For some the 'trannie season' is over; with the clocks going forward an hour and the welcome approach of summer, the evenings are becoming lighter. Which means that Aprils outings are in daylight - at least for getting there!
Teelas monthly get together seemed a little slow at first but by the peak of the evening there was quite a reasonable turn out. Kay brought along new girl Diana which their journey had proven to be quite memorable for her. Apparently Diana had changed at Kays before they both started the journey fully dressed. On the way they got stuck in rush-hour traffic, and as what often happens in these situations, drivers start looking at the other cars and drivers around them as the lanes of vehicles crawl past each other at different speeds. By all accounts it seems the occupants of one vehicle took great interest in the girls and tried to maintain a parallel position alongside them as their lanes moved forward at independent speeds. Fortunately it was the other road users behind these rude folk that forced them to move with the traffic and stop harassing the girls.
Despite this rather 'baptism by fire' for Diana, she appeared confident and comfortable - once she had her first cuppa at Teelas!
As for my journey to Trans-Pose? - it was not as eventful as Kay and Dianas, but I was a little selfconscious given that the journey was made in bright sunshine and full-on into the approaching sunset. I looked at myself in the rear-view mirror a few times; despite a reasonably close-shave and liberal application of foundation, I could still see some of the 5 o'clock shadow. I tried hiding behind my sunglasses but that only made matters worse - they're not girly enough ..... mental note: must get some sunglasses!.
Still following the thread of last months somewhat rushed outing to the Village, I've decided I really need to allow more time to apply the makeup; this month was no exception, I spent a little more time putting the makeup on which meant I was left a bit later than I intended in order to meet Lisa and the girls in time. But I didn't need to rush, which was fortunate too; just after I joined the M62 at Birchwood a police patrol car joined the motorway at the Glazebrook service exit. This resulted in the traffic slowing and hanging behind the patrol vehicle.
The patrol vehicle continued into Manchester and just beyond the end of the motorway the driver pulled the vehicle over as though to let all the traffic pass him; as I was the last car to pass, he pulled out behind me. After this, all the cars in front where carefully watching their rear view mirror to see what the police might do next (me included). Despite it being a40 mph zone, the driver in the car in the next lane to my right and ahead of me decided she was in a 30 mph area and tried to precisely maintain that speed. Which meant that as she slowed and occasionally dipped below 30 mph, I was at the risk of passing her on the inside and that would have been a reason enough for the police to pull me over ... and I could do without that!. Fortunately, I was able to shadow this car from a little further back and at the next set of traffic lights I was able to legitimately pass on the inside.
But this didn't offer any comfort, after passing the slower car it moved into the same lane and behind me - fortunately they were more preoccupied in watching the police car behind them and being nervous.... especially shortly after this as the police car pulled into the vacated lane and overtook the both of us, only to come to stop alongside me at the next traffic lights. I didn't dare look in the drivers direction, the police vehicle towered above me and I'm certain he was looking at me (ok, so I'm a little paranoid - but give me some slack here, it's only my second outing in daylight!). But as the traffic lights turned to green, it became clear he had no interest in any of the vehicles nearby as an approaching police vehicle with lights and sirens did a u-turn in front of us and the pair then proceeded away at speed to respond to some emergency which later proved to be a minor accident on the raised section of the mancunian way.
But if the thought of the police following me wasn't enough, as I approached the turning for the carpark, I noticed a few youths unloading instruments from a transit van by the pub on the corner. I just knew I would have to walk past them and as likely run the gauntlet of some quips and comments. So after I parked my car and checked that my hair was on straight at least a dozen times, I gritted my teeth and made the best approach I could without tottering around too much in my heels on the cobbles. As I passed the group, I just focused on as near-perfect stroll in heels one can get and walked past and around the corner. And was there any wise-cracks? - not one.... which was either down to that they never noticed (yeah, right! - blend in yes, passable no!) or they were polite enough to not to pass some derogatory comment out loud; what a relief! ..... which really goes to show that most of the angst we have is in our own mind and 'incidents' though they might arise from time to time are rare.
The meal at the Eden restaurant was nice; at first it seemed that due to other commitments there might only be 3 of us; Lisa, myself and June Collins who was visiting from her home in Ireland, but Jaime managed to join us just in time for orders. After this we paid a visit to Northern Concorde which it seems is no longer (politics!) and only that evening had they announced the new group of 'Manchester Concorde'.
Sunday, 20 April 2008
Sunday, 23 March 2008
Monthly regular outings
I'm becoming a regular now at Teela's and a the Northern Angels monthly get-together.
Tea!
Teelas monthly tea event was quite well attended, notably a couple of new girls and the room looking more 'the business' - or I should say, the dressing area and the clothes racks had grown, squeezing the seating area between and making it a bit too cosy!
Arriving at Teelas was a little un-nerving as there was a police patrol car parked on the corner and the gates were shut; it almost looked as though I had got the wrong night but I could see there were other cars parked inside and the gates wern't locked. Oh Well, there was nothing for it but to get out of the car and open the gates to the amusement of the two police officers; fortunately Teelas partner came running over and opened the gates for me.
But otherwise another nice evening and it was nice to hear Teela refer to me as one of her regular girls as I was leaving.
Northern Angels
The regular monthly Northern Angels meal came a few days after Tea with Teela (I do wish they would stagger these events! - 2 outings the same week and then nothing for the best part of a month!). For a change, I actually thought I might have plenty of time to get ready and be there early, .... but family unwittingly conspired against me and I ended up with a mad dash along the M62 and arriving just after 8pm - it also meant I didn't spend near enough time with the makeup etc. Despite the last minute disruption, I wasn't the last to arrive so I can at least claim being fashionably late at the Taurus Bar.
A couple of new girls joined us this month. Emma and Jaime, it was there first time out; so now 'officially' I can claim to be one of the regulars - no longer the new girl! Despite the 'no-shows', it was a reasonable turn out - the other 'regulars' were Astrid and her partner Sandra, Jennifer, Kay, Becky and last but not least, our hostess Lisa. By all accounts there should have been about 12 - 13 in the group; I think it must have been about 9pm before we actually started eating after waiting for them!
Afterwards we called in briefly at Northern Concorde at the Rembrandt; and it was from here onwards that I experienced a couple of minor 'incidents' which I managed in my stride .... (1) the girl behind the bar short-changed me, but I sorted that when she eventually came back to the bar (she gave me change for fiver, instead of the tenner I gave her) (2) as I was leaving, the doorman bid me 'goodnight Sir' - herumpf!... I didn't think the make-up was that bad.... I'll sort him out next time ... if he calls me 'Sir' again!... can't he manage a simple ma'am? - given the number of other t-girls that were there over the evening it had to have been deliberate (3) as I crossed the main-road, a boy-racer that was stopped at the traffic lights blew his horn at me ... no! you're not going to wind me up or impress your passenger with that! (and my make-up wasn't that good either!); like the doorman at the Rembrandt, I just ignored him; some folk just need to get a life.
Tea!
Teelas monthly tea event was quite well attended, notably a couple of new girls and the room looking more 'the business' - or I should say, the dressing area and the clothes racks had grown, squeezing the seating area between and making it a bit too cosy!
Arriving at Teelas was a little un-nerving as there was a police patrol car parked on the corner and the gates were shut; it almost looked as though I had got the wrong night but I could see there were other cars parked inside and the gates wern't locked. Oh Well, there was nothing for it but to get out of the car and open the gates to the amusement of the two police officers; fortunately Teelas partner came running over and opened the gates for me.
But otherwise another nice evening and it was nice to hear Teela refer to me as one of her regular girls as I was leaving.
Northern Angels
The regular monthly Northern Angels meal came a few days after Tea with Teela (I do wish they would stagger these events! - 2 outings the same week and then nothing for the best part of a month!). For a change, I actually thought I might have plenty of time to get ready and be there early, .... but family unwittingly conspired against me and I ended up with a mad dash along the M62 and arriving just after 8pm - it also meant I didn't spend near enough time with the makeup etc. Despite the last minute disruption, I wasn't the last to arrive so I can at least claim being fashionably late at the Taurus Bar.
A couple of new girls joined us this month. Emma and Jaime, it was there first time out; so now 'officially' I can claim to be one of the regulars - no longer the new girl! Despite the 'no-shows', it was a reasonable turn out - the other 'regulars' were Astrid and her partner Sandra, Jennifer, Kay, Becky and last but not least, our hostess Lisa. By all accounts there should have been about 12 - 13 in the group; I think it must have been about 9pm before we actually started eating after waiting for them!
Afterwards we called in briefly at Northern Concorde at the Rembrandt; and it was from here onwards that I experienced a couple of minor 'incidents' which I managed in my stride .... (1) the girl behind the bar short-changed me, but I sorted that when she eventually came back to the bar (she gave me change for fiver, instead of the tenner I gave her) (2) as I was leaving, the doorman bid me 'goodnight Sir' - herumpf!... I didn't think the make-up was that bad.... I'll sort him out next time ... if he calls me 'Sir' again!... can't he manage a simple ma'am? - given the number of other t-girls that were there over the evening it had to have been deliberate (3) as I crossed the main-road, a boy-racer that was stopped at the traffic lights blew his horn at me ... no! you're not going to wind me up or impress your passenger with that! (and my make-up wasn't that good either!); like the doorman at the Rembrandt, I just ignored him; some folk just need to get a life.
Saturday, 1 March 2008
Good grief, it's March already!
Two outings this month and both fairly close together; the trouble with that is it leaves you wishing you could have more or at least spread them out a bit. With the lighter evenings approaching I wonder if any further outings are going to be possible; the limitation is not really down to being seen in daylight - well, perhaps a bit, but about leaving the house dressed without being seen. I don't really want to get into arriving at any destination in 'Bob' attire, I want to do a proper job of it all and be Kate the moment I leave home. I'll just have see what half-way opportunities avail themselves in due course.
Outings - I mean as Kate (my partner and I have plenty of other outings!); A lovely meal in Manchesters Chinatown with new friends, and the regular monthly 'Tea with Teela' at Trans-Pose.
For this months Northern angels meal, Lisa had arranged for a meal in Manchesters Chinatown which is a short walk from the sanctuary of the Village - for me it was my first outing into the ever-more-real world, and this time I was only shaking from the cold; no nerves! There were 7 of us including myself; Lisa, Becky, Gisele, Kathryn, Kay, and Linzi. The restaurant was below street level and as we descended into it, quite a number of faces all turned to watch us being escorted to the bar area to await the preparation of our table. But I guess safety in numbers prevails here and even after a few minutes, no further interest was made by the other patrons. Of course we still got the odd glance in the direction of our table throughout the evening - 'just making sure', but no one had any issues with us and an evening with new friends and good company proceeded.
I think you have to accept you will always be 'read', as long as you treat others with respect you shouldn't get any hassle off them and indeed it's a case of 'so what', we're all the same underneath aren't we? - we all just want to be accepted for who we are.
The other outing, coming a few days after the visit to Manchester was to 'Tea with Teela'; Teela had done a lot more to 'the shed', the best I must say was to create a lower ceiling with a light fabric material; apart from obscuring the inside face of the shed roof, it had the practicality of keeping the heat at our level. With the work recently completed in the make-up and dressing area, it all now looks the part. A couple of new girls came along which made me feel at least one of the old hands now; I didn't catch both their names but I think one was Mandy? I also had the opportunity to briefly chat to Nicki Susanti who to say the least has had quite an eventful 12 months; despite this Nicki seems quite upbeat and indeed I had to tell her that I admired her for what she was doing with her life, not as a form of jealousy or anything, but admiration for the courage in doing something about improving ones lot.
And finally for this month; ok! so I acquired a few more outfits, the sales were still on-going and like most girls, I can't resist a bargain! I think if finances were limitless, between us (both my wife and I) we might have cleared out Lakeland in the Trafford Centre. So what!, one skirt IS a bit tight, it's a small 16 so I'll have to lose some weight! In regards to that, I've bet my wife I can achieve less than a size 16 by Spring..... not that I need any financial reward, I just NEED to lose that tummy .... but with chocolate easter eggs in the next few weeks and Spring only around the corner, can I do it?
Outings - I mean as Kate (my partner and I have plenty of other outings!); A lovely meal in Manchesters Chinatown with new friends, and the regular monthly 'Tea with Teela' at Trans-Pose.
For this months Northern angels meal, Lisa had arranged for a meal in Manchesters Chinatown which is a short walk from the sanctuary of the Village - for me it was my first outing into the ever-more-real world, and this time I was only shaking from the cold; no nerves! There were 7 of us including myself; Lisa, Becky, Gisele, Kathryn, Kay, and Linzi. The restaurant was below street level and as we descended into it, quite a number of faces all turned to watch us being escorted to the bar area to await the preparation of our table. But I guess safety in numbers prevails here and even after a few minutes, no further interest was made by the other patrons. Of course we still got the odd glance in the direction of our table throughout the evening - 'just making sure', but no one had any issues with us and an evening with new friends and good company proceeded.
I think you have to accept you will always be 'read', as long as you treat others with respect you shouldn't get any hassle off them and indeed it's a case of 'so what', we're all the same underneath aren't we? - we all just want to be accepted for who we are.
The other outing, coming a few days after the visit to Manchester was to 'Tea with Teela'; Teela had done a lot more to 'the shed', the best I must say was to create a lower ceiling with a light fabric material; apart from obscuring the inside face of the shed roof, it had the practicality of keeping the heat at our level. With the work recently completed in the make-up and dressing area, it all now looks the part. A couple of new girls came along which made me feel at least one of the old hands now; I didn't catch both their names but I think one was Mandy? I also had the opportunity to briefly chat to Nicki Susanti who to say the least has had quite an eventful 12 months; despite this Nicki seems quite upbeat and indeed I had to tell her that I admired her for what she was doing with her life, not as a form of jealousy or anything, but admiration for the courage in doing something about improving ones lot.
And finally for this month; ok! so I acquired a few more outfits, the sales were still on-going and like most girls, I can't resist a bargain! I think if finances were limitless, between us (both my wife and I) we might have cleared out Lakeland in the Trafford Centre. So what!, one skirt IS a bit tight, it's a small 16 so I'll have to lose some weight! In regards to that, I've bet my wife I can achieve less than a size 16 by Spring..... not that I need any financial reward, I just NEED to lose that tummy .... but with chocolate easter eggs in the next few weeks and Spring only around the corner, can I do it?
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Back to reality
Ok so a little late, but as the title suggests, back to work and I tried ever so hard not to get into the 'head down' and 'nose to the grind stone' work ethic; but doesn't having to work for a living really suck?
If being depressed at having to be back in work was bad enough, my first day after the Christmas break was also punctuated by some dopey girl running into the back of my car - thanks!, something else for me to sort out. Although she was very sorry indeed, she clearly balked when I gave her the estimated cost to put it all right again; guess she'll be losing her no claims bonus.
So what have I been upto? - a nice meal in the Village organised by Lisa Karen.... oh, and that was my first outing alone too; curious really?, as I sit and write this I don't feel it was such a big deal. I wore the new outfit my wife and I had bought the weekend before in Southport (long purple velvet and satin skirt and matching top) I walked on my own from the car-park to Canal St and found Kay Denise in Taurus bar as arranged. After a drink and some friendly chat, we both made our way to meet the others at AXM and onto Eden resturant. Teela also joined us for the evening as too Astrid and her partner and of course Lisa - my first opportunity to meet our hostess. Quite a number of the girls dropped out at the last minute, so our promised number of 10 was actually 6 by the time we sat down to eat.
After the meal we called into the Rembrandt to pay our respects to 'legs' Mary and the girls of Northern Concorde. The Rembrandt is a new venue for the group, by all accounts history repeating since many years ago the group used to meet there. The room above the main bar was lovely, with a sort of conservatory feature along one side that overhangs Canal St. and with the windows at the same height as all the little blue twinkly lights in the trees outside.
Late January and Teela celebrated her first 12 months in business with Trans-Pose. I wore my strapless black dress which by some sheer miracle managed to stay in place for the whole evening. Many girls turned out to help Teela with the celebrations - too many to remember all the names.
If being depressed at having to be back in work was bad enough, my first day after the Christmas break was also punctuated by some dopey girl running into the back of my car - thanks!, something else for me to sort out. Although she was very sorry indeed, she clearly balked when I gave her the estimated cost to put it all right again; guess she'll be losing her no claims bonus.
So what have I been upto? - a nice meal in the Village organised by Lisa Karen.... oh, and that was my first outing alone too; curious really?, as I sit and write this I don't feel it was such a big deal. I wore the new outfit my wife and I had bought the weekend before in Southport (long purple velvet and satin skirt and matching top) I walked on my own from the car-park to Canal St and found Kay Denise in Taurus bar as arranged. After a drink and some friendly chat, we both made our way to meet the others at AXM and onto Eden resturant. Teela also joined us for the evening as too Astrid and her partner and of course Lisa - my first opportunity to meet our hostess. Quite a number of the girls dropped out at the last minute, so our promised number of 10 was actually 6 by the time we sat down to eat.
After the meal we called into the Rembrandt to pay our respects to 'legs' Mary and the girls of Northern Concorde. The Rembrandt is a new venue for the group, by all accounts history repeating since many years ago the group used to meet there. The room above the main bar was lovely, with a sort of conservatory feature along one side that overhangs Canal St. and with the windows at the same height as all the little blue twinkly lights in the trees outside.
Late January and Teela celebrated her first 12 months in business with Trans-Pose. I wore my strapless black dress which by some sheer miracle managed to stay in place for the whole evening. Many girls turned out to help Teela with the celebrations - too many to remember all the names.
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
A New Year - resolutions and regrets
It's now a little over a week since the New Year festivities; having survived the turkey, in-laws and couching out in front of the telly; the latter being my personal favorite in order to recuperate from experiencing another 12 months in the same workplace.
Work is particularly stressfull at the present for a number of reasons I can't mention here, but none of which are due to my private life. My lovely wife continues to give me support and encouragement although I think she's still somewhat at the bemused stage - long may it last!... at least from a positive support point of view! For my further development I am resolved to lose some more weight and to perhaps exercise my new found freedom - as for regrets? - none at the moment except perhaps to consider I should have 'come out' years ago.... but I can't help wondering 'is this all there is'?; I think that feeling is down to post-xmas and the depressing thought of 'back to work'. I guess another resolution is called for - to have more of a social life; work isn't everything, although it does help finance nice clothes and social outings.
Over the Xmas and New Year period, we got out to the sales at the Trafford Centre but once there neither of us felt upto it; a combination of the crowds and feeling unusually tired, but we had a nice lunch in the Palmes D'Or resturant. A few days later we had an outing to Southport, combining a visit to the nice lady to trim the recently purchased brunette wig and an opportunity for some retail therapy missed from the week before.
The Southport park & ride although a little exposed on the sea-front, was worth the £1 fee for the free bus ride alone. Taking us to the far end of the promenade before coming back along Lord Street towards the centre, where we found a nice cafe for lunch. Bargains were to be had in the sales; my wife found the exact same top at a fraction of the cost from the same chain store in the Trafford Centre, a top she regreted not buying when we there. But the best shop for quality bargains had to be 'Mister Smiths', where I purchased a lovely long skirt (all purple velvet and satin) and a matching top - that shop is 'the' place if you're looking for good quality 'party frocks'! We felt it was most likely one of the main places frequented by the local girls since it has a very unassuming front but is like a treasure trove inside!; sorry girls! the secret is out!
As for getting out and about - plans for another outing to the Village for a meal with Kay and some of the other girls of 'UK Angels'; and 'Tea with Teela' - the next event is a celebration of Trans-Pose first 12 months in business.
Work is particularly stressfull at the present for a number of reasons I can't mention here, but none of which are due to my private life. My lovely wife continues to give me support and encouragement although I think she's still somewhat at the bemused stage - long may it last!... at least from a positive support point of view! For my further development I am resolved to lose some more weight and to perhaps exercise my new found freedom - as for regrets? - none at the moment except perhaps to consider I should have 'come out' years ago.... but I can't help wondering 'is this all there is'?; I think that feeling is down to post-xmas and the depressing thought of 'back to work'. I guess another resolution is called for - to have more of a social life; work isn't everything, although it does help finance nice clothes and social outings.
Over the Xmas and New Year period, we got out to the sales at the Trafford Centre but once there neither of us felt upto it; a combination of the crowds and feeling unusually tired, but we had a nice lunch in the Palmes D'Or resturant. A few days later we had an outing to Southport, combining a visit to the nice lady to trim the recently purchased brunette wig and an opportunity for some retail therapy missed from the week before.
The Southport park & ride although a little exposed on the sea-front, was worth the £1 fee for the free bus ride alone. Taking us to the far end of the promenade before coming back along Lord Street towards the centre, where we found a nice cafe for lunch. Bargains were to be had in the sales; my wife found the exact same top at a fraction of the cost from the same chain store in the Trafford Centre, a top she regreted not buying when we there. But the best shop for quality bargains had to be 'Mister Smiths', where I purchased a lovely long skirt (all purple velvet and satin) and a matching top - that shop is 'the' place if you're looking for good quality 'party frocks'! We felt it was most likely one of the main places frequented by the local girls since it has a very unassuming front but is like a treasure trove inside!; sorry girls! the secret is out!
As for getting out and about - plans for another outing to the Village for a meal with Kay and some of the other girls of 'UK Angels'; and 'Tea with Teela' - the next event is a celebration of Trans-Pose first 12 months in business.
Thursday, 27 December 2007
A (first) night on the town
So by the end of November I had done the 'Tea with Teela' bit - although having tea and a few cakes hardly amounts to getting out, but it's a start.
Kay suggested an outing to the Village where we could have a meal and include the Northern Concorde christmas 'do' in the guided tour. Having bought a couple of new outfits the week before with my good lady, I was itching to try them out and in the real world. The only thing I was short of was a decent wig - the only one I have doesn't withstand scrutiny close-up; but what do you expect for £6 from the local fancy dress shop?
So I arranged for a consultation at a well known, t-girl friendly emporium where the very nice lady there, demonstrated a few wigs on me and persuaded me to go for a brunette 'bob' style. Now I was determined to be blonde.... but the nice lady was very good in directing me to a colour and style that was more natural and matching my complexion. So in short, despite what you might think you want, it's worth paying a little extra and getting sound advice from the nice lady!
Ok, so I've got everything sorted for the evening out? - well I better jump to that part of the story hadn't I?
Kay kindly offered to pick me up enroute to Manchester, the arrangements being that she would collect me between 4:30 and 5pm. By the time we managed to negotiate the rush hour traffic, it was getting on for about 6:30pm when we arrived at the car-park near Sackville Gardens (for those who know it - the one near 'tranny towers'!).
By now my nervo-meter was probably at about level 6 (level 10 requires some sort of sedative and/or breathing exercises!), as we walked past Sackville Gardens and on towards Canal St ... the famous 'Village'. The first place we called into was AXM, to put the final touches to make-up, hair etc. Then Kay directed us along Canal St. towards Taurus bar and restaurant. She duly pointed out the various establishments, indicating those which were more t-girl friendly than others, but I wasn't really paying a lot of attention, my nervo-meter was at about level 8 now which seems to interfere with anything you might wish to commit to memory.
As we crossed over a street we passed a lone t-girl walking back the way we came; she was blonde and was wearing a shortish dress, it looked quite good on her. She must have been freezing! - I was glad I had my fur-lined leather jacket; but I did think that at least we weren't the only ones around this evening.
At last we arrived at Taurus and was duly greeted by our host with a cheery 'hello girls' and a welcoming smile. Our host guided us past some of the other groups in the resturant and to our table. 'What can I get you girls to drink?' he asked with that lovely smile again - I felt that being refered to as '...you girls' although intially strange, rather comforting. The bar was populated with a number of students and a couple of xmas office parties that had reached the end of their evening. Being the only two t-girls in the bar I was a little sensitive to any glance in our direction, but Kay put me at ease; after all if you go to a bar or restaurant in the Village, what else might you to expect?
Eventually two more girls came into the bar; Kay saw them walk in, but the way we were sitting, I didn't dare turn around to look at them in case I drew attention to myself. The only opportunity I had was as we were leaving and saying our goodbyes to our host; the girls were stood at the bar, both very slim, blonde and very convincing! Hmmm ... perhaps being brunette is more unique after all?
From here we went to Northern Concorde; I've never seen a place filled with so many t-girls at the one time .... come to think of it, I haven't been too many places where I might find my kind anyway! Lots of girls, so many different outfits, so many names to remember..... Jane, Nicki, Rachel, Marie... and list could go on if I could remember them all. I was nervous yet comfortable ... what a strange combination of feelings ? - nervo-meter down to level 5. There was music, dancing, and if you were brave enough, Karaoke ... but would you have thought in room full of guys brave enough to go out dressed as girls, Karaoke would be a cinch? .... I guess it's easier to dress than sing!
After NC we stopped by at Naps; another bar/club, where girls get in for free - this is where a number of the girls from NC had moved onto so there were quite a few familiar faces. The bar is on the ground floor with a dance floor upstairs. Kay said that the dance level is usually quite noisy, but on reflection, the dance floor was a lot quieter than the bar area so we stayed up there when we went up to see what it was like. It took me back to my clubbing days when I had the rare opportunity to go to a disco; all black lighting and good music.
After Naps, it was pumpkin time; to go home and rather depressingly remove some of the makeup on the way - after all, only my wife knows back at home but there's still the need to evade the rest of the family - in case they're still up.
Kay was an absolute star right the way through the evening. Throughout she loaned me some of her confidence which helped no end, and delivered me safely home just before 1am, as she promised. Thank you Kay!
Kay suggested an outing to the Village where we could have a meal and include the Northern Concorde christmas 'do' in the guided tour. Having bought a couple of new outfits the week before with my good lady, I was itching to try them out and in the real world. The only thing I was short of was a decent wig - the only one I have doesn't withstand scrutiny close-up; but what do you expect for £6 from the local fancy dress shop?
So I arranged for a consultation at a well known, t-girl friendly emporium where the very nice lady there, demonstrated a few wigs on me and persuaded me to go for a brunette 'bob' style. Now I was determined to be blonde.... but the nice lady was very good in directing me to a colour and style that was more natural and matching my complexion. So in short, despite what you might think you want, it's worth paying a little extra and getting sound advice from the nice lady!
Ok, so I've got everything sorted for the evening out? - well I better jump to that part of the story hadn't I?
Kay kindly offered to pick me up enroute to Manchester, the arrangements being that she would collect me between 4:30 and 5pm. By the time we managed to negotiate the rush hour traffic, it was getting on for about 6:30pm when we arrived at the car-park near Sackville Gardens (for those who know it - the one near 'tranny towers'!).
By now my nervo-meter was probably at about level 6 (level 10 requires some sort of sedative and/or breathing exercises!), as we walked past Sackville Gardens and on towards Canal St ... the famous 'Village'. The first place we called into was AXM, to put the final touches to make-up, hair etc. Then Kay directed us along Canal St. towards Taurus bar and restaurant. She duly pointed out the various establishments, indicating those which were more t-girl friendly than others, but I wasn't really paying a lot of attention, my nervo-meter was at about level 8 now which seems to interfere with anything you might wish to commit to memory.
As we crossed over a street we passed a lone t-girl walking back the way we came; she was blonde and was wearing a shortish dress, it looked quite good on her. She must have been freezing! - I was glad I had my fur-lined leather jacket; but I did think that at least we weren't the only ones around this evening.
At last we arrived at Taurus and was duly greeted by our host with a cheery 'hello girls' and a welcoming smile. Our host guided us past some of the other groups in the resturant and to our table. 'What can I get you girls to drink?' he asked with that lovely smile again - I felt that being refered to as '...you girls' although intially strange, rather comforting. The bar was populated with a number of students and a couple of xmas office parties that had reached the end of their evening. Being the only two t-girls in the bar I was a little sensitive to any glance in our direction, but Kay put me at ease; after all if you go to a bar or restaurant in the Village, what else might you to expect?
Eventually two more girls came into the bar; Kay saw them walk in, but the way we were sitting, I didn't dare turn around to look at them in case I drew attention to myself. The only opportunity I had was as we were leaving and saying our goodbyes to our host; the girls were stood at the bar, both very slim, blonde and very convincing! Hmmm ... perhaps being brunette is more unique after all?
From here we went to Northern Concorde; I've never seen a place filled with so many t-girls at the one time .... come to think of it, I haven't been too many places where I might find my kind anyway! Lots of girls, so many different outfits, so many names to remember..... Jane, Nicki, Rachel, Marie... and list could go on if I could remember them all. I was nervous yet comfortable ... what a strange combination of feelings ? - nervo-meter down to level 5. There was music, dancing, and if you were brave enough, Karaoke ... but would you have thought in room full of guys brave enough to go out dressed as girls, Karaoke would be a cinch? .... I guess it's easier to dress than sing!
After NC we stopped by at Naps; another bar/club, where girls get in for free - this is where a number of the girls from NC had moved onto so there were quite a few familiar faces. The bar is on the ground floor with a dance floor upstairs. Kay said that the dance level is usually quite noisy, but on reflection, the dance floor was a lot quieter than the bar area so we stayed up there when we went up to see what it was like. It took me back to my clubbing days when I had the rare opportunity to go to a disco; all black lighting and good music.
After Naps, it was pumpkin time; to go home and rather depressingly remove some of the makeup on the way - after all, only my wife knows back at home but there's still the need to evade the rest of the family - in case they're still up.
Kay was an absolute star right the way through the evening. Throughout she loaned me some of her confidence which helped no end, and delivered me safely home just before 1am, as she promised. Thank you Kay!
Sunday, 23 December 2007
So far so good?
I actually 'came out' to my wife in November; although I've been looking for the right moment for quite sometime. I'm not going to get into the philosophy of it all because what works for me might not work for someone else; but needless to say, with 20+ years being together we each have a pretty good understanding how the other thinks and feels.
You see, I had reached a time in my life that I wanted to get out and meet others like me, to ask questions to see if others feel the same as me, am I unique or am I a special case ... am I going nuts? - at least I found the answer to the last point a confident 'no'!
Anyway, back to the story; I arranged with Kay Denise to go along to 'Tea with Teela' a monthly event that takes place at a local dressing agency; Kay offered to be my guide for the evening. Now I don't like lying and I certainly didn't want to lie to my wife so when she asked where I was going this particular evening I simply said 'to meet some friends I chat to on the internet', and that everything was 'cool'. Of course as any good partner does, she pressed for some clarity as what this might mean, so I eventually told her that I wanted meet others that liked to dress in womens clothes.
The penny dropped quite quickly to this (as you might imagine!), she didn't really need to ask the next question as to whether I was going dressed... but she did - but bear in mind that over the long period of our relationship, my wife had made quite a number comments and observations as to my 'more girly than most guys' demeaner, which I have always taken to be quite encouraging signs. Despite the question, I managed to evade answering it directly - opting for a small steps approach, reiterating that despite what I had just said, I was still 'me' and nothing had really changed. We talked for sometime and laughed a little at some of the situations a revelation such as this might make, but we agreed to keep it all just between the two of us.
Although she was initially a little upset on hearing all this, she was relieved; apparently she thought I had some interest in wife swapping or something!.
So that evening, I went along to 'Tea with Teela', met Kay and a number of other girls and had a very nervous time! - next time I plan to be a bit more relaxed and at least try some of the cake on offer!
And as for my fantastic partner; well, she accepted a new-but-not-so-surprising-side to me, and a few days later insisted that we should go shopping together to the Trafford Centre. Kate got a couple of new outfits, a nice fur-lined jacket, shoes and so on, and we had a lot of fun. The following day she showed me how to put makeup on - although it wasn't so different to what I had been doing for myself for sometime, perhaps a little more subtle than what I had been used to.
She then insisted that I try on my new outfits to see if they fitted ok - after all, when you're in 'Bob' mode, you can hardly try them on in the shop can you? So I put on my nice new sparkly top and skirt and asked my wife if she would be comfortable in seeing me in the full get-up? This was to be the first time she would meet 'Kate' and she was ok - upto a point; she made it quite clear she wasn't comfortable with me being touchy-feely with her ... which for me is a little dissapointing since we are both quite tactile on showing our affection for each other. Oh well, perhaps all in good time... my only hope was that I hadn't put her off altogether.
The moral of this tale so far is that you can't rush into anything. If like me you're fortunate enough to broach the topic with your partner and survive, the secret is to introduce further information a little at a time and at a pace she can accept. Small steps... that's the key!
You see, I had reached a time in my life that I wanted to get out and meet others like me, to ask questions to see if others feel the same as me, am I unique or am I a special case ... am I going nuts? - at least I found the answer to the last point a confident 'no'!
Anyway, back to the story; I arranged with Kay Denise to go along to 'Tea with Teela' a monthly event that takes place at a local dressing agency; Kay offered to be my guide for the evening. Now I don't like lying and I certainly didn't want to lie to my wife so when she asked where I was going this particular evening I simply said 'to meet some friends I chat to on the internet', and that everything was 'cool'. Of course as any good partner does, she pressed for some clarity as what this might mean, so I eventually told her that I wanted meet others that liked to dress in womens clothes.
The penny dropped quite quickly to this (as you might imagine!), she didn't really need to ask the next question as to whether I was going dressed... but she did - but bear in mind that over the long period of our relationship, my wife had made quite a number comments and observations as to my 'more girly than most guys' demeaner, which I have always taken to be quite encouraging signs. Despite the question, I managed to evade answering it directly - opting for a small steps approach, reiterating that despite what I had just said, I was still 'me' and nothing had really changed. We talked for sometime and laughed a little at some of the situations a revelation such as this might make, but we agreed to keep it all just between the two of us.
Although she was initially a little upset on hearing all this, she was relieved; apparently she thought I had some interest in wife swapping or something!.
So that evening, I went along to 'Tea with Teela', met Kay and a number of other girls and had a very nervous time! - next time I plan to be a bit more relaxed and at least try some of the cake on offer!
And as for my fantastic partner; well, she accepted a new-but-not-so-surprising-side to me, and a few days later insisted that we should go shopping together to the Trafford Centre. Kate got a couple of new outfits, a nice fur-lined jacket, shoes and so on, and we had a lot of fun. The following day she showed me how to put makeup on - although it wasn't so different to what I had been doing for myself for sometime, perhaps a little more subtle than what I had been used to.
She then insisted that I try on my new outfits to see if they fitted ok - after all, when you're in 'Bob' mode, you can hardly try them on in the shop can you? So I put on my nice new sparkly top and skirt and asked my wife if she would be comfortable in seeing me in the full get-up? This was to be the first time she would meet 'Kate' and she was ok - upto a point; she made it quite clear she wasn't comfortable with me being touchy-feely with her ... which for me is a little dissapointing since we are both quite tactile on showing our affection for each other. Oh well, perhaps all in good time... my only hope was that I hadn't put her off altogether.
The moral of this tale so far is that you can't rush into anything. If like me you're fortunate enough to broach the topic with your partner and survive, the secret is to introduce further information a little at a time and at a pace she can accept. Small steps... that's the key!
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