"Last minute" meeting around the UK?

[Tacchi Alti]

Well, you've sunk the train, Freddie, but what has knackered parts of the body and mind got to do with last-minute meetings?

Actually, re bunions, misaligned toes, etc., they're not necessarily the result of wearing high heels but rather badly fitting shoes, which can easily be flat. There's also the question of how well people look after their feet.

[FastFreddy2]

11 hours ago, Russ in boots said:

but what has knackered parts of the body and mind got to do with last-minute meetings?

I would have thought it was fairly self-explanatory? My excursions (almost) always include female company that run 'interference' (as best they can) while I'm out wearing a heel, or trying them on. In fact Mrs Freddy has become (surprisingly) adept at standing between me and potential voyeurs when I try on a heel in a store - with no prompting from me to do it either. With the two people I usually go out with out of action -due to old or broken bones- I am too. 

I have made the occasional exception with me being out in a heel alone, but then only when I meet others who know about them. It's one thing to get spotted out in a heel with company (indicating acceptance within a group), quite something else to be spotted out as "Mr Weirdo"/"Billy-no-mates" wearing what is universally considered a woman's shoe. 

 

Quote

Actually, re bunions, misaligned toes, etc., they're not necessarily the result of wearing high heels but rather badly fitting shoes, which can easily be flat. There's also the question of how well people look after their feet.

There is a multitude of reasons for acquiring crippled feet, but no-one wearing a high heeled shoe (high means => 3 inches) for 20-30 years has healthier feet or better residual bone structure than someone who didn't. Over the last 9 years I've been wearing the occasional heel, I've noticed changes in the shape of my feet, and indications of (very) mild abuse. Just recently, I've become aware of nerve bruising. Not caused directly by wearing a heel, but general foot 'wear and tear' with heel wearing making recovery slow or seemingly impossible. (I have a 4th toe I'd dearly like to have removed.)

The three women I have written about, would all have worn 4 inch heels regularly (almost daily) from around the mid 70's to early/mid 90's at least. Mrs Freddy, still wears a heel out, but not as often as she used to, and will no longer wear an uncomfortable shoe no matter how pretty they look. When younger she would go out in a heel for the evening, and unlike the regime of 20+ year olds today, those shoes would have stayed on her feet all night. That's still the case, though she does not considers a high heel, a 'hiking' or "traipsing around with Freddy" shoe.  That said ...... >> Circumstances dictated otherwise. <<

In taking a bit more care and not wearing a heel to work, Mrs Freddy has had better luck with her feet (no operations) than the other two, but all three suffer with their feet. I ask myself from time to time, would I have worn a heel more often in my younger days, if it had been acceptable to wear them any time I wanted? Without the expectation (foresight) of crippled feet, the answer would be an emphatic "Yes" just as the three women had no expectation of having crippled feet in middle age. But what would the answer be if I knew that from the age of 50 (or a little younger) I wouldn't be able to wear a heel at all if I had worn them for years before? That's not such an easy question to answer. If I knew I was going to pass at 52, the answer becomes easy again, but what if I was to live for another 30 years with painful feet - and avoidably painful feet? Since young people believe they are indestructible, I would still have worn a heel, even if advised of the likely longterm outcome. After all, I never thought I'd get to the years I have for starters. Not least because I've been close to (accidental) death more times than I care to remember. (May start a thread on that. )  

On balance I would have done the same as everyone else. Enjoyed what I could, when I could. You never know when the Grim Reaper is going to call. 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2017 by FastFreddy2

[Tacchi Alti]

9 hours ago, FastFreddy2 said:

I would have thought it was fairly self-explanatory? 

Ah sorry, I'd missed the fact that all your meetings are last-minute...

 

 

 

[FastFreddy2]

2 hours ago, Russ in boots said:

Ah sorry, I'd missed the fact that all your meetings are last-minute...

"Every day is a school day" Russ. 

[FastFreddy2]

Advice: Don't wear heels >> Part 1 <<

I don't know this  /\  lady personally, but I do know someone who got the same injury, as she stepped out of a taxi (tripping) while wearing a heel.  Didn't stop her putting them back on either. 

 

Don't wear heels: Part II

My walking companion, recovery picture;

 

 

Bunion shaved, metatarsal broken and realigned. Phalanges shaved, broken and pinned straight.

This is the second attempt at straightening this foot. (The op on the other foot worked the first time.) Would she wear a heel again if she could? "Yes".

 

 

Edited August 17, 2017 by FastFreddy2

[Puffer]

What is the metal 'clip' on her toe?

[FastFreddy2]

1 hour ago, Puffer said:

What is the metal 'clip' on her toe?

It's the head of a stainless pin. In a couple of weeks time, it'll be pulled out.

Almost certainly it's there to ensure the repaired toe stays straight (kept straight) while the bone repairs itself. Originally, the toe was so crooked, one of the joints had grow into quite a lump. It made wearing anything other than a very soft shoe, quite a painful experience.

 

[Puffer]

ouch!

 

[Shyheels]

Lordy!

[FastFreddy2]

Yay! Me and Mrs Freddy are off to London tomorrow, to make sure it's still there! 

Hopefully, we are going to see some warm weather.... 

[Shyheels]

Where is that playing? :-)

 

[FastFreddy2]

21 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Where is that playing? :-)

 

Too clever/obtuse for me .... 

 

It's all still there, but unusually quiet, and I mean quiet. Drove into London (as usual) and for the first I can remember, no traffic queue at Apex Corner, and I mean none at all. Although we purposely arrived late in the day (eating out), the shops weren't busy either. While Mrs Freddy remarked it was probably to do with new-season-stock in the shops rather than sale-stock, I couldn't help but wonder if troubles abroad are affecting shoppers?

The 'sale' Office Hampton courts I coveted at £48 (down from £72) had gone, though them finally going down to £38 may have something to do with that ....  Not least because at that price, even I wouldn't have resisted. 

The rain arrived at 6.15pm, fortunately light enough then, for us to get back to the car reasonably dry. Wasn't so good on the way home 2 hours later, when it poured down.

During the interim period we enjoyed a fairly leisurely meal, in a fairly empty restaurant. We almost sat outside under a canopy at another restaurant, but a smoker lighting up had me leaving our table. Quite a few restaurants don't have smokers anywhere on their premises, but Carluccio's at Market Place W1W provided an ash tray (of sorts) to the lady who had finished her coffee and paid her bill. Providing that ash tray had me taking £40's worth of trade elsewhere, and looking at how slow it was tonight, it may have been £40 they needed.  

We ate at a place we are familiar with, and it was quiet there too. Not that we minded, as our food arrived quickly, and we didn't have to speak loudly to be heard either. We had parked quite close so only had to walk across the road to start our journey home. Sadly, roadworks and the rain meant going home wasn't as quick as arriving. I think we got stopped at every set of lights bar one,  Not that it marred the afternoon out. 

 

[FastFreddy2]

On 20/08/2017 at 11:33 PM, FastFreddy2 said:

The 'sale' Office Hampton courts I coveted at £48 (down from £72) had gone, though them finally going down to £38 may have something to do with that ....  Not least because at that price, even I wouldn't have resisted. 

Although I will almost certainly never wear them, I found a pair in my size, or at least an EU41 which Office suggest is a UK8. It isn't, more like a UK7, and a slim one at that. Since my feet seem to reshape themselves, I can wear these. Walking in them, that's something else. 

Was an amusing situation when I bought them. Unusually, I was in flats (trainers). They had been put by for me, and the store was busy, which meant I had to queue, and there were people behind me the whole time of the purchase procedure.

The shoes were collected form the storage area. The pretty assistant waved them past me to make sure they were the right ones (I had asked her for a ladies court I had put by) and with my confirmation scanned the box. "£72 please." "Er, no. £38." was my reply. I was then asked to show her the online price, which I did. (£38). She asked her supervisor, what she did next, and after confirming it was the same shoe, and I had the right price, I got them at £38. Neither of the two girls knew of the discounted price, and they both gave each other a 'shocked' look. Given the height of the girls, I would not have been surprised if the shoe would have fitted them, and they would liked to have bought the same shoe at the price I had paid. The look they gave each other, was definitely a "grrrr" moment.

The really good news for me, they might have been out of the box, but have not even been tried on. No "sale" sticker of price sticker residue either. If I decide to sell, they don't look like they've been languishing around a sale rack, or spoiled from having 20 or 200 people try them on. Yay!

 

 

 

The size 8 (EU41) I have here, come with a 130mm heel!

 

 

Edited August 24, 2017 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2]

Off to the opera tonight.

Would like to be in courts and high heels, but the venue is probably some way from the parking, and it's likely to be raining.

While the temperature has been 'around' where it should be for the time of year (or maybe a tad cooler), we've had more rain than we should for the time of year. The hurricane season on the West of the Atlantic has seen some wind and water fallout over the UK when the weather system moves back across the Atlantic. There are several more weeks of it, for both the Caribbean and South East coast of the US, with them having to contend with record breaking weather. Some 5,000 miles later, the storms still have energy (winds) and water (rain) when they arrive in Western Europe. I imagine we are in for a wet Autumn.

 

Dorset, today.

Autumn storms in: Britain is on gale alert as 60mph winds batter the country and half a month's rain is set to fall TODAY

• England's south coast will suffer prolonged heavy rain today before strong gales arrive later in the weekend
• Southern areas could be hit by up to 0.8in (20mm) of rain today, but this could rise to 1.6in (40mm) in parts
• Today will be bright for most with sunny spells but there will be scattering of heavy showers, some thundery  
• Tonight will bring more showers while tomorrow will be bright with sunny spells but there will be more rain

 

 

Full article >> here <<

 

With a bit of luck, it'll have stopped raining tonight. I will be in 'foreign territory', so won't be tempted to wear anything outrageous like thigh-high red patent boots, (not that I own a pair,) I'll more likely be wearing the ones I use when I go into London. They aren't that obvious, and will tolerate getting damp. When I booked the tickets, I had thought I might get away with courts, but the weather says otherwise.  

Edited September 8, 2017 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2]

As expected, the weather on the way to Basildon for the opera was horrendous. Not only did we have to contend with 25-ish miles of the M25, several times we were subjected to 40mph speed limits due to congestion, and several bouts of monsoon grade rain.

Fortunately we weren't on the anti-clockwise carriageway during 5.30-6.00pm period as we were going the other way. While we did see a lorry and motor car parked on the hard shoulder on the other carriageway and a police car with blue lights on behind (suggesting an incident), worse must have happened close by. The lorry we saw was between Junction 24 and Enfield's Junction 25,  but it didn't need all the emergency vehicles we saw trying to move through slowing traffic backing up behind them. We saw at least 6 fire tenders with blue lights on, perhaps 4 or 5 ambulances, again with blue lights on, and an untold number of police vehicles. We even saw Highway Agency vehicles with lights flashing, going the same direction. A few miles further round the M25, we saw what I can only describe as a police motorcade. Going in the same direction as all the other vehicles, but no blue lights. There were 2 or 3 police vehicles, and around 20 police bikes, all in convoy.    Although Mrs Freddy did a search for local news as we travelled, nothing pertinent came up on a search.

 

Despite the congestion (Friday evening on the M25) despite the weather (as reported previously), we arrived on the outskirts of Basildon pretty much on time, at 6.55pm with the show to start at 7.30pm. The only trauma for us was at a large roundabout. We were crossing from one dual carriageway to one the other side, and I kept on the righthand carriage way as we crossed. Just as well. If you can imagine another road user completely ignoring the presence of our vehicle, and leaving the junction (on our left) with the intention of driving straight into the side of our car, you have an idea of the Exocet-like trajectory of the old bird driving a silver (Corsa) that my sudden braking managed to avoid. She made no attempt to avoid us, nor brake to avoid a collision. If we had been on the outside lane (aka left lane of the carriageway) a collision would not have been avoidable. As Mrs Freddy and I scraped ourselves off the windcreen, the old bird waved as she carried on her merry way.  Hopefully she won't be driving for much longer ...

 

Arriving at the venue, I'd found a discreet place to park (for free) away from any liability of a parking fine. The parking near the theatre was awkward in that the multi-story closed at 10pm (though we were assured by the theatre, patrons never had a problem leaving at later times), and the ground level car park said "2 hours max" parking, but also offered 6pm-12am parking for £1. ???  We parked around 100 years away from the venue, and some unbelievable luck, a respite in what was torrential rain from some of the blackest clouds I've ever seen. Within 5 minutes we arrived at the venue and were inside safe, dry, and on time!

 

All-in-all, I would say the performance was mediocre, with one of the main singers so weak, his voice could barely be heard over the orchestra. On my right were two girls in their late 20's early 30's, who tried to eat chocolates from a very noisy bag. The one closest to me thought this highly amusing and got into a fit of giggles. I tried to wound her with my 'look that could kill', but to no effect. We got an apology during the break, but they did the same thing during the second act, less the giggles. It was like being in a cinema, and sitting next to some 10 year olds. Since the women next to me fidgeted through the whole performance, I concluded the wine she was drinking was not the only mind altering drug she might have consumed....

During the interval, we got to talk to a 92 year old who was standing up through the break to keep herself from 'freezing' into her sitting position. What a game bird! Still driving (though not tonight) she was going to give up next year on her 93rd birthday. Still plays Bridge too, 3 times a week. She mentioned about the weak singer, who I thought looked more like a Russian gangster, than an American seaman. (Bald, but with long shoulder length hair tied in a pig tail?)  

 Chucking out time revealed the average age of the audience must have been in the 60's. There were some younger people, but not very many. Mostly, attendees were of later years, some looking like they may have left an open casket to attend. (Bit unkind, but you get the idea.) Not so the lady we spoke to during the break, who could have easily passed for someone almost 30 years younger.

 

When we left, the pavement outside was all but dry, and the sky clear. I would have been happy to walk around the town centre for a while, and maybe even found a place for refreshment, but Mrs Freddy had endured enough and wanted to get home. We had an uneventful hours drive back, with no evidence of any incidents apparent on the motorway? Even today, there are no reports indicating what was going on. I'm sure it will remain an enigma. 

 

  

Edited September 9, 2017 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2]

Winter is on the way .....

Almost dark enough to wear heels out anywhere at 7pm. A chill in the air that means it won't be long before a jacket or coat becomes compulsory.

In a little more than 3 weeks, the British clocks change and we lose another hours light at the end of the day. While it suits me for heeling purposes, in every other aspect it's an inconvenience. As is the cold.

On the upside, this is "my" time of year for shoe buying. Hopefully I'll be doing a small review of some interesting offerings in the pertinent section.

While testing a (sound) moderated pair of heels last Sunday at Brent Cross, it was hard not to notice how busy the place was. I'm often there on a Sunday, and I would say there was almost a third more people there than I usually see. I suppose this could mean Christmas is on the way? 

I don't mind crowds. Plenty of background noise, and not enough space between people to look down at my footwear.   

[Shyheels]

I like the chilly autumn days - nice weather for bringing out boots

[Puffer]

Yes, the fall can be most enjoyable - unless it results from heels being too high or pavements uneven!

[Shyheels]

My otk boots are flats so not much worry - I do autumn, not fall

[Puffer]

10 hours ago, Shyheels said:

My otk boots are flats so not much worry - I do autumn, not fall

I'm glad to hear that - too many Americanisms invading our country!   But 'fall' is a very suitable word for the current season as it conjures up the right picture of gold and red leaves fluttering gracefully towards the ground.   [That's quite enough poetic imagery ...]

[Shyheels]

Indeed, where I grew up was famous for its striking autumn colours and the season has always had, for me, a rich association with falling leaves of crimson, scarlet and gold

Edited October 6, 2017 by Shyheels

[Tacchi Alti]

Certainly boots are easier, and look more passable as men's footwear, although I still have the problem of the need for shoes for certain occasions. I had a pair of sandals I wore a lot over the summer (is that some sort of mathematical mind-bender to our American friends?). I've ordered my pair of concealed heels, as per previous messages (identical to the ones I already have but a fraction of the price as obviously they're being taken out of production), and also a pair of boots with fairly wide block heels. I'm not sure about the public wear of these but I'll have to see when they arrive. I also have my eye on another pair of wedge boots like the ones I wear daily - second hand on Ebay. Again, I want to get these while they're still available. The only downside to them is a fairly thin heel but I don't see that as a real problem. They come in any colour you like so long as they are beige, so the black shoe dye is necessary. I dyed one pair dark brown but I've not yet worn them and am not too sure about the colour.

[FastFreddy2]

The Autumn season progresses speedily....

Oddly, the temperature seems to be bouncy around a bit, which must be confusing the hell out of the trees. Many, even most have turned, though some have been left quite green? (I don't mean evergreens.) We are experiencing high winds too, care of Atlantic storms arriving every week. These two things are bad enough, but the storms seem to be quite wet too. It's not nice to be out in.

Over the last couple of days I've visited Brent Cross and Westfield (White City), because the wet weather outside has made street walking without a sou'wester, most/moster/mostily unpleasant. Still, better than snow.

 

We have tickets to a gig at the end of the month. It will be dark when we leave the house, and there is an hours drive before our arrival. I would like to wear some courts with a stiletto. There will be younger (sharp eyed) folk there, and I'm wondering if I should feel 'lucky'? Probably not. There are cobbled areas around the venue, and I know from experience, stiletto's don't like them.     

Edited October 20, 2017 by FastFreddy2

[Shyheels]

Dark, and cobbled and stilettos sounds like an uneasy mix to me...

[Tacchi Alti]

9 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Dark, and cobbled and stilettos sounds like an uneasy mix to me...

Cobbled and stilettos sounds fun to me, but not dark too! I love the helpless feeling but would want to see where I'm treading.