Busy busy most of the week, not unpleasantly busy though, some interesting things to do, well for the first half. But that meant late nights and long hours and that lowered my ability to resist junky food and booze. I had a fat week

But the weekends here and after last week’s reduced girl time, I was determined to make up for it. Up a bit late on Saturday morning, Dragon Age (my new game) and wine the night before the cause so its like lunchtime before I’m ready to go out. I drowned a spider who had got into my bath, felt bad about it, aren’t I supposed to be a sensitive vegetarian?

Outfit was nothing fancy, black sweater, black skirt, black leather jacket, all easy to coordinate and to break it up grey leggings. Well I’ve seen the sort of combo a fair bit recently and its plain and practical. Boots where the new biker style ones, barely any heel, so should be comfy. No time for a proper photo, its off to the train. Oh its blowy out and rain is forecast, pop a hat on to keep the hair under control.

Right, lets pop to Camden, had a couple of items to get for the Corset and Diamonds outfit next week, a fresh pair of seamed stockings (these are one use items with me) and a pair of short black satin gloves. I did have a pair of these, at one time, but one had gone missing, such is the way with me and gloves.

Train to Camden, oh one of those new ones. Lunch? Er not hungry yet, lets start looking for those gloves. Spot something worth photographing though, but am a little slow to get the camera out before it disappeared .It was a Bentley sports car, finished entirely  in mirror chrome, now that’s some one who wanted to be seen flaunting their wealth..

Satin gloves proved hard to find, loads of places (I went everywhere I could think off) had long opera gloves, but only the good hosiery place near the Electric Ballroom had the short ones, phew. They had the right stockings too, it’s a great little shop.

Right that’s Camden done, lunch? Ok, head towards town looking at various places before ending up in a place called The Blues Kitchen. Think its new, sure there used to be a pretty grubby pub here before. Its serving brunch, I order Eggs Royal with a glass of Chardonnay from the very cute and smiley young waitress. I have to force my self not to look down her top when she bends over to speak to me. Food and wine comes quickly, but erm are you sure this is Chardonnay, it tastes erm a bit odd, but drink it anyway. Eggs are nice, sauce could of done with being hotter though, don;t think american sequeezy mustard is the normal condiment to have with this dish, but I think it worked. OK bite to eat and good service, not exactly cheap though.

Starting to rain now, glad I have the hat. Go find a  bus to take me to Oxford Street. Find one going to Regents street, near enough. Its pouring down by the time I get to the West End. Out bus and over into the shops. Its Oasis, not one of my usual places, but there Christmas season stuff looks nice, fancy a particular black off the shoulder top with sort of metal stud like things on the front. It takes forever for me to find it in the shop and, ouch, £65, yeah that’s why I don’t shop in Oasis very often. Maybe wait till the sales.

Dash into Topshop a few doors down after.

Mission to the West End was really for tights, specifically the Aristoc Wet Look tights I’d read about on the web, and figured the department stores down here sould have them if any one does and if I can’ find Aristoc ones, surely there would be something similar. I fancied wet look tights, as I tend to find wet look leggings don’t seem to stay up on me, have to keep pulling them up, perhaps tights would fit better? Anyway, Top Shop doesn’t have anything similar, but it always worth a look around girl central. Seams sequins are huge this Christmas season (Christmas is a sub season of the Autumn/Winter fashion season that usually runs November and December and consists of party clothes in the fashion biz). Sequin jackets, top, dresses, leggings, yes, but hotpants…? Can’t see them flying of the shelves.

Oxford street is its usual Christmas madhouse (and its only November). So that’s this fancy new criss/cross over pedestrian crossing, seems to help the people congestion around Oxford Circus a bit, but that probably due to the fact they removed the barriers. Can’t see why it cost millions though.

Start going through the department stores, no wet look in BHS, but there’s some ankle highs I was after. Reckon I got sir’ed by the girl on the till:(  Can’t find the tights I want in John Lewis, House of Fraser, Selfridges, M&S (black silk PJ’s, hrmmm maybe) or Debenhams (which is packed) Would you like a free 10 minute makeover Madam? asked a woman in House of Fraser nice offer, but I had to turn it down, well I suspected the free makeover doesn’t include beard shadow cover.

Shopping can be frustrating some times, the crowds and the rain doesn’t help either. Try to attract the attention of a sales person on the MAC concession in Selfridges, but its just so busy, I can’t help. I was looking for a replacement cremestick lip liner in a dark red, I used my old one up, but the way MAC seems to work is if you can’t get a sales person, you can’t get a product as its all in draws and stuff. Try the Clinque and Benefit concessions (which are no where near as busy) but neither of them have a dark enough red. No one wants to spray me with smellies either.

Felt a bit down by now, but carried on to Marble Arch, just for a peak in New Look and Primark. Both are heaving, there’s not a lot in Primark I fancy, but there are some nice boots in New Look, alas, not in my size though.

Right what to do? Can’t find these tights, but still need that lip liner (for CnD again), go to the MAC standalone in Carnaby, its always quieter? Well tis cold and its damp, but I suppose it’s in the direction of home. Stop in Zara on the way back, as I spot a lace top I like the look of in the window. Zara have two guys handing out long plastic bags to people with brollies on the door. That’s clever, let us bag up our brollies so they don’t drip in the store. Can’t find the top I spotted in the window in Zara, par for course, it’s a hard shop to find anything in, the layout is so random. But I spot a nice top, just a simple long sleeve poloneck, in a few colours, but its just long enough for me to wear as a dress I reckon. Size, er they have medium and Xtra large, well it’s a stretchy material, so I reckon even fat girl here can get into the medium. Buy one, oh go on its only a tenner and they have them in red. Trying it on later (sans makeup), yes it does fit and its just long enough to cover the bits, tis rather figure hugging though, have to wear control pants under it to keep the lumps and bumps from being seen.

On to Carnaby, extremely camp young man in MAC who address me as Darhling (I suspect that’s how he refers to everybody :))  helps me find a lip liner, its not quite as dark as I wanted, but it will do. Pick up some Studio Tech NW20 foundation as well, I need to go back to winter colours. The MAC girls in the shop have heavy back shadow on their eyelids with a splash of bright copper, its looks great, might have to try that look sometime.

Have a little trawl of the shops in the area, including Nikita Sabier. One or two nice corsets, esp a military styled one,  but I just don’t need another corset right now, and since I bought the PC last week I should be careful with  high ticket items.

Walk through Soho to Shaftsbury avenue, its late now, wet and dark, need to get home. Fortunately the right bus turns up in one minute and there’s a seat for me too but then it spends the next 10 minutes stuck in traffic and even when it does move its slow going. Driver, bless is heart decides to terminate the route very early and chucks everyone out on Rosebury avenue, into the cold and rain, oh what a lovely man.

Walk up to Islington, hungry now, I’ve got some food at home, that £10 M&S deal, but I don’t fancy that, what do I fancy, curry, that’s what I fancy. Dash through the rain up Chapel Market to the cheap all you can eat Indian veggie place, they seat me right at the back and one of the guys Sir’s me as he opens my beer But the food is warm and comforting, limit my self to 2 plates worth. Other guy serving is friendlier and wishes me a very Apu’ish “Come again” as I leave.

Right back to the bus stop, its still raining. Bus doesn’t terminate early this time and home we are. Its getting on for 8 before I get home and I still had places to go. Change into a more clubby outfit, cannot find the top I wanted to wear so outfit is made up on the spot, keeping to the black and grey theme, it’s a black vest, a grey off the shoulder top I really should have ironed, a tight wet look shirt, grey opaque tights and black mid calf boots with a 3″ or so heel, and the same leather jacket I was wearing before. Think it looked OK. Reason for the change, well Bedsitland was on again tonight, that synthpop night I went to in Camden months ago. The night had relocated in the passing months to one of my favourite bars, the Lexington on Pentonville road, but other commitments had stopped me attending. But tonight I was free, so Bedsitland it was. Cept it was cold and raining and dark, did I want to go out again? Yeah, I suppose so.

By the time I’d selected my outfit, touched up my makeup and did the usual faffing around it was time to go, no time for a photo again Rain had got worse as I tottered over to the bus stop.

By the time I’d got to Angel the rain was coming down in buckets and there was a 10 minute walk from here to the bar. Walk under the covered bit towards the tube station, even with the brolly it was bad out there. Spot a GG walking towards the station as well, she was young, tall and blonde, and wearing the tightest, tinniest little black dress, black tights, black leather jacket and heels like she was born to, 5 star gorgeous. When I spot a woman like that half of me want to meet her and the other half wants to be her, sigh. But shouldn’t stare at young women on the street, it creeps them out. She goes into the tube station and I have to carry on down the street anyway.

Rain gets worse, by the time I’m on Pentonville road it’s a cloud burst and the water is running of the pavement the brolly keeps the worst of it from my head, but my tights are soaked, this wasn’t the night for a mini skirt, no option for it, have to run. In the rain, in heels. Its not elegant or demure, but sod it I’m getting soaked here. Cars passing must have had a laugh.

Make it to the bar, legs are soaked through, but the rest is dry enough, I was carrying my bag with its precious cargo (my camera, which is, Oh yeah, rain proof) up high under the brolly. Pay my fiver and go up stairs to the music venue bit.  I’ve been in the main several times but its my first time up stairs. Not a huge venue, but there’s a stage and a dance floor, a bar, some seats, a DJ booth etc, what more do you need. Its not that full either, but more and more people are coming in from the rain.

Nice glass of red to warm me up first I think. Oh shit, she’s on the bar… You see I went in the Lexington in boy mode on Friday evening on the way home from work, for a quiet pint and chapter or two of my book, and the same barmaid was serving then. She smiley, but doesn’t appear to remember me, phew.

Get my wine and find a seat, just sip it and bop along a little to the music and drying out before the band comes on. The headline (and in fact only) band of the night was “A Terrible Splendor”, nope as usual I’ve never heard of them, but I had a good feeling. Warm up a bit, deposit my very damp brolly in the cloak room and get ready for the music. Band comes on a little late, 10:20 or something, which well these sort of events aren’t on a strict time table. They are a boy and girl, he sings, so does she a bit, and plays the keyboards. They are pretentious fey aesthetes, but in a nice way, in the right way, the look and act goes with the heavily 80’s influenced synth music and the whole style. The throwing rose petals into the crowd and doing announcements in English and German all added to the image. Yeah, I enjoyed that

Shot a lot of pics, but try not to get in the way. End up shooting full manual, even the ISO, so I could get the light, stage lighting was a little dark, but I didn’t want to flash them. I mean use the flash on them.

At the end of the set they give a bow and are presented with a bunch of Roses, sweet. The girl from the band takes a couple of the red roses from the bunch and throws them into the crowd, one lands very near me (hey I had my hands full with the camera) and since no one else claimed, it, I picked it up. My first rose It didn’t survive the trip home in my handbag very well though.

Right that’s the band over and done with, though I like the Lexington there was only one band, which is a pity, the Camden nights had 3 bands on. Warm now, still had my jacket on you see. Get a bottle of cider from the bar, the girl working there seems to be run of her feet, the place has really filled up. What I expected to do now was just have a cool drink and head home, but as I sip my pear cider (though a straw, natch) something that didn’t happen last time, did, the dance floor fills up. Well, er, do I have to leave? Not really, let’s have a boogie Plonk my jacket in the cloakroom and take to the floor in my own, “original” style and it all, as Justine says, gets a little messy A few faves come on, especially enjoy a remixed we Fade to Grey and Ladytron’s Playgirl.

Even manage to chat a little, a girl who’s a friend of the band asks me what I think of them, two very camp guys say hi, air kiss and want to know if I’m on Facebook, and there’s a girl called Nicky I’d seen at Festival of Sins I said hello to. For me, that’s socialising I was clocked, but gender bending/androgyny is a part of the sythpop aesthetic I suppose, so in a way, I fitted in, even though I was probably  the only tranny in the room.

By one I’m pooped, even with a Vodka Redbull to try and keep me going, heels didn’t help though. But all the dancing dried me off :)  One of the better nights out that, nice bohemian crowd, LGBT friendly, dressy up to, guys in suits and complex hair and not one but two Bettie pages strutting there stuff on the dance floor and music I can dance to or just enjoy. Suppose I am old enough to remember a lot of it from the first time round though. Note to self, attend Bedsitland more often. I keep saying this about certain nights out, but I really want to do this one again. But not the next one, it clashes with the Festival of Sins in December

Pick up stuff from cloakroom and head home. Oh thank goodness its stopped raining, totter down Chapel market (again) towards Angel and the night bus, stopping at a Kebab shop for chips on the way.

Night bus takes a while to turn up, but it gets there in the end and we are home, tired, feet sore and ears ringing, but happy.

Lie most on Sunday morning. Get up eventually, weather is miserable, not sure I want to go out. Drag a razor across my face, few cuts, but that Tea Tree face wash I got after the laser treatment works well as a shaving foam. Faff around looking for something to wear, play with that red dress/top I go the day before with some wet look leggings I wore the week before and some lace up ankle boots. Think I really do need some new really OTT black killer heel ankle boots, those ones aren’t quite right. Take a photo or two of this outfit, well its been a while since I did a really posed shot like this.

But that outfit isn’t really daytime, swap the top for a long reddish orange sweater dress I’d forgot I’d bought, look for some plain leggings to go with it, can’t find them, but there’s some old black jeans, they’ll do. Pair the jeans with some low heal calf length boots, and swap the hair for the shorter one and I think we have a basic daytime outfit, add black coat and hat cause it is the middle of November..

What with the late start and the photo’s its gone two by now. So what to do today, well it looks like the rain has stopped and there’s a little sun, so go out, yeah I suppose, but where, shoe shopping for those boots? I must stop shopping, I have to much stuff as it is, so what else, well the drawing club is on again, its moved to Sunday, could be a more cultural (and cheaper) way to spend the afternoon, yeah, maybe, pack my drawing pad and pencil in my bag just in case.

Wander towards town, ah there’s a bus to Old Street, jump on, guess I’m going to the Drawing club. Not really had lunch, didn’t even have much breakfast (its was a Chocolate soufflé, well, its all I could find in the fridge that would work and it was < 300 calories), off the bus, find somewhere for a bite before the drawing club, hrmm, I was running late as it was, nah, so just grab a cheese roll in a shop near the bus stop.

Roll isn’t filling enough, so get a piece of focaccia bread at a fancy Hoxton Deli, fills me up. Hrmm, carb overload. Get to the Joiners Arms around 3:20, not to late, but not to early.

They recognise me from the last time and, I guess, know my name from the photo’s I popped on Facebook. Play my monies, get a drawing board, a biscuit and glass of red and find a spot. Think is busier than last time, even this early. Get a chair on the opposite side to last time, not sure if this was a good idea, get some glare off a light near the model. The model, is a bloke again, more heavily built than last time with good muscle definition. He does tend to look around the room though and in a couple of poses he’s directly in front of  me which slightly less comfortable (yes he’s naked). The 5 minute poses are hard, try to dash something off, but its not great and usually I can only do a small part of the body, like the head etc, feel a little more relaxed doing the longer 15 & 20 ones.

Place gets busier, they move things around a little to accommodate everyone. There’s live music for a bit to, a girl plays er a sort of round thing? I can’t really describe it, its sort of percussive and IMHO a bit to noodly. I kind of preferred the Aretha Franklin and Dolly Parton they had playing on record (well iPod probably) in between live sessions.

Grab a 2nd glass of wine in the break, Oh no cake, guy who made them tells me they didn’t rise this morning, pity.

2nd model is a girl, Sophia I think, which is a nice change. She was young, very pretty and smooth skinned, slim but with feminine curves, but little muscle tone, so its more concentrating on the lines and curves with her, a different drawing experience to trying to capture the man’s musculature. Again the really short poses are frustrating and I prefer the longer ones.

The organiser, er , should get his name, asks if I have my camera and could take some pics, as it happened I did and obliged.

Again I didn’t take pics of the model on purpose, they where there to be drawn, not photographed.

Drawing take so much concentration, I don’t really feel the time pass, but I do feel the warmth, they have the heating on for the models benefit, so in my sweater and jeans I’m a touch overdressed. The 2nd model finishes up around 6:30 and so I reckon its time to go, another good afternoon, not sure my drawing has improved though.

Busses look scarce, but I’m in the comfy boots this time, so wander back to Old Street, stopping for cash at the machine. No buses around here either, but its not too cold, so I just end up walking back to Islington, to the little Sainsbury’s to pick up some more wine and a few bits and pieces. Remember the Salad cream I forgot to buy on Saturday. Guy on the checkout might of said Sir to me, quietly, its not been a good weekend for passing

Bus home from there, sort pics out, eat dinner, watch Top Gear, bath, bed.

Next week its Corset and Diamonds as I said so expect far to many photos