Ending 2025

 2025 has been an unusual year, very much dominated by the needs of a relative of mine who has been very sick; that cancelled a lot of plans. However, I'm pleased to say that he is now better and tomorrow, when he picks up his car, we will genuinely be able to say that he has returned to normal. It's been quite a saga. 

Although this is a summary of my year, photos in this post have not appeared on my site before.

 

Dressing in 2025 

I dress as a woman every day but, because I am worried about my skin's severe sensitivity to modern products, I rarely wear makeup so I rarely post photos of myself now. Without makeup I look like a superannuated Seventies rock star, but without the cool attributes, so I don't photograph myself like that. But TGirls have a symbiotic relationship with cameras so I do make an effort occasionally when the blogosphere needs convincing that I am still alive and not an AI bot churning out trans content. So I did take photos at home in January, did a bit of musical cosplay in February, wore my new summer dress and tried out a smart summer look in July, was a bit of a pink whale in August, tried my new footwear in December and now I'm on a Dressathon over the Christmas and New Year period - more on that soon.

Memories 

I've also started going through files of old photos and have introduced a new series of posts entitled a Trip Down Memory Card Lane. So far I've put up photos of visits to Kew Gardens with friends (with thanks to Dee for many of those) and the Great Drag Race (with thanks to Ange and the organisers for those).

Before the Great Drag Race 2010

 

Holidays 

Holidays and exploration are some of my most popular posts. I did manage to get away to some interesting places in the spring, including Monaco in February, Nice (France) in March, San Marino in April and Salisbury (Britain) in May. I had planned much longer trips to Germany in the spring and Britain in the autumn but they had to be cancelled because of my relative's situation. However, if you are interested in photos of my area, join me on my autumn tour guide of well known parts of the riviera like Nice, Monaco, Sanremo and Ventimiglia here and here (or lesser known yet prettier parts like Ospedaletti and Coldirodi here or Bordighera here). If you like window shopping, then you may enjoy reading about about Milan's fashion district. Or enjoy my Christmas illuminations viewing on the riviera in December. 

Luggy the LGBT Crab who sometimes accompanies me on my travels.

 

No meetups 

My main 2025 resolution to meet up with trans girls close to home didn't materialise. That's nothing to do with my relative's illness but the fact that national trans groups, like Arcigay, even though they have a local group here, are into political campaigning more than socialising or, like Crossdresser Italia, are based in cities hundreds of miles away. I recall my early days of going out in the UK when I travelled long distances and spent a fortune on hotels and restaurants just to be able to meet other trans friends, and it's something I'd prefer not to have to repeat here if possible. But the thought only recently struck me that since I am tucked in a corner of Italy far from the action but with France's most LGBT friendly city (Nice) just down the road, maybe I should investigate there. Now why didn't I think of that before? (Now picture Homer Simpson dressed as Marge exclaiming D'OH!)

 

Positive blogging 

The world is a mess right now but I take comfort from the fact that the chief messers are incompetent and the chaos is, on the whole, more noise than substance. The anti trans sentiment is simply a way of focusing the attention of political personality cult followers away from their incompetence and towards a simple-to-target minority. Yet that miniscule minority is actually way larger than is believed, it's just that the overwhelming majority of trans people are hidden from view. You can't successfully eliminate what is largely unknown and already invisible! 

Hiding in plain sight

 

So here on Sue's News & Views I try as often as I can to find positive things to focus on amid the chaos. My latest photo (below) is of me earlier this week enjoying winter sunshine outdoors surrounded by aromatic herbs in an old favourite dress and my brand new boots. I'm perfectly happy with simple things like this and even more with simply the ability just to be who I am.

 

Tonight I'll be eating a traditional New Year's Eve dinner of cotechino sausage and lentils (see pic here) and seeing in the New Year by watching the local drone and fireworks display in my oldest and most comfortable dress. So let me wish you the very best for 2026. I hope it will be free from worries, stress, loss and fear.

Investment tip for 2026. Do what I have just done: spend just one metal money for loads of chocolate money ... and now tell me the future doesn't look happier now!

 

Thank you for reading my blog. It's always means a lot to me that people follow the thoughts, feelings and adventures of a trans person trying to live her life.

Sue x

The 2024 that was

 My last post of 2024. This has been a significant year because I managed to get out in public again after six years of injuries, moving country, Covid lockdowns and all the rest. 

I also enjoyed some cosplay fun and some makeup practice at home, bought and tried out a lot of new clothes, collected together a bunch of old photos, and lost a lot of excess weight. 

Here I've been able to write a lot about the trans community's promotion in the arts, and about positive things that defy current transphobia. It's been good to be able to do that.

 

Outings

The first outing was in Scotland with Roz in beautiful spring weather and that was a special day indeed: Scotland outing

The next was in London where I went sightseeing and met up with Stephanie in the evening: London outing 

In the autumn, I went shopping in Brighton with Stella: Brighton outing

I met Sandy (a.k.a. Mrs Sox) one evening in Bolton and we enjoyed an Indian meal and I had a random journey afterwards: Bolton outing

Followed the next day by a smart lunch and shopping in Manchester with Suki (a.k.a. Mrs Collins): Manchester outing

I haven't been out near my new home in Italy yet as I would like to meet other TGirls and go out with them. That's a resolution for 2025.

Scotland in the spring

 

Dinner in London

Home dressing fun

I've been practising some makeup skills at home, mainly around my eyes, which is not an area I usually concentrate on as I have to wear glasses and they hide any fancy eye makeup. I'm a bit lazy with the photography these days but two occasions stand out:

Trans Day of Visibility

Slim, sexy and windswept 

I had some fun accessorising a spidery silver witch costume at Hallowe'en and that was a very popular post:

Hallowe'en cosplay fun 

Photoshoots and ideals

People like photos; I've noticed that. I posted photos of all the looks created at my sessions at the Boudoir Dressing Service in 2004-08: Makeovers and photoshoots

 

There'll be more to come.

One very popular post was about what looks have inspired us in the past. Evidently, the polka-dotted, rara-skirted, big-haired, beribboned look of the mid-'80s pop scene is one of them, to judge by the viewer stats: What sets you off?

The overblown camp world of music and carnival seems very popular too: Transgender arts and culture (February)

Tips

I started a top tips page (here) to share experience with others on dressing topics. I seems to be popular, too.

2025

Thanks for reading.

Let me wish you a jolly new year's eve and a prosperous 2025. Stay beautiful.

Sue x

Looking back, looking ahead

 Hello dear readers, happy New Year. I hope that 2024 is a good one for you. We could do with something good now as, let's face it, the last few years have been difficult for everyone.

 

Summing up 2023

I don't propose to sum up 2023 in much detail. For me, it was a bit of a transitional year (not in a surgical sense!) but I am looking ahead to a better 2024. So, by way of summary, I'll just link to the four posts that attracted the most views last year. 

Fittingly, more people read my tribute to my lovely friend Kate Collins than anything else. Kate's death from illness was a shock to the trans community and I hope I did her memory some justice. Kate Collins - a tribute. Rest in peace, beautiful girl. 

As a followup, Kate's widow is at least deriving much joy from her 18-month old grandson; they seem inseparable, and that's some consolation.

Kate Collins

By complete contrast, nobody commiserated with me when my bra exploded. It is an ex bra; it has ceased to be. Stop laughing, you insensitive people! The day my bra exploded.

I live predominantly as a woman - that's been the case for over a quarter of a century - but I've never gone full-time female for various reasons. So occasionally I have to be male and put away my feminine things. And that's not just clothes. Hiding stuff again.

I commented on what looked like becoming the big trend of 2023, all-over pink. In the pink. (I think the idea of all-over cerise or magenta petered out pretty fast, but peach fuzz is now in.)

 

Future plans

As for the future, in as much as anything can be planned in a world gone unstable, I recently completed what I think is the final stage of my residence in Italy and confirmation of citizenship. I moved to Italy partly for health reasons - the grey skies and cold winters of the UK were literally killing me - and partly because I work internationally and Britain isolated under Brexit is not the place to do that. Originally, I had planned to spend summers in the UK and winters somewhere warmer like the Canary Islands, but that idea was killed by the chaos that followed the Brexit vote in 2016. So I am essentially here to stay now, with only occasional time in Britain. To that end, I have been putting feelers out to Italian trans groups that are about trans living and hope to start again by making friends in the trans community here. I could do with getting out again, but I feel I need some support to start with. It was a decade ago that my trans life outside home ended abruptly with a bout of eczema that prevented my wearing makeup, so I'm definitely out of practice.

Despite the excesses of the Christmas and New Year fortnight I am only a little over the weight I was in mid-December so I'll be back on track to get into my healthy weight range by the spring.

As for my blog, the posts I started writing last year about trans art and photographic exhibitions, about trans films and theatre, about support for trans people from outside the community, proved very popular. I hope to do regular monthly updates on the creative scene as it applies to trans life. Posts discussing fashion and the latest items in my wardrobe are popular, too. 

All the best for 2024.

Sue x

Summing up 2022

 I usually end the year with a review of my adventures as a trans woman but, truth be told, there have hardly been any adventures this year! I dress as a woman all the time now, even if I am not presenting as a woman. Yes, it's complicated, but that's trans life for you. So I've been buying a lot of clothes.

I did enjoy time with my lovely friend Roz a few weeks ago, and we even had time for photos.

I think I might use this one as my avatar in 2023:

I was also excited to be sent some photos of past events by KD and there's another of those below. I must make a proper archive of pictures so I won't have to keep coming across them randomly!

The world as I knew it has gone now and the troubles we face are characterised by extreme nationalism and that brings a lot of transphobia. That said, it's the ruling élites who are transphobic. I have repeatedly said this year, despite the abuse and onslaught of transphobes - from TERFS to religious clerics to dictators - that actually the public has worse things to worry about and do not share this hate for trans people. I am cautious but I think we will improve our position, as recent political moves show.

Covid is reducing and it has now been possible to start eating out again and going on holiday. I have just got back from a lovely Christmas holiday in France with friends (more on that in the new year). I desperately need to travel again after three years of Covid restrictions and I hope that 2023 will be a year of exploration.

Thanks to all of you who have left comments this year. Thanks also to sites like T-Central and FeedSpot for promoting trans blogs like mine. And to the other trans people who blog and vlog about the trans experience.

Let me and the Christmas Kitten I saw in France wish you a good New Year celebration and a coming year that will be better all round. 

Sue x

2020, what a contrast!

 My last post every year is usually a summary of my life as a trans woman in that year. Last year was too difficult and transitional (not in a gender sense!) to warrant a comment. But this year has been bizarre beyond belief. Not just for me but for every person on earth.

Who hasn't now been affected by the death through Covid of someone they themselves knew, or hasn't lost earnings or even their livelihood or business because of the economic effects of lockdown, or been isolated from friends, family and community, or just been sick with this bug themselves? What can I say? A hug to you, which I would give willingly if it were possible to touch one another. For my part, I've had little work, face-to-face contact with just one relative and seen no friends all year. 

I'm quite gregarious as a rule but, thanks to the nature of my work, I tolerate solitude quite well. But I'd have preferred a different situation!

I think 2021 will be different, must be different. Even without a vaccine, the pandemic would eventually peter out, but the sooner normality can return, the better off we will all be.

So as for my year, I've not been out en femme at all, but that's the case with almost all TGirls who aren't full-time, transitioning or transitioned. But I am almost always dressed en femme, more androgynously if I am outdoors and more obviously when at home. Occasionally I get out my camera, as I have done a few times this year, and it's been good to make the effort.

Mostly, though, I have been reminiscing in this blog on the amazing time ten years ago when I finally made my first proper steps as a woman in the big wide world. Those posts seem to have been very popular and links to those posts are below if you'd like to reread my experiences:

Overture: big anniversary (my first night out) 

1: My baptism of fire

2: The Great Drag Race

3: Getting out the front door

4: Hair and makeup

5: Sparkle: finding my tribe

6: First steps in trans living, conclusion 

I'll shortly be continuing my reminiscences on what happened later in 2010-11 as I considered transition. My Dip in the Archives today is a final tribute to that amazing year of 2010. The world seemed to be my oyster - what a contrast to 2020! I dare say anyone else would say the same of 2020, if for different reasons. As I said above, 2021 will be better. 

Here's a photo I took just this morning of the sunny horizon as seen from my new home. Symbolic? Or corny? Whatever, I wish you all good things in the year to come.

A dip in the archives

Ending 2010 was a lot of fun. Emma, she of the first two posts linked to above, came to stay with me and we went shopping in London, catching the train from my home. We enjoyed a morning coffee in Vergnano's in the Charing Cross Road, London's best coffee shop.

 We hit the shops around Carnaby Street, still a lively part of town.

 

When it was lunchtime we met Helena at Bistro 1 in Beak Street, Soho (sadly gone now, it was always good value with friendly service). We had a leisurely meal and a good chat.

Emma and I went on to the major stores of Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street (the green set on your Monopoly board), where the winter sales were on. A lot of the Christmas decorations and illuminations caught our attention that year.

When our feet grew tired we went to a pub, the Mason's Arms in Maddox Street, Mayfair, and made some new friends.

And we finished our day at La Tasca Spanish restaurant off Oxford Street.

That was a great day out, just women looking for bargains in the shops and eating out together. It was a manifestation of our new-found confidence in being TGirls about town. Happy times!

Sue x

Summary of 2012

This time last year I was on top of the world (see here http://suerichmond.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/summing-up-2011.html). Indeed, 2010 and 2011, as I emerged as a debutante TGirl into the world, were probably the happiest and most amazing years of my life. This year, by contrast, has been very mixed.

On the plus side, most of my close long-term friends now know that I am trans and have been hugely supportive. That’s been a real source of comfort, relief and happiness and means I can just be myself. I’ve had no problems at all out in public. Indeed, everywhere I go people are welcoming and treat me as a normal human being. (And why not? I treat others with respect, so they return it. Human nature is predominantly decent.) The recent art show demonstrated how I can be officially recognised.

Publicity for the "Diffraction" art show.

I’ve got to know two new groups of girls, the Nottingham Invaders and the Brick Lane Set. I knew the Invasion bossladies, Maddy and Samantha, and several other girls in the area already, but they’ve created a superb monthly night out in Nottingham city centre. I think it works better than other places because there is no ghetto, just ordinary venues (yes, a couple of gay pubs, but mainly everyday clubs). London’s Brick Lane girls at the Verge Bar are also good company, and are obviously somewhat closer to home.

Brick Lane's Verge Bar

Nottingham Invasion

There have been the thoroughly enjoyable rounds of eating out, shopping, theatre, cinema, travelling and having a great time with friends. And even just everyday stuff. Somehow, life is nicer as a woman. I absolutely love stage shows of all kinds and there have been some delights this year.

Trannyshack

Funny Girls

The Hurly Burly Show

I’ve been helping girls dress and do their make up in my home, which has been a bit of a learning experience. Sadly, I've had to give up on a couple of friends, but in compensation I have made a large number of new friends and continued to enjoy the company of older ones. My friends are my joy and I love them to bits. There's always room for many more.

See, TGirls have lots of fun!

I’ve also been pleased that people seem to enjoy this blog. Thanks for reading. I try to keep it entertaining and humorous, and with illustrations rather than just prose. I’ve been enjoying other people’s blogs, too. (I’ll see if in my technological rubbishness I can get my favourite blogs list on the front page rather than you having to click on my profile to see them.)

The other thing to comment on is what an incredibly exciting place London has been this year, largely because of the Jubilee and the Olympics and many new constructions, from the Shard to the cable car. It’s a phenomenal city and its spirit lifts me.

Jubilee pageant

Olympic men's marathon

Thames skyline at night

Now the bad bit. A black cloud has been created by the malice of a number of self-appointed ‘activists’ who sprayed their hate everywhere mid-year. It seems any person who fancies it can set themselves up as a know-all trans leader and dictate the terms under which other trans people shall live, with violence to reinforce the message. I once used to provide workplace bullying advice in a national trade union but I have never seen abuse, control freakery and bullying like this. The hatred exuded by some trans people is in contrast to the acceptance and kindness of just about all the non-trans people I’ve met. This malice has been a source of anguish to me this year. It’s made me wish that I hadn’t bothered coming out, and made me fear the future. I didn’t go to the London Pride or Brighton Pride events this year because I felt ashamed of being in any way associated with this brutality, and I have stopped organising lunches under the Angels name as I feel in danger. I am still giving thought on how to deal with this as my resources and experience have actually failed me on this one, but I am just glad that the majority of trans people are decent and I’m grateful to my many friends for their love and support over this. I do feel it will be a while before I feel properly happy and at ease again. In any case, clearly I will have to take a new direction in future. I’m sad to put this so strongly, but some things cannot be pussyfooted around.

Anyway, back to the positives. I hope you have a fun new year’s eve, whatever you’re doing. Proper New Year’s greetings tomorrow, and a new up-to-date avatar (exciting, eh?).

Love

Sue x

Summing up (2011)

What an incredible year for me. I have lived the greater part of it as a woman, including great swathes of time when no maleness was required at all, notably the first half of July. I've taken holidays en femme, had whole weekends of fun with girlfriends, worked as a barmaid at Olympia, celebrated an all-female Christmas and enjoyed no end of shopping, eating out, getting pretty in beauty salons, theatre trips, clubbing and socialising as Sue. Complete bliss! I could get used to this. Maybe I have. This is how life is supposed to be for me, I can feel it from the top of my hairdo to the tips of my stilettos.

Will there be a new beginning in 2012? Hardly necessary. I plan the same joyous female existence, only more of it, and with a feeling of satisfaction that life as a woman is the right life for me.

Thank you to all my trans friends for making life so wonderful. Too many to mention individually here, but you all know who you are. Love and joy to all.

And thanks to the many readers who have dropped in on this blog in the last few months. I hope it's been entertaining, an encouragement to live life as one's true self and an illustration of how friends do so much to create our happiness. And maybe it shows that being transgendered can have a positive side.

Sue xxx

Painshill Park, Surrey; August 2011