FastFreddy2

Looks like I won't be getting my £35 back, as it's going towards ........ a wedding present! No bad thing for me, been some while since I went to a wedding. Weird doesn't cover it. She's going to marry a chap she's not sure she should be marrying? Think they've been together 2 or 3 years, and it seems to me like they are just going through the motions? Hey-ho!

"He who dares" wears heels. Good to hear about the venture. You might have gotten a slightly different reaction if you were wearing 6" perspex stripper heels with diamante sparkly bits, but my 'real world' experience mimics yours..... Keep it discreet and head turning is minimised. True some might still notice, but few are keen to make a drama out of it. Well done sir!. ....

I would suggest anyone in her life, would be playing 2nd fiddle to her business? Maybe a blessing in disguise? What goes around, comes around. You're obviously good company sir. ...

The 'cruel hand of fate' dealt me a couple of nasty hands this week. Firstly, I noticed the new phone switched itself off 4 times in the first week of ownership. Yesterday (Tuesday) while attempting to use the camera/phone for the first time as a camera, it kept shutting itself off again. As I was only 300 yards from where I purchased it, I took it back to the shop and showed them the problem. Apparently, it was a software fault. "Bring it and the box back for a new unit on an exchange basis." Fair enough. Today, without me noticing, the phone dropped off me onto a grass verge. Leaving the car I noticed a pedestrian watching me cross the road, and wondered why he watched me. [i have two heads, so expect this from time to time.] About 10 minutes later, I realised the phone wasn't with me, and went back to the car [30 yards away] to retrieve my phone. No phone. I got the line stopped immediately, as the sim had already been removed from the phone anyway. [Calls going straight to voicemail, though the phone had plenty of charge in it.] The phone will be 'blocked' and made useless tomorrow [Thursday.] Before I remembered the bit about being watched, I had hoped someone would do the right thing and help it back to its owner. No-one else I've mentioned this to expects that, and after remembering the watcher, neither do I. As I don't have the money for a replacement, I'll have to go back to using my old phone, until I have some more pennies. Mrs Freddy, seeing my distress, has offered to replace it. It's a nice gesture, but not one I feel I deserve due to my carelessness. Until I bought the Nokia, insurance was always more expensive than the phone I used, and I've around 18 years of not needing insurance anyway. [This is my first permanent loss.] Put another way, premiums saved would buy me a couple of phones by now. The worst bit, is the loss of my contact list. Some numbers I can never get back, as they were the only way of ringing people I have very very very little contact with. I would not have trusted a business based repository, as these have had very public security issues in the past. The Nokia, if it had the facility, would have been the first phone I owned smart enough to provide a PC based 'backup' program. [And currently beyond my experience level.] Not a good one, today. P.S. While telling Mrs Freddy about the loss, we both stood in a large retail 'Outlet' store, and a fellow lady shopper kept walking around us wearing 6" heels. They had platforms, but the heels were high and she was so close she could have joined in the conversation. I couldn't stop myself from mentioning the irony of it all to Mrs Freddy..... Perfect opportunity ..... ....

There's a phrase I haven't heard for a long while..... "Caught with his skivvies around his ankles...." Often wondered the background to the term. Sadly, no. I did all I could to prevent myself having a very sheltered youth, but I was very slow when younger. Still not the sharpest tool in the box, but at least now I have some understanding of the toolbox and my place in it. Does sound like a lot of fun though? ...

And a Happy Birthday to you. Hope it's a good one! ....

Oh dear. That means your ancestors, and my ancestors, have been fighting each other for the better part of a 1000 years? Strange we should have so much in common? Well over here, in England .... home to the English language ....... "pants" are mens undergarments. >> Clicky << .....

I've taken the liberty of correcting your English. "Slacks" (a casual but smart trouser over here) would have sufficed, but the way it read, she was reported as standing in her underwear. Sorry, just can't help myself. Back on thread..... Sounds like an interesting situation? I think (given I know very little of your circumstances), your wife possibly isn't overly concerned about your interest in heels, provided it stays inside the home. I know for sure, until we had some experience of me wearing heels in public, Mrs Freddy was very anxious about the whole thing. Starting with her perception of the change in my previously 'manly' appearance, to even more anxiety over how other folk would react to seeing my heels. None of this situation initially, being appealing to her at all. As a suggestion [one of many I've made] would finances allow an overnight city visit later in the year? I have in mind you acquire some modest heels without platforms. Preferably block heels? The overall look to be less feminine than your usual choice perhaps, so as to be less noticeable when you stride or sit. Were you to wear these in a city where many people are too busy to notice anything but themselves, or moderate sized crowds hide everything but faces and shoulders, some of your wife's reluctance [that I perceive] may remove itself? The fact your comment drew laughter, suggests there's little or no tension in her from your interest. ...

Me too. I'm tempted to think to myself "Well, how often have you worn them?" And consider there's no great loss, but of course there is. Those that own it, don't wear every piece of jewellery they possess all the time. There's a satisfaction in knowing something of beauty is close by, and wearing it will make one feel good. In some ways these shoes were a milestone in my relationship with Mrs Freddy, that I'd forgotten about. It had been me telling her my desire to wear heels hadn't completely gone away, and the absence of an argument of ownership, meant there must have been some [possibly resigned] acceptance on her part. ...

The last time I remember buying fuel for my car at that price, was some time ago. Here is a link to an illuminating [and independent] matrix, us folk interested in benchmarks enjoy browsing. UK forecourt petrol prices, 1983 to 2011. Now, where's me bicycle pump? ...

Bit of a story ....... As some of you will know, I moved home a bit more than a year ago. In moving into the new house [aka the Building Site], I managed to consolidate a good amount of my footwear from 3 different locations. In identifying them, ie looking in a box I may not have seen for 10 years, I found several pairs I'd forgotten I owned. One pair in particular, I distinctly remember buying whilst with Mrs Freddy in the early part of our relationship. At one of the two visits we made together to the L.F.M. I saw and fell in love a some shoes that looked very high. Now, I've mentioned many times I don't really do sandals because my feet fall through them, but not with these! They might well have been made for my feet, and felt VERY pleasant to walk in, if a little difficult due to their height. In the day [some 16 or so years ago], platforms were not so de rigueur as they are now. In fact in some circles, these shoes might have (then) been considered 'special interest' shoes, possibly worn by ladies of dubious character? So I found these shoes again.... Sadly, the plastic on the heels seem to have deteriorated slightly. Also, one of the heels is no longer in the correct position - it points backward, ever so slightly. Bottom line, they are going for recycling. It's a real shame. Not least because they fit so well, though I've never walked anywhere in them. It could be they shredded my feet? I'm not sure, but I may have bought Mrs Freddy a pair too? Though since I didn't notice them during the move, it may mean they went for recycling some years ago and I wasn't copied into the memo. I've included some pictures below. Two feet Closer 1 Closer 2 .....

The evil hand of fate has stepped in. The third style mentioned, have already sold out of my size, I found out when I went to order last night. Before deciding whether to order the other two again [i really do like the Chupka] I thought I'd try the size 9 pair I already own. Good job I did! The right shoe [my larger foot] fitted fairly snugly. In fact surprisingly snugly. The left shoe, felt a size too large? And with what might be faulty [distressed] leather along the outside of the shoe, the boot also looked a size too large. Best way to describe it, is the leather looks stretched. Because they can be laced fairly tightly, most of the 'slop' inside the shoe can be removed, but the left shoe definitely doesn't look right. Consequently, they are going back. With so many other nice boots, I think I should just give up with that particular style.... ....

I'm never out of it ...... That said, one of my (older) skills is/was building PC's and making them work. [And goes back to the days of DOS when you needed to understand how to load drivers in 'upper' memory to avoid conflicts.] Just recently I've had to revisit those skills. Built a couple of PC's as 'triers' to find out what level of processing power is required to watch streaming media. [As the expensive laptop croaked.] Got there with a donated motherboard, a £30 processor, a £25 video card and £17's worth of memory. Works very well, if I say so myself. But it didn't stop me buying a new Samsung i3 laptop with HD3000 graphics. Been here 10 days so far, and neither of us wants to open it up. Point to the remark is.... I've spent a LOT of time on that internet auction site buying used equipment. Shoes and boots have had to take a back seat. For the first time in 4 years.... ...

Seems I escaped Birmingham again. Getting to be something of a challenge ..... Although with diesel at £1.42 PER LITRE [$8.52 per US gallon] and £6.46 per UK gallon, could I really afford a visit? P.S. Just checked prices across the pond. US customers currently paying $4 a gallon!! That's less than half. The UK customer is getting Royally ripped off by HM Revenue & Taxes. .....

Not sure why I hadn't commented before, but sometime during 2011, I did succumb. I bought a second pair of Levere, and the Chupka in a size 9. And just as a reminder ... I'm an 8 going on a 7½. I think I may have mentioned deciding the 9 was more suited to my foot on another of the Forums here? [shopping experiences at retail outlets perhaps?] Anyway, the reason for posting, ALDO have another sale on. The two boot styles I like are on offer at their all time low prices, and there's a third boot I'd like to try too. £80's worth of temptation at the moment. [Which isn't bad for 3 styles all with leather uppers.] Might be worth a look? .....

Ahhh! You know how to dress well, but got no colour sense? The big question though ..... Did you buy?

At that price, I'm not too surprised. I guess the people winding up the company want as much cash as they can get, as soon as they can get it.

Class. Sounds like a great person, able to think on her feet, AND make a contribution to your shopping trip. ....

As some of you will know, the UK high street shops are having a bit of a hard time of it. With on-line selling becoming increasingly easy [cheap deliveries, free returns] many open air venues are losing out. In the UK, we pay the most for just about every product made [For example we pay more for diesel fuel than anybody else in the world?] Unfortunately, salaries and wages don't reflect the high price of consumer goods. Consequently our economy is slowing, as folk tighten their belts and get ready for a nasty period that will include a lowering of living standard for all except the very well off. One of the casualties is Priceless, a high street shoe shop selling (or should be) to the very lowest end of the market. Not for the first time in the past two years, it's been looking like it might disappear, along with its parent company Barratts. In austere times [like now] the key to success is good value, and attractive products. I have personally found Priceless to be a good value range, though not always as quick to respond to the market as perhaps they should? Nor maybe, has their sizing regime been as accurate as it should have been. [You can waste of lot of money sending out the wrong size shoe. And lose regular buyers into the situation.] While the shoes I've bought have been good value, the sizing has been all over the place. I have at least one pair of courts I used to wear regularly, size 7. Several pairs of boots I really like, size 7. I've tried to own several more pairs, but an 8 has been too small? In the link below, the size 9 is reputedly a size 8? It's a particularly sad lose to me, because a pair of boots I bought from them, got me back into wearing heels. [And a pair I sold recently on the auction site.] Anyway, that's the background to post. Here is a pair of boots I've seen out worn by an older, but slender lady. I have to say my heart skipped a beat when I saw them worn with skinny jeans..... Currently at a give away price. £6 plus £3-50 carriage if I remember. The shop I used to visit in Stevenage has gone. I don't know if the shop in Wood Green has also closed. Think I've seen a shop in Reading too? I'll miss them. Last chance? Priceless ankle boot.

Didn't check for sizing [i don't need any more shoes/boots! ] But these were reduced even further when I saw them at Bluewater last week. Maybe £45 now? Looks like I'm finally going to visit Birmingham's Bullring shopping area this weekend. It's not been a places I've been 'chomping at the bit' to visit, because Birmingham doesn't have a great reputation. I nearly visited last year, but going there soon is almost unavoidable, as I have a business meeting I can't avoid. Mrs Freddy has mentioned the visit to friends, and they have said that it has great shopping facilities. It'll take a lot to tempt me I have to say. Just bought a £500 laptop, a £90 phone, re-taxed the car, and there's a £300 service for it next month. With very little income at present, this looks like one of my harder years. On the up side, we are still better off than many, and I won't live long enough to wear out all the heels I have already, so no real need to concern myself on lack of purchases....... That said....... .....

Well...... Finally bought the Nokia 500. Currently charging up...... I already like it. On screen keys, that is surprisingly accurate. Shame I didn't have it working last night. Was in the supermarket where there was a quite attractive girl walking around in 6 inch heels. I got a photo, [uploading to gallery later. Black courts.] Picture would have been so much better with the new camera. If it has enough memory, I might even get some video done, some time in the future. More later.