FastFreddy2

Went to use the cable/pipe detector today, only to find it'd been trashed during the house move. Got another from B+Q for £15 in deference to the Homebase version at nearly £25. It's not very good quality, and I think I may have done the classic, "buy cheap, buy twice". Anyone got any advice? .....

I think on balance, a 'gaggle' of men wearing heels [badly] in broad daylight is likely to be more noticeable, than one fella with his wife/girlfriend/SO. However, I would hope most of us here would be discreet with our heel wearing. [No shiny patent stillies hanging out of the bottoms of scuffy jeans that were too short to start with. ] In better circumstances, moderate heels disguised under longer 'tidy' clothing, with a friend or two, might enthuse a fellow heel wearer where being alone in an adventure might be too stressful? I'm fortunate, in that almost all of my heel wearing comes with semi-willing female company, as does much of yours. Heelman is turning his situation around, Highheeler has in the past enjoyed the company of his wife too. But I can think of at least as many men heel wearers, who don't have that consensual support of anyone else at all. If it hadn't been for me attending the W.H.M. of 2008, I'm not sure I'd be as confident as I now feel? Prior to that day, not only did I feel I was an oddity, I certainly never expected to wear ANY kind of heel in public - much less in daylight among other 'regular' people. I still own rubber heeled wedge boots from Nine West, that are practically silent in use. At night, [or in darkness] it would be impossible to know I was wearing 4" high heels. I did wear them in daylight on the Underground once, forgetting that sitting would expose the heel. Two burly football supporters sat opposite for some of the journey, one elbowing his pal to look at my footwear. No sniggers, no comments. I might have gone scarlet, but I lived to heel another day. In my mind at least, encouraging others who do not have the support we enjoy and who want to wear heels out, might lead to a change in their circumstances. I'm not at all suggesting a group meet [with or without heels] is an optimal solution, but it might provide opportunity and support that "going it alone" doesn't and can't provide. But to re-confirm ...... I think on balance, a 'gaggle' of men wearing heels [badly] in broad daylight is likely to be more noticeable, than one fella with his wife/girlfriend/SO. And if this situation is managed badly, could become counter-productive. And in some ways, the gig at Camden did just that. 'Gobby yoofs' drew attention to the reality of men wearing heels, in that it's possible to become a target if you look like you're trying to make a statement, rather than just having a nice afternoon out. A couple of us did learn lessons that day. ....

Got a bit of a problem completeing the poll as I'd like to tick more than one answer on the first section? For example, my replies might be ...... Section 1. No comments but the occasional knowing smile Some good/positive and some bad/Negative comments Section 2. Does not change my heel wearing in public Section 3. More likely to attend events / trips out in heels Section 1. I've been out in heels in a good number of places. Security personnel always notice, and either stare or smile. Shoppers sometimes notice and either stare, smile, and once maybe laughed, [though they were a long way off by then so I might be mistaken about the subject matter]. Had one fairly bad experience at Camden with one little Yoof mob of about 5 bods. Didn't come to anything, but it was getting close. Bottom line to this was, we were in the wrong place at the right time. I don't ever expect it to happen again. [it was a "one off". ] At The London Fetish Fair - the one time a group of us visited together - a couple of guys dressed in head to foot leather [a la Matrix stylie], 'giggled' when they saw us sitting close to them and wearing heels. The organisers subsequently confirmed this sort of behaviour isn't condoned, but to the rest of us it was a complete and utter waste of money and time attending. [Nothing much to look at. The cook was off sick with a sliced finger, so no lunches. A film crew was there. Only a couple of stalls, mostly corsetry and whips. ] Section 2. As long as the bulk of my travelling out in heels is pleasurable, it'll continue. I try to remain disinterested in negative responses, but they do happen, and as I'm human it can hurt. Section 3. I do a fair amount of heeling, even though I don't see much of 'the community' face to face. I'm keen to get involved and support all of our 'kindred spirits', so I always support any communial activity organised. It means I do get more trips out by doing this, but I'd like to be doing more. Our weather doesn't help, nor does the cost of travel. [Diesel costs £1.34 per litre at the time of writing.] How should I answer Q.1 ?? ...

Things are certainly hotting up around here! "Outstanding".

Gotta be easier when the activity is inclusive? Mind you, it still needs a partner flexible enough [personality wise] to accomodate the new lifestyle. As I was saying, "lucky" on sooooooo many levels. ....

Beginning to look like Friday evening March 18th is a goer. Options are Berkhampstead and Tring since these are places fairly central to those who might attend. Tring might be busier, suggestions welcome. [i wouldn't have the first clue.] I have a girlfriend who knows the area a bit, perhaps I'll ask her for some recommendations.

Not mine. I only wish they could play a second half as well as the first ..... Hey-ho!

Talk about the holiday .... [keep her in good mood] then suggest the Mr and Mrs Photo ?

Hello and welcome. A new member, especially one who actually posts, is always a good thing to see.

Hi goonerbob. Does the 'gooner' part of your name have any meaning? The supporters of a well know football team here in the UK, are known as gooners. Liked the "finely turned ankle" remark. Very witty. Welcome. ....

You're a lucky man ..... on soooooo many levels. Nice pictures ... Mr and Mrs next? ....

Detector? That's not a MAN's tool! Good judgement ...... And a plastic handle on the drill. Actually I have one. Didn't work well from day one. Been meaning to get a new one ..... Perhaps I should. New tool = the dogs doo-dahs. Precisely cut out 3 sections of tongue and groove, with almost laser accuracy and with a cut no thicker than a butter knife. Once again found pipework (what I was looking for this time) but absolutely no chance of cutting into anything. Unlike a 1500w circular saw, I could feel the blade getting through the wood, so knew when to pull the blade back. I've got so much to do here, I'll get £80's worth of use out of it within weeks. Comes highly recommended chaps. Can't wait to use it again. [And I can't stand DIY. ] ......

As I've mentioned, late last year (so middle of the worst temperatures in living memory) I moved house. Sadly into a gaff that looked habitable, but for the most part isn't. Been a real nightmare, at one stage just staying warm was a struggle, despite a fairly good central heating system ..... I've been learning about electrics [and what Part P now prevents us doing ourselves], plus brushing up on my plumbing skills. I'm fearless around water! The reason for the thread, is I'm discovering how useful power tools are. Sure I have an electric drill ... but that's it. No planer, circular saw, no heat gun. Proper 'do it the hard way' me..... Had to lift some tongue and groove floor boards to get at wiring and pipework. Borrowed a mates circular saw and took instruction. Thankfully, being a newbie with it, I decided to adjust the depth of cut to 20mm to see how accurate it was .... Good thing too. Although poor form for it to be so close, I had 2 off 3/4" inch copper pipes stationed right underneath my first cut. 24mm would have had me slice right into them with circa 400 gallons of stored (hot and cold) water trying to drown the 1st and ground floor. I've done some research, and found >> << [has sound so may not be office proof] Looked expensive so found a 'clone' by Worx with 3 year warranty from Argos. £79-99. It's like Christmas at the Freddy house tonight. I can't wait to get up tomorrow morning to try my new gizmo. It's official, I must be proper old to be looking forward to using power tools! Roll on retirement. ...

... Sounds like progress! And a nice day out. I hope you two had a good time together larking about? I have mentioned this before ..... But when I go out in heels, my missus seldom does*. I do however remember walking to a local venue with us walking in step. It was very rewarding on a number of levels. We both had heels on, we both had a good night out. [i removed the heels while at the restaurant in case we met someone we knew, and I think I did. so..... lucky escape.] But the walking in the street with two sets of heels going in step, was just --- wonderous. And because we were keeping in time, no-one we walked by thought to look down. * A long time ago, I had a situation with a girlfriend, [who actually bought me my first high heels]. Not the right place to discuss the whole issue, but the bottom line was she felt some of the things I did made it seem that I could be more feminine than her. [So not true.] But, that was her impression. What that situation did was indicate to me, that there might sometimes be something in the female psyche, that sees men wearing their usual attire as us trying to diminish the importance of their role [as THE female]. Putting that back into context ..... My missus possibly doesn't want to be wearing heels when I am, because it might put her in a position where she could feel there's some sort of competition going on. [Who can wear the higher heel, who can wear them for longer? etc etc.] I'm very careful around this issue, and I haven't indulged myself in any conversation about it, because I don't expect it <the conversation> to go well. What am I suggesting? Let her wear the higher heels? .....

There is some prospect of a small gathering between Thursday 17th March and Monday 21st March. Would be nice to see some new faces ..... And some more familiar ones too. London is easy to get to/from and there's plenty to do once there, so it's an obvious choice. If anyone wants to get involved, do please give some indication of when you could join in over that weekend. Time and exact date is undecided, so it could be arranged around your availability. You're obviously interested in heels or you wouldn't be reading this. Join in, and meet some others with a similar interest. Reason for edit: Grammar. ....

Class! An excellent read, well worth your suffering for the benefit/amusement of the membership here. We thank you. ....

Perhaps we should start a whole new 'photo' forum? I think we're all gonna have to work hard to catch up with Heelman. Because I'm living in a building site, both making time and clearing space is difficult. I prefer to use natural light if I can, and we don't get many sunny days at the moment. But it can't keep on raining, can it? I remember watching something like Countryfile, [bBC TV programme centred on the farming and outdoor communities in the UK], and they predicted that 2011 was going to be a draught year? How wrong could they be? ....

You like spending money on shoes? That's is most definitely the pot calling the kettle black ..... As a broad brush statement, I always prefer a higher heel, even though I understand it's not practical. Platforms for me at least, are hard to hide, so I resist buying them. That said, the second pair, with the slim heel and fairly slim platform, are harder to resist. Good choice. And I think you'll need to convert some of your loft space soon. .....

If your foot is shorter than mine, provided it isn't a lot wider, those shoes would have gone on your feet. If your feet are even 3 or 4 mm wider though, the shoes would cut into the skin around your toes. There really isn't much room in the toebox. Busy re-wiring today, so still no piccies. ....

There must be plenty going on with Facebook. I often check who has logged on recently. Google and Yahoo spend a lot of time indexing, and Facebook has started appearing more frequently too. "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't THEY're not out to get you."

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but since I've not found comments here ..... My first ever experience of ALDO and trying on shoes in their stores was at Lakeside, when I tried on some very girlie 4 3/4" black patent stillies. Seen on the right >> here << which I didn't buy at the time, much to the [obvious] frustration/disappointment of the sales staff. [They fitted, I could walk in them, and I obviously liked them, so why not buy?] At the time, £50 shoes I might seldom wear, was on balance, pointless. When they went on sale for £25 .... I bought them. Anyway, the Sales staff were super helpful. Some weeks later, I got totally ignored at Bluewater, which almost completely changed my mind about them. With hindsight, I think the staff at that store -at that time- were maybe not as well trained/well motivated as I might prefer. "In store" service otherwise, has always been good moving toward a little pushy. Although a Canadian outfit, maybe the training staff are using US Manuals? Was at the Liquidation store in Wood Green today. The background to Wood Green, is that it's quite an 'ethnic' town and the bulk of the folk there appear to be Afro-Caribbean. Neither them, nor the African and Muslim community there, are known for their tolerance of gender crossover be that sexual or dress code..... So I'm not wholly comfortable trying on womens shoes there, and I doubt I've ever worn them in the street there either. Not had any bad experiences, but then I haven't put myself in line for one either. In store, I knew what I wanted, though I did [discreetly while standing] try on the Chupka in a EU42 with a sock still on my foot for all of about 2 seconds. [it fitted, but EU42 at ALDO is a size 9! ] Walking around with the 42 Chupka in one hand, and a 41 Levere I picked up in the other, I eventually got approached so asked for '41' versions of both shoes. It took an age [4 minutes] to get the 41 Levere out for me, but there wasn't a 41 Chupka in store. Without batting an eyelid, the floor manager [Polish woman] hands the 42 Levere back to me, and says "We only have the 42, why don't you try them?" I declined [which plainly didn't impressed her one bit. 'Pushy' see. :-( ] But even in the most unlikely of places, [and I mean Wood Green by that remark], ALDO staff were not phased by a man looking to buy for himself, womans shoes. On balance, ALDO comes Highly Recommended in supporting men shopping for womens shoes. ....

I've taken the two 'returns' pairs back towards ALDO must be 5 times so far, never quite getting to the stores .... Although I have decided I really like the Levere, £45 is more than I would want to spend on shoes I could (and would) wear out quite quickly ..... My failure to complete the returns, was I suspect, linked to me thinking they might join that short list of shoes and boots permanently returned that I subsequently wished I hadn't. This weekend, ALDO have reduced the price of these boot styles even further. Chupka coming in at £22-49 and Levere coming in at £32-49. At these prices ...... What chance do I have of resisting? .....

[said in the voice of a Nu Dubz member.] "Hey fella, you is well dapper." Just gets better and better. Do you see what I mean about lighting the shoes? In the past I've used black velvet [de-fluffed and de-linted] to provide a truly black backgound where there might otherwise have been endless clutter. Black texted material tends to suck up all the light, putting detail outside the normal range of the [digital] sensor or film. [i've used this as others do, to give depth to a 2 dimensional image.] With the white wall background fooling the sensor, the suit and shoes are underexposed. Have a look at your camera User Destructions, and see if one of the program modes will allow you to increase the light level by 1 stop. Ideally you want your blacks to be verging on [or in] a very dark grey where a little detail is possible. From the composition point of view, the style and target interest of your viewing audience, I'd say your pictures are as good as you're going to get inside your home studio. The contrast thing is me getting you to 'fine tune' the detail, nothing more. Getting herself more at ease with you in heels while you're out .... Much harder. One of the great leaps forward for me, was on getting the missus out on her birthday with me in heels. She is and was nuts on Tutankhamun. I got her two tickets for the exhibition at the O2 three years ago as the main part of her birthday present. I'm interested in history, but not stuff that happened 3,000 years ago, so I was thinking she could 'phone a friend'. Trouble was, they were even less interested than me.... We struck a deal where I would go [get really bored] as long as I got to wear heels the whole time we were out. It was a good deal for us both. She had a great [full] day there, and I got to wear heels for a fairly long period. [8 or 9 hours if I remember.] It's written up in detail on HHp. My point is, not only did I get agreement for the deal, there was some enthusiasm for it too. ["Put 'em on - let's go."] Every time we go out with me in heels, I try to make sure we BOTH have a nice time out together. Some days are better than others, but we seldom [if ever] have failures. General itinery; travel somewhere ..... Have coffee and/or lunch on arrival ..... Shop ..... Eat .... Travel home. If we do stuff that's local, I might walk to and from the venue in heels. If we eat local I change my footwear. If we go to the movies, I usually don't bother. [Easy getting in unnoticed, much harder getting out when everyone leaves the auditorium at the same time.] I never wear stiletto's on these shared gigs though. I wear block heels, or as you've seen, a high heeled cowboy boot with a 4" heel. I have worn blade heels in London, where I might also be tempted to wear stiletto's in the evening - if I know I'm not walking on slabbed pavement where heels can get damaged sinking between cracks or breaks in the slabbing. The idea is my feet aren't supposed to draw any attention. [And in her mind, unwanted attention.] So I don't wear heels so high they slow me down too much, or force me to walk like Dick Emery in his "You are awful" sketches. Which reminds me. If you are going to wear that suit and heels, you may need longer trousers .... :-( Woman or man in heels, trousers at 'half mast' doesn't seem to work as well as trouser bottoms just touching the tops of toes. More expense? Keep up the good work. I'm getting dead jealous seeing your piccies, and I'm feeling like I'm slacking not joining in. Need to make some time, eh? .....