Unexpected and appreciated

Hi,

How’s things? Hopefully good, and if not yet there; fingers crossed – oh and “may the odds be ever in your favour” 😉 A fair few things to report and quite a bit to be thankful for.

Werking at work

So my first pay cheque is due shortly. How nice! Not quite sure what the amount will be, but it’ll certainly help with the bills. Apparently I’m due a tax rebate as there’s been a mistake since my last employment. That’ll top things up nicely! 🙏

Better not say anything too loudly – or make any plans – as the Fates may have other plans for that: the unexpected expenses! 🙃 No one expects the unexpected expenses, etc… Well, obvs; otherwise, they’d be, uhh, expected.

Working from home has continued to work well, in that I can balance caring needs, popping the washing on at lunch, and getting the hounds exercised. That and avoiding the dreaded battle with the Nottingham road system; yikes. Plus, the bonus of At Least the Top Half is Masc, so I’m not feeling so stuck in Richard-mode between Chams visits.

Oh, and the part time hours are sooo helping. I used to find that I’d reach Wednesday and sag a little, knowing I had another three full days at Planet Faff…. However, not so in the new gig! Middle of the Week now means there’s just Thursday to go, and I’ve a long weekend to look forward to. I cannot emphasise how much of a lift that’s given me. What a win! 🥰

Nails

The good fortune continued, in that my new regime of more vitamin B and the Orly nail polishes have helped my paws become healthier, stronger, and the chipping issue seems to have stopped. Are they break proof? By all that’s fabulous, no; but in the last month or so, I’ve not had any cracking on my thumbnails or index finger. I will take that as a win as well 🏆

Hip-ie Chic

I’ve got about four sets of foam hip pads. There’s the DIY ones I made *cough* decades ago *cough* that served me well for a time. Since then, I’ve been trying long shorts + foam inserts, sewing pads into thigh shorts, or pocketed shapewear which hold pads in place.

Do you get that feeling that despite your best efforts, things ain’t quite right? Yeah, it was that. Not massively wrong, but a case of material rolling down around the tum (a common problem in shapewear, apparently) or the foam lacking flex.

With some Christmas money from Granny J, I decided to have a look for some silicone ones. I mean, maybe I’ll fall lucky, and find some that aren’t 300 quid for a pair. Jeez, that’s a lot of wonga.

After putting in a few enquires at specialist CD stores – and getting nothing back 🙄- I ordered some from YapokCDS (through Amazon) because they had a good returns policy. I mean, there’s the whole size, weight, quality, smell (!!) issue of certain products bought on-line, so it’s often a risk.

⚠️FRW’s may need to skip this next bit, you poor little snowflakes 😉 (far r**** w***ers )

[ A shout-out to those suppliers – Snag, Unfolded, Joe Browns, etc – who show their products on models of inclusive sizes, heights, and genders. I mean, I can think of my build; swipe through to the person who’s size & height we have in common…. and, shock horror! I am more likely to buy the product. Not only that, but less likely to return it. Roman: you need to do better. Not all your customers are 5’5″ and a size 10. That’s why I don’t shop with you any more. Fab designs, inclusivity needs work. See me after class 😉]

Soapbox moment aside, the pads arrived and – as per the advice I read on a few places – they are quite heavy. You need reasonable shapewear or well fitting under clothing shorts/shapewear (I have some ‘cooling shorts’ that do the trick), to keep them in place. No, they don’t quite extend to the back to enhance one’s rear, but they are suitably squishy and felt comfortable to wear. The length and fit is very good, which adds the right amount of curve, but that’s not OTT.

They are a bit of a faff to get in place, as you need to slide them into the gap between shapewear and skin; not an easy task when the former is designed to be snug. I might try swapping our some shorts with inner pockets and see if that helps. Early days, but so far, so good! 🙏

Old faves

With work mode kinda in my head and opaques keeping my pins warm in the winter weather, I wondered what I might have in the wardrobe for Thursday. Sure, I could do a dress – Mrs J’s right in that I have enough for plenty of variety if I went full time. 😁 But as much as a dress is lovely, sometimes I think it’s nice to mix things up a little, and try your luck with separates.

I did have a rather cute textured black office skirt – ironically this is Roman, despite my previous grumbles! 🙃 So it was a case of looking to see which tops might go with it. I could’ve gone with a black bodysuit and cardy, but that felt black, black, black, and a dash of black for good luck. So, the choice came down to two old favourites: a red swirly, paisley number, or black top with white dragonflies on it.

I did *ahem* invest in some new Clarks – well, new to me – heels this week as well. However, I was determined to get some wear out of some 80s style courts I bought from New Look pre-COVID. The heel is a little lower than modern shoes – not a kitten heel, no – but more officey than disco.

I felt rather chic on the night and the pads didn’t give me any trouble. The shoes, though? Oh, they ‘made themselves known’, which I why I usually do a Mary Jane ‘cos they are so much more comfortable. Still, you have to suffer a bit for style sometimes! 🙂

Equation

Pre-Xmas we arranged for Equation to pop in and see us. They are an inclusive Nottingham based specialist charity that works with the whole community to reduce the impact of domestic abuse, sexual violence and gender inequality. They have a dedicated LGBTQIA+ service, so they are absolutely here for queer folk in Notts, bless them.

We listened to two of the Equation team – ‘A’ & ‘N’ – on the challenges the queer community faces, the support Equation offer, and the good work they’re doing to help reduce domestic violence. While it’s – I chose my words carefully, here – awful that such a specialist team is needed, it’s amazing to hear of the good work they do. I was quite moved by their dedication and push to ensure no-one was left behind.

I’ve kept a few of their business cards for the group, picked up a pen for us – as it’s a nice easy reference for the number & web site; plus a poster that I’ll ask our local GP about featuring.

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That’s it for me this week. Stay safe & stay fabulous!

L x