Tacchi Alti Posted May 15, 2017 Report Share Posted May 15, 2017 I've been looking for a suitably subtle pair of wedge sandals for the warmer weather. I have several pairs with block heels and a reasonably masculine look (wide straps, no platform etc) but want something less obvious I can wear for travelling, particularly at the airport. We're off to the USA in a couple of weeks, and the weather's likely to be hot. I've just bought these from Ebay but the heels are a bit narrow. They might have to do but I'm worried they might be a bit loud! I'd have to remove them for Security - do I keep a pair of flatter sandals ready to don for that bit, or just tiptoe through?... I did the latter last year when I took off my boots to put on the belt. That was a funny story in itself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyheels Posted May 15, 2017 Report Share Posted May 15, 2017 I don't know about travelling to the US but I fly a lot to other places around the globe and generally it is only those who are wearing boots (of any description) who are required to remove them. In some places, such as Australia, you do not even need to do that. Should you have to remove your sandals, I don't see any problem or need for a spare pair. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFreddy2 Posted May 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2017 On 2017-5-15 at 10:48 AM, Russ in boots said: I'd have to remove them for Security - do I keep a pair of flatter sandals ready to don for that bit, or just tiptoe through?... Given the minimal time lost through changing shoes to go through security, I would (and did) wear flats after being told to take off my boots the first time through. I've yet to read anything positive about the UK security 'Stasi' or the American TSA. On 2017-5-15 at 10:48 AM, Russ in boots said: I did the latter last year when I took off my boots to put on the belt. That was a funny story in itself! Care to share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacchi Alti Posted May 16, 2017 Report Share Posted May 16, 2017 Just got those sandals. REALLY comfortable - I can see myself putting in some miles in them. The heels are narrow but quiet. Just one problem, as with a lot of slingbacks, is that my trouser hems catch under my heel as I walk, so the whole heel of the sandal is exposed! Perhaps I just need to wear shorts and be done... Anyone got a solution apart from attaching elastic to the inside of my trousers and stretching it round the heel? Story? Ah yes: We were going to New York and at Security I was told that women needed to take high heels off but men didn't need to remove their shoes. (That wording.) The lady member of staff told me that I didn't have to take my heels off 'this time'. I'm absolutely sure she hadn't noticed my concealed heels as they were completely covered by my trousers and are the most 'flat'-looking heeled boots I've ever seen. If my wife hadn't been with me I'd have showed her my boots - she was amazingly jovial for one of her kind and I'm sure she'd have enjoyed the joke. Anyway, I thought discretion was best so I took them off and tiptoed through the arch. I was really glad of them in the airport the other end. We were queuing for over an hour to go through their security and my back would have been killing me after just a few minutes of standing around. No one has ever commented on my heels, let alone ask why I wear them, but I have a true reason apart from just loving them: flat shoes make my back really ache if I'm standing or walking around - heels are an instant cure (if I change) and prevention (if I have them on from the start). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyheels Posted May 16, 2017 Report Share Posted May 16, 2017 I have some otk suede boots with 7cm block heels and they certainly relieve back spasms when I wear them. It's nice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFreddy2 Posted May 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 A word to the wise about back pain .... Keen your weight down, and exercise your core muscles (to keep them strong) and did I mention keeping your weight down? Yep, I know tall people suffer with back pain, because they are tall. Stop stooping, to talk to us short folk then? Having been told two weeks ago Summer had arrived and 'get ready for a heatwave' (that I wouldn't welcome), it seems the "heatwave" has gone off somewhere else? Our weather has been getting worse over the past week, and today (Wednesday) it pretty much rained all day. Some local roads were awash. The latest mid/longterm forecast, is further rain, possibly for up to a month. My walking companion is currently enjoying the Sun in a Middle Eastern country, and Mrs Freddy is close to leaving for the Americas. I'm reluctant to spend money welcoming sunshine, but this year is looking to be the worst yet in a long line of wet and cool summers.... It's putting a considerable crimp in my 'adventures'. I am wondering whether I might risk a driving adventure to the South of France, to my favourite place there; Nice. I visited in 1983, and swore I would be back soon, which I obviously got wrong..... Flying there would be cheaper (likely the price of fuel used on a car journey), but I am 'security check' adverse. My walking companion had to get to the airport, 3 hours before her flight abroad. Bonkers. Even taking a train to France involves the same sort of check .... There's no escape from it, other than ferry and driving. A private flight would be out of the question - obviously. Well, unless I found myself talking to Taylor Swift, who likes to get herself flown around the world. (She flew to the UK from the US today to meet her English boyfriend.) One way or another, I hope to be in London, some time over the weekend. If the weather is as bad as expected, I doubt I'll get further than the big stores in Oxford Street which provide a dry flat surface for walking, and refreshments. I find myself yearning for a coastal walk, in sunshine along a looooong promenade. Brighton might do if Summer ever arrives, but I bet parking is easier/cheaper in Nice. In my not-so-recent-past, I would travel to Ibiza a couple of times a year. Mrs Freddy and I would always stay in the same hotel and amongst other things, enjoy balmy evening strolls along almost a mile of promenade with our hotel at the quiet end of the fairly quiet resort. I wasn't back in heels then, and I now I reminisce not only on the really romantic nature of those fantastic holidays, but at the opportunities I had for wearing a heel on those walks. The closest I came to being out in a heel, was one night when we walked back (miles) from a nightclub, Mrs Freddy started getting sore feet from the attractively high heel mules she was wearing. For a while at least, we swapped shoes. She was grateful for the swap, and me too. I have no idea why I didn't buy some heels for myself the next day, other than believing at the time, me wearing heels in public was never going to happen. One thing is certain, I won't be driving there, if ever I go back. Perhaps I should consider adding the notion of me walking along that promenade in a heel, onto a 'bucket list'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puffer Posted May 18, 2017 Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 7 hours ago, FastFreddy2 said: A word to the wise about back pain .... Keen your weight down, and exercise your core muscles (to keep them strong) and did I mention keeping your weight down? Yep, I know tall people suffer with back pain, because they are tall. Stop stooping, to talk to us short folk then? ... One way or another, I hope to be in London, some time over the weekend. If the weather is as bad as expected, I doubt I'll get further than the big stores in Oxford Street which provide a dry flat surface for walking, and refreshments. I find myself yearning for a coastal walk, in sunshine along a looooong promenade. Brighton might do if Summer ever arrives, but I bet parking is easier/cheaper in Nice. ... Being tall with some sporadic back pain, I require anyone shorter to wear heels when in my company for the reason you suggest. Yes, forget about parking anywhere in the Green City of Brighton & Hove, especially within tottering distance of the seafront. I've been to Nice and I think parking is indeed easier and cheaper there - certainly, my cruise ship had no mooring problems! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyheels Posted May 18, 2017 Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 (edited) 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. Edited May 18, 2017 by Shyheels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFreddy2 Posted May 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 2 hours ago, Puffer said: Being tall with some sporadic back pain, I require anyone shorter to wear heels when in my company for the reason you suggest. I'm always happy to oblige, but I'd guess your preference would understandably be shorter ladies wearing heels, to bring them up to your height .... 2 hours ago, Puffer said: Yes, forget about parking anywhere in the Green City of Brighton & Hove, especially within tottering distance of the seafront. I've been to Nice and I think parking is indeed easier and cheaper there - certainly, my cruise ship had no mooring problems! There's a thought, 'floating' to Nice. Plenty of walking room on board a ship too. If only I had the 'where with all' for such an extravagant walk. Did you like Nice? Did you traverse the Promenade des Anglais while there? I loved the place, but that was over 30 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacchi Alti Posted May 18, 2017 Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 Thank you for doing all our worrying for us, Freddy. ;-) I admit I have bad posture, but even when I try to stand straight with shoulders back etc my back aches - probably more so for trying to do it and then sagging when I forget! Heels 3.5 inches + realign everything beautifully, and I can stand and walk all day with no pain, and of course the bonus is that lovely feeling of being in heels. Oh, I'm not tall - 5'8" and shrinking. I'm actually slightly shorter than my wife, and it's now funny to reverse the height difference as she rarely wears heels these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFreddy2 Posted May 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 (edited) 37 minutes ago, Russ in boots said: Thank you for doing all our worrying for us, Freddy. ;-) You're welcome. It gives me something to do .... Quote I admit I have bad posture, but even when I try to stand straight with shoulders back etc my back aches - probably more so for trying to do it and then sagging when I forget! Heels 3.5 inches + realign everything beautifully, and I can stand and walk all day with no pain, and of course the bonus is that lovely feeling of being in heels. Oh, I'm not tall - 5'8" and shrinking. I'm actually slightly shorter than my wife, and it's now funny to reverse the height difference as she rarely wears heels these days. As an aside to wearing a heel, (and justification for wearing), our skeletal structure was not made to take the weight of being tall, nor carrying excess weight. At no time in our physical development, have people been as tall as we generally are now. In the 16th century, you would have been seen as a 'giant' of a man. Nor previously, we would have (typically) lived long enough to wear out joints, a situation currently exacerbated by excess consumption of sugar (fructose) filled foods helping to keep us all overweight. Ageing joints and excess weight isn't a great combination. The 'struggle' to maintain fitness, isn't helped by our sedentary lifestyle. 100 years ago, many of us writing here, would have been like those volunteering to fight for their country in WWI, and finding ourselves "unfit to die for our country" because we were so malnourished. We would have worked hard for long hours, -if we had work- and probably not had enough to eat either way. That was the life of the 'working man people' (working class) back then, and for millennia before. End of soapbox/history moment. My walking companion is about an inch taller than me. In our 'relationship' days (a loooong time ago) she would wear high heels, and be noticeably taller than me, which I liked. A lot. Her wearing heels most of her life, has left her with feet in poor condition, so consequently she no longer wears a heel - although she would like to. A week before she left for her hols', I found her wearing in some heeled canvas sandals (like espadrilles) to be used while away, that once again put her noticeably higher than me. A pleasant surprise, though somewhat temporary. I quite like taller women, though I've no idea why. It's absolutely nothing Freudian I can assure everyone. Edited May 18, 2017 by FastFreddy2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puffer Posted May 18, 2017 Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 10 hours ago, FastFreddy2 said: I'm always happy to oblige, but I'd guess your preference would understandably be shorter ladies wearing heels, to bring them up to your height .... There's a thought, 'floating' to Nice. Plenty of walking room on board a ship too. If only I had the 'where with all' for such an extravagant walk. Did you like Nice? Did you traverse the Promenade des Anglais while there? I loved the place, but that was over 30 years ago. I'm not altogether fussy whether they are truly 'ladies' - but any female in heels is welcome company, and (being tall), I'm perfectly amenable to my companion being likewise. I did once have a few outings with a very presentable female who was 6'0" in her bare feet and, in modest heels, just about the same height as me; an interesting experience and by no means unpleasant. ('So, you went out with Puffer - how could you stoop so low?') Yes, a stroll along the Prom in Nice was enjoyed during my half-day there, some 10 years ago. Don't be put off cruising by the thought that it is pretentious or unduly luxurious and expensive. It can be (on certain ships and itineraries) but it is perfectly possible to have a week's cruising in warm Med waters, for example, for £500 - all inclusive apart from drinks - and even less if a late booking or other deal comes up, as it often does. (You don't really believe that I 'push the boat out' on my annual holiday, do you?) I do recall an event on board much as Shyheels mentioned; I forget the port in question. The harbour was small and not too easy to enter and the master had not berthed there before, as he admitted when announcing our impending arrival. But he made a perfect entry, controlling the vessel from an auxiliary position on one side, midships, where he could judge everything more easily - and deservedly got a round of applause from those of us watching the exercise. As he left the controls and passed me, I couldn't resist saying (in best Tony Hancock manner): 'Nice parking, squire - you've obviously done this before.' He had the decency to thank me! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFreddy2 Posted May 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2017 We are in our third day of rain. There's been the odd respite, but the 'growing water' farmers have been waiting for has arrived, hopefully not too late to be of use. It is finally getting warmer though, and the wind has abated. So, warm and wet or cool and dry .... Becoming the typical British summer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyheels Posted May 19, 2017 Report Share Posted May 19, 2017 Hail here. Nice otk boot-wearing weather for those of us sitting at desks in chilly rooms! I once had a good friend who played on a prominent women's basketball team - one of the top-rated teams in the US at the time (40 years ago). They were tall. Seriously tall. I remember going out for ice cream once with my friend (she was a striking 6'1" redhead) and some of her team mates (two gorgeous blonds who were both 6'3" and a brunette who was 6'5") I felt a bit like I was a little kid being taken out for ice cream by my big sister and her friends. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFreddy2 Posted May 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2017 9 hours ago, Shyheels said: I remember going out for ice cream once with my friend (she was a striking 6'1" redhead) and some of her team mates (two gorgeous blonds who were both 6'3" and a brunette who was 6'5") I felt a bit like I was a little kid being taken out for ice cream by my big sister and her friends. Lucky s.o.a.g. I wouldn't have been having "sisterly" thoughts about them, I can tell you. Was out early evening to buy some milk (and return some shoes via the Post Office) with Mrs Freddy in tow. Did the deed at the PO which amazingly, didn't have a queue out to the door. (Which it usually has.) Into the store for provisions, then back to the car. All with no events to report. (Though thinking about it, there was a young girl [late teens] shopping with her mum, with the girl wearing VERY bright red lipstick. Which was a bit unusual for 5pm?) Back in the car, and I'm in a 2 or 3 car queue leading to what I would usually describe as a long-about, but which is so long it probably should be called a one-way system though you get onto it like a roundabout. (Priority to traffic from the right, at 'give-way' lines.) So I'm in this queue, and there's a couple of cars behind me. As I wait (tempted to write "wait patiently", but that would be a lie), I spot a small group walking into the high street I'm leaving. One of the group is a very pretty lady in her early twenties. Dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. She's wearing a very tight dress with transparent black net top. No bra (I discover) but her modesty covered with black inserts. The skirt part of her dress is dark and tight, confirming her shape to be that of a lingerie model. As she turned the corner (revealing her naked back and bra-less status) I could clearly see the profile of her stiletto courts with 4 and something inch heel. I was stunned, and in any other situation would have taken another good hard look, because visions like this are seldom seen outside of film premieres or fashion shows. Stuck in a slow moving convoy with absolutely no way of altering my course, I had to drive away. Returning would have achieved nothing as the long-about round trip would have taken so long. Driving away, I told Mrs Freddy what I'd seen, that had distracted me. After a short period of silence I could hear in the distance; "Earth to Freddy, Earth to Freddy. Come in Freddy." Took a little while, but I did eventually return to Earth. Ain't life strange/entertaining, when you bother to keep your eyes on 'high alert'.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puffer Posted May 20, 2017 Report Share Posted May 20, 2017 7 hours ago, FastFreddy2 said: Lucky s.o.a.g. I wouldn't have been having "sisterly" thoughts about them, I can tell you. ... I'm not sure what steps you should have taken if you wanted to get acquainted with those girls, Freddy - except that they would have needed to be tall ones, and probably with a handrail! 7 hours ago, FastFreddy2 said: ... Ain't life strange/entertaining, when you bother to keep your eyes on 'high alert'.... Yes, if indeed you do. Your motor insurance will be endorsed at next renewal with a 'Gawking at girls in heels' exclusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacchi Alti Posted May 20, 2017 Report Share Posted May 20, 2017 I have a monthly market stall and it's still boots weather here! Makes it convenient as they are well hidden under long jeans, and the heels save my back, what with standing for several hours. Next month it might be sandals weather so I'll see how many three-year-olds notice them under lighter trousers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFreddy2 Posted May 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2017 2 hours ago, Puffer said: I'm not sure what steps you should have taken if you wanted to get acquainted with those girls, Freddy - except that they would have needed to be tall ones, and probably with a handrail! "I have a dream" .... 2 hours ago, Puffer said: Yes, if indeed you do. Your motor insurance will be endorsed at next renewal with a 'Gawking at girls in heels' exclusion. You may not be surprised to know ..... About 35 years ago... Fortunately the Mini I drove into wasn't supposed to be on the road at the weekend. Very very minor dink. The driver agreed to forget the incident (since his boss wouldn't be happy he was using a company car at the weekend) and said he'd mention the damage as a "car park incident" some time in the future. Since that time, I do tend to keep my eyes on the road/cars in front while moving. While in a queue of parked traffic though, "all bets are off". 34 minutes ago, Russ in boots said: I have a monthly market stall and it's still boots weather here! Makes it convenient as they are well hidden under long jeans, and the heels save my back, what with standing for several hours. Next month it might be sandals weather so I'll see how many three-year-olds notice them under lighter trousers. The smaller number will be those that don't spot them. They won't say anything, but the usual routine is: They look at you, look at your shoes, look at you ..... A bit of whirring goes on inside their head, then they look down again before getting dragged off by the adult who hasn't noticed anything. Can't tell you how many times it's happened to me, but children's "hit" rate is a high 80% to 90% with adults in the single figures. You'll know for sure, if the adults come back and they both look. (Assuming they are that interested.) Brave man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFreddy2 Posted May 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) More rain again today, some of it torrential. Nasty, black skies every couple of hours through most of the day with cooler temperatures again. I dread to think what our total gas bill is going to be like for this year .... Tomorrow (or later today as I write this in the early hours of Sunday morning) is supposed to be warm and dry ... ha ha ha ha And warmer weather is on the way, despite rain for 3 weeks being forecast only days ago. If it is warm and dry, today/Sunday I may well be seen taking a stroll along Oxford Street, and possibly the South Bank if time allows. We have a voucher for coffee and cake to use, and prepaid vouchers for a spaghetti joint if we get hungry enough. Since I cooked the pescatarian version of spagbol the other day, and have to do something similar next week (to use up the fresh pasta) a spaghetti meal out is unlikely. Those vouchers have a 6 month life, so they'll likely get used next month. Edited May 21, 2017 by FastFreddy2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFreddy2 Posted May 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2017 The trip to London didn't happen .... Apols to anyone else who turned up. It was warm when the Sun was out, but that wasn't often enough to make it a warm day. Consequently, I got distracted. I have a second bicycle waiting for me to be collected, and Halfords are giving 10% off bikes with a trade-in. I managed to get a rusty old bone-shaker for nothing off Freecycle, which will save me £35 at Halfords today. The bike I'll be getting was originally £499, on sale at £350, I'll be parting with £315. Quite a good deal, especially since the bike was under-priced at £499 as it has an air-fork included, and several other attractive "goodies" that make the sum of the parts significantly more expensive than the cost of the bike. This is typical, but not usually by such a big margin. The fork alone usually retails for £250. The (very sexy) wheels and tyres, £200. I know nothing about NX group sets, but reviewers can't believe a bike at this price has them. Yesterdays forecast warmer weather has shown up today. What I would describe as 'perfect' weather. Sunny, with a little haze, ensuring the heat is not too strong. A very very slight breeze keeping the warmed air moving. All I need now is some rocks and the lapping of sea water against those rocks. (I'm not keen on beaches, unless the sand is white - which means no beach around the UK.) One day I'll get around to finding a place in Devon or Cornwall I can visit, where the water is close to transparent .... Unlike the East coast and much of the South, where mud clouds the coastal waters. I like being in the sea, but not in something that would pass as a dirty pool of water ... I also seem to have bruised the ball of my left foot. Well, not bruised, but it's tender for a reason I don't understand. I don't remember doing anything stupid to it or with it, but tender it was yesterday, and it's not much better today. Wearing a heel might have been difficult so 'crying off' was a reasonable thing to do even without the distraction of a bike purchase. Hopefully the tenderness will be gone in a day or two. We are promised warmer weather this week, with the possibility of temperatures in the mid to upper mid twenties. No-one yet is holding their breath, but signs are there for warmer weather. Hopefully, a trip out will follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacchi Alti Posted May 22, 2017 Report Share Posted May 22, 2017 I definitely want to get out in my new wedge sandals now it's warmed up. I had a short foray in them last week, driving to pick up a takeaway, but must try them seriously with light trousers before wearing them for the flight next week. While I'm becoming less and less worried about the heels showing, I want to make sure how they will behave so far as the trouser bottoms tucking under my heels goes. Showing off a four inch slim heel is OK in small doses, but I don't want it happening all the time! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFreddy2 Posted May 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2017 (edited) Looks like things are going to get ridiculous very soon, on the temperature front. On Sunday evening last, around 11pm, it was so cool our CH came on. By the end of the week, I will be looking to buy a portable air con unit as we are promised sub-Sahara temperatures. Mrs Freddy doesn't sleep well with a fan on, though me and the cat do fine. I bought a 2 man tent about 12 years ago, never been out of the storage sleeve, and I mean never. (Could be a rolled up blanket for all I know.) Possibly, me and the cat will be spending some nights out on the garden lawn.... Our garden is South facing and our bedroom is at the back of the house, so gets like an oven in high Summer. I have a plan to help resolve this, but I'm a year away from having a Velux window installed in the roof. Even further away from having solar panels installed. Our roof doesn't have much of a pitch, so warm air stays were it is. A fan helps enormously to keep body temperatures reasonable in the bedroom, but silent fan at sensible money? Edited May 22, 2017 by FastFreddy2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacchi Alti Posted May 23, 2017 Report Share Posted May 23, 2017 Put a freezer in the bedroom and leave the door open? The cat might get inside, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyheels Posted May 23, 2017 Report Share Posted May 23, 2017 (edited) Having spent much time in the tropics during the course of my life I am continually amazed that temperatures in the 20s can be considered 'hot' by the inhabitants of this sceptered isle... Edited May 23, 2017 by Shyheels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacchi Alti Posted May 23, 2017 Report Share Posted May 23, 2017 Think of me next week jetting in to Florida... Might be on the warm side there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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