FastFreddy2

Warmer times are here in the UK. We have 'time shifted' to allow us more evening light too, so evenings seem longer. In fact, we are all busy an hour earlier in the day than we were in winter. Some warmer weather has coincidentally arrived with this time change, making Spring seem more like Summer. We are told this coming Sunday, temperatures will be up in the 20's C. Today (Thursday) won't be quite as warm, but it will be one of the warmest days we've had here, this year so far. It might tempt me to have a walk along the river Thames later, if I get my act together early enough. The advantage of being in London, is the residual heat from the buildings there, as it helps keep these Spring days warmer in the evening. While shoe shopping is coming to an end (open sandals are the usual fare now) wearing shoes or boots out, becomes more attractive as inclement weather withdraws. After so long hibernating, I hope I have the energy to take advantage of the improved climate.

"Why I wear heels?" I think in my younger days (pre 8 years old), I would get (I suspect sexually) excited wearing a heel. Just putting on a pair of my mother's shoes would do something I liked. I wasn't aware of the 'why', just that it did. Looking back, it might have been the wrongness of it. At the time I knew there were physical differences between the sexes, but was not aware of the why's of the differences. I would have been aware I preferred the look of how women dressed, to how men dressed. In hindsight, would that have also indicated my sexual preferences too? Women were attractive, men (much) less so. Fast forward another 4 to 6 years, I enjoyed a very physical response to wearing a high heel. As reported elsewhere, I would put one of my mothers heeled shoes inside another to get a slightly more challenging heel to walk in. My 'top shelf' reading material would have included ladies wearing heels. Over a number of years, perhaps formative years, I might have been 'trained' into connecting high heels with sexual activity. Fast forward perhaps another 30 years, and partners were no longer wearing heels because they could no longer tolerate wearing them (for the most part). I had experience or wearing them, and had few social barriers (within my immediate personal relationships) and thought I might like a pair to wear for my personal pleasure.... That didn't involve anything to do with sex. Not only did I enjoy wearing a heel, it felt like I'd found again, a pair of old slippers that had always been the most comfortable thing I'd ever had on my feet. While it might surprise some, the immediate sexual connotation was almost gone, and certainly gone in the practical sense. It was like smelling my favourite perfume again after a long abstinence, or like sipping a very cold drink on a very warm day. While wearing a high heel isn't normal, probably isn't natural to anyone, it does, and always has felt that way to me. This interest has not been, nor is it "plain sailing". It means I have a secret life, with few I can share it with. I remember vividly, the day I discovered HHp and H4M. For a start it meant I was significantly less weird than I felt. My subsequent Evilbay sales, have also indicated to me, that men interested in heels (for whatever reason) is more prolific than I ever considered possible. I have seen a man out in heels (who I approached - with sadly no positive response) and another man I conversed with, while he tried on several pairs of women's shoes in a store during a sale period. While I can't wear heels to my local Tesco (though I did once) or ASDA (though I did once) I no longer feel as isolated as I might, with my high heel (wearing) interest. While a man enjoying a heel isn't exactly mainstream, it isn't unique either. I don't mind being a member of a relatively small group.... I do wish I didn't need to be so secretive about it though. It's not too high a price to pay, all things considered. I get out when I want for the most part, and wear a heel when I want, for the most part. As with my recent Lakeside visit, being out in a heel brings some inner contentment I'm not sure I would otherwise enjoy. I'm not sure why ....

I'm envious of your location, but not the reason to be there. (You are welcome to that bit.) Safe journey.

Hopefully, the changes are noticeable. The high heel 'sandal', penny farthing.

Me too, and I have pictures somewhere ....

I have priced up the MTB version. Around £25 each delivered Thank you for the lead. Russ. While I wouldn't normally consider riding a bike wearing heels, I did think I would wear heels out and about somewhere, with a bicycle as company. Should I see people I'd sooner avoid, I could simply ride away. (Or swap shoes, and ride away.)

Actually, the cheapest way to go (offpeak) I've just found to £24.60 (or £30.80 without discounts). So two people travelling would cost £49.20 which is a couple of pounds cheaper than expected, assuming I've done my bit correctly. Nearly £40 dearer than the fuel cost less marginal tyre wear. Make two journeys and I've paid for two new tyres. I make the London trip, perhaps every other week. I've done 50,000 miles on the back tyres, and they will go rotten before they wear down enough to need replacing. I'm very gentle on the brakes....

Not up here. Anywhere motorised traffic is allowed = deathtraps. No such animal as a 'quiet road'. There are dedicated cycle routes though, which are pleasant to use, and involve a fair amount of variety in terms of surfaces. Meaning, some tarmac, some mud, some gravel, some flat, some challenging gradients. Though I never fail to get a puncture whenever I go out. Mr Tyre Maker says 40psi in tyres which I do. Apparently, 30-35psi provides lower chances of getting thorn punctures. I won't fill inner tubes with goo, but I'd like to find a way to prevent so many 'incidents'.

After 15 minutes of trying, I've given up even trying to find the current price of a Travelcard to include NR and Underground travel. Last time I looked (several years ago) it was up to £26 for off-peak. Been a couple of rises since then. Fuel for the journey comes in at £10 or just under. So taxi to, or parking charge at, station. x2 rail fares, 20 minute BR 'fast' train journey (40 minutes 'slow'), 10 minutes walk into underground station and an hour or so after starting my journey using 'fast' train, I reach my destination. Return journey means slightly longer travelling time as there are fewer trains, sometimes with drunken/boisterous people sharing the carriage I'm in. Then a wait for taxi at journeys end (or walk to car if in car park.) Or I get into car, drive into North London listening to music of my choice in comfortable seat with no smelly or noisy weirdo's anywhere near me. Spend 5 minutes finding (free) parking space, and we're there. Same short comfortable journey to get home. It's an easy choice for me.... With no knowledge of your location other than 'South' somewhere, it would be hard to fully understand the comparison, but .... Assuming you are somewhere with a good London train service (like Brighton, although I know it isn't Brighton), I might be tempted by the trains too. A fast single train journey at reasonable cost would beat a long car journey regardless to the other attractions of using a car. (Safe, quiet, comfortable environment.) I too would find the cycle-touring an attractive way to travel, to see things/places I might not otherwise see. I couldn't be doing that on roads though, here or anywhere else. It maybe goes back to happy-times on one as a child, but I really do enjoy cycling.

One of the "fiasco" holidays I referred to, had me picked out for taking my knee high boots (slim/long cowboy boot style) off to be scanned. I was scarlet faced, but no-one batted an eye, nor did any of the 200+ people queuing behind me. I don't walk anywhere without something on my feet (since treading on a black spiny sea anemone in Greece) so I wasn't happy to be walking on ground covered by dirty shoes or dirty feet at a rate of around 500 per hour. Worse, our flight got cancelled for 20 hours after we got flight-side. (When I went through again next day, I put on my transparent jelly sandals. - Not stopped a second time.) I remember getting spotted by security, and possibly police when leaving the O2 a couple of years ago. I was wearing very high heeled courts with ankle strap at the time though. They have a hidden platform, and I struggle/struggled to walk in them. I hadn't had any practice wearing them before, nor since thinking about it. I'm sure my 'ungainly' gait would have helped me get spotted.

I am warming to the notion of a 'canal' type holiday. I have had a cat for 4 years almost to the day. I will not leave him with anyone he doesn't know, and certainly not at a cattery. If I can't take him with me, I won't be going, and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't enjoy the car ride anyway. He might enjoy the wandering bit. (LOVES to chase/catch mice.) While being at sea sounds attractive too, like many on board, I would not be passing the dessert table without trying everything on it. As far as cake and anything sweet is concerned, I have no self control at all. I've been driving for over 40 years, and even being in heavy traffic (yesterday), seems little more difficult/challenging to me than walking. In fact using my bicycle seems to be more demanding given I'm bad weather adverse when it comes to riding... Unlike you two, Central London (West End) is no more than an hour away. Brent Cross - a PITA to get to on public transport, is at worst 40 minutes away. A rail journey there would be (well) over an hour and I would still need a 15/25 minute walk to get to the mall. Westfield White City is the similar though slightly worse. I would have to go into Central London to get there. Less grief driving. A Travelcard isn't inexpensive, and while tyres and other consumables cost, most of that has to be paid for whether the car gets used or not. My back tyres will go rotten before they wear out, service items get changed if I do 10 miles or 10 thousand. My car is well under expected mileage, and is old enough for it's condition to be more important than it's mileage. Depreciation is measured on it's age now, no longer mileage. The benefits of driving an older car.... I can't remember the last time I paid for parking in London. Typically I go on a Sunday, or weekday evenings. I time my weekday journeys to arrive when parking charges are over for the day, often staying to shop and then eat out afterward. Driving in, I am against the home-going traffic, and leave when the roads are much quieter. If I walked out of Selfridges at the same time a train traveller did, I would expect to be home about the same time if we both travelled to the same destination (ie where I live.) If there was anything in it (either way) I expect it to be minutes, and I would have a seat the whole journey too. We each do what suits us best. Mine is driving.

I don't think I've been anywhere, ever, where I haven't been spotted by someone. The shoe and trouser combination I wore to Lakeside yesterday, only allowed for a (fairly pointed) tiny triangle of my shoe to be seen out from underneath my jeans, and even walking, my heels were mostly covered. (They were a little on the noisy side though. Not obtrusively so, but noisy for a man's shoe.) It wasn't like every person in the gaff recognised my footwear, far from it. But I know I was spotted, at least once and likely twice thinking on it. (The time I know my shoes were spotted has been mentioned elsewhere.) So far, with me now in my ninth year of wearing heels in public during the day, I've not had much in the way of adverse reactions, just a range of people recognising I might not be wearing flat shoes. Usually them sitting provides a high incidence of spotting me, their line of sight being closer to my feet. Same is true of children. (Potential No.3 'spotter' yesterday was a little person in Superdrug.) Lastly, women, especially women of colour are particularly successful at noticing. The one time I remember being embarrassed, was when spotted by two Clarins reps in House of Fraser Lakeside some 6 or 7 years ago. I saw at least one looking at my shoes, and the two 18/19/20 something Essex girls had a giggle at my expense. I could have laughed at their trowelled on makeup, completely unnecessary for people so young, but TOWIE has a well-deserved reputation. These girls were obviously fans. At the time I was wearing a 4" rubber wedge heels. Absolutely silent, hidden for the most part by my jeans. The toe shape was a bit of a giveaway, it only needed someone to look. One of them did, and 'shared' with her colleague. Other than that, shop staff are generally good at spotting a man in heels. As are doormen/doorwomen. Both Zara and Primarni Oxford Street have security on every entrance/exit, and I doubt I've been past any of them without my footwear being noticed. I get smiles and nods sometimes, but more often I just get a discreet look.

Didn't announce it (never gets a response) but went to Lakeside today. Really, only went there to revisit Primarni, to buy some more hose. I'd bought a single packet of 'ankle highs' some 6 weeks ago, thinking that if they were suitable I could get more at other stores. (I've tried to replace my 2009 purchases many many times previously with no great success.) To my surprise, I made the 'test' pair work. Mostly because I can use them as knee-highs and they stay on my calves all day too. I'd already tried several other stores, with no success. This usually means new stock, or old stock. The only place I'd seen them ever, was at Lakeside, so a return journey was made. On arrival, I made a glass purchase within 10 minutes. This something of a record, cutting some 2 hours off my previous/usual purchasing cycle-time. I bought two of these: Reidel Coca-cola glasses. I have "a thing" for very thin walled, thin based (aka fine glass) highball glasses. Practically impossible to find, though stemless wine glasses are becoming increasingly popular. Once purchased, they were stored back in the car, before we resumed browsing. Usually £25 a pair, they were way too valuable to have clonking around in a bag.... After an hour of browsing en route, we arrived at Primarni. It took some time to find the hose section, and our search wasn't easily rewarded. The ankle/knee sock section was full of stock, but not the right stock for me. We began digging around, and found some of the right item 'hidden' behind the newer/padded/more expensive version of the ankle sock. The packaging being all but identical, it would be easy to understand how this older stock could be hidden by an assistant not fully aware of what they had done. There were 9 packs left (2 pairs in each pack) and I bought all 9 packs. They will likely last me until the end of my high heeling days. While in the store, I got to watch a girl walk around who was wearing red patent high heel d'Orsay shoes. It was quite a distraction. The mall was busy despite the sunshine and warmer temperatures outside. We had a late lunch at Pret, and stayed at Lakeside until the place closed at 5pm. We did a significant amount of walking, getting into every store we saw of interest. While no shoes were bought or tried on, even Mrs Freddy remarked it was the "wrong time of year" for me and shoe shopping. To my surprise, women's fashion shops had 'mid-season sales' going already. Mrs Freddy assured me that while 30% discounts might seem premature, many people will have already spent most of their Summer clothing budget. I will spend my Summer budget, in Autumn.

I've always liked 'pointy' shoes. Men's or women's, though women's preferred, to both look at and wear. Wore some today. Got me looked at by some. Especially a shop assistant in Zara. Nearly broke her neck trying to look over her shoulder as she walked past.

Please do. There's a very small chance I might enjoy using it. I don't holiday now, because I don't fly. Last 2 of 3 of foreign hols were bummers, and the third wasn't much to write home about either. TBH, I've got better things to spend money on. Historically (going back 40 years) I always preferred 50 good weeks, than 50 bad ones saving for a 2 week splurge. A new toy (which could be one of a number of items) has more purpose in my life than 2 weeks of memories I'm too old to (reliably) retain. (I have a photograph of an old girlfriend taken 30 years ago, of her walking through the streets of Santa Cruz with me. She is wearing very short shorts, and very high heels. She turned heads. That was a holiday. I can't go back for more of that, as much as I wish I could.) As to the social life, I don't know many people that have one at my age, that doesn't heavily involve family, and my family is now quite small. I used to go clubbing, and the last time I went (around a year ago), I felt like I was at a pensioners-day-out. I wasn't the youngest by any means, but many there looked a lot older. "Hobbies", which I have, don't produce much physical interaction despite the three main ones producing regular (phone/email) contact with others - none of which is truly social. As an example, when was the last time there was a group meet of men wearing heels in the South of England? Even one arranged on HHp, where there's a lot more forum traffic? Money for train fares.... I can travel into London at least 4 times (maybe 5 times), on the price of a pair of rail tickets. By car I can go when I want, and leave the moment I want, I don't have to tolerate being overheated when warm weather arrives, nor suffer drunks or foul-mouthed chavs. I HAVE travelled into London's West End from Cockfosters Underground, and there's a report of the journey somewhere that mentions being sat opposite two burly chaps, one of whom got his mate to notice my heels (and who plainly wasn't interested in this revelation.) When we went to see Wicked a couple of years ago, through necessity, I used the Underground while in heels. (Mrs Freddy wore the highest heels I saw all night.) Other than using public transport because I might want to consume alcohol (and I pretty much don't drink), I can't think of a single beneficial reason to use it. Don't let that stop anyone organising a 'charitable' trip for me though. I'd try to make the most of it.

I would think 'time of day' might change the overall high heel ratio of those using the station too, though some women now use foldable (ballerina) pumps to arrive at their destination, before putting on their 'killer heels' at a bar or club. If it weren't so expensive to use BR or LT, I would happily do some research in these places. For the sake of debate of course ....

Credit where it's due .... 100 women at a seminar wouldn't be dressed badly, in fact I'd be surprised if they were anything other than dressed 'competitively'... I'm pretty sure Russ usually wears a 4" heel or higher, so placing himself where he did to find only one pair of heels higher? I also think women are more likely to spot a(nother) heel wearer too. He's a man who likes to live perilously ....

I'd like to spread something over Drunker/Junker and Tusk ... Something made by Portland Cement. These failed politicians are behaving as badly as any European tyrant in history.

But I thought .....

'Jack' boots and a riding crop?

I won't mind if she grows a small black moustache and starts raising her right hand to say 'hello' to people. Given the reduction in the standard of living endured by the UK over the last 15-20 years, I would say the bulk of the UK electorate (which includes the bit that doesn't vote), has had enough of 'conciliatory'. Most of us believe we've been taken-for-a-ride by the EU which has become something of a goblin, only taking and never giving. We may never recover from pouring money into what increasingly looks like a lost cause, but the sooner we stop the flow of cash into the bottomless pit, the better.

I think both sides will be playing that game. Lots of sabre-rattling, and for some months yet. Both sides will ask for conditions they know won't be met, and maybe can't be met. Eventually, something will be offered so both sides can say they 'won' the negotiations. Sadly, The UK doesn't usually do well when negotiating, though Thatcher did better than was expected. If the UK starts off from the position there's no access to a single market outside of WTO trade tariffs and work from there, anything else is a plus. I have my doubts the EU want WTO tariffs on either side of the import/export situation since we buy from more than we sell to. I'm wondering if VAT is/was an EU tax. Dumping that would make us VERY competitive. If I remember, the UK gets most of it, but the EU got a chunk too? No, the big worry is 3-4 million economic migrants. Europe is very happy sucking money out of the UK economy to send back home (into the EU) and would not want that to stop. Nor would many large UK businesses want their cheap employees sent back home either. High stakes for businesses then.

You assume right. Sandals almost never fit my slender feet, as my feet tend to slip forward n them. These shoes might have been made for me, they fitted so well. I was disappointed it took so long to sell them on, and £10 wasn't the first bid I was offered either, I 'talked' it up to £10.... But they had to go because I was just never going to wear them. Had I a tendency to travel abroad, or far enough away from home I would have no chance of meeting people I knew (or had camera phones) I might have taken the chance on wearing them out in discreet circumstances. But I've almost no social life, don't participate in foreign holidays any longer, and we didn't get a summer last year either. There seemed little point in keeping them. The same can be said of perhaps 50% (or more) of the shoes I own. Even the mens shoes I have, amounting to some 4 or so pairs, only one of them is worn. The other 3 pairs I know I have, are literally 'gathering dust' and have been for years. At least two pairs have been waiting for some action for over 6 years (at least).

She's just reminding the EU what's at stake if they believe a complete separation is attractive. Her big bargaining chip is actually EU residents currently in the UK. Sending them back home would mess up several EU economies, including the UK to an extent. But, stopping medical care and welfare help wouldn't harm the UK economy but would harm the EU countries. That's the one the EU doesn't want, hundreds of thousands of "dependents" moving back onto the mainland, leaving healthy money earners in the UK.

In my "continuing" quest for some nice red patent heels, I'd bought two pairs of 'used' Office courts with walkable heels close to 5" high. Sadly, I was unhappy with both pairs, each having undeclared faults on arrival. I just sold them on. Made a loss on each, but both pairs went fairly quickly. Not sure why I keep looking for these. I actually bought a 'cheapo' pair for around £20 (delivered), new and boxed from an independent seller up Bradford way. Nice fit, comfortable, what's not to like? Only that they are a Chinese knock-off of Jimmy Choo, and I'd like the real thing. Or a pair of stupidly high Louboutin Hot Chick in my size.