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I can't add much to this discussion, but do suggest that 'graceful' and competent heel-wearing is not directly linked to gender or build. We have all seen a variety of women (and a few men) whose ability - or lack of it - to walk in public in heels is all-too-evident. This man seems to me to be perfectly competent in his Omano boots (allegedly 6" heels but I think a little less than that). He has other videos of him in similarly high heels and is obviously well-practised, but scarcely unique.

I completely understand. If I owned a pair like these, they'd never be off my feet, unless I was bathing or under the shower. Sadly, no longer available, which is just as well at £1100 a pair.

I always move over and respect you guys.

I spent a couple of hours in heels yesterday, and I’m feeling it in my thighs. I agree with you about being good training for cycling - I feel a little more power in my legs after any time in heels.

I recently purchased some stiletto heeled ankle boots by ‘Only Maker’ via Amazon. They were listed as UK12 (EU45 according to their conversion table!). I knew it was a risk - no reviews to suggest sizing was true - and when I took them from the box they looked tiny. I was surprised to find they fitted really well. Probably not suited to a wider foot. They have a set-back vertical heel which makes them tricky to walk in, but I really like the shape of the boot. The overall quality is not bad considering and feel very sturdy for such a thin heel.

While out shopping today, I noticed these. Reduced in store to something like £120. The heel is not as high as I would like, but the sort of heel that could be worn all day (if the opportunity arose.) What attracted me to them was the narrow-ish shaft, and small spacing between the lacing eyelets. It suggested the boots could be tightened to fit my very slim legs. Better still if the were higher, and covered calfs.

I quite like knee and over the knee boots - I’m not fussed about the heels. I have several flat pair of tall boots which I wear all the time during the winter and do not attract the least bit of attention.

I think it's Melbourne based on the facebook posters profile. I should point out that the video is not mine, nor do I know the subject or the commentator. The commentator doesn't seem to approve, but many in todays West would simply shake their head and walk on, and some would be supportive. I have said before that what people wear and how they present themselves is up to them. People should be free to do and say what they wish so long as they don't infringe the rights and freedoms of others. However, society does have expectations, and if you push outside the envelope tooooo far, there are those who will take it upon themselves to push back. Society's norms change slowly, and I would argue that those who push the envelope are the main agent for change. the less stout of heart follow after? This young fellow is apparently attending a pride march. If 10% of western populations are gay, bi, or LGBT of some sort, you could argue that his outfit is really the male equivalent of a girl in hot pants or a mini? Having said that, I think the outfit is more appropriately clubwear than streetwear. So outfit critique, clothes and heels. Over to you.

Great job DWW, kids are more durable than we believe. It is best to expose them to your heels when they are very young. Like you say, they will ask a few questions but that is fine. They will grow up knowing that men in heels is perfectly normal, and won't be bothered by any other kid's (or stupid adult) comments..........

The best high heel continuity fail I've ever spotted, was with the 1992 Batman Returns film with Michelle Pfeiffer appearing as catwoman. In long shots, or posing, she wore these: (actual boots) (From >> here << ) When fighting or performing cartwheels, she was seen to be wearing flat boots, which shouldn't surprise anyone, but ... In one scene she is seen wearing the heeled boots, and in the same scene is also shown wearing flats. The director should have made sure the scene was edited in such a way (or shot in such a way) this fail wasn't possible...

Indeed. It is nice to find activity on this dormant site!

I think it more to do with boredom. I was a very active member of another board for several years. Every month, a new member would ask the same questions "is this better or the other one better"? "Should I do this, or do that?" These basic questions literally got asked so frequently, a FAQ section was created that fully explored the 'rights and wrongs' of any point possible in a debate prior to a purchase. Did the FAQ section stop the question being asked? Nope. Did pointing people at the FAQ section stop the same questions being asked, the same points on either side of any given debate being put forward? Nope. Responding, became an act of futility. This site needs at least 3 (to 5) regular respondents. I've been unusually busy these past months and haven't had the time I used to have for contributions. I expect to have more time in the new year, if my work position goes the way I expect it to. I'm happy to make contributions as I know Puffer is, but there needs to be others able and willing to contribute.

Obviously, you are talking about a time when "talent" wasn't computer generated.....

I hesitate to pour cold water on a brave venture, but I fail to see the appeal of the shoe styles so far shown by Cross Sword. The uppers are conventional (distinctly boring) men's styling which I for one would not wear, regardless of the heel type. And the heel (with a gimmicky insert) is rather too feminine. The price is going to put these out of reach for anyone but a fashionista too. Sorry! If CS (or someone else) introduced some more neutral loafers or ankle boots with a tapered toe and a plain cuban or stacked heel of (say) 3.5" for £100 or so in sizes above UK8, I guess there would be a fair interest. Until then, most UK male heel-wearers will buy women's styles (if they fit), have something custom-made (which need not be expensive) or go without.

Well, Jeremy, I hope you've enjoyed the welcome and the plethora of posts your entrance has generated! It is quieter in here simply because there are fewer members. There are just a handful of regular contributors here, but of course the site only thrives if we contribute! So please continue to post. I've never understood the perceived difference between transvestite and cross-dresser, as etymologically they mean exactly the same thing. However, according to those differences, I see myself very definitely as a cross-dresser - I've never been into the pretend female look although I experimented with it simply as seeing it as a means of wearing heels publicly with no stigma so long as I wasn't 'read'. I'm with Freddy on this! The cross-dressing desire has receded with me, as it was always the shoes that were the attraction, and I now wear them regularly in public, under long trousers. Also, my wife accepts that, while she hates me dressing in stockings, skirt, etc. The heels can fulfil some medical requirement (backache in flat shoes, no backache in heels), but other things are just feminising in her view, and I certainly wouldn't wear them in public unless it was to a specific event like a drag do, but then we're not party animals anyway.

I agree. It is disappointing that our culture cultivates and encourages this sort of look and that so many parents tolerate it, or concede to the greater marketing forces. I am also deeply pleased that my own daughters have not bought into it in the slightest. They have no interest in that sort of thing and have found groups of friends among like minded kids.

wowsers!!!

I liked the sign I saw once in a wildlife park in Tasmania - "We have defibrillators on hand; if you need one please ask a member of staff..." I just love DIY defibrillation...

In a perfect world, us husbands/partners would not need "DIY" skills. We'd contact reputable tradesmen who would do a quality job at reasonable cost, and everyone would be happy. That's not how it works. My first experience with "Trades" while a tenant started thus: In the early 80's after waiting 7 years on a council list, I got offered a flat. I accepted, since I was approaching my thirties and my girlfriend was keen for us to live together (though I didn't know that at the time). The place wasn't very nice, but it had potential. By the time I left, the place had been completely refurbished to a high decorative standard, not all done by me. I had a decorator mate who sorted out the ceiling (with paper) after I had dislodged the last of the polystyrene tiles from EVERY ceiling in the house. During the course of the initial repairs, I'd asked the council for money toward the cost of all the gap filling in the plasterwork. I felt it unreasonable to have to do all these repairs (due to warm air central heating) as much of the plasterwork had blown. They offer to send around a "plasterer" instead, which I accepted. A week before he arrived, I had bought a brand new cooker. At the time, it was a tad more than a weeks wages. Basic gas oven with four hobs and waist level grill. The plasterer filled holes with bonding to the surface. As Puffer will know, this stuff is a filler, used to produce the right position for a top coat of fine powder "finish" that can be polished to produce the nice smooth wall people paint. It was a bodge. Worse, the useless twat with a trowel, dropped something on my new cooker, and knocked a penny sized chip out of the enamel on my new cooker. When I found it, I reported it to the council seeking restitution. The twat denied involvement claiming it was there already. I didn't get a penny. When I sold the cooker some years later, it didn't look much like it had been used. The buyers couldn't believe the condition, given it's age. (Not much has changed. Our new cooker of 6½ years, still sits in the house unwrapped.) That was my very first encounter with 'trades', and experience has taught me, not much changes. I regularly see stuff, fully trained (apprenticed) trades have bodged, or left unfinished. While this doesn't mean everyone, I would say 90% of trades do only what they are paid for, as easily to them and as quickly to them as possible. No more, and if possible, they do less. ie. Someone local to me had a leaking gutter. Young fella "guaranteed" work, "fixed" the gutter leak using some roof repair mastic. A bit like black sand filled rubber. Except it didn't stick or at least didn't stay stuck. £90. It was never more than a £20 job, and even at £30, the expensive stuff that should have been used - if properly applied - should have ensured there were no further leaks. Some plumber who visited the same house since, has fitted some taps. One leaks. I think the homeowner is waiting for him to return to fix it. Less recently I painted a garage conversion. Two trades failed to correctly fill a plasterboard join, meaning I was left a crack in a newly plastered wall to correct. Both of these trades paid significantly more than me. The joiner did not fill the board gap, the plasterer plastered over the gap. Gaps allow movement, movement creates cracks. I had to dig out out plaster, fill gap, tape over joint (again) and create a smooth surface for me to paint. While my work remains intact, I hear other cracks have appeared since. And this is for a "regular" customer of the tradesmen who gets them work with other people. Two years ago I spotted a bricklayer doing some work across the road from me. Looked like a good job. (It turns out it was for his brother.) I got him to do some work for me. He turned up in the dark ..... Broke bricks I offered to cut (neatly) for him ..... Next day in daylight, I could see what a mess he had left. Last brick sits proud, and his broken bricks barely had enough material left to hold the brick above. I supplied the bricks, cost me £50 for a bad job. Did he get any more work from me? Take a guess. I spent nearly 3 hours filling the gaps he had left in the mortar. Bodger. We used to call then "chancers". The building game is full of them. I suppose, what people don't know, won't hurt them. But when you know the difference between a good job and a bad one, it hurts to see the work of people who do know better. But to womenfolk in particular, they just want stuff fixed, and quickly. My walking friend got a bedroom redecorated recently. She got fed up waiting for me to do two other small rooms (that had years of bodging to resolve before I could start putting paint on walls) so she got "a friend" in. He did the job quickly, in some ways. 4½ days at £100 per day - cash. The (supplied) blind he fitted, never worked and he should have known that when he fitted it. (Same fault with the replacement - which resulted in a refund for the blind.) The skirting board he painted has so much muck in it, feels like sandpaper. The papered edges around the window have come a little unglued. These were not cut off or re-glued, just painted. The uPVC sill (cill) that overlays the old tiles, not cut wide enough and excessive filler used to make up the gap. When it came to refitting the replacement blind (that was subsequently found to be faulty as was the first) he wanted half a days money for fettling work necessary on the replacement. Fettling that would not be necessary if he had removed the lump of plaster making the window rebate gap 3mm too short on width. On balance, she now knows she 'caught a cold' on hiring this fella. Of course women all know a "wonderful bloke" who did great work at a friends. I pointed one at a job once ... I still get earache about it, 4 years later. I don't do "DIY" in the normal sense of it, nor does Puffer. We are amateur builders, or property developers. Some of my tools are the best on the market. Some of them get a lot of use. Today I will be drilling over 100 4 inch deep holes repairing cracked walls built 40+ years ago. Usually these would be skimmed over by a plasterer, and in need of repair again in 2 years. I doubt my repairs will need re-doing while I still live. I fill the gaps in bickwork and mortar joins to ensure they can't move again. Takes time, makes a mess, but means it gets done once.

Yes, he's got one-termer written all over him, if he's not actually impeached during his first.

I was on the bridge of a ship a few years ago, in Helsinki, and watched the captain neatly parallel park his 300-foot vessel along the wharf, tucking it in between two giant Baltic ferries. It was the neatest piece of parking I have ever witnessed.

Yes, those Schwalbe marathons pluses are brilliant. I ride a great deal during the winter and the last thing I feel like on a nice brisk early morning run is to stop and repair a puncture with frost-reddened hands, or in cold pouring rain. Happily I ride out in the mornings confident that it won't happen. It never does. They are brilliant tyres - the tourers and commutes gold standard. I intend to get back out there and get fit and trim once more.... Nobody might ever see me in my PVCs but I will know I belong in them much better...

https://bblpgg.tumblr.com/post/131806903552/leather-trimmed-cotton-hoodie I suspect that this overall look would find much approval here! I have to say that I like it myself, particularly below the waist as the top is not really something I would choose to wear. Whether I would get away with the trousers and boots in public is a moot point - my wife would definitely NOT approve! Perhaps it is only good for under-30s?

Well, my influence with TfL clearly worked then. The additional closures and works were put in place to discourage Freddy (and others) who prefer to use the car to travel into London. Travelcard, anyone?

¿Qué?

Found this pair of mules on Ebay. They are from Leatherworks.

A very thoughtful treatise, Freddy, which I am still digesting with a view to making my own observations in due course.

Well done. Yes. When I first read about 5" heels, I thought that starting off in a stiletto that high would be counter-productive, until I saw the shoe size of 44/45. (Counter-productive as in 'too hard' and might encourage failure.) With a size 10 foot, a 5" heel should might well be a challenge, but achievable for a determined wearer. What to buy, and what not to buy? Firstly, what not .... Only yesterday I was in TKMaxx, trying on an attractive pair of Diesel strappy ankle boots. (Sorry, no piccies at the moment.) They were a size EU40/UK7 and had a zipper up the back. I don't usually get on with this position of fastener, so I was surprised I got the shoes on, but I did. While I have regular sized 8 feet in length, they are slender (ish) so I sometimes manage a large 7, which these were. They had (have) a 5" metal heel, which is what drew me to them. Mrs Freddy had tried them on first, and didn't want to try to walk in them, so despite me being a bit close to home, I tried them too. They looked great on, had the upper end of my wearable heel height, but .... They were lethal. So unstable, I would reasonably expect to have a broken ankle on my first outing with them. I can only liken it to wearing a high heeled slipper and the heel tip was machined to a point. If I didn't move, the 'heel wobble' wasn't so bad, but even breathing induced movement. I've been wearing a heel for some time, and I couldn't wear them. I would recommend Pleaser. They are stable, being designed for men to wear, and their range is quite large. They are no longer as inexpensive to buy in the UK as they used to be, and few outlets carry stock. (The exception might be Banana Shoes, who I also recommend.) The newer Pleaser style with the vertical heel are hard to walk in, so I would suggest one of the older (classic) styles with the curved (inclined) heel. There is some discussion on this board about heel-tip position that is pertinent regarding these styles, that might bear some reading if you are unfamiliar with it. While you are into boots, getting the right size might take some work, so I suggest getting the sizing using shoes. Either ordering 2 or 3 sizes at a time, or hoping to get lucky and ordering what might seem like the right one will almost certainly involve returning products, and returning shoes is cheaper than returning boots. I am thinking (aloud) that faffing about with shoes to get the right size, could be easier/cheaper than faffing around with boots. Once you have the size, then you can order new or buy 'unused/unwanted' at a better price - possibly, in a style you prefer. Boots and shoes from the defunct Little Shoe Box (aka LSB), now "Leatherworks" or Burlesque Blue, will all be strong enough to support a 6ft man. I believe Burlesque Blue (and maybe Leatherworks) still offer a made-to-measure service if you have that sort of inclination. There are other people offshore who might do the same or similar thing for a bit less money, but the makers I mentioned are in the UK where you might get the benefit of some face-to-face advice if your interest progresses. Often resellers/retailers will recommend going up a size if wearing a heel. I have never found this good advice for myself. In fact with a court shoe, I've found the opposite to be true. When I put on a size 8 court, it fits. When I've been wearing it for 10 minutes (and my feet have reshaped themselves) my foot falls out of the shoe. Wide feet might get some benefit from a larger shoe, but I don't have wide feet (thankfully). All that said, there is at least one 'local' heel enthusiast around your size who is a member here. It may be you could meet up for a 'trial' that would be no more expensive than the cost of travel to a mutually convenient venue. There are more active members on HHP, and maybe you've already had a similar offer from one or two there?

Out in public. Photo to prove it. OK, I didn't go far as the heels made quite a racket in the quiet street, but a first for me. I had my other wedge heels on for the rest of the day and probably covered at least three miles in them, as I was putting out leaflets and afterwards my wife and I went for quite a long walk along the seafront (Seaford) and round the shops.

I sort of like them.

Looks like I may have kept the inner dimension a little too tight when I had the washer made. Fortunately the parent material being aluminium, meant filing out around a half a mill' wasn't a long or hard job. My favourite goo, Plumbers Gold was used extensively to ensure a good water-tight seal against the mating faces of the washer and sink. The thread on the waste was wrapped with PTFE tape (a whole reel) for the washer to butt against, and help seal the thread inside the washer. More PG was added for good measure.... Although the bend on the trap is in poor shape, it looks to be capable of working for another 3-4 months, so that wasn't replaced. More PTFE tape has helped keep the worn/damaged seals working. Bottom line, there are no leaks, and we have the sink back. Within days the sink proved useful, in fact I've used the sink for cleaning tools almost every day since, so I'm glad I spent the £16 repairing the waste.

Those boots are beautiful, dream of having a pair just like them. I would have no problem wearing those killer boots just about anywhere.

I only mentioned 'sideways tipping' to emphasise the application of the c-o-g 'plumbline'; I agree that it is not directly relevant to our current considerations - although it is not something to be totally ignored when standing or walking - in heels and sober or otherwise! I won't comment further on hypotheses or experiments as I believe we are both essentially saying the same thing, albeit reaching it by slightly different routes.

I had a really nasty experience with one of their stewards coming back from Budapest last year. The guy was really aggressive. All I did was ask what the alternate sandwich was, a simple query, politely asked. I am always polite to cabin crew. But clearky he was in no mood fir any oassenger interaction whatsoever. He went off his nut and threw a sandwich at me, literally. It was astonishing. Other passengers gawped open mouthed. In well over two million miles of flying all over the world I never encountered anything like it, before or since. So my enthusiasm for BA has cooled considerably. The other members of the alliance - Qantas, Emirates and Cathay, are wonderful.

I have all the supermarkets (except, alas, Aldi) within easy reach and absolutely no store-loyalty. We have little brand-loyalty either; we avoid most branded items unless they have demonstrably better qualities than own-brand or unbranded items. My wife and I shop wherever is cheapest at the time for certain items, balanced by overall convenience - we don't go to three or four places in the same shopping trip but would take advantage of best buys when in each shop or area. A quick (but not slavish) check on a website such as http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/ (recommended, but not infallible) gives a good invitation as to the preferred source. And of course any sensible discount coupons (such as £5 off a £40 spend) are taken into account, with immediate needs bolstered by non-perishable extras for future use if a target has to be reached. (I pride myself on adding up the cost of items in my head as I walk round, and usually stop when I reach the 'target'. I am rarely wrong with my total at the till, unless something has been mispriced - in which case I may be prompted to query it - or can only be estimated until it is weighed.) If all this sounds like a Scrooge-like fetish, it is justified not only by the real savings that can be made but also by the useful mental (and physical!) exercise required. My wife does not have quite the same nose for, or pursuit of, a 'bargain' as I do, and sometimes deludes herself when shopping. By that I mean that she will buy something that we need (or she thinks we need) because it is 'on offer' without thinking about the real worth of what she buys as well as alternative sources that might be better/cheaper. I can't really blame her for falling for the first trick in the seller's portfolio but it would be better if she considered the bigger picture. The above considerations apply similarly to non-supermarket purchases. Brand-avoidance may be more difficult (or dangerous) but a little research pays dividends, especially when buying consumer durables - everything from an electric kettle to a range cooker, or a TV or a car. Here, ease of use/reliability/longevity are key factors and the game is then to find the best price for the preferred item, allowing for any advantages or otherwise in the seller's location, service etc. What I will not do is to spend money without thought on any non-trivial impulse buy, however flush I may be. Or buy something that may be both good and desirable in itself but which is so expensive that I could never regard it as giving a worthwhile 'payback'. So, the YSL boots at c£800 will never be mine, however much I may admire them, and however big the likely discount. (That said, if I saw a pair at £100, I would probably surrender!)

An acquaintance of mine (not a member here – yet) has a few pairs of HH boots and has recently bought some from YSL, which is offering several similar unisex styles for both men and women with heels of a nominal 30,60 or 85mm. In fact, the comparable boots for men and women are almost identical, as shown here: The women’s boots (on left) have a heel that is very slightly thinner and higher and the shaft appears a little taller too. When he went to try and buy at the YSL shop, he was shown the boots for both sexes without any suggestion that they were sex-specific. As he wears a UK8, he was able to buy the women’s model in a python leather, which he preferred, and which was a little cheaper than the men’s equivalent – if one can use the word ‘cheap’ in relation to something costing £760! I am told that the heel on these in UK8 is actually 95mm (3.75”). I have seen a pic of him wearing them (fully exposed below normal length narrow trousers) and they look great, and totally acceptable for a man to wear in public. It is interesting that YSL should introduce these unisex styles and I wonder how popular they will be, regardless of the high price? But it seems that several sizes are already sold out, which suggests there is some demand. Could we hope for some affordable high street copies? (Of course, one could get Miguel Jones to make a made-to-measure boot of very similar style for something in the region of £120.) Here is a better pic link to the women’s boots: http://www.mytheresa.com/en-gb/embossed-leather-ankle-boots-458700.html The other men’s/women’s styles can also be found online, e.g. http://www.farfetch.com/uk/shopping/men/saint-laurent-french-85-boots-item-11101784.aspx And here is a YSL pic of a male wearer: http://mesuive.tumblr.com/post/115224070462/saint-laurent-85-french-zipped-boot-in-black

Next time you attend for correction, Freddy, you will leave with glowing testimonials. I assume you refer to one 'Kym Marsh' (not 'March')? I had no knowledge of her (carnal or otherwise) before your introduction and am content to preserve that status quo.

Had to read this 4 times before I understood it .... My defence is; working late last night, eating later still, (hence my grammatical faux pas on the original comment), followed by a slow morning. (In the 'mental agility' sense. ) I've remedied my grammatical error, with a different word (care of a Thesaurus) that is more appropriate on about 3 levels I can think of, despite my suffering from a dose of the 'morning after the night before', without the dubious benefit of the 'night before'.

Almost all of my travels for a good many years now - or at least a very high percentage of my travels - have been for work. I am increasingly becoming a homebody in my down time, quite happy to explore the lanes on my bicycle or sit in the back garden and improve my mind with a Mickey Spillane or Perry Mason. I like being in interesting, far off places - sometimes - but I do not like travelling there, the exact opposite of my youth when it was all about the journey, and the feeling of liberation I felt when I started off. The destination was nearly irrelevant. Nowadays the journey - typically by air - is deeply unpleasant as a rule. I can still enjoy settling in for a long train journey, up to Scotland, say, or a sea voyage (not on a glitzy cruise ship, never been on one of those, but on an expedition) but those opportunities do not come up often. Generally it is air and a trip to the airport has become to me like the halo before a migraine.

No - I didn't think you were rocking up places with a battered old caravan and taking over some public park or farmers field or some poor sods back garden. I meant it in the homme du monde sense. :-) Alas no place is really safe these days. One has to make the best of things. Even so I am not sure I would have been taking my wife or kids off to any place in the Middle East (other than, perhaps, Dubai) or North Africa. Too many fruitcakes. And professionally, I have no interest in covering terrorism, political unrest or being embedded with combat units along anybody's front line. I have great respect for those who do these things - indeed one of my friends regularly covers some of the seediest and most violent pockets of central Africa, but not me. I have no calling in that direction. Risk, I don't mind - but 'clean-cut' risk, that of nature, wild animals, and remote wilderness environments, not deliberate attempts on my life by religious fanatics with black plastic sunglasses and bad shaves. As for cycling, I have many many thousands of miles under my belt, excellent bike-handling skills, road sense and much experience at paying attention to my environment when I am out and about. That said, I would not be too keen on wife of kids cycling the same roads I do. Not at all.

"All comes to he who waits", and I do waiting pretty good .... Office boots, my size and brand new went through the auction site the other day ..... I missed the end of the auction, but I would not have bid that high anyway. A 4½ inch heel maybe, but not 4. Office as a brand has changed significantly since I first authored this thread. It would seem someone into heels, has joined their buying team.

Nice! Could we please change the thread title to simply 'Kelly Brook'? Apart from the fact that (mercifully) she is not wearing platforms in any recent pics, the words 'lovely' and 'platforms' do not readily go together imho. Indeed, I spy an oxymoron (and I don't mean Kelly).

Don't know if you've spotted these ..... >> here << or if they would be of interest.

Freddy - I have just seen your correction in post #109 re 'iron' gas pipe. You are of course correct that the fittings are cast iron, either galvanised (essentially for outdoor/damp conditions) or 'black iron' finish, which is I think the result of a chemical process (oxidation?) during the casting process and gives a certain amount of natural corrosion protection. As to the pipe, it is not cast iron (at least in small supply pipe sizes) as this is far too brittle. Although often referred to as 'malleable iron' (meaning it can be bent), it is I think usually/normally drawn mild steel these days and is again in galvanised or black finish. Such suppliers as I have identified do say that it is steel. I don't think that corrosion is a real problem in iron/steel gas pipes/fittings, given their wall thickness. As you say, iron resists rusting better than steel. Interestingly, the only gas leak I have ever experienced was from a 'black steel' pipe inside my house. It had been installed only about 5 years earlier by British Gas to supply the meter, which was in the bottom of a cupboard but quite close to (damp) earth below the floor. I was not impressed and insisted on a repair FOC, using galvanised. In those days (1978), if not now, it was usual to run gas in steel pipe wherever this was not an eyesore (when copper was used). Better for resisting damage but not necessarily corrosion. A further thought regarding your re-plumb in copper. You may well find that your local scrap merchant sells brand-new copper pipe (and fittings) at a good discount. Mine certainly does. I don't know where it comes from - although obviously 'leftovers' from a job somewhere - and don't ask! Although the pipe is invariably straight, clean and undamaged, it is of course worth checking, especially if the bundle has been made up from different sources. The fittings (usually there by the bucket-load) are particularly cheap as sold by weight - a handful costs almost nothing. Until recently, I too would not touch plastic pipe. But I have since used it (although not for gas!) and am quite impressed - although I avoid joints in visible locations. One location where (white) plastic 15mm pipe is handy is in the upstands from below the floor into the rad valves - no painting necessary! If necessary, they are joined to the (horizontal) underfloor supply pipe with either a plastic or a brass compression elbow.

I had known her for about 2 years and did go out with a couple as friends but that didn't work and anyway she went back to her boyfriend. We kept in touch as she didn't want to lose me as a friend. I knew she wore high heels but she only had a couple of pairs. I asked her just before xmas if I could wear a pair of high heels at her place if I bought her a pair as well. I told her I wanted to see what it was like to walk in a pair of heels. Her answer was No. I left it at that. She had split up with her boyfriend by now. We started dating last week and she a wore lovely pair of high heel boots. She made the effort and we got on fine but another women caught my eye and I stared at her heels longer then I should of done. That did upset her and we went home early. Went out again the following day. She wore a pair of high heel sandals in silver but something happened back at her flat which caused us to split up but I don't think It was my fault this time. I was hoping be able to take some more photos of her high heel collection but that not going to happen now. She did seem to have a few more pairs then when I first met her. She is a very untidy person and I did have a close look at her heels! The moral of this story is to be careful where you looking when your dating.. I did manage to take a photo of this pair that she had laying around.Going have to up load photo later. To big

You could have stopped right there, and I would have said you had a great night out, even if you ended up in jail. Thankfully no jail ..... But some enthusiastic support too. Lucky, lucky man. As good as it gets? Living the life your soul wants to live. Excellent report.

What a weekend! Not maybe heelwise, but wedding was just perfect. Wedding couple was so touched by the songs and the whole party was success to every minute of it. Unfortunately there was no one shooting with video camera so there is no videos to show. I didn't wear heels to wedding, even thou I was prepared with black leather ankle boots with 10 cm spike heels, but I decided not to. Next morning when we got to the hotel room of wedding couple, I put the heels on and showed them to the wedding couple and my wife, and sort of delivered the promise and dare to wear the heels for them. Other half who dared me for the heels, hugged me with tears of joy and said that she was sure that she can count on me... and for sure I will be wearing heels with them in short future, I know I have full support!

He who dares, wins eats!

We here in the UK are enjoying something of a late mini heat wave. Only last week it was cold enough to need the heating system on, this week we are in 'skimpy' clothing trying to stay cool. Mrs Freddy is busy sunbathing as I write, I'm [supposed to be] busy rubbing down walls. Still. I'm out tonight in London without herself, [she's off out tonight with some friends] and we'll both be out tomorrow night enjoying the warm weather by the Thames, somewhere along the South Bank, All are welcome. .....