The other side

 So, you survived Christmas. Welcome on the other side. The diet starts now!

If you are lucky enough to have people in your life who accept you are trans, I hope they gave you a suitable gift. It's not so much the gift itself, though, is it? It's the acknowledgment that your other side, the less public one, is important. 

I don't have such people so I have been known to give myself that especially feminine gift. This year I was disappointed by the choice of hosiery, and the perfume I thought of was too expensive (or maybe I'm getting old and haven't cottoned on to the fact that inflation is still a thing). So I got myself some cheap chick lit and bought some fancy food instead. You may argue that a bottle of scent will last longer than a fridgeful of food (and make you more attractive than a big belly will) but I always remember a good dinner with fondness whereas scent fades so, you know, swings and roundabouts!

Apart from a gender-neutral look when spending time with neighbours, it's been nice to be dressed fully feminine this week. Yes, I'll post photos when I've got any that I think are half decent. My ageing face displeases me. Santa gets away with ageing by covering up with as much hair and beard as he can, but that's not the girly look I'm after. 

It's also been nice to have had plenty of time to prepare meals and cook really well, and to catch up with reading matter that's been lying round barely touched for weeks. And the warm sunshine has been glorious, pouring through the windows (and reducing my heating bill considerably!) I also remembered how much fun it was during those Covid lockdowns to do jigsaws and play games so I thought I'd repeat that this year where I seem to have a lot more down time than usual. A bit of jigsaw before bed is unbelievably relaxing - way better than overexciting online stuff. Must do this more often!

Mediterranean panorama in 500 pieces. Next up, the arty Birth of Venus in 1000 bits!

There's a lot of activity here over the next few weeks as the Christmas festivities don't end till January 7th. There's a funfair for grown-ups and one for kids, an ice-rink in the main square, another square is filled with a Christmas-themed kids' playground and there are innumerable concerts in all genres of music, indoors and out. I'm looking forward to the New Year fireworks over the harbour that are always spectacular. In fact, what I like about my new location in the Mediterranean is that there is always some excuse for a festivity throughout the winter months that are always so grim in Britain where I lived before where there are no public holidays or reasons to be cheerful from new year through to easter (unless you count Valentine's Day). Here we're anticipating the massive Sanremo music festival, carnival, the flower festival and the earliest Pride festival of the year.

Before the end of the year I'll be back with, I hope, some girly photos and a roundup of the year, which has been very active.

Enjoy any continuing time off.

Sue x