A fairly visible week

 

Blue Monday

I was feeling pretty down on Monday morning, the usual guilt of being me. But one of my wig purchases came in the post - a 2nd hand but hardly used brown one, and this gave me the impetus to dress in the evening. I did three outfits in total. The first being a vintage satiny blue one, assuming likely 80's as it has shoulder pads.  

This really lifted my mood - it's odd that I don't sometimes realise how much it will, it shouldn't be so surprising. But I do sometimes feel so down that I don't want to dress, even when I have the opportunity to do so. 

I used to feel the same about social events, even though I knew I would probably enjoy it when I got there, the getting the will to go was the hard bit.

The blue dress was purchased from eBay in 2021 pre coming out, the last period of purchasing after a purge the year before. The other two outfits were Everything5 Pounds purchased last month, I had got four, and three of them were lovely, which given the price is a very good result ! - I have already worn the best one out at LFF earlier this month, check previous post for that.

Anyway I was a lot happier on Tuesday morning.

Wednesday 

I went for a walk to Aldi in the evening, partly for the exercise, partly for interesting meat.

I'm on another diet, trying to cut out sugar, and increase protein to get me feeling less hungry and liable to snack. I am also trying to fast after my evening meal.

So I'm having a boiled egg for breakfast, a tin of posh beans for lunch (Heinz 5 beans), this is carb and protein heavy to keep my going until the evening meal. 

Then I am doing some form of meat and veg , and fasting for the rest of the evening.

So having some nice meat is good. Aldi do nice venison steaks - but they had none when I got there.

I had lost 1.4 Kg over the week by sticking to this ! 

Thursday - Trans Wakefield

Ann had messaged to say she was going to be in the vicinity due to attending a work event that day, and was keen to come along, which was very nice and fortuitous as she was really good at the pub quiz the last time she came.

We managed to get a couple of games of pool in before the quiz started, she was very unlucky to lose one by accidentally potting the black, and the next one I won but it's wasn't that decisive. 

We teamed up with Zoe, who I have joined up with on some previous occasions, and we actually came 2nd !! We did get quite a few wrong, but not as many as some others it seems. We did good on the picture part of it, which was 'famous sayings'.

I got us some posh buns £2 each !! - the profits were going towards the Longboat LGBTQ charity run by the committee members which are all bar regulars, and Ann kindly shared some cheesy chips with me.

It was a very pleasant night. 

Friday - Trans Day of Visibility - Doncaster

The fact it was TDOV didn't really influence my day time activities, I would have been going out dressed anyway, it was my day off, and that's what I tend to do, but perhaps it did lend a small feeling that I was doing something positive. 

I had been hoping I could get out in the Morris Minor, don a 50's style dress and go somewhere nice for a cake, coffee, and photo's and such - but the weather was against me, it was a grey wet day, and the car is about as waterproof as a sponge so I binned that idea.

So instead I decided upon a shopping trip to Doncaster - I like the shopping centre there, it's not as big as Meadowhall, but has the main shops I like, and you also then have the rest of the town centre and markets to explore, and charity shops should I desire them.

I got there around midday, and decided that food should be first aim.  I didn't want to eat in the shopping centre, I like to give my business to more down to earth independent's where possible. 

I had been to one the last time that was very nice - I found it again and had a look through the window but it looked pretty rammed, so decided to look elsewhere. 

Went through the market indoor bit, there were some fresh baked pies that smelt divine, but I wanted to have a proper sit down meal.

I exited there and went down a side street and found another place that looked nice, but again was very busy. Kept going a bit further from the busy parts, until I stumbled across a place with four people in it.

It turned out that two of them were just there to chat , and the other two were the owner and cook - and the visitors left when I arrived, so I had the place to myself. Which was a bit weird - I did want quieter but not that quiet !

He was very chatty, apparently had owned it for 10 years, but it seemed like passing trade was dwindling due to the big shopping centre causing nearby shops to close. 

I possibly chose badly from the menu, I went with lasagne, which I had expected would be one that
they  had previously made and then frozen, but from later conversation between the two of them likely came from Iceland !

It was very small but still tasty. They did a jacket potato for me, as I said I didn't want chips (attempting to be healthy). It also had salad and coleslaw and beetroot with it too. The latte I had with it was nice.  He kept up the conversation while I ate, nothing too heavy, asking why I had come out that day etc. It was pleasant enough.

They didn't accept card, which threw me, but he said I could just do a bank transfer. He asked my name, and I told him Isobel, but said it wouldn't come up as that on his bank. I'm not sure if he actually needed to know for the payment, or was just curious. Anyway I told him my male name as he seemed genuinely curious.

He said he had 'lots of people like me in' , and was very open minded. It was a bit odd, but in a positive way.  I would go back - perhaps choosing an all day breakfast or something next time. 

However if all they are getting is socially awkward trans people, they won't last another month. 

After this I headed back towards the shopping centre, I didn't really see any shops on the way I wanted to go in, but had a number of chain shops in the centre I wanted to look in.

First I went into TK Max, they sell cookware now, I don't recall ever seeing this before, but couldn't see any clothes I liked, so only stayed long enough to get a mirror selfie.

Found a lovely handbag in a leather shop, very colourful, but £70 , and I resisted.  They were nice in there and said if I wanted to look at anything they would unlock it - the leather jackets and such were chained up !

Then I went into Next and found two dresses in the sale section. I decided to go try them on, they both seemed to fit really well, so bought them both. The black one was £18 down from £42 I think, and the patterned one was £11 down from £20. 

Although on getting home it turns out that the patterned one was on the wrong hanger, it's actually a size 6 !!!! - but very stretchy. So although it does fit, the pattern is perhaps a bit off what it should look like on a stick insect. I still can't believe it's a 6.

I had a look in a few other places, and found some shoes in Select I liked, block open toed heels with pointy metal studs. 

Then I saw a perfume counter in the middle of the walkway - I had been given a sample by the same people at the Nottingham shopping centre and quite liked it. So I ended up sampling 5 or 6 samples there, before deciding to buy some ! She was lovely, didn't bat an eyelid, a sale is a sale I guess.

After this I looked in a few more places, then figured I best get home, so headed to the car. It was a nice afternoon out.

Friday - Trans Day of Visibility - Wakefield

The was an art event at the 'Our House' LGBTQ centre in Wakefield - I wasn't 100% sure it would be on, as the was a big gas leak just outside it the previous day and the road was closed and police making sure nobody got near it.

I checked our group chat and all was well, so I did an outfit change and lipstick refresh and headed out
there. The shoes I had chosen were a bad idea, I wore them out to Chams once, and I could barely walk in them, but I had clearly forgotten they were so bad. I just can't point my foot at the angle required.

The short walk to get there was a bit downhill which made things worse, but I managed it OK.

Once there I spent a few hours chatting with many of the other TW group members that had also come along. There was a competition to name a painting by one of the artists who was there, my effort came 2nd ! but there was no prize for 2nd.  The 1st prize winner got a print of a dragonfly painted by the same artist.

This is the painting :

I had suggested "A spectral vison" , the winner, (also a TW attendee) came up with "Reflection of Pride" - which to be honest I prefer.

It was a nice evening, it finished at 8pm ish, and the others walked back to the car with me as they were also parked outside the pub we go to. 

They were walking very slow, and I was hobbling at maximum speed , nearly fell over once :)

Today, there is an event on in Leeds for TDOV, I may well go to that this afternoon !

But I will post this now, as we are already getting very  long.

Izzy does Doncaster

 

 Just a play on the old porn film title "Debbie does Dallas", don't worry no bits on display.

As soon as my work had brought up the idea of the 9 day fortnight, meaning we get every other Friday off, my heart leapt at the thought I would have two adventure days a month, where I could get out and spend the whole day as 'me'.

I had done Leeds the previous one, I had been to Doncaster many many moons ago, possibly pre-kids, and thought it seemed like a good idea. It has a big shopping centre, and there was an LGBT bar that I had found when googling for local venues. 

I do love wearing dresses, but I thought that perhaps I should attempt to 'blend' more this time, as lets be honest, non many women wear them these days. So I chose jeans, boots and my 'Ghost' (the band) t-shirt, with the brown smart-ish jacket.  I do need another jacket choice.

I probably still stood out a little perhaps, I should get some more less gothic tops too.

I parked in the multi-storey at the shopping centre which was quite a cool car park , massive long steep ramp up.

Then got the lift down to the shopping levels, nearly barrelled into some old dears who were attempting to enter the lift as I was coming out.

I wandered around there for a bit, found the Waterstones (I had googled for it before going out) and got another Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea: The First Four Books). I signed up for a loyalty card in there - under Isobel , not had the email through for it though. Hopefully will come through next week.

They had a Quiz there too, with some very lovely going out dresses, which I really really do not need any more of (lies) but I left pretty quickly when I saw the prices.

I walked past 'Wowburger' which had a colour scheme designed to startle , all red and bright yellow - but definitely going to have to take the kids one day. 

Then I went into the town, and found where the bar was, it was still a bit early, and I wasn't sure it was actually an eaty place, so I figured would pop in for a drink later.

Did four charity shops, got three nice dresses - all three with no arms, which I didn't' have any of. Also a spotty top.  The 3rd shop had some lovely wedding dresses - of course I do not need one, and highly unlikely I ever will, but I did have a quick rifle through them.

Looked in a few pound shops, then decided was time to eat. I found a Cafe which looked to have a load of space free, it went back a fair way. It wasn't the cheapest, but everything was really good.

Marvel at the jacket potato with bolognaise.

It was so good I stuffed it into my mouth with little regard as to my lipstick and foundation, and probably didn't look very dainty in the process.

Also took selfie to check this, and my hair.

Once complete, I headed outside to check on Skype as there was no reception in there. Then I went to the bar.

There were a few people in, I got a 0% beer as they had run out of milk, so couldn't do coffee.

The books in the 'library' were mostly on the wallpaper - which was amusing, but they did have some real ones on top of a piano. It seemed like a really nice place, decent pool table.

Definitely want to go back again.

There was another bar downstairs which only opens at night, and also the loos - they had more wings !!!

Once I had finished in there, it seemed like a good idea to come home - there was a museum and other things I could have done, but no reason to do it all in that one day.

I couldn't resist going into Deichman and getting another pair of walking shoes though.... 

All in all, a very pleasant day - no problems with anyone, funny looks, comments, mis-gendering.

As with the previous outing, I didn't revert when coming home - I did change into the dresses for some Insta snaps, but remained dressed for the rest of the day ! Which was nice.