"Last minute" meeting around the UK?

[vee6 1]

Hello Fast Freddy,

Was great to meet up with you, I think we have some things in common. Those boot's are excellent, reminds me of a Harley Davidson, nice with a silencer :-), but just so you..

You will have to let me know if you may be in my home town again, maybe we could do a lunch time meet up, and have a bite to eat somewhere.

Thanks for making the effort to meet up :-P

There are some good people out there...

V

[FastFreddy2 282]

Good meeting up with you, Fashionably late Freddy and Vee6.

Hey... Steady.... :-)

I'll have you know I was up an hour earlier today, to get there at all!

T'was a bit rushed, with MK significantly busier than I expected.

Is always worth meeting up though. I think it useful to meet people F-2-F so you can get the measure of them, and I'd not met vee6 before. He's a charming fellow, isn't he? :-P [You're not so bad either. :-)]

...

[Tech 18]

Hey... Steady.... :-)

I'll have you know I was up an hour earlier today, to get there at all!

T'was a bit rushed, with MK significantly busier than I expected.

Is always worth meeting up though. I think it useful to meet people F-2-F so you can get the measure of them, and I'd not met vee6 before. He's a charming fellow, isn't he? :-P [You're not so bad either. :-)]

...

Get a room already.... Can you hear yourself???

[shyguy 15]

Thanks Shyguy,

it was good to meet up with you too, maybe we should have hung arround and met up with you and the wife later, so she could see we were normal people really..

Wife and I went to an out of centre retail park, so wouldn't have worked.

And Freddy, you aren't that bad either, but as for proving normality to my wife....:-P

[FastFreddy2 282]

Get a room already.... Can you hear yourself???

I know. Saying nice things about nice people. How terribly unfashionable.

[Tech 18]

I know. Saying nice things about nice people. How terribly unfashionable.

lol, comes across as a lot more than "saying nice things"..

Your borderline chatting him up.. :p:p

[FastFreddy2 282]

Well, to be fair, he's quite a nice smile to him.

[FastFreddy2 282]

Not that anyone is going to be reading this in time to actually consider meeting - and if they do, they'll not meet anyway .... :smile:

I'm going to University Hospital to visit a fairly sick friend from 6 to 7pm tonight. After that I'll be briefly in Marks and Sparks opposite Primarnie in Oxford Street, before going to Carluccio's for a spot of food. Hopefully out of there in time to visit Debenhams and House of Fraser to see if they have their Sales switched on yet.

ANYONE sending me a PM will get my contact telephone number. Hey. I'll even spring you for a drink if you arrive. I won't be alone, I'l be with my walking friend who some of you have met. She can talk the hind legs off a donkey, so I promise - no 'pregnant pauses'. :smile:

Shops close I think at 10pm. Plenty of browsing time in heels.

....

[FastFreddy2 282]

Well, how wrong could my plan go? :smile:

Arrived at the Hospital late, due to my poor time keeping, the queue of traffic trying to access Brent Cross Shopping Centre (slightly surprising since 80% of the customers look to be of Middle Eastern decent so unlikely to celebrating a Christian holiday...) Plus the weather kept the roads a bit of 'a challenge', shall we say?

Arrived at the Hospital at 7.30pm and immediately used the wrong lift (elevator). Arrived at bedside on 14th floor at 7.35pm, with only 25 minutes to (the official) kicking out time.

Our family friend has cancer, and had her first course of Chemo earlier in the day. We arrived to find her being sick (and was another couple of times before we left). The good lady has been part of my life (on and off) for almost 40 years. She didn't look well at all. That said, there was another woman in the bay (4 patients to a bay) that was very very very poorly.

Mindful where we were, no-one was in a hurry to get us out of the place. Casting a bit of a dark cloud over events, I suppose in this situation, you never know if you'll meet again .... Consequently, we left a little after 9pm. We said we were leaving to get some food (which we eventually did), but at the time, I just couldn't embarrass my friend any longer while she was being ill. Although she did seem to be a bit brighter when we left, to what she seemed like when we arrived.

Walking past the thirty something lady in the corner, I realised her struggle for survival wasn't going to be a struggle for much longer. Measurable in hours rather than days or weeks....

The sadness of the whole situation made us both want to go homeward. Oxford Street, while only 500 yards away, was in the wrong direction. We returned to the car and drove North, stopping briefly en route to get a bag of chips each, which stopped our tummies gurgling with hunger.

The shopping trip will have to wait now. Thursday is a possibility, but being realistic, it looks like I'll getting to the Sales after the Christmas break.

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[FastFreddy2 282]

The Sales must be in full swing, and where am I? :smile:

Think I'm going to have to make a visit to London either Tuesday or more likely Thursday. I know it's possible to get a wide selection via the internet, but experience tells me larger stores roll out (sometimes ancient) sales stock at this time of year, and they'll include the styles I prefer. For the last 2 or 3 years platforms have been very popular. [And why not, if it gets a young or not so young woman in heels they might not have otherwise worn? ]

I prefer what I'm growing to understand are what are generally known as 'single-sole' shoes. I notice some of these style are starting to become available again, but the styles I like are a tad expensive at the moment. [Here is an >> example << ] Even in the Sale these are £75 ..... :smile: I'll just have to wait until Priceless copy them. :smile:

So ..... West End Thursday?

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[BobHH 3]

I'm about as far from you as I can get (West coast of U.S.), but I notice the limited sizes, once again, of most mainstream shoe brands/styles. It doesn't pay to be big or have big feet.

[FastFreddy2 282]

Things are getting a little better here. Quite a few companies are selling shoes and boots in a UK size 9 which I think equates to a US 11 or 12.

Anyone with a size UK 10 or over has precious little chance of getting shoes from mainstream suppliers. Ellie and Pleaser do one or two non-fetish styles, but nothing I could wear in public. Fortunately I have feet small enough to get in just about every UK size 8 (though Dune can be a struggle), and often I get into a UK 7.

25 years ago I was easily a UK 7.

Not content to get a larger body, a wandering hairline (who am I kidding - and absent hair line :smile: ) ..... I also get longer feet. Getting old has not one single attraction I'm aware of. :smile:

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[FastFreddy2 282]

Left it too late to go Sales shopping Thursday, so gave it a go today [Friday].

Didn't get any further than Brent Cross [a shopping mall in North London.] Was pretty hopeless really. Very very few styles in a size 8 to start with, and the ones on show were fairly plain. For 'plain', read clumpy and without much of a heel. Plenty of nicer ones around, but in size 3 or 4 typically.

One incident of note ..... While walking around, it's necessary to walk past people sitting on benches resting their weary feet. [Or stopped to have a snack.] Obviously, this puts eyeballs much closer to passing footwear.

On one bench, a little girl of say 8 or 9 years, spotted my boots. She immediately tried to get her fathers attention by digging him in the tummy with her elbow. He didn't respond, but she kept watching my shoes .... And I watched her - watching my shoes - until it was inevitable I'd walk into something or someone while looking backwards. I'd said it several times before. Children are much more attentive than us adults.

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[FastFreddy2 282]

Finally got to Oxford Street tonight. Fairly useful evening in that I finally got there, and early enough to get to most of the larger stores.

Tried on a couple of pairs of 7's in Selfridges. [No 8's of interest. As I've seen another fella trying on Louboubins before, as have I, so no problem with trying on girls shoes in the store.] Both pairs a tad too short, and both pairs about £400 (each) too expensive anyway.

Bought another pair of Schuh's in blue for £24.95, as they couldn't find the black pair reported as "in stock" .....

Chickened out of trying on the ALDO >> Chupka << at the store. Mostly because I wouldn't have been able to get them on and off in less than 30 minutes .... Also, the on-line store price is less than the shop price. So ordered them on-line.

At this time, I couldn't recommend making a visit to Oxford Street for shoes. Me, I'll buy anything that seems interesting .... But other than visiting to buy specific shoes [that weren't actually there - despite the shop manager confirming while I stood in the shop that he had stock] this venture was an evening out in heels, and not much else.

P.S.

While walking back to the car around 10.45pm, we nearly walked into John Rocha outside Selfridges. I wouldn't know him but for all the pictures of him in Debenhams.

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Edited January 7, 2011 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2 282]

Freddy will be at Lakeside Shopping Mall this coming Friday, around lunchtime for 2 or 3 hours. House of Fraser will be visited, as will some of the 'budget' end clothing and shoe shops. Haven't been inside a Primarnie for months!

He'll be moving onto Bluewater for the early evening. House of Fraser store there will also be visited, as will one of two restaurants for an evening meal.

I'll be with 'herself'. Anyone wishing to meet up with me/us just to say hello, would be very welcome. I offer to buy coffees and cake/sarnie for anyone who is there from the forum, safe in the knowledge I won't be spending any money.

Call my bluff whydontcha?

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[BobHH 3]

Sorry, too far away! (USA). Plus leaving for Argentina on Saturday.

[FastFreddy2 282]

Sorry, too far away! (USA). Plus leaving for Argentina on Saturday.

You know us Brits don't get on with them, don't you ....

If you decide to come over here, I'm sure we can sort you out some accomodation. Redecorating at the moment, but should be complete in 3 months. You have an open invite anytime. 1-14 days, however long you want.

Not too far from London .... about 40 minutes by car and 30 minutes by rail. I'm sure I could keep you entertained for at least a week.

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[FastFreddy2 282]

Last minute decision .... Westfield [White City] 8pm tonight!

[BobHH 3]

It's a trip for Argentine tango study and just fun, supposedly. I was there 9 years ago and learned a little (very little) of their tango, which is different from what we call American Tango. I also visited Stanley in the Falklands 9 years ago. Met a girl from the USA who had gone there on vacation and married a local. Don't think I would want to live there, though - no trees, windy from what I saw.

[FastFreddy2 282]

I also visited Stanley in the Falklands 9 years ago. Met a girl from the USA who had gone there on vacation and married a local.

Maybe I mix in the wrong circles. No-one I know here would dreeeeam of going to the Falklands for a holiday?

Apart from anything else, it's a bleak island not unlike some of those off the coast of Scotland, which is a significantly prettier place to visit. And for me - much closer.

You're obviously something of an adventurer!

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[BobHH 3]

I go, or have gone, to a lot of places just to see what they are like. Hiking in Patagonia, for instance, out of Ushuaia in Argentina. Some pretty cold places down there. Haven't gotten to Antarctica, though. But the UK has been limited to the south, mainly, from London up to Cambridge and down to Brighton. I was hoping for more work in Cambridge, but the last two attempts have fallen through.

[FastFreddy2 282]

I go, or have gone, to a lot of places just to see what they are like. Hiking in Patagonia, for instance, out of Ushuaia in Argentina. Some pretty cold places down there. Haven't gotten to Antarctica, though. But the UK has been limited to the south, mainly, from London up to Cambridge and down to Brighton. I was hoping for more work in Cambridge, but the last two attempts have fallen through.

These are areas I visit and therefore know.

Cambridge 30 miles. [under an hour by car, 30 minutes train.] London 30 miles too. Brighton, about 100. [2 1/2 hours by car 1 1/2 hours by train.]

When I was trying to impress, I once took the then girlfriend (now wife) to Brighton for Sunday brunch. Ahhhhh, such heady days ....

As for travelling ..... I don't like flying one little bit. Used to work in the industry and know only too well how fragile aircraft are. While communting, I've had flights with the company that wouldn't have been allowed if they were commercial trips .... And one notable journey got the pilot a round of applause because the ride beat anything you could experience at a theme park and everyone was glad to get back on the ground.

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[FastFreddy2 282]

Thursday evening ..... Oxford Street. Got some boots to return to ALDO.

Saturday afternoon ..... Brent Cross. Out with mother. Her 83rd birthday we believe. Taking her somewhere public for a meal. Hopefully not a repeat of last year....

Some lad in the eatery close to us had his trousers at half mast. Herself wasn't impressed at having to see his undies while she ate. Against our advice, she told him off for being semi-undressed in a public place. Think him and his parents left soon after.

If anyone here ever wondered where my apparent bluntness came from .... look no further.

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[BobHH 3]

Short note after midnight from Buenos Aires:

I used to fly everywhere and liked to fly, both at work and on airlines. But giant airports, crowding on ground and in airplanes, and security have killed any pleasure in flying. But I still have to fly a bit.

Note on Buenos Aires: Huge city, lots of poeple, lots of traffic. Large car=Honda Accord size. No American cars seen, though Ford and Chevrolet brands are plentiful, they are all quite small. 60-75% of cars are taxis, all very small.

High heels observed on the street=zero. Sidewalks can be very rough, uneven, broken. Some cobblestone streets. Have been shoe shopping for tango shoes with the ladies. Pros wear some very high stiletto sandals for tango. Lots of talk about them by the ladies, joking about them for the men. They have men's shoes also - I didn't buy any. One lady with group is size 10USW, has trouble finding them that large here.

[FastFreddy2 282]

Short note after midnight from Buenos Aires:

I used to fly everywhere and liked to fly, both at work and on airlines. But giant airports, crowding on ground and in airplanes, and security have killed any pleasure in flying. But I still have to fly a bit.

Note on Buenos Aires: Huge city, lots of poeple, lots of traffic. Large car=Honda Accord size. No American cars seen, though Ford and Chevrolet brands are plentiful, they are all quite small. 60-75% of cars are taxis, all very small.

High heels observed on the street=zero. Sidewalks can be very rough, uneven, broken. Some cobblestone streets. Have been shoe shopping for tango shoes with the ladies. Pros wear some very high stiletto sandals for tango. Lots of talk about them by the ladies, joking about them for the men. They have men's shoes also - I didn't buy any. One lady with group is size 10USW, has trouble finding them that large here.

Have to say, no surprises with your comments.

"Security" checks at the airport while seemingly worthwhile, for me, make something unpleasant all but intolerable. I haven't travelled by air for almost 3 years prefering to let herself holiday with friends while I stay at home staring at the walls.

A girlfriend from Colombia was petite, as were her friends. I've always expected the South Americans branch of the human race to be smaller everywhere, including the foot department.

Hope you have some luck with shoes when you settle in a bit. Maybe the hotel Concierge can offer some guidance as to where you might look?

If you do find something worth recording of the 'special interest' nature, do please share it if you can find a way of doing so. It'll maybe give the H4M site a bit of a Latin flavour!

Stay well, and enjoy!