A trip into Windsor and an Exploding Nipple

Last Sunday Tina and I spent an evening in Windsor. Here’s Tina:

and me:

 

After getting changed Tina drove us into town. We tried the library car park but it was full and the passageway from there to Peascod Street was closed because of building work so we ended up at the Victoria Street car park.

We walked from there to Cafe Rouge and had a bite to eat. Then walked down to the bridge that crosses the river Thames between Windsor and Eton.

We tried to work out why the lights on the bridge were flashing on and off every so often.

We had a chat and a drink at the King and Castle pub on Thames Street. We were a bit surprised to see bouncers at the doors. But they didn’t mind us. I just took a look at the web site and discovered the following pictures … and yes … the first one is of the ladies loos … just in case you were interested.

We had a drink each and sat and chatted. We sat outside. After a little while the lights switched themselves on. A dim kind of glow and we found ourselves seated in the red light district.

As always, up to now at least, no one paid us any attention at all.

It was a really pleasant evening.

Later on I found myself thinking:

Now I know why the instructions that come with the boobs say that you shouldn’t sleep in them.

And no. I didn’t sleep wearing them. Honest. But I’ve had them a while … and on slipping one out from my bra discovered that the nipple had begun to erupt:

Well … ok … erupt is overstating it. But there is a definite oozing of silicone.

Just as well I have a spare pair

TV Dinners, Burqas and Fundamentalists

The TV dinner earlier in April was really good – well … they always are.

TV is for transvestite rather than television. It’s an all-girl evening (TV’s and partners) that happens on the second Tuesday of each month. I get along almost every month. There’s usually a dozen or so people … the company is great, the food fantastic and the hosts (Kathie and Billie) wonderful.

One of the stories in the news recently had been the new law in France that effectively bans the wearing of the burqa in public places. It’s a strange thing in a way, since the only place anyone would actually wear a burqa would be in a public place, precisely because it is a public place.

The TV dinner’s often have some kind of a theme. We joked a little about how a Burqa theme might save a lot of time and effort … we’d only need a little eye makeup.

For my own part, I think I feel uncomfortable when I see people in the Burqa in public. But I can imagine that there are people that feel uncomfortable when they see trannies in public.

Mostly I think that my life philosophy is one of live and let live. If someone wants to wear the Burqa, then that’s ok. So long as they don’t expect everyone else to do the same. The same goes for guys that like to wear makeup, wigs and dresses.

It’s not many years ago that a man wearing a dress in public in England might have gotten arrested.

I think the thing that I find most difficult about fundamentalist kind of beliefs of almost any kind is the way that it often leads people to begin to impose their own version of living upon everyone around them.

I guess it means that I’m intolerant of intolerance.

Pink Punters, Larry Norman and Johnny Cash

Laura, Emma and I paid a visit to Pink Punters a few weeks ago. It was a usual kind of trip. Laura and I travelled together, chatting and listening to some Johnny Cash and Larry Norman.

Johnny Cash seemed better than I ever remember him being. I still like Larry Norman a lot. Back in 1973 a student friend introduced me to Larry’s music. I bought quite a few of his LP’s. A few weeks ago I bought the mp3’s so now I can listen to them all over again. The lyrics of many of his songs still move me.

After makeup and dressing we called in for Emma and had a meal at the hotel.

Then a bit of makeup tidying and a change of clothing and across the road to Pink Punters.

There are new conveniences (aka toilets) on the top floor. Complete with a very large polar bear (cuddly toy kind of … but huge) behind a glass cage.

Laura mentioned to me a few weeks ago that if you do a Google image search for Pink Punters that I appear there. And I do … as well as Laura, Emma, Nikki and Billie. No sign of the polar bear yet though.

Laura became a bit sleepy as the night progressed.

The barman blamed it on the Budweiser.

We stayed until about 3:30. Another really nice evening.

An evening with Chris While and Julie Matthews at Bournemouth Folk Club

On Sunday 03 April Sally and I spent most of the day in Bournemouth. We walked around a while, had a meal and in the evening went to see the Chris While & Julie Matthews Band at Bournemouth Folk Club. It’s a great venue … I wish it was closer.

To summarise … well … it was great.

The CD’s (in this instance I mean Compact Discs rather than Cross Dressers) are great … but there is something special about a live event.

For me it’s the chance to get a feeling for the people as well as the music. To hear a little of where the songs came from as well as what the words are.

Julie Matthews introduced one song. The original inspiration being tales of the Clifton Suspension Bridge near Bristol. Apparently it is amongst the most popular places in Britain for people  to commit suicide. Though in 1885, a 22-year-old woman named Sarah Ann Henley survived a fall from the bridge when her billowing skirts acted as a parachute, and subsequently lived into her eighties.^[12]

From thoughts of this event came the song Angels Walk Among Us.

Chris While talked of a room in her home with pictures of family on the walls and of how she came to write the song Four Walls. She said it isn’t a happy song … but she felt better having written it. Julie said that this is one of her favourite songs from the Album Hitting the Ground Running. It’s one of mine as well.

Julie smiled and admitted to writing lots of sad songs. Quoting another member of the band she smiled as she said she’d been told that there’s money in misery.

And another song that spoke of hope even when all seems despair … inspired by the life of a friend that died from cancer just before the first birthday of her child. Julie mentioned that even as her life was ending her friend could still could smile. At the sight of so many friends and family gathered to see her she quipped “It’s so good to see everyone. I should die more often”.  

Chris introduced the song The Darkside Wood. It’s a song that sounds as though it will end in tragedy. It seems that a friend of Chris’s said that she couldn’t listen to it.

“Why?”

“Well it’s sad. They’re going to die.”

“Did you ever list to it to the end?”

“Well … no.”

Chris  sang Ghost of You with Julie playing keyboard. Sad. Intense. Beautiful.

Go now if you really must

I wouldn’t want to hold the key

The keeper of this shattered trust

So go now if you must

Your finger’s on the window pane

Your silence speaks a thousand words

You start to say them then refrain

No accusations and no blame

Something’s better than nothing

Well I don’t believe that’s true

I’d rather lie alone with my sorrow

Than with the ghost of you

What is done is surely done

So while the door is still half open

Follow where you heart’s already gone

For what is done is surely done

Another song that I like a lot is Shadow of  my former self. It seems that the title was originally going to be I keep running into the shadow of my former self, but it didn’t fit onto the CD. Do you ever empathise with these words?

I can’t go to work, I can’t stay home
I don’t like crowds, Can’t be alone

And there was the chance for the guys to get in touch with their femininity and imagine standing in a line in a netball skirt and to sing along to Class Reunion. Julie explained how she’s been rubbish at throwing and catching. “Hey Julie!” came a voice. “Catch.” Of course Julie dropped it. “You’re still rubbish.” Said with warmth.

And there was … as the saying goes … so much more.

So … anyway … I spent the evening entranced by the bitter-sweetness of the songs. A mirror of the bitter-sweetness of life. It all ended too soon.

And … I do wish there were angels among us.

And maybe there are.