice natter with them, it was out of the wind too, so very pleasant.
After this I decided i didn't want to queue for ages at the top tram station, so we walked downhill , past the mines to the intermediate station. This meant we were nearly at the front of the queue when the next tram was coming up !
We trundled down on that, and then made our way back into town. My gas had run out, so we nipped into an outdoor shop to get some more bottles too.
Then along the front all the way to the vintage transport showground. We paid to get in, found some more food - pulled pork sandwiches ! then met up with the other ladies.
After this, we did some waiting for the vintage coach that was to take us around the town, and then around the Great Orme. It didn't seem like we waited that long.
The coach was fab, it had air ducts, which were very pleasing, it had been a hot day.
The trip around town, and around the Great Orme was really fun, we were all in a group at the back of the bus. We were very near the front of the convoy of vehicles and we could see it stretching miles behind us.
By the time we got back into town, we actually crossed paths with the tail of the convey which hadn't even made it to the Orme yet !
We got off in the town, and did spend a while watching the tail of other vehicles go past, which was fun. Then we headed into a nearby large pub to get some food until it was time to get to the train station and head back to the campsite.
The food wasn't bad, and had a few ciders. The train back was good, and we got a lift back in the same car. Unexpected conversations about octopus bum holes were had 😂
There was a gathering when we got back, but it was dark and cold and we just ended up saying goodnight fairly early.
Wales Day 4 - Home time
The others were going to the zoo - I hadn't bothered booking this part of the weekend, as I wasn't that fussed about trailing around while worrying about getting home.
So we were going to head back to Yorkshire via Chester and have a little explore and find somewhere nice to eat instead.
We ended up at a pub near the river 'The Boathouse & Riverside Rooms'. We arrived shortly before they were doing food, which was very good, as it got busy very quickly and we were able to get our orders in first :)
After a really nice meal, we did some walking along the river, and along the walls, and a nearby park to help settle the food. The walls were fun, we only managed a short section of them.
Soon we were back on the road heading mostly the same way as we had come. Traffic wasn't too bad and we made good time !
Then the adventure was at an end - well for me, Charlotte had to drive home to Hull !
It was a really good weekend , and I am glad it went so well. Had been looking forward to it for months.
Well I didn't see any of the last few weeks events coming, so it's been a bit of kick in the guts.
I am alternating between feeling numb, angry and scared really. I am trying to avoid the news, it just gets worse every time I see something new.
I am aware that no laws have changed about which loo's I can use, but the media has been effective
at spreading the lies, and I am in no doubt that a good percentage of
the populous now believe it to be true.
I must be feeling a bit like disabled people do when they need to go out somewhere, got to know where all the accessible toilets are going to be in advance. Emailing places to check on access etc. Certainly feel more trapped and restricted.
I can't say I will never use the gents, but it would need to be the absolute last resort. I don't really want to risk being confronted in the ladies either. So if there are no gender neutral facilities, it will have to be the disabled.
Radar keys can be acquired from a neurodiversity shop in Hull apparently. I have had friends get them off Amazon only to find they didn't work. But a friend has vouched for these ones.
Transition Status
No immediate change to my plan at the moment, but if things are going to get significantly worse then the pipe dream of emigrating may require some genuine thought, and reservation of funds.
I am going to progress with the laser hair removal down there, I hadn't planned on contacting the surgeon till much later in the year anyway.
I've had my medical interview with Pride In Health this week - it went well, and she seemed pleased with my progress.
It was an hour long call, but for some reason the calendar had messed up at her end and she was 10 minutes late. We spent about 45 minutes in the end, which was good as I had a work call 5 minutes after it ended.
We covered my dosage history, what effects physically and emotionally I had experienced, and what effects I was still hoping to see. She was happy with my last blood test results, but needs to see a full health check with Liver Function Tests to see how my liver is coping with the blockers before she will prescribe.
I have 6 months of everything left at the moment, so it seems no rush at the moment.
Not had my letter from her yet with a summary of everything we spoke about, but should get it by the end of the week.
Social Activities :
I did go out at the weekend, and I did still have a good time, but the
issues were at the back of my mind, and I should have been more happy
than I was. It did help to be out though.
Riding Lesson
My friend Charlotte had suggest that I might like to try riding a horse ! she was planning to go on the Friday afternoon, and had offered to pay for me to try it too.
I do like to try new things, so was quite excited. I had taken Josephine over too, partly as a bit of a shakedown drive before my wales trip in early May, and also to make sure she and Charlotte got on , as she is joining me on that trip and has never been in her. There is very little passenger seat adjustment, and she is quite tall.
So I drove her to a pub for some food to achieve that aim. We ordered a fish goujon sandwich, which sounded light, but was basically a massive piece of fish in bread. I didn't finish it all ! - as it was before some of the more recent press garbage I still felt OK to risk the loos, nobody said anything.
After returning to hers, and swapping to her vehicle we headed to the yard in Beverly.
I got equipped with a helmet, and asked to fill in a disclaimer form, with emergency contact details etc ! I have a small head apparently, and there was disbelief I was in my 40's - she thought I was a lot younger.
I had to wait for my steed 'Gordon' to return to the yard, he had been out in public with a young lady on a bit of a ride and hadn't returned yet. They wanted to give me one that was size appropriate, and also very well behaved given I had not ridden before.
Gordon seemed nice, the young instructor led him into the riding area, and I had to walk up some box steps so I could mount him.
She taught me how to do the basics, start , stop left and right turns. I got to do some maneuvering, they have letters on the fences around the area, so she would tell me to A for example, then to B.
We did try some faster riding, where I had to try and stand on the stirrups - that wasn't so much fun for me, I think I should have untucked !
Anyway I was told I did really well, and that she didn't really need to be helping me - at least with just going around at walking pace.
I would like to try again some time, but I would prefer to go with my friend, and it's in Hull so may not be something I do often.
Beat the Clock - Vinyl disco
Sally, Rebeka and a few of Charlotte's friends were meant to be coming, but her friends sadly pulled out, so it was just the four of us.
Sally, Charlotte and myself went to a Pizza restaurant first, then met Rebeka in a bar afterwards.
The disco was in a room above it later on in the evening, it's a semi regular retro vinyl disco, playing obscure music from the 60's 70's and 80's - it was nice, but I had hoped for a few more popular ones.
There were no loo issues, the cubicles were all self contained with sinks and dryer off a central corridor and were not gendered.
We did some dancing, and drank some refreshing beverages - I had a lot less than the others though, as was being good.
I think we left after midnight some time.
Hornsea
I had decided to stay an extra day since the weather was nice, and I had Josephine on hand, I suggested we go to the seaside to get some nice air.
Had a nice pootle out there, and a bit of a wander around town for a bit. I bought a warmer coat from a charity shop as it was quite bracing near the beach. We had a light bite at a little cafe near the Boat Launch , then proceeded south down the beach to look for fossils and such.
I should really have taken a hammer from the car, but forgot they had them down there. It was a pleasant walk, there was a paraglider taking advantage of the sea breeze to fly up and down over the edge of the cliff.
On our return we headed back into the centre and grabbed a drink at a cool gaming cafe, then we went to a deli and grabbed some traditional saveloys which we planned to have with pasta for tea.
Then we headed back. The saveloys were really nice, we had with spaghetti and a spicy tomato sauce.
Headed home the next day, Josephine seemed happy, which was nice :)
Well I've finally got myself a formal diagnosis - It was part of the signup process for Pride in Health a new service I have signed up for :
As per today’s assessment, Miss Isobel <Redacted> fulfils the criteria and holds a diagnosis of gender incongruence according to the ICD-11 classification HA60 ‘Gender incongruence of adolescence or adulthood':
“Gender incongruence in adolescence or adulthood is characterised by a marked and persistent incongruence between an individual's experienced gender and the assigned sex, which often leads to a desire to 'transition' to live and be accepted as a person of the experienced gender through hormonal treatment, surgery or other health care services to make the individual's body align, as much as desired and to the extent possible, with the experienced gender”.
Gender incongruence is associated with clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning, as highlighted in Miss Isobel <Redacted>’s gender history. She wishes to affirm her gender identity through hormone replacement therapy.
I had previously been 'assessed' by GenderGP, but I didn't get a four page PDF signed by a Psychologist at the end of it.
So there you go, I wasn't just going through a phase for the past few years 😂
Other medical matters :
The blockersseem to be doing something, I won't go into detail but I definitely am less testosterone driven. This is good !
I am not taking the dose I am meant to be on, as it seemed excessive compared to my friends. So I am mirroring them. I will be reviewing my dosages with Pride in Health when I am fully onboard - one more interview to go with that.
In preparation for the possibility of surgeries downstairs, I have been consulting with those that have already been there and had that done. I have concluded that Tina Rashid seems to be my preferred option. She is UK based, and in the London area. I have not approached them for anything yet.
I have also started hair removal down there - which I have not been looking forward to, but it seems is recommended before you get assessed. Had my first session last week, it was a bit awkward, but the lady is very professional and my dignity was mostly maintained. I didn't realise but the package also included rear removal ! I am sort of glad as I would have worried more.
Anyway there was very little pain, compared to the top lip anything else you get done is a walk in the park really. I got 6 sessions for the price of 5, £550 in total - https://www.laserluxxe.co.uk/
I went to the doctors to ask for blood tests at the start of the month, he was super friendly which was nice - he wasn't my usual doctor and i am sure he was a bit grumpy with me the last time i saw him maybe 7 years ago. But anyway he was fine to give me the tests.
Not sure if he will be forced to stop doing them in the though, I hear that dear old Wes Streeting has been telling the NHS not to do them for kids, and he's likely angling for the adults too. What a lovely chap.
Social life
I've been to LFF of course, Indian Street food was had at Bundobust followed by an afternoon of drinking in the bars. In the evening we ended up at Behind Closed Doors again, an underground bar with a seedy theme, but not a place where seedy things happen.
They did a cocktail where they clip a condom to your glass, we had a few of them - which reminds me I really ought to throw them away, my wife might get the wrong idea if she looked in my handbag right now 😂 - I think it was called Kitten Mittens.
We finished the night sharing cheesy chips with sauce on, which was nice.
The next day myself Sally and Benni were out in Wakefield. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling up to another heavy night, but we had a nice time. I left about 10 ish - was meant to be staying over in Wakefield but just needed my own bed.
I've made it to the last two Chameleons which is good. I did leave a bit early last Thursday, as I had the day off the next day and I needed to get my car finished. So it gave me an earlier night to get a good sleep.
Met a newbie last time who seemed lovely, hoping they will come again although it seems their work might get in the way.
I am going to Hull for a disco night next Friday, and I have swimming again today - went last weekend too. So I am doing well with the mingling (as normal I guess).
Josephine
Many many hours have been spent removing, rebuilding, re-installing the gearbox. Then it didn't sound good, so I had to do it all again 😢
Anyway attempt two seems to have gone well , fingers crossed. She is back on the road, and seemingly ready for my camping adventure in Wales in May with the Women's Drivers Social Group !!
Proof of this is below, I drove my wife into Wakefield to pick up her car that was having an MOT :
Have got some better passport photo's , paperwork to send off on Monday !
I have also booked a haircut with a posh stylist in Wakefield for Friday morning. I am going to give a bangs/fringe look a go !
I had a call with my new boss on Thursday, my move to IT is actually happening, it all sounded positive. There is a team meeting (video call) on Monday, so I will need to remember what I am working on for that.
Women's Drivers Social club meetup (Winter Warmer)
This was in Bicester. which is about 150 miles south of my location in the grim north :) . I had been preparing Josephine over Christmas, but as always was still working on her the night before to get her ready.
I had taken her for a test drive, and all was well, aside from her desire not to inform other road users that she wanted to turn left. Which is unusual, as it was usually turning right that had the issue. So I bodged up a spare generic indicator stalk in addition to the one already fitted. This was required as the original stalk does the horn, and this generic one doesn't.
The meeting was on Saturday, but it's a long drive, so I decided to go down the day before and stay at Banbury. I found a cheapish hotel the 'Whately Hall Hotel', which looked to have a nice car park - which is clearly more important than my own comfort. It turned out to be quite a nice place, the room was good, although a little noisy during the early evening as it seems the main road gets a lot of traffic.
Friday
I arrived around 2pm, having stopped for a sandwich on the way down at some services. After checking in, I had a bit of a wander around Banbury, it was quite dead really, but not as depressing as some places. I found a tap bar in a shopping ce ntre and had one stout in there. Possibly losing a penguin earring in the process. Then headed to a pub nearer the hotel, where I had a couple of pints of bitter, and ham eggs and chips. It was a nice place, seemed actually interested in her job, and was good at remembering what had been previously ordered.
I had noticed the missing earring in there, so did re-trace my steps, but couldn't find it. So went back to the hotel. I was going to chill there for the evening, and get an early night, as the plan was to do the Womens Drivers event, then drive to Birmingham for a Trans night out in the evening.
Saturday
I had been upsold breakfast when I checked in the previous day, so I got up at 7ish to be ready for 8am when they started serving, The were only a few of us in there that early, a table with some tourists and then myself on my own.
The food was good, aside from the sausage which didn't have much texture to it - but for £10 it was OK.
I had to be in Bicester for 10:30am, so there wasn't much of a rush after I got back to my room. Josephine started fine, but on attempting to use the windscreen washers the pump died, didn't think much of it until I I was on the move and realised the dashcam had switched off - so i must have blown a fuse. I was able to swap the dashcam to a power bank without stopping though.
I arrived on time, there were quite a few other ladies and cars already there, so I got a space nearer the car park entrance. We were meeting a garage that specialises in keeping classics on the road - not a place that does full restorations. Classic Collective
I do feel a bit of imposter syndrome when around the other ladies, but they are very welcoming, and other than a few short periods where I was looking a bit lonely I had a fab time.
There were about 20 of us there, so quite a crowd really, 518 members on the FB group, but there seem to be not that many that go to real world meetups.
There was a workshop tour, a bit of a sales pitch on some fuel stabiliser, free hot drinks, and just some time for us all to chat. I got some video of the workshop of course :
At around 1pm we all headed to a pub for some lunch. It was a 15 minute drive away, so we did a convoy, and arrived together.
Not by design I ended up on a table with a trans woman who I had seen but not really spoken to much before, and also her partner, and some other ladies.
Had a really good talk with them, and had some nice food. The service was a bit chaotic, so we all ended up getting our orders way after others - I was lucky and got mine first.
It was around 4pm when I decided I should make a move - a few others had left so I wasn't the first by any means. I said my goodbyes and headed out for the next leg of the adventure.
Birmingham
I think it took me about and hour and a half to get to Birmingham, it was quite cold and I had to stop for a wee, and also fuel on the way. I put an extra dress on at the services to try and stay warmer for the remainder of the journey. It got dark while I was driving as well which made it less fun too.
I think I was at the hotel by 5:45pm , It took a while for me to find a parking space in the multistorey I had chosen for her. The Travelodge was only a 5 minute walk away and I got checked in quickly.
One of my friends from Leeds / Hull had heard I was going and wanted to join, so had booked in at the same hotel. After a quick refresh of my makeup I arranged to meet her in reception so we could go get some food.
We had decided upon Wagamama's as it was close, and we were going to change before heading to the pub for the social event around 8pm.
I can't say that I had been that impressed with them previously, but I did manage to find something I really liked at this one. It was a rice bowl with chicken - "Shu's Shiok Chicken' - was very nice, and only 478 kcals. With the breakfast and pub meal, I didn't want anything too calorific.
We headed back to the hotel afterwards and spent another 30 mins or so getting ready for the evening. I went with a gothic-ish look, which suited the biker boots and leggings I had kept on because it was just too damn cold !
Transcend
This event was previously called 'Birmingham Belles' but had been re-named to make it more inclusive for trans-masc and non-binary people. The lady that runs it is a regular at LFF and comes along to our Pints and Straws event regularly too - had been meaning to go for ages.
We met in the Equator bar , and spent a good hour or s o in there. I liked it, it had a nice atmosphere and did at least have Guinness. We ended up talking to a couple who were going to LFF in February, so will be looking out for them at that.
My friend wanted to dance, so we decided to go investigate other venues, we had a look at 'Missing' but it seemed like there was a queue, so ended up at 'Sidewalk', where we felt very old. We had a drink in there though, then moved to 'The Fox' where we ended up back with the rest of the gang.
It was a fun place, there was a pool table and some banter going on around there, I did play my friend but lost :(
I can't remember the exact order from there onwards, we did 'The Village' , possibly 'Sidewalk' again, and 'Missing', before finishing back at the Fox. They kicked us out of there - I think 1am , 2am something like that, and we wobbled back to the hotel :)
All in all a very good night, some really nice friendly venues - I was struck by the number of non-T rainbow people in them - LFF it doesn't feel like there are many other members of the community out with us, it just seems a lot more straight in Leeds. This was more like Manchester in that regard.
The long drive home
I was a bit hungover, but nothing a paracetamol couldn't mostly fix. I wanted to get off early, so that I was in less traffic getting out of the city centre. It wasn't a bad drive, but still quite cold. I stopped off at Woodall for a loo stop, but other than that I just kept going.
I was a bit tired on the Monday, but was well worth it, was a very good weekend !
Some non-social event details for a change :) - plus a random weird photo from NYE 😀
Legal transition status:
Pensions finally got all that sorted in late December. For some reason Scottish Widows required a certified Deed Poll - which cost me a £5 , I was very annoyed, they were the only company that needed one, and it was totally pointless because all she did was photocopy the original and sign it to say it was a certified copy. I could have fabricated the whole document, she was only saying that it was a copy of the document I provided her to sign. Even after sending them this, It took them several weeks, and me chasing them to get it actually changed.
I still have some investments to sort, I am also on companies house for the estates management company under my dead name.
Passport - it's £55 I think to get a letter from GenderGP stating that my transition is likely permanent - I would use my own GP, but despite several requests, and having an appointment, nobody had got back to me. One of my friends has done me a letter, their qualifications should meet the passport office requirements, but they are not a GP so I don't know if it will work. I need to get a better set of passport photo's done, that make me look vaguely feminine. I might go into a photography shop in Wakefield to get those.
Medical matters
NHS App - I do now have access to my medical records again !! however they don't seem as good as when the GP was using their previous service. I does seem like I can get my hormone test results though, which I was getting quite upset about losing access to. Gender GP seemed fine to provide we with meds without me giving them test results, but it's not ideal to be medicating blind.
My oestrogen levels in October - which I have only just got access to were a bit disappointing, lower than previously, and my T was higher. So I have decided to increase my dose by one extra pump a day, then I will ask my GP for another blood test and see what GenderGP say.
I stopped taking Progesterone before Xmas, when I was ill and I think I will stay off it a while, i feel sharper off it, and my breast tissue is still tender, so the Oestrogen seems to be working fine without it.
Work
I haven't really had much contact with the team I am meant to be working under now, there are lots of changes going on in the company, and I suspect I am not a priority one, so I am just keeping my head down and cracking on with my work. Trying to do more development, and throw basic hands on stuff to others I have trained on it.
Home life
My Wife just got a head of department job at a different school, so it's step up the ladder with a pay rise - which is nice. Hoping she enjoys it, and it's not too stressful. But good for her to go for it, she was very pleased to have been successful, having failed to get other roles in her current trust.
Not much else is changing, we have our usual routines, she goes to things on evenings during the week, and I get to go out on a Friday and sometimes Saturday. Kids are doing well, they have been a bit ill recently, I think possibly the bug I had or something similar.
My parents are not doing too bad, I saw them last weekend when I went swimming. Managed 42 lengths again :)
Josephine
I did some welding on the drivers side inner wing area over Xmas. I have been on adventures in her this weekend - I will post about that some other time probably. I think I will have to take the gearbox back out again, it's noisy in neutral, I think a bearing has gone on the input shaft.
I also need to swap the axle casing and differential, the current casing has a few perforations I fixed, but the final drive ratio is too low - it was intended for it's original engine, and I have a replacement that should allow for lower RPM at motorway speeds which will please my ears, and her engine :)
Noticed the rear passenger side door is rotten at the bottom, so that needs sorting - and the drivers side rear looks a bit weird, doesn't look to fit properly. The drivers door also needs some shims to align it too.
