Close to the Edge (ST1)

Was trying to think of a title for this post and decided to go with one inspired by this photo of my feet while out. I wasn't close to the edge. I am standing on a glass floor up Blackpool tower, but I thought the photo turned out well. More about that later.

Wednesday

I got into to Manchester and met Kate in Taurus. She gave me a very pretty bag. An early birthday present as the next day would be my birthday. I opened the bag to find a beautiful handbag and card. I was lost for words. I gave her hug and thanked her for the gift from herself and Suki. I must admit I felt some tears welling up but they were ones of joy.

We had a couple of drinks and something to eat while Kate recounted some of the events during the riots in Manchester. Unfortunately The Village did not escape. She also told me about Pride which sounded amazing.

It came time for me to check into my hotel and get changed.

I didn't get any photos with my new handbag when I was out so the one below was all I managed to take.

We met up with Diana who was staying over and I had a great first night out with 2 of my best friends. We didn't stay out to late as Kate, Diana and Suki had plans to take me to Blackpool for a birthday treat on Thursday. It would be a wonderful day that I won't forget..

Left Over Sparkle

Picked up a handbag I had at Sparkle which had some jewellery I left in it, but also a £20 note which really cheered me up.
Should really check things when I get home after a trip out. I'll take this as a good omen and quit my slow purge.

Wednesday (ST7)

My last day out so I went for a wander round Manchester city centre. Down by the Avenue I found what looked like cut outs of famous people. A couple of photos are below.

                                                                             (Kylie)

                                                                      ( Roberto Mancini)

After a coffee I had a wander round the shops and bought a book I had been looking for. It was a really nice sunny day. As the day went on in the afternoon I went back to The Village and had a couple of  drinks before going back to my room and got changed for the evening.
That evening I went to  Eden for a pizza. I met Mary who runs Manchester Concord the local support group that meets every Wednesday. I over joyed when I got texts from Diana and Kate that they would be out later.
At Manchester Concord Mary took a picture of  Kate, Diana and myself which is below.

After Concord we went to Naps and had a couple of dances.  We didn't stay to late as both Diana and Kate had work in the morning. Seeing them going and knowing I had to also depart in the morning made me feel so sad. I hope I will see them again as I never take anything for granted.
I had an absolutely wonderful time, but sadly my Sparkle Trip came to an end.

 12/08
Sadly since my trip, there have been riots in some of the major cities in England. Manchester and Liverpool were caught up in the wanton destruction. It all started in London. There has been much debate about the riots and why they happened. I have my own thoughts, but there is not much point to me recording them here. What I will say is I have never lived in Manchester or Liverpool, but both cities have had a profound influence on my life since I was a teenager. I did once live in London and that had it's own influence.
Cities being wounded  by their own residents  was horrible to see on the telly.  Hearing some people had died made it even more sickening,  but on the other side the clean up by decent people was heartening to see. I sincerely hope something positive emerges in the aftermath.
Next month hopefully I'll be back in Manchester where I  will hopefully be able to celebrate another first for me.
Until then may Love and Light Fill Your Days.

Karen xx

Monday, Tuesday, (ST6)

Monday

Diana would be making her way home but that would not be until the evening. She checked out of the hotel and I helped get her luggage to the car. After breakfast we went for a wander and a bit of shopping.
I got a really nice top and jeans. There was a particular pair of shoes Diana was looking for, but unfortunately we didn't find them except for a pair which were very expensive.
That evening I could resist wearing my new purchases when we went for a meal in Eden.

(Above a  picture of Diana, looking great with that beautiful smile)

It came time for Diana to head for home which and that would leave me on my own. I was sad to see her go, but she would be back out on Wednesday.
After seeing Diana off. I would attempt to remove my nails which would cause me some problems and and quite a bit of worry.

Tuesday

I had decided to take a trip to Leeds on the train.  I had an uneventful journey. The train was quite busy which does make me a bit nervous, but I really had no need to be. I did do quite a bit of shopping and got some good advice at a busy MAC concession.
Lunch was at a very quite Fibre in the gay quarter.

  (Outside the Corn Exchange Leeds)

I decided to try and beat the rush hour and headed back to Manchester.
Back in Manchester I took a wander along to Afflecks Market and found a stall that sold crystals and such like. I had a really nice chat with the man who owned it. I bought a really nice bracelet and heart shaped quartz pendant.
When I got back to The Village it was very quiet almost empty. I decided to just have a couple of drinks and an early night.
Wednesday would be my last day, but I'll leave that for one last post on this trip out.

Sunday (ST5)

Sunday Afternoon

Sunday the last day of Sparkle. Most people would be departing for home. There wasn’t really any hurry for Diana and myself. I’ve realised in previous posts that I’ve said I was up and out before Diana. The reason being it takes me longer to get ready and I don’t like to keep people waiting if they are ready to go out, plus for me being in Manchester is like waking up on Christmas morning when I was a kid. I love getting up, getting ready and going out in the morning. Sorry Diana if you read this I wasn’t inferring anything.

We spent some time with Kate S, Diana’s friend I had met on Saturday evening. Kate had to get home in the afternoon. It really was a pleasure to meet Kate and Diana’s other friend Jen on the Saturday.

After Kate left we went to Suki and Kate C’s house for a barbeque. This is getting confusing with more than one Kate.

We had both been out to Kate and Suki’s house a couple of times. They are both wonderful friends and it’s always a pleasure and a honour to be invited to their home.

Emma and her wife were there when we arrived. It was nice to see them.

The rain held off and we had a lovely afternoon in the garden with Kate in charge of the barbeque and doing a great job.

Unfortunately the afternoon came to an end. Emma and Mrs E had to make their way home. Emma’s trip round England had come to an end which must have been amazing.

We then had to say our goodbye’s to Kate and Suki and make our way back to The Village.

Sunday Evening

The Village wasn't as quiet as we thought it might be. Naps was open and what was surprising upstairs was open. So it was up for a dance.
We didn't stay to late.
It had been a really nice way to end Sparkle. Writing this I must admit I feel a bit down remembering. I still had 3 nights left which I will record here despite it now getting a bit difficult, but I'll regret it if I don't

Saturday Evening (ST4)

Saturday Evening

After the park event Diana met up with 2 friends of hers Kate and Jen and we had a meal in Taurus. It had certainly been a busy day. We decided to eat early to try and miss the crowd and rush. Afterwards it was back to the hotel for a change. This would be the third night in a row I would wear a dress. Very unusual for me. Back in the Village Diana, Kate, Jen and myself had a wander up Canal St. In The View looking out the window someone made a comment about all the straight people sitting outside taking sneaky pictures, laughing and staring at the various Tgirls who passed by.

There was a suggestion that Tgirls should start taking pictures of straight people on Canal St and start a group on a social networking site with the best pictures.

Could imagine going up to one and saying.

‘Excuse me are you straight. We don’t get many down here. Can I take your picture.’ Perhaps turn the tables.

I think it’s quite sad when someone takes a sneaky picture without your permission. Are their lives that sad. Perhaps turning the tables like that would not be a good idea and only cause problems.

After we left The View we met Emma and her wife. Emma had be out for a week and with her wife and had been touring Southeast England

It had been a long day and coupled with the past few days it was starting to take it’s toll on me. I wasn’t feeling to good and in a bit of pain.

It was getting busier and when we went to Baa Baa I decided it would be better if I went back to the hotel and got some sleep.

I found out later that the queue for Naps went round the corner and inside you could barely move.

I was glad in the morning I’d turned in early as I got a really good sleep.

Sparkle Trip Part 3 (Saturday Afternoon)

Saturday Sparkle in the Park

I was up before Diana so I went into the city centre to buy a new umbrella as my one had seen better days. Diana had lost hers somewhere so I said I would get her one as well.

Passing Sackville Gardens I saw people setting up the stage and stalls for Sparkle in the Park later on. I really hoped it wouldn’t rain. I need not have worried .

I found 2 umbrellas and went back to meet Diana for breakfast.

After breakfast we went to the park which was ready for the days events. We met up with Mandy who it was great to see again. Diana had volunteered for a stint on the desk at LGF signing people in for the talks being held there. She had also volunteered for an hour on the Manchester Concord stand.

Two other people I was really happy to see were Bev and Gemma and her partner.

Karen a really nice lass who is on the MC committee was dashing about checking everything was going ok . She puts a lot of work in where Concord is concerned. I was once mistakenly put on the MC committee instead of her which we still joke about.

When I am in Manchester, and Sparkle brought this home to me even more. I feel part of the T community, but sort of on the fringe. It’s because I don’t get out as much as I want and see my friends. The majority of my time I live in male mode working to earn a living so I can be comfortable and have times out being myself. Life at times feels empty. Home for me is not home if that makes sense. Manchester a place I have never lived feels more like home.

On the stage we had a speech by Lynn Featherstone MP, the Equality Minister. She talked a lot but nothing she said stood out. Marianne’s band The Strawberry Elephant Experience were first on and really good.

There were a couple of stalls offering information on laser hair removal and liposuction. The ladies on these stalls were telling me about fat removal. While they were telling me about this I did ask if they thought I needed it. One laughed after she looked at me and said as a joke  ’I hate people like you.   I am quite skinny, probably to much.

At the UNISON stall I spoke to a lovely lady. We had a long chat. A lot was about transitioning. She had been through the process herself. She never made any judgements on my situation, but gave me some good advice and a lot to think about. To go down that route I know you have to be sure and realise you may open the gates to your own personal hell, but then again you may be in that hell with full transition your only escape. For me I exist in a limbo that I have written about before on another blog. It’s tough, but not hell. A very uneasy balance that I try to maintain.

Kate and Suki appeared and I spent some time with them looking round the stalls and getting some pictures.

Diana and Mandy

Eventually the park event came to a close. It had been a lovely afternoon.

Sparkle Trip part 2 (Sparkle Begins)

Friday

The day saw some heavy rain. It was a bit worrying that the weather could be a factor and ruin Sparkle in the Park on Saturday. I went shopping leaving Diana to get ready for a cancer fundraiser in Taurus. It was a tea cake event with a 40s and 50s theme. Suki had made some lovely snowballs for it which brought back some childhood memories.
We had a lovely afternoon in Taurus where I saw Jane who I hadn't seen in over a year. She was looking great. I know she has had a lot to deal with and I hope things go well for her in the future.

Kate and myself in Taurus

 In the evening we met up again with a German girl Molly who was over for Sparkle and her first time out. At 6ft 6 she towered over us. To get out in a foreign country and strange city was very brave.

The show at Manchester Concord was interesting with the lesbian strippers and the Drag King. He did a great version of Chris de Burgh’s Patricia the Stripper which I thought was way better that the original.

We went to Eden where the music was a bit weird and the rain started to pour down outside. Somewhere along the line Diana had lost her umbrella.

Naps was quite busy and there was now quite a few girls out.

Sparkle had really begun.

In Eden out of the rain