Superheroine costume ready to don

 We certainly have some exciting disasters going on this summer, from heatwaves and forest fires to tsunamis and tornados. And in the face of chaos a girl like me has her cute disasterwear firmly on.

 

That's not jewellery, those are ultratech crimefighting gadgets

I mentioned a forest fire on the hill I live on a couple of weeks ago that required the intervention of a helicopter. This week we have a much bigger fire on the mountain above town that's already been burning for three days and has two helicopters and four Canadair tankers dealing with it as well as firemen and volunteers on the ground.

Canadair tanker heading towards the fire

Given that the thermometer in the coolest, shadiest outdoor spot of my home reads 36C (97F) in the afternoons, I don't know how those firefighters have been coping in the blazing sun on a bare mountainside (apparently about 42C, or 107F). That's truly heroic. Although an absence of dwellings there means no-one's in danger, it also means a lack of roads and paths means they have to scrabble around the steep, broken landscape on foot. The tanker planes fly endlessly, filling up from the sea, flying up to the fire and dumping their load before returning to the sea, again and again and again from dawn till dusk. (We won't go into apocryphal stories of scuba divers found lying in the charred remains of burnt forests!)

The smell of woodsmoke is everywhere and the chains of flames creeping over the crest of the hill the other evening was eerie. I hope they can get it out very soon.

Last week there was a lot of seismic activity in the Med (they've also discovered three new undersea volcanoes, so maybe the earth felt like having a celebration!) So we were greeted by this unusual, dead straight wave 1-2 metres high that stretched all along the coast as far as we could see. My neighbours and I reckoned was most likely due to underwater seismic activity, a mini tsunami if you will.

The heatwave this week has been breaking records in the region. More seriously, people have died as a result and others have been treated in hospital for it. It should end at the weekend. At least, we hope so.

I cope better than most with heat but I have to confess that it's not easy at night. Thank goodness for the beautiful outdoor pool just below. And for my lovely microfibre underwear that I bought from Marks & Spencer's when I was last in the UK. Their pretty but practical bras are ideal and their microfibre briefs have been my touchstone for 20 years now. In this heat they are very light on the skin and mould to your contours. Recommended. 

It always puzzled me as a kid that, when the going got tough, male superheroes put on extra armour, bigger protective capes and filled their utility belts with extra special gadgets. Whereas the superheroines seemed to lose clothes in the face of danger and fight in just a bikini and cute boots. Admittedly the bikini is radiationproof and bulletproof but it still leaves vulnerable areas... like most of the body! Even as a child I sensed there must therefore be something decidedly more heroic about the women than the men! So I guess if I'm going to combat natural disasters, this underwear will have to be the outfit. It's just too hot to wear anything else!

 

A dip in the archives

It was ten years ago that Emma and her wife came to London and we went to see the Cutty Sark sailing ship. I have some favourite photos from that day. 

Sue x

A woman trapped in a dog's body

Thanks for your kind comments on my anniversary post. 

Now, what's the difference between a beautifully dressed woman and a tired dog?

The woman wears an evening gown, the dog just pants!

Today, I am like the dog. The North Africa heatwave is back and it's best to do little, just aestivate. I'm still recovering from this bronchitis thing (I'm sure it's not Covid) and I didn't have a good night last night with the heat and the coughing. However, in the last few days I've felt able to go back to the swimming pool, where the water has been beautifully refreshing and the exercise has done me good. There are no mosquitoes this year, thankfully, but there are a lot of cicadas making a racket in nearby trees. I do like the hot summer and maybe I'm just lazy at heart. My girly swim shorts and bikini top are enough clothes for today! So, like the dog, I'm sprawled out, panting.

Image Credit: Liliboas/iStock/GettyImages

What's good, though, is that when it's very hot I eat less and better. Yesterday, for instance, I just had a big bowl of mixed salad and some fruit for lunch. I've lost over 6 kg (1 stone) since 1 June so that's all for the good.

"Gary" review

I'm pleased to hear from my friend Grace that the play Gary she was performing in at the Cockpit Theatre in London went well and there are two more performances at the Etcetera Theatre on 3 and 10 September. Here's one review of it that gives it 3.5 stars out of 5: Luvvie with a Rollaboard review.

I hope to be in London in October and if they still have performances then I will try to catch it myself.

What, me worry?

I see MAD magazine is still going. As an occasional reader I used to enjoy the film parodies most, and the fantastic work of cartoonists like Mort Drucker and Don Martin.

I found this page in an archive site and I'm sure Mad won't mind my copying it.

I'm not sure Miami was ever quite like this. And sounds even less so right now. But it made me laugh.

(C) Mad magazine

Sue x

Anniversary post 2023

 Nearly 600 posts and my blog is 12 today. Time to start thinking of puberty blockers!

Thanks to all my readers and subscribers who have made this task worthwhile, and to the metasites like T-Central and Feedspot that feature transgender blogs like this one. 

I read all comments and do my best to take suggestions into account. Do keep them coming.

On a practical level, I've made a few additions today. Mainly a search function for posts by label. I have been labelling my posts over the last three years and have started labelling early posts from 2011-12. It's a lengthy task and I've no idea when every past post might be labelled but this means you can search by topic as well as by word using the normal search function.

The early days of this blog were mainly about what I'd been doing as a trans person out in the real world. The world has changed dramatically since then and not for the better as far as my and other trans lives are concerned. I try to remain positive as I do not think the current anti-trans culture war in certain countries is actually influencing the public much and I see a lot of trans positive things out there, such as the plethora of art, photography, theatrical and online shows dedicated to us that my last few posts have highlighted.

Let's face it, being trans is not necessarily a great prize in life's lottery. But it has many rewards. No woman brought up as one that I ever met said she was glad to be a woman and all my female friends, when asked, stated that, in their view, being a man would have been better for them because of the greater strength and aggression, the higher social status, the better pay at work, the less domestic responsibility, etc. This either means we are most of us, in some respect, transgender, or that women don't appreciate how much better it is not to have to be like an 'alpha male': competitive all the time, hunting out sex and status and dominance and repression of perceived inferiors all the time, abrasive and domineering and flaw-seeking all the time, paranoid of succumbing to some other male all the time, and constantly on the alert for challenges from any quarter. But when I see the state of this male-dominated and male-oriented world I feel we lose a lot by it. Of course, women have their own challenges, not just from men but from other women that, in many ways, doubles the jeopardy. Yet, despite the threats, I love being a woman. I feel calm and happy and right when I do not feel forced to hide myself behind a male veneer. I embrace and enjoy and revel in my femininity every day. This blog is a small testament to that joy, to pushing back against abuse and repression of our trans reality.

Thanks for reading, have a lovely summer and keep being beautiful.

Sue x

Difference is beautiful

 Being trans need not be about trauma but about celebration. My last posts have been about trans art and theatre shows taking place this summer. Here are some more. 

 

(1) Seahorse Parents

This is a beautiful photography show in Amsterdam celebrating transmen who are pregnant. A series of calm, fairytale shots underwater by Miriam Guttmann (nominative determinism at work?) 

The official site is here: Seahorse Parents (they don't seem to have a page in English) but there is a recent illustrated article about it here from the UK: Difference is beautiful. There's a trailer for Guttman's film here: Seahorse Parents trailer.

I have tried to make my own blog a celebration of trans positivity over many years so reading this from Alex, one of the transmen involved, was uplifting: "I feel like far too often projects involving queer and trans people revolve around trauma. This project is all about celebrating and embracing our transness, our bodies, and our babies." 

The idea of a man carrying a baby can still seem strange to most people. After seeing this, though, it seems beautiful, right and normal.

 

(2) Mona

An exhibition by photographer Dominique Pasquet with accompanying book that presents six series of photos of LBGTQI+ people and so illustrates aspects of life in 21st Century France, from trans and same-sex families who are having babies to transitioners (and lovers of body art) who transform their bodies. The portraits are left to speak for themselves but the book's independent texts are provided by 30 well-known writers and journalists who are given a free hand to express their thoughts. 

"She could be called Mona" cover, published by Lelivredart

 

I haven't bought this yet but will let you know my own feelings about it in due course.

 

(3) Amsterdam Rainbow Dress

"The Amsterdam Rainbow Dress is a living work of art, made of all the national flags from countries where being LGBTIQ+ is illegal, on penalty of imprisonment, torture or capital punishment. When a country adopts LGBTIQ+ inclusive legislation, the respective flag shall be replaced with a rainbow flag." 

Here's their website: Amsterdam Rainbow Dress

The dress has been modelled in cities all over world. One day, we hope, it will made entirely of rainbow flags.

San Francisco City Hall - Ashlyn Danielsen and Amsterdam Rainbow Dress Foundation 2017 (c) Amsterdam Rainbow Dress Foundation

 

Health update

I'm not ill that often but this last week has not been easy thanks to this bronchitis. I feel quite a lot better today, though, and hope the remaining cough and other symptoms will be gone completely soon.

Blog 

My next post will be my annual anniversary post. This blog has been live for 12 years now and I will be making a few additions.

Enjoy the summer.

Sue x

Arty and trans

 I said last time I was failing in my TGirl photo duties but I did get dolled up in the end...

It's the least horrible picture I took. I wasn't feeling it, especially as I'd made an effort to look nice for a video chat and then the other person let me down at the last minute. And the next day I went down with bronchitis and I'm still unwell so, yeah, not at all my best. But some days you've got it and some days you haven't and that's the way it is.

I think when the hot weather is over I'll try again. I did break open all my lovely new makeup, though, and that is always a delight, especially with a squirt of perfume.

Trans and LGB art

This summer there are a number of exhibitions in prestigious institutions aimed at showcasing LGBT art, photography and activism. 

(1) The Centre Pompidou in Paris has a major exhibition of LGBT art from its own extensive collection and others. "Over the Rainbow" runs until November 13th.

Jean-Baptiste Carhaix, "Sister Sadie the Rabbi Lady" (1983). © Jean-Baptiste Carhaix, Courtesy Galerie Vrais Rêves, Lyon Photo: © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Bibliothèque Kandinsky/Dist. RMN-GP

 

Link: Over the Rainbow (English)

 

(2) The Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art in Prato, Italy, a small city near Florence, has an exhibition till October 15th of photographs by Lina Pallotta of trans activist Porpora Marcasciano.

Link: Lina Pallotta, Prato (Italian only)

(3) I notice that the nearby town of Menton, France, which has a large museum dedicated to creative polymath Jean Cocteau, who made no secret of his homosexuality and was strongly influenced by 1920s drag queens like Barbette, has put some of its Cocteau exhibits in the main square. 

Barbette, 1926. Photo: Man Ray 2015 Trust/ARS/ADAGP

I must visit the museum and report back.

Sizzling hot news

Forest fires are the order of the season and we had one on the hill I live on the other day. Here's the emergency helicopter carrying a bag of seawater from out front to dump it on the fire out back. 

Most of these fires are started by idiots being careless with cigarettes or barbecues, a few by pyromaniacs who love a cosy blaze or people wanting money off insurers. The cloudbursts and flooding in Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, though, are caused by the climate crisis and I am worried about my friends there.