tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41961154890756902962024-03-13T08:37:28.139+00:00Paula's PlaceThe experiences and adventures of the World's Leading Transgender
Conductor and Bass Trombone and Tuba Playing Christian Gardener.Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.comBlogger1824125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-15935726502430647192023-10-05T14:18:00.001+01:002023-10-05T14:18:50.167+01:00I Can't Stand Much More Of This<p>Over on her<a href="https://blog.cyrstistransgendercondo.com/"> "Condo"</a> my friend Cyrsti has been writing a bit about what it means to be trans, this sort of makes a nice change from the crossdresser blog post of "I had a lovely day out dressed as...." or the many blog posts about the process of transition. I know they all have their place and can be interesting ~ or at least I hope they do as I've written enough of them myself over the years. I suppose this is a reflection of how feel now that my transition is more or less done with (I'm not sure that it will ever be complete!). Back in August 2011 when I first started Paula's Place it is was somewhere for me to relate those early experiences of going out, it quickly became the medium for my musing on gender, in many ways a friend I could talk to about the things I couldn't talk to others about. So yes I have written more than my fair share of post about <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/search/label/clothes">what clothes I wear</a>, the various processes of <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/search/label/Transition">transition</a>, <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/search/label/Coming%20out">coming out</a> and of course <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/search/label/going%20out">going out</a>!</p><p>More recently I had been writing more and more about things that interest me, Politics, Music, Gardening etc. Being trans does have an impact of some sort on pretty much everything I do, it changes my point of view having experiences as both male and female, it changes my accessibility and of course it can change the attitude of others towards me. With everything else going on in my life I just sort of got out of the habit of writing about things, instead I have been doing them.</p><p>Lots of music, a little gardening, and rather excitingly some motor sport! Of course I'm still interested in everything I have ever been, I've just not felt inspired to write much for the last few months, but something has changed.</p><p>Here in the UK our current governing Party has just held it's annual conference, we've had speeches from all the leading members, and the uniting factor amongst them all is full engagement in culture wars. We've had xenophobia from our home secretary and foreign secretary, we've had class hate from a former prime minister and transphobia and mendacity from all of them, including the current Prime Minister and Health Secretary. As long as this Government is in power no trans person in the UK can expect fair treatment. The PM has denied our very existence, and the Health Secretary has proposed that we should not be treated by the NHS as being our true gender. Over the last few years there has been a steady ramping up of the anti trans rhetoric, I have often said that it is just a very small but very vocal minority of haters ~ but as the Government itself has taken a transphobic stance it has given legitimacy to the bigots.</p><p>I'm not hearing any of our leading opposition politicians calling out the bigotry, and that lends it even more credence. The only dissenting voice I heard at the Conservative Party Conference was one gay, party member tried to call out Suella Braverman's transphobia as she tried to challenge such concepts as "trans ideology" and "White Privilege". Like most people most of my friends will share many of my views and opinions, as I go about my day to day business I am met with very little transphobia, but I can't help but notice that it has increased over the last few years. Maybe not to an everyday occurrence, but it has increased. Not so much the casual mistake, but the deliberate hateful comment ~ mercifully so far not for me the physical attack we all fear, and some experience. We all fear because the chances of this happening to anyone of us is increasing all the time. Today we have had the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66984843">latest annual hate crime figures released</a>, over the last year hate crime overall has reduced ~ largely because of the way the figures are collected which will exclude the more minor instances ~ but even so the figures for hate crimes against Transgender people has increased by 11%</p><p>I lay the responsibility for this firmly at the feet of our Government. Their rhetoric legitimises the bigots and allows them to feel justified in their actions. When Government Ministers equate trans people with sex offenders then no surprise that we get attacked. When the PM denies the legitimacy of our existence then no wonder we are abused. Sure the words hurt, but the actions that those words lead to injure!</p><p>As Lawrence Fox and his chums are realising at the moment, while we may have freedom to express our views, there are consequences to what we say. Sometimes those consequences are for the speaker, like Lozer you could lose your job, sometimes like Graham Lineham people just stop hiring you ~ but often it is others, the people attacked words who end up suffering the consequences as they are physically attacked as well! I hope and trust that this is just a "moment in time" and that it "too will pass". I hope and trust that in the future we will look back on the 2020s transphobia as we now look back on the 1980s homophobia with incredulity and disgust, but while we are having to live through it, well, it's tough.</p><p>I needed to rant, to express how dreadful I think this Government are, to vent my frustration, and this is my medium. Now I have written again maybe I will be back with some more enjoyable news, but for now, if you have been, thank you for reading!</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-64297888340542937682023-04-13T19:21:00.000+01:002023-04-13T19:21:01.398+01:00Manchester Gold!<p>This weekend I will be travelling again ~ I seem to have been doing quite a bit of that recently with a trip to Paris a few weeks ago, then after that a trip up to Lincolnshire to see my good friend P. I don't think I've seen her since she retired and moved. Although I think her husband may have got a bit fed up with our constant natter it did make me realise just how much I had missed <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/2012/04/new-boobs-and-trellis.html">our chats and our lunches</a>! It also made me realise just how far I have come over the last few years.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwrAxPF031z_ARr42_UbZilLeLhsTKA0ykibFNGKS-QsSSyAXRPeED40O_Fsh-EeGMONm1Tyo9KBIgiZauZojXuxPnTEOT7TFVqyYHMXTPtCWy7wASC3J-YAZ_miSIoQNRmuwHrhTMRi8gIG0jlJypO5cZF_MJYhYTkAv6ab49xmEVN9TuYA04g/s960/10801863_828697137189115_6024314449560390143_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwrAxPF031z_ARr42_UbZilLeLhsTKA0ykibFNGKS-QsSSyAXRPeED40O_Fsh-EeGMONm1Tyo9KBIgiZauZojXuxPnTEOT7TFVqyYHMXTPtCWy7wASC3J-YAZ_miSIoQNRmuwHrhTMRi8gIG0jlJypO5cZF_MJYhYTkAv6ab49xmEVN9TuYA04g/w266-h400/10801863_828697137189115_6024314449560390143_n.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>But getting back to my upcoming trip to Manchester, this is a very different type of excursion, I will be traveling with my band ~ <a href="https://www.csb.org.uk/">Croydon Symphonic Band</a> ~ to play in the finals of the National Concert Band Festival. This will be our tenth appearance at the finals (which are by invitation), of course just being there feels pretty prestigious, but in many ways the level of award says even more. So far we have received (I think) at least six awards at Gold or higher standard, so in some ways getting anything less could be seen as failure! One aspect of being a community band is that we are non-selective, and in the case of CSB whoever turns up plays ~ this means that we rarely have a stable band for even an entire season, the instrumental balance is more down to demographics than musicality, and we never know what standard we are going to be at, all this makes the job of our Musical Director rather challenging and must add to his stress levels. It certainly says a lot for his abilities and his musicality that we have been able to play at such a consistently high standard for so long.<p></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6aJafQ9EMbADc8eLIT3SGJi6_oHCLKdkN1yXnHMEGeB7EKKx_rUkX1VTLzcJLP1ypQFLLeyh0v1SVPzHMLG7MW_X1DteYBh2s8k_sw2_4P8ErRJ3ikf-K0oLollN0OGSHzSmgweWntN2v0A4vSQnBRkqnBhCYuGH1dH7RxaYoqKiq80l0A8WlPg/s2639/img687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2639" data-original-width="1733" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6aJafQ9EMbADc8eLIT3SGJi6_oHCLKdkN1yXnHMEGeB7EKKx_rUkX1VTLzcJLP1ypQFLLeyh0v1SVPzHMLG7MW_X1DteYBh2s8k_sw2_4P8ErRJ3ikf-K0oLollN0OGSHzSmgweWntN2v0A4vSQnBRkqnBhCYuGH1dH7RxaYoqKiq80l0A8WlPg/w263-h400/img687.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Big Shiny after playing<br />at the 2015 finals</td></tr></tbody></table>As well as a musical challenge the weekend should be a lot of fun. The plan is to travel together by coach, all stay in the same hotel and eat dinner together before some free time to find a suitable local hostelry. Sunday will be devoted to music and the return journey. I'm really looking forward to spending more than a couple of hours with my band friends, it's on trips like these that we build on our relationships, and it's those relationships that make bands work well together.</p><p>Another reason why I am so keen to enjoy this trip is that if our Government follow through with the changes to the Equalities Act that were telegraphed last week, and which <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/2023/04/yet-another-attack.html">I wrote about here</a> this could well be my last chance to enjoy this sort of thing legally. Given that the journey is likely to take about 5 hours, there's no way that I could go that long without a "comfort break", these proposed changes would make that unviable, I would be breaking the law if I used the "Ladies" and it wouldn't be safe to use the "Gents". With no guarantee of there being any provision of a gender a neutral facility I simply would not be able to make the journey.</p><p>Then of course I don't know what provisions are made at the hall. Many venues provide separate men's and women's changing rooms, it would be illegal for me to use the women's changing room, instead I would be expected to use the men's ~ fine, unless anyone, including me, needs to use them as a changing room! I would be put in this type of invidious situation every time I left home regardless of having obtained a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_Recognition_Act_2004#:~:text=A%20Gender%20Recognition%20Certificate%20is%20the%20document%20issued,allowing%20them%20to%20acquire%20a%20Gender%20Recognition%20Certificate.">Gender Recognition Certificate</a> and had <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-affirming_surgery">Gender Confirmation Surgery</a>!</p><p>So, if you haven't already, <a href="https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/627984">please sign this petition</a>, with over 130,000 signatures the Government is already obliged to hold a debate, but the more signatures we can get, the more support that can be demonstrated for trans people the better ~ the more we can move trans rights away from being a debate!</p><p><br /></p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-80956796334150771562023-04-05T18:23:00.002+01:002023-04-05T18:23:12.396+01:00Yet another attack<p>I'll be honest, I'm getting tired of all this! When I read this article on the BBC website earlier (Wednesday 5th April 2023) I just wanted to leave this God forsaken Country and move somewhere civilised <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65181018">Law change could aid single-sex spaces - watchdog - BBC News</a></p><p>Whilst I can understand that this, like so many other stunts by the Government is all about deflecting attention away from their appalling record in just about every field, it does nothing to make it any the less bad. This is quite simply an attack on my right to exist! It is appalling that the EHRC and our own Government, the very people who are charged with protecting our safety are deliberately putting many of us at risk. ~ It is irrelevant that this will never be able to be operated even if it is enacted. Let me explain, if I have to go into hospital for some treatment that will involve an other night stay ~ I am admitted as a woman, my NHS records show me as a woman, my birth certificate shows me as a woman, a cursory medical examination will show me to be a woman. On what grounds is anyone going to be able to come to the conclusion that I should be put in a men's ward? Are all women to be subject to an internal gynaecological examination before having dental work done, or a broken arm reset? Who is going to make the call? what is going to happen to gender nonconforming cis women? Are we going to force trans men into women's spaces?</p><p>Clearly none of this has been thought out, but it does stoke the fires of the worst type of culture war, When I went out this morning and popped into my local shop I was confronted with headlines in all of the daily papers on display telling the world that I am not a woman and should not be treated like one ~ this feeds hate, anger and probably violence. We have already had one trans woman murdered and several others attacked in the UK this year ~ these are the people the Equalities Act is meant to protect but this crazy idea is designed to put them at increased risk. How many people have to be murdered, hurt, discriminated against before an Equalities Minister will do their job and stand up to protect us, the most reviled of minorities?</p><p>It feels deliberate, it feels like a concerted war, and it's not just feelings this sort of thing does have consequences, real life consequences for real life people. </p><p>We know that this Government is not fit for purpose and needs to be replaced, clearly the EHRC is now in the same position. We need leaders who will take a moral stand and will lead, we need an equalities minister who stands up for equality and we need an EHRC that believes in Human Rights and equality.</p><p>Yes I'm angry and that seems to be happening all too often recently, but can you blame me when my own Government is attacking my very right to exist within society?</p><p>There's not much I can do, I can write to my MP, but last time I did that Steve Reed didn't even bother to reply ~ he'll just toe the Labour Party line anyway, so pretty much the only other thing I can do is sign a petition, so I have, and I ask all of you to as well! If we can get to 100,000 signatures it will force a parliamentary debate ~ maybe then somebody will choose to make a stand.</p><p><a href="https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/627984">Commit to not amending the Equality Act's definition of sex - Petitions (parliament.uk)</a></p><p>On January the 25th the Government responded to it with</p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0c0c; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">This Government believes in individual liberty. There are processes with appropriate checks to allow for those who wish to legally change their gender. Changes to the Equality Act are not necessary.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="color: #0b0c0c; font-family: inherit;">I wonder what has happened since then to make them change their mind ~ I know that the article and the statements are all stuffed full of anti trans </span><span style="color: #0b0c0c;">lobbyist dog whistles, I know that </span><span style="color: #0b0c0c;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Kemi Badenoch and Baroness </span>Faulkner are well established leading trans haters, but surely there must be some grown ups somewhere explaining to them the meaning of the word "equality" and that Human Rights are immutable and universal!</span></span></span></p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-39307300916026764552023-03-31T10:44:00.001+01:002023-03-31T10:44:15.827+01:00I did a thing! <p>Today is the International Day of Transgender Visibility, so I think this is a good day to be honest. The last couple of months I have been struggling, for no apparent reason. I have been struggling to get up in the morning to do many of the simple things that we have to do just to get through life, washing up, laundry, house work, simple checks on finance etc. In consequence I have found myself in a bit of a mess. This by no means the first time I've been like this so I always used to think that I might be bipolar, but during this period I have had a few concerts, a trip to Paris and have completed a couple of my best arrangements yet.</p><p>I now think that I may be ADHD and that my "downs" are an aspect of that rather than full blown depression. Either way it is part of me and something I just have to deal with. It is nothing to do with my being trans, but it may well be something to do with my being a musician ~ I do seem to know a lot of musicians who are neuro diverse in one way or another.</p><p>One thing that always makes me "pull my socks up" and get on with life is performing. As one of life's natural show offs performing ~ being the centre of attention ~ is one of my big driving forces. Last night I had a performance, another go at Stand Up. I didn't feel very well prepared, I didn't manage to use many of the gags I had prepared but did use some I hadn't prepared. I'm not at all sure that my pacing was right, the delivery was certainly a bit laboured.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyv2wSB5rJSitYFqfe_AfFuFWzHvSdZIID2L1muD4rP-HLuZZk0cFdFJwi10nxjrfpuePwV1hnvT094EA7BNw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p>The concept was that I was meant to be the Easter Bunny, getting old, and worried because I had all my eggs in one basket. Maybe not my best, but I think I got away with it. But this morning I got up OK, have done a few things and am feeling as though I have more energy than I've had for ages. So for me maybe laughter really is the best medicine.</p><p>Video credit to Merlin Golder</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-41186418182295851512023-03-22T16:25:00.002+00:002023-03-22T16:25:56.730+00:0050th Anniversary!<p>I should have posted about this a while back, but other stuff got in the way and it all sort of got away from me.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjo2487GvLo1lQzRBHPi6PneF9Ucx8KWHwYju_ChZ_UjmiTXyhbfrd6BsxdG2fKgMjnVCQnvT9fqaGGtKVQ8hlu8scNJ9yN49PdAddbqHAH0GLNB-Ow2tD-UtBfV83m0ItI2TJ48cbLHkh-U8bG-C65zPPdm_9VwGyNAk8JhQWS8NSUQdJPCbVg/s3543/1H3A2164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2363" data-original-width="3543" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjo2487GvLo1lQzRBHPi6PneF9Ucx8KWHwYju_ChZ_UjmiTXyhbfrd6BsxdG2fKgMjnVCQnvT9fqaGGtKVQ8hlu8scNJ9yN49PdAddbqHAH0GLNB-Ow2tD-UtBfV83m0ItI2TJ48cbLHkh-U8bG-C65zPPdm_9VwGyNAk8JhQWS8NSUQdJPCbVg/w400-h266/1H3A2164.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This is the 50th anniversary of the founding of my beloved<a href="https://www.csb.org.uk/"> Croydon Symphonic Band</a>. We're having quite a year already, last month we played the first of our special 50th anniversary concerts at the Fairfield Hall ~ although we may think of this hall as a local Croydon facility it is actually still one of the best Concert Halls in the Country, if not Europe! ~ we may not fill the 2,000 seater auditorium, but we generally mange to get a few hundred which is great for all of us. Next month we will be playing at the finals of teh National Concert Band Festival and then in June we will be back at the Fairfield for the second of our Gala Concerts, when we will be premiering a new work by a major British Composer! It is all very exciting.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLTx5YgdFdiO4fYYmPXWi5TQzuoBHDcUJtnV9_SKOE2VifE--hEPiwSzqw6we9PasXbOzsvUHbdr6cTnn7UoFK_wihV2mRP0_uIFpW0vEbzBRWx7vTm6KfaE4TIUZVr0UN_7gLsFXq3IQLBj9AGXM8H6Y-H0ntBf6BKM07XJraSl6blsizQH8qQ/s3543/1H3A1967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2363" data-original-width="3543" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLTx5YgdFdiO4fYYmPXWi5TQzuoBHDcUJtnV9_SKOE2VifE--hEPiwSzqw6we9PasXbOzsvUHbdr6cTnn7UoFK_wihV2mRP0_uIFpW0vEbzBRWx7vTm6KfaE4TIUZVr0UN_7gLsFXq3IQLBj9AGXM8H6Y-H0ntBf6BKM07XJraSl6blsizQH8qQ/s320/1H3A1967.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One of the things that makes this band so special for me is how long I have been friends with some of the other members, not only have we been in this band for ages, but some of us were even in the Schools Band together. Maybe to save all our blushes I shouldn't work out exactly how long some of us have known each other!<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBVzCuCtgYy6FmUcBAQUbmnS7APEDkRcM1fiEGbdnQShj_i-jlpQXiC0hHZ473Q1wDm52f-Ht5ssmnrZ61HVCC0dAzG9VbvAJLRRs1ZHH1KPAbHYqYwfvb-X8IHBoEbZZj8s64wYkZMF5EOawV02DYWgJeylyGC08sd9QmdagzrzQZmiGLk_cgg/s3543/1H3A1861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2363" data-original-width="3543" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBVzCuCtgYy6FmUcBAQUbmnS7APEDkRcM1fiEGbdnQShj_i-jlpQXiC0hHZ473Q1wDm52f-Ht5ssmnrZ61HVCC0dAzG9VbvAJLRRs1ZHH1KPAbHYqYwfvb-X8IHBoEbZZj8s64wYkZMF5EOawV02DYWgJeylyGC08sd9QmdagzrzQZmiGLk_cgg/w400-h266/1H3A1861.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Of course it's not all old farts like me, our music appeals across generations and it's always fun to be with young people, although I am finding that some of my "young" friends are now celebrating their 50th birthdays, and there are plenty of members of teh band who weren't born when the band was started.<p></p><p>These photos were all taken during the final rehearsal on the platform at the Fairfield, by a professional photographer we engaged, just this final one is of the actual performance ~ and yes that is a harp in a concert band!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gQHVC0VgVFvdfpRVa8sFb91lM32MpoA5VuepzE9-bmz0Z5hFGKXBzuxWbdhtahTDOMtNk8OUrHkwr6O8SJuQuGjs1XxPBqb1F2syhMFVnCmPxrwnd0-Miy0U0nbrOds91Rm6yiRGfHtsJKBA6ckIR_77B0D2ZcHwtky5eIshql3jG9DWKdSLeg/s3543/1H3A2222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2363" data-original-width="3543" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gQHVC0VgVFvdfpRVa8sFb91lM32MpoA5VuepzE9-bmz0Z5hFGKXBzuxWbdhtahTDOMtNk8OUrHkwr6O8SJuQuGjs1XxPBqb1F2syhMFVnCmPxrwnd0-Miy0U0nbrOds91Rm6yiRGfHtsJKBA6ckIR_77B0D2ZcHwtky5eIshql3jG9DWKdSLeg/w640-h426/1H3A2222.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>We have two more concerts this season, and I'm hoping that one of my pieces "Transitions" will be played at one of them.</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-9253158825008783072023-03-20T17:11:00.000+00:002023-03-20T17:11:03.883+00:00Music<p> I <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/2023/02/as-yet-unplublished.html">wrote here</a> about the difficulties I was having trying to get some of my music published. I understand that it's hard enough to get somebody to put out performers content, but for those of us who work in sheet music it is a real challenge. Indeed I have now pretty much given up and have decided to self publish through the "Arrange me" and <a href="https://www.sheetmusicdirect.com/en-US/Search.aspx?query=Paula%20Goodwin">Sheet Music Direct</a> on-line wing of the enormous Hal Leonard organisation. This is actually quite an easy process, but although this makes my music available it does not give it any publicity, that's up to me!</p><p>So I have created an extra page for this blog which I've called "My Music", I think this is an imaginative name since it is a page which will feature music! on your desk top the link is just to the right of the page, on a phone it's on the pull down menu just above the posts. Please take a look, at the moment there are just three pieces there, that is all I've published so far, but there will be more shortly. I've included a video sample of each as well as a short description and link to the site to buy. I plan to add more as soon as I have prepared the sheet music ready for publication.</p><p>I would seriously welcome any feedback (almost) as much as I will welcome any sales. I don't expect to get rich on the proceeds but just like any artist I want others to be able to appreciate what I am producing ~ it feels pretty pointless writing the stuff if nobody every gets to play or hear it!</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-55697453557686480512023-03-19T13:09:00.001+00:002023-03-22T16:27:33.752+00:00Paris!<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8etLapg41a0Lg9wDzt4ipGcHH2TuCovu0LNOb45-FJG3_aAXCsn93KwB7--3YQ5z8360DbWRvfr3nqtfMJiWauPLmlFSjpVjiKMFF5m129rJVOoc0dZ9mHnL0aeTeUpmR4ux_fjxUUmPClm88mOaBqthv9aEBn4NOrqv0ODxSsK5x-zPWW3ufg/s860/P1040148a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="860" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8etLapg41a0Lg9wDzt4ipGcHH2TuCovu0LNOb45-FJG3_aAXCsn93KwB7--3YQ5z8360DbWRvfr3nqtfMJiWauPLmlFSjpVjiKMFF5m129rJVOoc0dZ9mHnL0aeTeUpmR4ux_fjxUUmPClm88mOaBqthv9aEBn4NOrqv0ODxSsK5x-zPWW3ufg/w400-h265/P1040148a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outside of the Church</td></tr></tbody></table>My last post left you all a little bit up in the air, for the really perspicacious of you yes I was in Paris. The Church we played in on the Friday was <a href="https://www.saintetiennedumont.fr/en/historical-account/">Saint-Etienne-du-Mont</a> a church with a fascinating history dating back to the 6th Century, the current building is largely Gothic with large windows and flying buttresses, but as I was only there after dark it was the interior stone work that I really appreciated. As I was only involved in one piece in the concert I had plenty of time to appreciate the setting as well as the music ~ I also had plenty of time to get freezing cold! Not quite what I had in mind for a trip to Paris in the Springtime!</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid7NkH38DqV8C_rb6aScODj22IJ9_M2B339UTgvDN9wsD0nsTdfepxH_Mi8eAYcW89C2xc1vYRsHzwio-Ik5R9NebsG_JDt-K5kt--fenzIYAQNWDxlYCZ9G_u-MgBMFQ0U2-7ZS_qpdH2h3NNMAkzRwhrBydMTRADTy2Vr6YAh3a1S_Hljp0Dw/s824/373136-l-eglise-saint-etienne-du-mont-a-deux-pas-du-pantheon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="824" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid7NkH38DqV8C_rb6aScODj22IJ9_M2B339UTgvDN9wsD0nsTdfepxH_Mi8eAYcW89C2xc1vYRsHzwio-Ik5R9NebsG_JDt-K5kt--fenzIYAQNWDxlYCZ9G_u-MgBMFQ0U2-7ZS_qpdH2h3NNMAkzRwhrBydMTRADTy2Vr6YAh3a1S_Hljp0Dw/w400-h266/373136-l-eglise-saint-etienne-du-mont-a-deux-pas-du-pantheon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The interior of St Etienne as I never saw it ~ in daylight!</td></tr></tbody></table>Right next to the <a href="https://www.paris-pantheon.fr/en/">Pantheon</a> and close by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbonne_University">Sorbonne</a> the setting is a notable as the Church itself, and right in the cultural heart of the city. Despite being so close to such big tourist draws we still managed to find some good traditional French food for our pre concert dinner, and then afterwards adjourned to a local bar, where we enjoyed some of the local beverage!</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_9cfi85LqtgnU4_17r8FLdX-joSVWJrpZ8ZjEXubf2ns2w20mqOWkT-xFHG737xMfJZ8sf6PEipr-8pttMgB4ufyiOuynlFu5ot68LJHhIayAb3c3OCJT8S9_fOE3r0hgNFoqH4uXDuYZ_wxxBoaCvK-9YyRyMAEaNlIhYWc9z1qoZ1jWQAvBA/s4160/2023-03-11%2021.11.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_9cfi85LqtgnU4_17r8FLdX-joSVWJrpZ8ZjEXubf2ns2w20mqOWkT-xFHG737xMfJZ8sf6PEipr-8pttMgB4ufyiOuynlFu5ot68LJHhIayAb3c3OCJT8S9_fOE3r0hgNFoqH4uXDuYZ_wxxBoaCvK-9YyRyMAEaNlIhYWc9z1qoZ1jWQAvBA/w300-h400/2023-03-11%2021.11.38.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notra Dame du Liban with<br />the Paris Rainbow Symphony Orchestra</td></tr></tbody></table>For our Saturday concert we moved venue to <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cath%C3%A9drale_Notre-Dame-du-Liban_de_Paris">Notre Dame du Liban</a>, built in the 19th Century it was a lot more comfortable and certainly less cold. Still in Gothic revival even though less spectacular much more accommodating! A large and imposing interior with a strangely unassuming entrance, we could have easily walked past without noticing. </p><p>A bit like my own London Gay Symphony Orchestra one thing that is really noticeable about the Rainbow Symphony is that the average age is quite young ~ especially for an amateur orchestra. These days I've got to an age where I don't want to be part of a group where I don't raise the average age! From preference I certainly want to spend more time with people younger than me than with others around my own age, so this helped make the week a lot of fun.</p><p>There are still plenty of things I want to see and do in Paris, I do have a bit of a thing for ecclesiastical architecture, so I would still like to visit Saint-Denis and Sainte-Chapellle. Notra Dame is still shut after the 2019 fire ~ I have been there but would love to go back now I'm older. But the great thing about this visit wasn't being a tourist and visiting the historic sites, it was about sharing the joy of making music, making new friends and renewing some old friendships.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIKMRGw2aTE2oRnl4vdGElzH0Q29wkSY5qnDzyHi__5E_PALw7KI8bxV3lYN6IBT5FLhtLFofLEO6oh34Dq5exKLIjOXWcgjSUveEhxzuM841mrADmV5ImEhwfimszyk8-DmtsCsSTve0oxCHlSTraBLBV8JEppL7KrhaHPtL6ueRiC0NR3ri_g/s4160/2023-03-11%2019.26.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIKMRGw2aTE2oRnl4vdGElzH0Q29wkSY5qnDzyHi__5E_PALw7KI8bxV3lYN6IBT5FLhtLFofLEO6oh34Dq5exKLIjOXWcgjSUveEhxzuM841mrADmV5ImEhwfimszyk8-DmtsCsSTve0oxCHlSTraBLBV8JEppL7KrhaHPtL6ueRiC0NR3ri_g/w640-h480/2023-03-11%2019.26.05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The delightful Mathilde and Corinne<br />A tuba section I'm not pretty enough to get in! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-87288070472383107942023-03-11T12:39:00.003+00:002023-03-22T16:26:39.727+00:00My Office today<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJcZRQUd8HeqQURqa7hDAgcUeM95W0FDFCVSgiXFL_duqjTdHy-jqAQpWviS-TdPh8zgCByM7mxzHYOm4P0-o5UwDJGs8UMZcbOeSb1xa-zPU0yB4yFnAAkgUXJt4SLS13UrRpwlaVfGDUVNJ7voUyfjd9ldPrsE353Z98VK15nAxVC8ySTXs4Q/s4160/IMG_20230310_201953.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJcZRQUd8HeqQURqa7hDAgcUeM95W0FDFCVSgiXFL_duqjTdHy-jqAQpWviS-TdPh8zgCByM7mxzHYOm4P0-o5UwDJGs8UMZcbOeSb1xa-zPU0yB4yFnAAkgUXJt4SLS13UrRpwlaVfGDUVNJ7voUyfjd9ldPrsE353Z98VK15nAxVC8ySTXs4Q/s320/IMG_20230310_201953.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Well yesterday actually, although concert was so late it felt like this morning by the time we left.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJznS_6n3hgUEFKWsTRF6j0idv7koDne2ateArLoGG4BYr65imKaEGHNXiC5YdpeBvk1vqpZphe2IdvSVs7ijWC7d0gTc9g7oVeASXZdzplzV0604RkeM8V3vj_0IbfH7mYSTQC9vLU_yWPNeNHUgmkjayDZgvEQ9rIWfLiL7pLfg1qRs2EkN_Q/s4160/IMG_20230310_201909.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJznS_6n3hgUEFKWsTRF6j0idv7koDne2ateArLoGG4BYr65imKaEGHNXiC5YdpeBvk1vqpZphe2IdvSVs7ijWC7d0gTc9g7oVeASXZdzplzV0604RkeM8V3vj_0IbfH7mYSTQC9vLU_yWPNeNHUgmkjayDZgvEQ9rIWfLiL7pLfg1qRs2EkN_Q/s320/IMG_20230310_201909.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will be playing very much the same concert again this evening, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Rainbow Symphony Orchestra, but in a different venue. ~ should be fun. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UKsbun8wPlzHfr8yAS70Frz9j1WnOkvZHoa24t99f1kS2njQekFkJjvXJt_QcYkJY34phQ0LuCiIMB1MaTo2B5lolrW8lZiWXGv640_VHxhNJc-xnsFc9djJjeH9lh78fdfxPxC8s11mQgcVIig2LHoP4eSLvnt9Eb1piGzrtaX_ilunERCy8w/s4160/IMG_20230310_201820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UKsbun8wPlzHfr8yAS70Frz9j1WnOkvZHoa24t99f1kS2njQekFkJjvXJt_QcYkJY34phQ0LuCiIMB1MaTo2B5lolrW8lZiWXGv640_VHxhNJc-xnsFc9djJjeH9lh78fdfxPxC8s11mQgcVIig2LHoP4eSLvnt9Eb1piGzrtaX_ilunERCy8w/s320/IMG_20230310_201820.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The one "fly in the ointment" is that I brought all the wrong clothes with me and was freezing last night! </div><br /><div><br /></div>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-27328502153074108482023-03-09T14:03:00.003+00:002023-03-09T14:03:00.232+00:00Yes I'm Angry<p>Yesterday I may have come across as a bit angry, there's a good reason for that, I am! I was brought up to be proud of my Country, I am old enough that when I was at primary school most of the map on the wall was still coloured pink (representing the British Empire), we supported a "poor" school in an African Country that has since changed it's name after getting rid of us ~ the colonial power. We were taught that the British Empire was a force for good and that colonialism was our gift to the World, spreading civilisation and Christianity. When we travelled abroad (yes we were lucky) we couldn't help noticing that on the whole British people dressed better, had better cars, our houses were in better condition and and our roads were certainly better.</p><p>Of course some of this is a reflection of the rather comfortable life I now realise I was leading, the aftermath of the war was another major factor, Northern Europe took an even heavier battering than southern England, and took longer to recover and rebuild ~ none the less I grew up with a feeling of superiority and pride. Now I see our water companies pump raw sewage into our rivers, our Health Service is in crises, our police are undermanned and failing. Our <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-64541351">local authorities are broke</a> (I live in Croydon) which means that social services, parks, libraries, social care and other essential services are on their knees. Our roads are full of pot holes, our cost of living is going up while fuel companies and overseas utility companies rack in the profits. We are experiencing strikes within the National Health Service, from teachers, university staff, transport, refuse collectors and more. I hear of working families dependent on dependent on benefits and having to use food banks ~ of course I'm angry.</p><p>Of course others of my generation had similar experiences and we now look at our country and feel ashamed. The difference is some of us know we can do better by moving forward, by embracing the potential of a modern multicultural Britain. By investing in people, in services, in infrastructure. We accept that to have a better more caring society we need to contribute, after all we only get what we pay for! Others seek others to blame, they look back at a white heteronormative Britain and think that is what made it feel better. They don't want to contribute but they do want to exclude.</p><p>I often complain about the marginalisation of trans people, about the paucity of the medical care available, but the truth of it is that many minorities are being marginalised and unsupported, people with disabilities, people with mental health requirements, LGBT+ people in general and of course people of colour. This is all part of the "Othering" going on, of finding somebody else to blame. To not accept our own responsibility for situation we find ourselves in. That is teh background to our Government's latest attack on immigration ~ and I suspect that they know it won't work they just want to play to the lowest common denominator in the electorate, feed the hate distract from mess.</p><p>So yes I'm angry, I'm angry that my own Government has made me ashamed to be British, I'm ashamed that we have abandoned any pretence of liberal humane standards, I'm ashamed that we've created a society where working people can't afford the basics of life. I'm ashamed that so many just don't seem to care. So yes I want to support those who do speak out in any way I can, whether it's ex-footballer Gary Lineker, pop star Feargal Sharkey (campaigning about water pollution) or ex rugby star Ben Cohen taking a stand against bullies, you have my support (for what it's worth)</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-3294805021538047292023-03-08T12:35:00.000+00:002023-03-08T12:35:47.134+00:00He's still a hero<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Today I was planning to write a bit about how big, or small a part of my current life being trans is. Or in other words do I think of myself as a woman or as a trans woman. I still think this is an interesting question and one I want to investigate here but something has come up that I really want to talk about.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Each day, usually in the morning, I will turn on my computer, I will check out the latest <a href="https://girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php#.ZAhoVhXP1PY">Girl Genius</a> and then <a href="https://www.gocomics.com/mycomics/1305807">Go Comics</a> for the latest Chickweed Lane. only then will I turn to the news, usually the <a href="https://timesofmalta.com/">Times of Malta</a> and the BBC websites. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64883655">A particular story</a> on the BBC struck me today "<i>Gary Lineker to be 'spoken to' after comparing UK asylum policy to 1930s Germany</i>" for those outside the UK our Home Secretary has just announced her plans to exclude any asylum seekers, economic migrants, or indeed any other immigrants coming to the UK other through "legal routes". At the moment there are a number of immigrants coming to our shore across the Channel from France and Belgium in small boats ~ although a lot less than are crossing the Mediterranean to our southern neighbours. These restrictions including deporting and refusing to process asylum claims from anyone arriving by small boat, but not only that, they will also be banning anyone arriving by small boat from ever being able to apply for asylum, citizenship or even residence.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahTbWlFf8me9kNueJ-zmOHMJyjc0Y6Fexh4T1D2HLc0SUnmMQ0Suvx1IetBmbBmq9Xn4OHgGDc2WQ-vg5lXi63Ulxu4Bmsmk3Ni46xWpTsdsdGkpDiv--qkcG9kT0q87VglnzhlKr3C9DkW3iLLWSNiwaE2pA_3uA2oWmJljIZqDtWUkqQ5AICg/s1036/9RNU3WE7UpRw5XwWj54fgk-768-80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahTbWlFf8me9kNueJ-zmOHMJyjc0Y6Fexh4T1D2HLc0SUnmMQ0Suvx1IetBmbBmq9Xn4OHgGDc2WQ-vg5lXi63Ulxu4Bmsmk3Ni46xWpTsdsdGkpDiv--qkcG9kT0q87VglnzhlKr3C9DkW3iLLWSNiwaE2pA_3uA2oWmJljIZqDtWUkqQ5AICg/w296-h400/9RNU3WE7UpRw5XwWj54fgk-768-80.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a Government Minister</td></tr></tbody></table>I will admit to being confused about what is meant by legal means for as far as I can see from many countries there are no legal routes of getting here to apply for asylum ~ in effect this whole policy is designed to make immigration illegal ~ regardless of our major labour shortage, not just nurses and doctors, but agricultural labourers, builders, and many other roles that the British simply don't want to fill. These are policies brought before Parliament by our elected politicians ~ supposedly the great and the good. On the other hand Gary Lineker is an ex-footballer and sports pundit.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">There appears to be a bit of a power imbalance here.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Now I personally think that our current Government is morally bankrupt and that these latest proposals bring them and our Country into disrepute. I also strongly suspect that they (like the previous proposals) are illegal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I feel that the criticism of them is legitimate and well founded ~ but that's not the point here. This is an unbelievably cruel policy and Gary Lineker has simple said that. He is not paid by the BBC for his political views but for his knowledge of football and his ability to communicate that. He does not represent the BBC, it's views or it's political or news reporting. ~ Yet it appears that he is to be sanctioned for having views and stating them ~ surely that is a basic right of everyone, unless their job is to comment or report on behalf of an organisation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think the BBC would have some right to sanction Lineker if he were to comment against policy on a footballer, a football club or organisation ~ bit that is actually encouraged!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It is a sad day for the UK when our footballers have more integrity than our politicians and more moral fibre than our national broadcaster. The BBC has been under attack from teh Conservative Party for decades now and they are just running scared and are freighted of giving balanced impartial reporting in case they lose even more funding.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In a not unlinked news yesterday the BBC also announced that they will be disbanding the BBC singers as well as cutting the number of salaried posts with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, teh BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra. At teh moment we don't know how many musicians will be made unemployed by this, but it is yet another devastating blow for our national music infrastructure.</span></p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-52756707209179582232023-03-07T18:19:00.000+00:002023-03-07T18:19:44.165+00:00InspirationYesterday I wrote about my little weight problem and how I had been inspired by a "Pearls Before Swine" cartoon, and then I lamented how I couldn't work out a way of sharing it. Well guess what? I've just found a way! so here it is.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xdTqlrM3UCmajZ6jpnOpLlKqMwP_mbUy4M57osqy8_iZNmrZz6ZsoPAVAvbmLODUxAzQQxBRWZdlydTFOBQT8r0eacg9j4BbRcp2KpIJ4caNQWWpJpO_4NrGP-CHofsciJjqsn5gYgj0XKMavBrvQ0KsKZXxRjdIbXsiGKwMDBr7Q8n54pv5YA/s1247/334839959_576497344537664_7228252089440825513_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="1247" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xdTqlrM3UCmajZ6jpnOpLlKqMwP_mbUy4M57osqy8_iZNmrZz6ZsoPAVAvbmLODUxAzQQxBRWZdlydTFOBQT8r0eacg9j4BbRcp2KpIJ4caNQWWpJpO_4NrGP-CHofsciJjqsn5gYgj0XKMavBrvQ0KsKZXxRjdIbXsiGKwMDBr7Q8n54pv5YA/w640-h246/334839959_576497344537664_7228252089440825513_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>It's strange where inspiration comes from, and where it takes us</div>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-46066639473560197922023-03-06T13:43:00.000+00:002023-03-06T13:43:31.346+00:00A weighty issue<p>Today's post was inspired by<a href="https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2023/03/06"> Pearls Before Swine</a> the cartoon by Stephen Pastis ~ I would love to show a copy of it here but Go Comics have got wise to that and have made it very difficult to copy a single cartoon, so just follow the<a href="https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2023/03/06"> link</a> ~ In amongst the lots of things going on at the moment I have been booking my place in a lot of the Sprints for the <a href="https://twmc.org.uk/all-circuit-sprint-championship-2/">Championship</a> I'll be competing in this season, as we were talking about what little we are allowed to do to improve the performance of the car the subject of weight reared it's ugly head. We can't do much to save weight on the car, but I can (and certainly should) do something about the weight of the driver.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaj_BkBGW08XCo0jZe4kVhKw1tQQz0SASytYcDYx0eHS52hjUvuKUTzRrIA__1HrX6QQIJntlh9Fz4b2COSwV_LJnmr1tX1J82-sq8OTzxMTVC1YiI99BEU3ikdgGVnI1dQyILboTO9MawVf6eUH-GiGJ1FqOQG8Nw-Gt768frBvbx0jb-tZP0g/s500/bathroom_scales_2678535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="498" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaj_BkBGW08XCo0jZe4kVhKw1tQQz0SASytYcDYx0eHS52hjUvuKUTzRrIA__1HrX6QQIJntlh9Fz4b2COSwV_LJnmr1tX1J82-sq8OTzxMTVC1YiI99BEU3ikdgGVnI1dQyILboTO9MawVf6eUH-GiGJ1FqOQG8Nw-Gt768frBvbx0jb-tZP0g/w399-h400/bathroom_scales_2678535.jpg" width="399" /></a></div>I have been feeling a "bit porky" for a while now, but have kept putting off doing anything about it, but having weighed myself and found my weight has crept up to thirteen and half stone (190 lbs or 85 kgs) I fear I can't put it off any longer. Indeed I was conducting a concert on Friday evening, went to put on my favourite black trouser suit, and found I couldn't do up the trousers! So, definitely time to act, now the next question is what am I going to do, diet? exercise? a bit of both? Given that Ideally I would like to lose about 25lbs what ever I do it's going to take time and effort.<p></p><p>Losing weight used to be easy, when I got that "porky" feeling I could just behave myself for a week and lose 7 lbs, no problem. These days it's not so easy and I suspect that has more to do with hormones than age. ~ as my ex has been known to observe "now you understand!"</p><p>There are very few things about transition that make my life easier ~ just better.</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-37737880716814498012023-03-02T22:37:00.000+00:002023-03-02T22:37:43.269+00:00Euphemistic?<p>A couple of times I have mentioned the stats we get from Blogger showing how many visits we get, these stats also show which posts have been visited. This week I'm a little surprised to see that four people have looked at one of my posts from April 2014, <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/2014/04/euphonia-euphonium-euphonious.html">Euphonia, Euphonium, Euphonious</a>, so I went back had a look at it myself. In that time a lot has changed, indeed almost everything referred to in that post has changed.</p><p>One of the stand out things is that I comment that I will be playing "as Paula" this puts it firmly into my "still cross dressing but trying to work it all out days", in those days I was as concerned about what I would wear to a concert as what I was playing. Earlier and I would not have dared go out and perform, later and there would have been no "as" these days it's very much just me.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj891TYHbGuqNL5eb46y3tgmOaTp5EeFXZCeCqQV_SzTA5KNdczySEd5a_zgz8u8jR7EUBdl8BJ8aBR4Eaje-uxN1j-mFY4KTel02y2RzdICn7sucR9mWlWAdmRiePfqTXpI49IMPiYEMpW6qr2Cqy-N2HYPvlxzYZ2LcK0LHIg6R8w4Vv_UhuEaw/s3264/B&S.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1632" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj891TYHbGuqNL5eb46y3tgmOaTp5EeFXZCeCqQV_SzTA5KNdczySEd5a_zgz8u8jR7EUBdl8BJ8aBR4Eaje-uxN1j-mFY4KTel02y2RzdICn7sucR9mWlWAdmRiePfqTXpI49IMPiYEMpW6qr2Cqy-N2HYPvlxzYZ2LcK0LHIg6R8w4Vv_UhuEaw/w200-h400/B&S.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lovely big B & S<br />5 valve CC. Still very much part <br />of the family since<br />January last year</td></tr></tbody></table>Then I notice I refer to the "<a href="https://www.londoneuphonia.com/">London Euphonia Orchestra</a>" as a new orchestra ~ well of course back in 2014 they were new, but now may consider themselves to be reasonably established. I played with them twice before I lost patience with the inexperience of the leader and conductor. This is one of those many musical groups which seem to be founded primarily to give one person the opportunity to conduct. For us conductors I know it can be difficult to get that first gig, but this is not the way to get experience. I remember at the final rehearsal for that first concert with them the leader was still trying to sort out the bowings (something which should have been settled five weeks beforehand) and the conductor hadn't worked out how to set up his stand! I am sure that both will have improved beyond measure by now, but at that point I didn't need to be the one training them!</p><p>I'm not so sure about orchestras but I often muse that there are too many concert bands (in South London at least) as there are simply not enough heavy brass (horns, trombones, euphonium and tuba) player to go round them all. I suspect that a large part of this is the number of bands again formed to give somebody a conducting opportunity. In the last couple of years I know I have played in at least four that fall within this category. I suppose I shouldn't complain, after they do give me plenty of playing opportunities!</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjiIEZb0tyapHOupQ_RhllT30aRXKr2uCX3CEyK_zQ_gLgRc-9evGw5Oe9CM0YGdLs9QjPa7DL_t6EITbtgsxzPksmN8-ta0Ci1P9-jTbl7qE8_31crwhRXqOf7QPB4DR5DZ1a1NLciWvXp05cdcGutqMVlkq_D5s68QsiUlobItFLKB62i13PA/s1280/cce4a5229b1dd778fbb9fc84c24b2e97e2b7af.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="853" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjiIEZb0tyapHOupQ_RhllT30aRXKr2uCX3CEyK_zQ_gLgRc-9evGw5Oe9CM0YGdLs9QjPa7DL_t6EITbtgsxzPksmN8-ta0Ci1P9-jTbl7qE8_31crwhRXqOf7QPB4DR5DZ1a1NLciWvXp05cdcGutqMVlkq_D5s68QsiUlobItFLKB62i13PA/s320/cce4a5229b1dd778fbb9fc84c24b2e97e2b7af.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my new Euphonium, <br />but one quite similar</td></tr></tbody></table>Maybe if we had a few less bands then the ones that are left would be full of players and not constantly trying to recruit or poach the few decent players of the more "esoteric" instruments in the area.</p><p>Finally, those instruments ~ I do still have that euphonium, but only for a few days, and the big CC has gone, replaced by an even bigger but much less shinny CC. I have bought the replacement for the old euphonium, and have today taken it in for a service and a simple repair before using it in anger. Once I get it back I will be passing the old one on to a friend.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBhn_SbrTzJj6mxjOjaRUqpHE7-k1oUznTvPynugrW-Ld3yCXKmufJYVVfCpbHbMZ5wI6zTXgjXnoXywzzygvYFon1uHFdT5WBdqW83QvE_pyG-fequ05RHr8x0KgI8LZf0VC-0XcG6aE_7Lfeqxy5O2mc1jupQU3o4MeIyHvOL9HcPmJb9KA-w/s994/984-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="660" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBhn_SbrTzJj6mxjOjaRUqpHE7-k1oUznTvPynugrW-Ld3yCXKmufJYVVfCpbHbMZ5wI6zTXgjXnoXywzzygvYFon1uHFdT5WBdqW83QvE_pyG-fequ05RHr8x0KgI8LZf0VC-0XcG6aE_7Lfeqxy5O2mc1jupQU3o4MeIyHvOL9HcPmJb9KA-w/w265-h400/984-2.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>I have also recently bought a new EEb tuba, I have mentioned it before but haven't actually shown any pictures, mostly because I haven't taken any! It is quite an unusual instrument a Besson four valve compensating instrument, but with front valves rather than upright. I have only ever come across one other tuba player using one ~ and I think that was probably a different model. Designed primarily as an Orchestral instrument it works well in bands as much as it does in the orchestra. I'll be honest I think I'm in love with it, it just seems to work well in every environment I play in, and looks as good as it sounds.<p></p><p>I still haven't taken any photos of it so here is a stock photo of the same model ~ isn't it pretty!</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-6912800671985199712023-02-28T19:26:00.000+00:002023-02-28T19:26:02.006+00:00It's Never Too Late<p>I'm not actually picking up on the theme from my last post by suggesting that 64 isn't too old to start competitive motor sport, or for buying new instruments ~ because we all know that it isn't! I'm just going with the revelation that it's already the end of February and I'm not sure where those two months have gone. I didn't make any new year's resolutions this year, but that's not an oversight but a conscious decision, I'm simply going to carry on where I left off in 2022, I want to play music, do a bit of gardening, drive fast and go to more concerts I'm not playing in!</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1Oa4BZ9rxWD2nFpRxWnokXxZcBCVI_IfjbklaFaM7WPCXOStAfEWSMcQQeWtTRprkAyBvGL-1cIL966CBPSu-xlra9p_UMnCQvN4xcVltkmhoyUKR-aXa1_TmKFLzN9fmgd0tgWeFOxyDkrqPFfxYS0APmMlnmvik2hvgmX-ZHiK7PfwOjZoCA/s1070/2S8A7386-2-1070x713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1070" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1Oa4BZ9rxWD2nFpRxWnokXxZcBCVI_IfjbklaFaM7WPCXOStAfEWSMcQQeWtTRprkAyBvGL-1cIL966CBPSu-xlra9p_UMnCQvN4xcVltkmhoyUKR-aXa1_TmKFLzN9fmgd0tgWeFOxyDkrqPFfxYS0APmMlnmvik2hvgmX-ZHiK7PfwOjZoCA/w400-h266/2S8A7386-2-1070x713.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christ's Hospital Band on the march</td></tr></tbody></table>So far I'm doing pretty well on all of these (apart from driving fast!) on Sunday I went to a concert by the <a href="https://www.christs-hospital.org.uk/">Christ's Hospital</a> wind band ~ for a <a href="https://www.christs-hospital.org.uk/school-life/ch-band/">school's band they are exceptional</a> especially bearing in mind that they are all (almost two full bands) drawn from one school! I first came across them about 50 years ago at the first National Schools Festival of Music. My band of "scruffy Herberts" from Croydon couldn't believe our eyes when they turned up. As I remember it we thought they sounded pretty good, even if to us they did look a bit weird! We did go on to win that Festival, and several others in subsequent years, but that first one was a shock to our collective system, seeing how the "other half" lived, and when it came to it how we could still measure up!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MPLRILmI48yGkkF6clHbP68RGFufx4nHUtOUlfnWmroPkOXHrMTBopdzmV9Z13REdU2Qr_VRI4rW1PonpJDn92b2Ql5pSTf-fZSA9q0YsbnWbpgxXpLB1DWe_z9GYVMvngQCXHGl_pRBMsgtbcmy6svEBNQsZWFIbN4Ik1szFobdfj0kzRhZ8w/s3543/1H3A1871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2363" data-original-width="3543" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MPLRILmI48yGkkF6clHbP68RGFufx4nHUtOUlfnWmroPkOXHrMTBopdzmV9Z13REdU2Qr_VRI4rW1PonpJDn92b2Ql5pSTf-fZSA9q0YsbnWbpgxXpLB1DWe_z9GYVMvngQCXHGl_pRBMsgtbcmy6svEBNQsZWFIbN4Ik1szFobdfj0kzRhZ8w/w400-h266/1H3A1871.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This month I've also managed a few days gardening, yesterday and today I've managed 10 hours, and to be honest I'm knackered!<p></p><p>I've also played a few concerts myself, the other weekend I managed three concert in three days on three different instruments. I think that might be a record even for me!</p><p>This photo isn't from one of the "epic three" but from the first of the Croydon Symphonic Band's fiftieth anniversary concerts, this one at the Fairfield Hall.</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-50645004875262608252023-02-25T22:33:00.002+00:002023-02-25T22:33:57.198+00:00If Not Now, When?<p>It is a big commitment having a blog, and making regular posts all the more so. Often I will find that I lack the time or emotional energy to come up with something, on other occasions I will feel a burning need to write about a subject, but most of the time I want to write but have to think through what I will be writing about. Series like my <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/search/label/Lent">Lent Course</a> the <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/search/label/Lent">A-Z challenge</a> and my <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/search/label/Advent%20%20Calendar">Advent Calendars</a> all help focus my mind, but most of the time posts will be triggered by something that's happened either in my life or in the wider world. Occasionally another blogger will write something that either triggers a thought or focuses something that I have been subconsciously considering already. Today is one of the later.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJ897DTZy1R_HncjsiDJ3gvT4cxI625VN8LvYabBwcUCRjYivIcFq_Hj0yKZEanD3_yI-MGsMLCRfONyFVrC5YAX7NmgABBfHwsXuEcAQu-yfZPa9R799p9k3l7K2bqBPYipAnu4iV84PuPb_Vrk2MrmFBjzN3lw4o-aMmri9RK9eoZ0fHZSX6w/s351/jessiesummer16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="197" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJ897DTZy1R_HncjsiDJ3gvT4cxI625VN8LvYabBwcUCRjYivIcFq_Hj0yKZEanD3_yI-MGsMLCRfONyFVrC5YAX7NmgABBfHwsXuEcAQu-yfZPa9R799p9k3l7K2bqBPYipAnu4iV84PuPb_Vrk2MrmFBjzN3lw4o-aMmri9RK9eoZ0fHZSX6w/s320/jessiesummer16.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jessie Hart</td></tr></tbody></table>Over on her <a href="https://blog.cyrstistransgendercondo.com/2023/02/life-is-too-short.html#comment-form">Condo my friend Cyrsti</a> has written about transitioning later in life after realising that at the age of sixty time was running out. I know that feeling! This was something I had been thinking about already following the recent <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64751009">death of John Motsan</a>. Now I am in my seventh decade I increasingly find myself thinking "if not now, then when" when I hear of a famous person I think of as more or less a contemporary dying, then hear that they were in their 70s, I often first think "Oh they were older than I thought" then realise that's only a few years older than me. I am determined to pack in as much as I can into my remaining years.</p><p>I recently wrote about my plans to compete in some grass roots level motor sport, I recently bought a couple of new instruments, I have also finally restarted a course of facial electrolysis. This is all about my current attitude of "If not now, then when?" But sometimes it's not just about buying something, starting something new, no, sometimes it can also be stopping something. I have cut right back on my work load (I can't quite afford to fully retire yet, even if I wanted to) to allow more time for music and writing. I have also left the Allegra Concert Band.</p><p>After being their MD for over three years, and guiding them all the way through the pandemic I was still getting a great deal of satisfaction from conducting the band ~ and I like to think the band was getting a great deal from me as well. Unfortunately dealing with some of the committee became increasingly stressful and was getting in the way of my relationship with the band, and my ability to keep them progressing. A few years ago I would have stayed and fought, I am quite sure that in the process I would have lost some friends, but would have had the possibility of carrying on as their MD and pushing their musical progress. These days I just don't need that sort of hassle, I'm no longer young and ambitious, so instead I walked away.</p><p>What is the point of delaying? </p><p>Realistically at my age I know I have limited time and opportunities, so I simply want to make the most of those I have left.</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-4565630014474423732023-02-24T12:00:00.002+00:002023-02-24T17:17:13.971+00:00Points of view<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TUbLscDV0D0QDGJRUA2azfXqsAUFkP5GfTadPnSS6PVriCwNknSXK0R19Twch9KcNPkOcG0RymM1_Hm-IViZDCCLTYig-VmV976JOgUIiEg0UG6c1_buC6Tsf02eUoKOLQVAVH57EMmoPDlRKes-PtTlv5bA0QXFYJP-sQc2_BjeK_g2qhw5Ng/s1200/thats-going-to-hurtJPG.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TUbLscDV0D0QDGJRUA2azfXqsAUFkP5GfTadPnSS6PVriCwNknSXK0R19Twch9KcNPkOcG0RymM1_Hm-IViZDCCLTYig-VmV976JOgUIiEg0UG6c1_buC6Tsf02eUoKOLQVAVH57EMmoPDlRKes-PtTlv5bA0QXFYJP-sQc2_BjeK_g2qhw5Ng/w400-h210/thats-going-to-hurtJPG.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese rolling, Coopers Hill 2018</td></tr></tbody></table>Here in the UK we have all sorts of quaint old fashioned traditions, things like <a href="https://www.visitgloucester.co.uk/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/cheese-rolling-in-gloucester">cheese rolling</a> in Gloucestershire, Morris Dancing (no cars were harming in making this post) and burning the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewes_Bonfire">Pope in effigy</a> (it's actually worse than it sounds!). But not all of our traditional pursuits are ridiculous or dangerous, after all through our sporting endeavours we have given the World football, golf, cricket, rugby, and I am sure many others. But some never made it to the international stage.<p></p><p>Thank goodness the Atherstone Ball game is one of those that didn't make it. An annual event played every shrove Tuesday in the pretty midlands town of Atherstone, it all started in 1199 and doesn't appear to have changed much since then. The rules are simple, basically whoever is in possession of the ball at the end of the game (05:00 pm) is the winner, oh yes and competitors are not allowed to kill each other! Since we are now in Lent we have just had the 823rd playing of the game, such an historic event of course gets widely reported, here we have two reports on the match, first from the BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-64725174">Atherstone Shrove Tuesday ball game marks 823rd event - BBC News</a> and here from the Metro <a href="https://api.metro.co.uk/video/brutal-end-atherstone-ball-game-2023-lads-hurt-annual-tradition-2882959/">https://api.metro.co.uk/video/brutal-end-atherstone-ball-game-2023-lads-hurt-annual-tradition-2882959/</a> Both reporting on the same event, but clearly from different perspectives.</p><p>There have been a few times when I have attended an event or sports game, and when I later read reports wondered if the reporter had actually been to the same event. On one occasion I read a review of a concert I had played in and it criticked a piece we didn't even play! </p><p>I suppose the point of all this is that your view of something all depends on how you approach it, a quaint and charming tradition, or licensed thuggery ~ and of course it is the same in politics. Today Kier Stammer the leader of the UK Labour party announced his five core missions for government if elected, from my perspective they are a bit bland centerish Tory Light, to my brother they will be far left dangerous socialism ~ we approach from different points of view.</p><p>It has always been the case that people will approach events or situations from different stand points after all we all have different formative experiences and different attitudes, but it does seem to me that over the last few years views have become polarised and entrenched. I would like to see a bit more nuance, a bit more openness to alternative views, a bit more compassion, and perhaps acceptance of the simple idea that sometimes "I don't know" is a perfectly good and rational answer.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgh1nzUeRtuVxZA3seBPJNNSKATWxzMRAzMJgdgUjvuJA19aIwgQcCoFp09z6OQWP4jEdVmQjRn_dBujA6APsIdysV7jznqvxZgMHeZ1GwjqizCJvH45-8tCTawOQG_HrlR4Y-XZxeAqLea6O3Wdfu0xKjTMRSGijjLtF8v7Sa9hwEhfxO8XA3V7Q" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgh1nzUeRtuVxZA3seBPJNNSKATWxzMRAzMJgdgUjvuJA19aIwgQcCoFp09z6OQWP4jEdVmQjRn_dBujA6APsIdysV7jznqvxZgMHeZ1GwjqizCJvH45-8tCTawOQG_HrlR4Y-XZxeAqLea6O3Wdfu0xKjTMRSGijjLtF8v7Sa9hwEhfxO8XA3V7Q=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little bit of Finn Russell magic goes a long way</td></tr></tbody></table>On Saturday Wales will be playing England at Rugby in the Six Nations, at the moment I am quite sure that one of my brothers thinks that England will win, and that the other thinks Wales will. For my part I just suspect that it will be the worst game of the championship. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the beginning of the Six Nations, I thought France were going to kick up a level ready for the World Cup and would win a Grand Slam, I thought the new coach Steve Borthwick would have an immediate positive effect on the squad and England would win three matches, with Scotland fulfilling their usual role of promising much and delivering little. Clearly I was wrong on all fronts, maybe I was just approaching it from the wrong perspective.</div><p></p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-78620936727634897342023-02-23T12:00:00.001+00:002023-02-23T12:00:00.308+00:00My Office Today<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yH_B29dMAwSmZhSQgJcSCTt4nq67N0mHallRaQs8oguSSVF7aRtfVmnPlB2ceX8Df1mTJVzlZKJaJZCO-giVc4-WhaHMrv2dcAFVwAlKu0tIKzFBNZcWopqLbS83bKbr944NX4Jblt_kfGLxDNXvlakq0mVF-l-e-ghk_WisEMUYbyqloQGBSg/s4160/IMG_20230221_165439.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yH_B29dMAwSmZhSQgJcSCTt4nq67N0mHallRaQs8oguSSVF7aRtfVmnPlB2ceX8Df1mTJVzlZKJaJZCO-giVc4-WhaHMrv2dcAFVwAlKu0tIKzFBNZcWopqLbS83bKbr944NX4Jblt_kfGLxDNXvlakq0mVF-l-e-ghk_WisEMUYbyqloQGBSg/s320/IMG_20230221_165439.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I'm writing this on Wednesday the 22nd February and today my office is dull, dank, and dreary but Tuesday was a very different matter, all these photos are from one garden taken yesterday. Far from February being a dead month in the garden there's lots to be getting on with. So far this month I have pruned roses, pruned fruit trees, cut back herbaceous perennials, tidied up ferns, and of course cleared a lot of tree litter etc.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsfqwhZp4d0vfSrZe0WPaLo_W5rODUy2dKzWM6GTWZ5daezzJe-hnSi2DiK-qIpcfMzVpLQDn-tszNbmKxEUo3tzu8J6-ivQlmDD3HD3wS_OtB9gUD7pPddmA2xshjEKy1orQlMKHXgoKeX7Dcxj4IE74FB4GDFu8zAQHfMHWD9IM6XfZdo1SfQ/s4160/IMG_20230221_165426.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsfqwhZp4d0vfSrZe0WPaLo_W5rODUy2dKzWM6GTWZ5daezzJe-hnSi2DiK-qIpcfMzVpLQDn-tszNbmKxEUo3tzu8J6-ivQlmDD3HD3wS_OtB9gUD7pPddmA2xshjEKy1orQlMKHXgoKeX7Dcxj4IE74FB4GDFu8zAQHfMHWD9IM6XfZdo1SfQ/w400-h300/IMG_20230221_165426.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNWo52uCyemq9Gydj_-dGY6kFxMHKNYrVMErTYp2I0E2bOmDNh5d0nIov_eKWqEelFJaWfugaMvqpZZaL3-lAQ5SA-ggDqtdumjL-fKDvLpZdgyCuDpH_aP5f5psJrwN9J9c3VRmtC-YYssv_t8wx8RfZq3Vz66os47BD2xe8K3QpvIGcui-duA/s4160/IMG_20230221_151631.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNWo52uCyemq9Gydj_-dGY6kFxMHKNYrVMErTYp2I0E2bOmDNh5d0nIov_eKWqEelFJaWfugaMvqpZZaL3-lAQ5SA-ggDqtdumjL-fKDvLpZdgyCuDpH_aP5f5psJrwN9J9c3VRmtC-YYssv_t8wx8RfZq3Vz66os47BD2xe8K3QpvIGcui-duA/s320/IMG_20230221_151631.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>As you may be able to tell, I am very fond of hellebores, to enjoy the flowers at their best it helps to be able to get low, (these are in a raised terrace), it always helps to cut back the old dying or dead leaves before the flowers come out.<div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHN0uD-FnQjuaKtPAG6WJgh32BqTgI64Xr9oYKulctUltOTEr0BDW06W7U_7MZ2XGKuFySfeKX2eVmDJ33njGE6P3FDHNhM_Z0fDwMESJ3M7F9PNRukhmwfmhQBvs5wtKefqpvSm6ffZjoqNGL0gK17aTQUHGQyKCqxETqIdgbutUkoygfO42bQQ/s4160/IMG_20230221_172107.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHN0uD-FnQjuaKtPAG6WJgh32BqTgI64Xr9oYKulctUltOTEr0BDW06W7U_7MZ2XGKuFySfeKX2eVmDJ33njGE6P3FDHNhM_Z0fDwMESJ3M7F9PNRukhmwfmhQBvs5wtKefqpvSm6ffZjoqNGL0gK17aTQUHGQyKCqxETqIdgbutUkoygfO42bQQ/w400-h300/IMG_20230221_172107.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-lSSDbywyZGGIErF_VT36JBUiRykwqaE7NRySxHfAJzBerumPy_7XzRnchBreJsjDTiVkBz2u-E5Pwo4rGFp8Yi12SyWz8iYa3pgd6WX4CXnxNVmjqWQ6LZs0H1WYtOFgGIDHs0zWTmiQqhM-5AhKRWQ1DVfWEgN2ZMj_At_yz9pTaUqRiJPAg/s4160/IMG_20230221_151608.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-lSSDbywyZGGIErF_VT36JBUiRykwqaE7NRySxHfAJzBerumPy_7XzRnchBreJsjDTiVkBz2u-E5Pwo4rGFp8Yi12SyWz8iYa3pgd6WX4CXnxNVmjqWQ6LZs0H1WYtOFgGIDHs0zWTmiQqhM-5AhKRWQ1DVfWEgN2ZMj_At_yz9pTaUqRiJPAg/s4160/IMG_20230221_151608.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-lSSDbywyZGGIErF_VT36JBUiRykwqaE7NRySxHfAJzBerumPy_7XzRnchBreJsjDTiVkBz2u-E5Pwo4rGFp8Yi12SyWz8iYa3pgd6WX4CXnxNVmjqWQ6LZs0H1WYtOFgGIDHs0zWTmiQqhM-5AhKRWQ1DVfWEgN2ZMj_At_yz9pTaUqRiJPAg/s320/IMG_20230221_151608.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /></div><div>I think this is a good time to be moving hellebores, and planting snowdrops. I think it not only helps with laying the garden out, it also seems to help the plants settle. Also, if you still have any bulbs you didn't get round to planting in the autumn get them in the ground now before they rot or totally dry out.</div><div><p></p><p>Here in the South East it has been quite mild so it won't be long before I start cutting grass!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx217bG5rLzFNYd-OKx0J9u7yeCaR6OZPKljy2aWbKfNLzCHTOmm28HAeQQoGQ4gdh1KNctDyLffxXOEgW5tPrXZP81F-kjiWelGv1lJlFTVUQauLRhzNh4fC9Uhb9c7wPEDgbPv95uVJXKXd4zHzQXF2O3Et7dHrLFCbwikBYEM26p3Cc3PRp8g/s4160/IMG_20230221_165850.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx217bG5rLzFNYd-OKx0J9u7yeCaR6OZPKljy2aWbKfNLzCHTOmm28HAeQQoGQ4gdh1KNctDyLffxXOEgW5tPrXZP81F-kjiWelGv1lJlFTVUQauLRhzNh4fC9Uhb9c7wPEDgbPv95uVJXKXd4zHzQXF2O3Et7dHrLFCbwikBYEM26p3Cc3PRp8g/w640-h480/IMG_20230221_165850.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRz9iGc9xiIyjKBvzYvpwAgQLtUtgub39AOnFhZVcqsLEasuFDNB1mI9vyCx-TCXfDas-MubTpNuAZc13jZM2tBRga8JY3PKtHkOByAPJSrJ9wGZe9Oi_QEZd8uy1iXZNn64ur8QdXp8yM5RYSBPdesIsqhWBMj0kw6dFRHrajTSyDjjhg-b6rw/s4160/IMG_20230221_172032.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRz9iGc9xiIyjKBvzYvpwAgQLtUtgub39AOnFhZVcqsLEasuFDNB1mI9vyCx-TCXfDas-MubTpNuAZc13jZM2tBRga8JY3PKtHkOByAPJSrJ9wGZe9Oi_QEZd8uy1iXZNn64ur8QdXp8yM5RYSBPdesIsqhWBMj0kw6dFRHrajTSyDjjhg-b6rw/w480-h640/IMG_20230221_172032.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-30679527679043853802023-02-22T10:50:00.002+00:002023-02-22T11:38:39.395+00:00As yet unpublished<p>While I'm drafting my Blog posts the Blogger dash board show me lots of things I can do with it, different font styles and sizes, bold, italic or underlined text, pictures, links all sorts of things, then there's a button on the top right hand corner just marked "<b>Publish</b>". It's very easy all I have to do is write something, maybe add a pretty picture click the publish button and then hope that somebody will read it.</p><p>Over the years I've had a few articles published in print ~ mostly trade press about textiles recycling ~ and on the odd occasion I have had odd bits of stuff published on other sites</p><p>As far as I can see it's not so easy with my music, I now have a few original works and several arrangements that I think are worth playing, and that I'm sure other people would enjoy. The problem is how do I get them published? None of the music publishers I have contacted have shown any interest at all, not even accepting submissions. I'm thinking about going in for self publishing, but since the object is to actually get the music played I do wonder just how many people would be aware of my work never mind want to buy purchase copies.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwNTDXoPdQ3Yge13MYQ_m5V-6ERzURthLT96_ZWhV49QTd28aLxxGa1YNd0OYoaHIBU4MYU6xWC6lZLEb6sdg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of my as yet unpublished works</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Borderlands"</div><br />I do have a couple of friend who self publish and do manage to get a few pieces out there ~ this is increasingly looking like the only option open to me. If I were a singer/song writer or a rock musician I could put up a few You Tube videos etc. and hope for some interest through them but it's not so easy when for a lot of my work I would need a full Concert band of about 40 people to make them work.<p></p><p>I would seriously welcome any advise, after all there's no pointing in writing music if nobody ever gets to hear it!</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-47857443514809999312023-02-20T13:35:00.000+00:002023-02-20T13:35:01.011+00:00Slapp in the face<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Every now and then I find myself in a situation when one of my friends or family suggests having a McDonald's and I always refuse. I am a bit of a foodie so the reaction is either an assumption that I don't like them or that I'm a bit mad. Now it's true that I don't like McDonald's burgers, I think they are bland and boring. A friend of mine who is a qualified chef tells me that food should have three qualities, Temperature, Taste, and Texture ~ I feel that McDonald's (and other fast food) lacks all three. As Jesus said <i>"So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth"</i>(Revelations 3:16). But there's more to my choice than that.</span></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin40IBzW8b77ITk8PfSB_a8gfOwTI-t_bg-8h5jIAhO95GdZk0sl5P-POE8RFD4nz-T4nOqoCV7MUSy86OUa5QYrru5AcN4KXX18fjOZW7oSQyXcrpCfl4dt5uube7EfvWyhbzMr2abXBF-PMvAw0aU7xmde49gaOF9jUjmzjKd_jVu-GP2k9zkg/s2800/newseventsimage_1559745832216_mainnews2012_x4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="2800" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin40IBzW8b77ITk8PfSB_a8gfOwTI-t_bg-8h5jIAhO95GdZk0sl5P-POE8RFD4nz-T4nOqoCV7MUSy86OUa5QYrru5AcN4KXX18fjOZW7oSQyXcrpCfl4dt5uube7EfvWyhbzMr2abXBF-PMvAw0aU7xmde49gaOF9jUjmzjKd_jVu-GP2k9zkg/w400-h276/newseventsimage_1559745832216_mainnews2012_x4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Happy Chickens</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I recently <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/2023/02/its-only-game.html">wrote here</a> a bit about responsible consumption, of course there are many forms this can take, we can avoid buying the vegetables with lots of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zjr8mp3/articles/zjnxwnb">food miles</a>, we can make a decision to only buy Free Range or maybe organic eggs, ethically produced jeans and so on. I know that on my regular shopping I do a bit of this I no longer buy peat based compost, I will only ever buy free range eggs and vegetables in season, but the other day I did buy a pineapple and the UK is not a major producer of my favourite fruit!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I think we are now at a stage where few westerners would choose to buy anything produced in Russia, I have mentioned before that I came to maturity in an era when we avoided Spanish, Greek or South African products, but how about companies? Do you ever make a moral decision not to buy from a particular company? I know recently the transphobes have tried to start boycotts of retailers who have shown support for transgender people ~ and I'm quite certain I would not give my financial support to any organisation who opposed my existence.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgkPQoXHMyU59H1XdZe4MTMdkNJOuNUqWmT0xI54q-RY_PbOZgrO7svHrv8Fp-0n-gr0iQgMPmYksuUXoyBC2raPygCYBuRmzhvi0FKRlDxetrrpkU3cnRnUEJAsQ6WQc-l3PqMXXFRXo10uBNMX3qQkXdFz2G2OBenOsHJvMYOzNcF_6uSz1Ig/s701/Pension-cartoon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="701" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgkPQoXHMyU59H1XdZe4MTMdkNJOuNUqWmT0xI54q-RY_PbOZgrO7svHrv8Fp-0n-gr0iQgMPmYksuUXoyBC2raPygCYBuRmzhvi0FKRlDxetrrpkU3cnRnUEJAsQ6WQc-l3PqMXXFRXo10uBNMX3qQkXdFz2G2OBenOsHJvMYOzNcF_6uSz1Ig/w400-h297/Pension-cartoon.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Part of my pension is invested in an "Ethical" fund, to be totally honest I'm not sure exactly what that means, I know that there are no investments in the arms industry but I don't know about pharmaceuticals, oil exploration and exploitation, mining ~ or other industries that can be contentious. You could say that I'm being lazy about it, and you'd be right!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">There are stores I don't like and choose not to use, but that is just a personal preference about their customer service, layout, or trading style, not an ethical choice. Only once have I joined a boycott of a particular company on moral grounds, I totally stopped using McDonalds in the early 1990s and haven't had any of their products since. Now this is not a great hardship to me as I am no fan of fast food anyway, but it is important to me. I have always been a bit of an environmentalist, never really an activist but keen to make small adjustments to help, to try and raise awareness a bit, so when I started to hear about the environmental damage McDonald's was causing I listened up, I felt I no longer wanted to give them any of my hard earned money. Then I heard about the McLibel case ~ two poor individuals being sued for libel by one of the most powerful conglomerates in the World. <a href="https://www.mcspotlight.org/case/trial/story.html">Read more about it in detail here</a>, or a shorter Wikipedia article on the case <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLibel_case">here</a>. </span></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtpQTx3RoD9AFJTqrOtsSoM8mU-0fQ_TAFYli-t3j9yGsTchC4ABOGY_jzQyZvIKPXSZjhvAlrLPATRZUybQGWflnYnLm3EZLgLeZbd4sf4TjANY57kLZ7sXsRSiOg6WENTpltaJTm0_KEJigDtcEMPk5G78MevnVISy5DcGebS-j8rUi5KT35A/s1280/5e8b9b8c2700002c09a67c29.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtpQTx3RoD9AFJTqrOtsSoM8mU-0fQ_TAFYli-t3j9yGsTchC4ABOGY_jzQyZvIKPXSZjhvAlrLPATRZUybQGWflnYnLm3EZLgLeZbd4sf4TjANY57kLZ7sXsRSiOg6WENTpltaJTm0_KEJigDtcEMPk5G78MevnVISy5DcGebS-j8rUi5KT35A/s320/5e8b9b8c2700002c09a67c29.webp" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Not all bullies are obvious</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">My boycott was no longer just about the negative environmental impact of the company, but the bullying of it's opponents, the ill treatment of it's employees (I have subsequently heard a lot more about the exploitation of staff, especially underage undertrained staff) and health ~ but now mostly about the arrogant bullying attitude towards customers, staff and others. Maybe it's silly of me to hold a grudge like this so long after the case, but I do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This has all come to mind now because on my social media there has been much discussion about a certain well know children's author using exactly these same tactics to suppress discussion of her allegedly transphobic and extreme right wing attitudes. In the UK the libel laws still very much favour the super rich and corporations who can afford the costs of going to court against the poorer activists and journalists who are forced to defend themselves. It is not quite as bad as it was in the 1990s for the McLibel two, but not by much. This means that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_lawsuit_against_public_participation">SLAPP* suits</a> are easy to bring and will often work in frightening off any one who may object to statements or actions of the rich and famous.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In my view the use of SLAPP* suits is both a form of bullying and an admission of guilt, I gather that in the USA it is much more difficult to bring these cases, but in the two jurisdictions most important to me they appear to be in increasing use.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">* SLAPP or Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation <i>"are a growing threat to freedom of speech and a free press - fundamental liberties that are the lifeblood of our democracy.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Typically used by the super-rich SLAPPs stifle legitimate reporting and debate. They are at their most pernicious before cases ever reach a courtroom, with seemingly endless legal letters that threaten our journalists, academics, and campaigners with sky-high cost and damages"</i> quoted from <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strategic-lawsuits-against-public-participation-slapps/outcome/strategic-lawsuits-against-public-participation-slapps-government-response-to-call-for-evidence">gov.uk</a> the UK Government's official website.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">You can read more about SLAPP <a href="https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/resource/slapp-a-question-of-definition.html">here from the Bar council</a> (Barristers) of course you can't read anything about the Famous Children's Author's alleged use of SLAPP as so far they have been successful!</span></p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-47214874438279234672023-02-17T12:00:00.001+00:002023-02-17T12:00:00.244+00:00Old Enough to Know Better<p><i>One of the most common questions that trans people get asked is "When did you know?" of course for most of us it simply isn't that easy. I have often written about how hard it was for me to come to terms with my gender, for so many reason not least of which was simply not having the vocabulary to have the thoughts. Certainly I remember praying that I would wake up in the morning as a girl, later I remember reading about <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/2022/01/pioneers.html">April Ashley</a> and thinking she was fabulous, that what she had done was wonderful, but also that somehow that this wasn't available to "the likes of me". I remember my Mother (the only adult I ever talked about this to) advised me that this was "only a phase".</i></p><p><i>I certainly knew that I wasn't <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA">like other guys</a>, I knew that this was something dangerous and that I should not talk about it ~ remember that I was already 10 before the UK Government started to decriminalise homosexual acts between consenting adult males! I also enjoyed "manly" activities and fancied women, and since everything I saw or heard suggest that "Transsexuals" were super gay men, I felt that couldn't be me ~ but still I knew that I didn't fit into the hole society was so keen to put me in.</i></p><p><i>Well, the whole thing about how can young people know has come to head yet again. With the Scottish changes to teh GRA including making gender recognition available to 16 year olds, and Kier Starmer amongst other saying that is too young. Of course there are also many bad actors who will say anything against gender recognition just to try and stop, or delay any changes. I can see an argument that says that perhaps you should be an adult to make this sort of life changing decision, but in Scotland at 16 you can get married, vote in local and Scottish national elections. Since in Wales the voting age for Senedd and local election is also 16 maybe the UK Parliament would like to set about levelling them all up to 18 (and see how well that goes down in Scotland and Wales!)</i></p><p><i>Over on <a href="https://transwrites.world/healthcare-for-young-trans-people/">Trans Writes Max</a> has written much more eloquently than I on this. Usually I would just make <a href="On healthcare for young trans people; There is no magical moment at which a child becomes an adult. No single instant at which we may safely declare that a young person has exited adolescence, and is fully equipped to enter the world of mortgage stress, Saturday morning food shopping and running arguments about the thermostat says Max Morgan Rather, it is a gradual, imperceptible process of physical, intellectual and emotional growth, a process that varies wildly from individual to individual, until they awake one morning to the bitter realisation that they’ll be lining the pockets of some bastard they hate for 40 hours a week until they’re too old to be considered useful. It should also be noted that the physical, mental and emotional aspects of development often do not go hand in hand. There are many teenagers who may be physically underdeveloped by comparison to their peers, who are intelligent, politically engaged and emotionally mature. Indeed many, by the age of 16, are more sensible, thoughtful and rounded individuals than some in their early 20s (or even their early 40s, but that’s a whole other article). As a society, therefore, we impose arbitrary limits on what constitutes an adult. We pick an age at which we think most young people are able to make important decisions for themselves, but even these numbers vary quite significantly from country to country, state to state and region to region. Taking marriage as an example, in Scotland, a person may consent to this at the age of 16. In England and Wales, it is 18. In some US states, there are no limits at all on the age at which a person may marry, which seems like a thing those who spend their lives insisting they’re ‘protecting children’ ought to be utterly fucking enraged about. But even before our children reach the age at which we say, “That’s it, you’re on your own,” we entrust them to make decisions that might impact their whole lives. At 14 or 15, they are asked to decide which exams they will sit, which will obviously affect the future exams they are able to sit, the university courses they are able to access, and in turn, the employment opportunities open to them when their education is completed. At various ages prior to that, they may consent to take part in rugby or martial arts or some other dangerous sport, in which a moment of inattention or bad luck could inflict life-changing injuries. At 17, we will put them in sole charge of several tonnes of fast-moving metal that could end their own life or someone else’s. And spanning right across this ill-defined grey area between childhood and adulthood is the ability to consent to a range of medical treatments. Gillick competence, a long-standing legal principle in the UK, allows for a child under the age of 16 to receive medical treatment or advice without their parents’ consent, or even knowledge, provided they are considered ‘Gillick competent’ by medical professionals. This principle is accepted and widely applied, mostly successfully, and largely without wider societal protest. And yet, where healthcare for young trans people is concerned, there are many, from social media trolls to authors of antisemitic children’s books, all the way through to elected politicians, who are willing to abandon this principle. All in favour of applying a different set of standards to young people whose assigned sex at birth does not match their gender identity. I’m sure I don’t need to point out that choosing to apply a legal and medical principle to all except a particular demographic is Bigotry 101, but for the purposes of clarity, I will do so. Those who oppose any kind of any kind of gender-affirming healthcare for young trans people will say things like, “Children shouldn’t be making life-changing decisions!” but as I’ve already demonstrated, they do. All the fucking time. A 13-year-old child, for example, may consent to taking contraceptives like “the pill”, side effects of which include headaches, nausea, breast tenderness and an increased risk of life-threatening blood clots, heart attacks and several types of cancer. A young person who becomes pregnant before the age of 16 may consent to an abortion, an enormously difficult and emotional decision for anyone, but especially a child. They may also decide to carry the foetus to term, which will have some of the most life-changing impacts it is possible to imagine. But we accept – entirely correctly – that if they are aware of the implications of their decision, their wishes should be respected, because it is their body and their choice. The majority of young trans people, I would contest, are more emotionally mature than their peers. They’ve usually been forced to grow up quicker as a result of the torrents of abuse they face, both in person and via the press and media, simply for being who they are. As such, they are keenly aware of the implications of healthcare for young trans people. They’re aware, not only of the treatment options available to them (or the treatment options that would be available to them if trans healthcare in this country was remotely fit for purpose), but of the side effects, longer term health implications and the potentially harrowing alternatives to not receiving treatment. They’re also acutely, painfully aware that transitioning will lead to an avalanche of hatred, suspicion, infantilisation and, tragically, as we’ve been painfully reminded this week, a risk of being murdered for who they are. This is not a decision, in the overwhelming majority of cases, they are taking lightly, or because of some ‘fad’ or ‘social contagion’. It is a thing they do because not doing so – even in this climate of outright hostility towards them – would be so much more damaging. Before I go any further, it is necessary to point out that, in this country, healthcare for young trans people under the age of 18 NEVER involves surgery. It doesn’t happen. Ever. It is a lie propagated by transphobic bigots who spend way too much time thinking about ‘healthy teenage breasts’. Such surgical interventions may be ‘requested’ at an earlier age in various parts of the UK (though never before the age of 16), but with waiting lists currently running into several years for a first appointment at a Gender Identity Clinic, and the NHS’s steadfast refusal to reduce those times, in practice, it won’t usually happen until a person is well into their 20s. A young person may request hormone treatment from the age of 16, but again, it is vanishingly rare for them to receive such treatment given the punitive waiting times. The only healthcare for young trans people available under the age of 16 (again notwithstanding the inordinately long waiting lists) is puberty delaying medication. This type of medication has been used for decades to delay the onset of adolescence in children with precocious puberty. A principal reason they’re prescribed for this condition is because a too-early onset of puberty can be extremely distressing for the child affected, and it would be an act of unconscionable cruelty to needlessly inflict that upon a young person when it can be avoided. Unless they’re trans, of course. In trans children, this medication works in exactly the same way, to delay the onset of puberty until the child is ready to consent to further interventions. Or sometimes, though much more rarely, until they decide they no longer wish to transition, at which point they can discontinue treatment and go through puberty normally. The treatment is effective, reversible, in most cases safe, and has been shown to markedly improve mental wellbeing. That’s not to say it’s without side effects – virtually no pharmaceutical intervention is. Some of themore serious side effects may include reduced bone density and, depending on certain other factors, potential impacts on future fertility. These possible complications are not to be taken lightly, but as far as I’ve seen, no one is doing that (though if they are, that’s a separate matter). It is important that these issues are discussed at length with the young person involved – just as it is important for a girl requesting a prescription for the contraceptive pill to be aware of her elevated risk of cervical cancer – and that their progress is continually monitored by endocrinologists and other medical professionals. Those who oppose this vital he will instead advocate for what they call ‘watchful waiting’. They assert that we should monitor the young person through puberty, and wait until they reach adulthood to offer any kind of gender-affirming care. But this is not the neutral act they make it out to be. Yes, puberty blockers have side-effects, but do you know what else has side effects? Puberty. Forcing a young person to experience puberty that is utterly incongruous to their gender identity is an act of extended physical and emotional torture, inflicting psychological harm from which many will never recover. If you doubt this, imagine you have a cis daughter (or maybe you don’t have to imagine). Now imagine she started growing facial hair, and getting a deep voice, a strong jawline and broad shoulders. Imagine, if you can, the immeasurable distress she would feel as her body morphs into something that does not match who she knows herself to be. Imagine the daily anguish as she descends into depression, withdrawal and maybe even self-harm. And imagine there was a way you could take away this pain, a relatively simple intervention that, while not without some risk, would alleviate her suffering. Wouldn’t you move heaven and earth to bring her this relief? This is the grim reality for so many young trans people, who not only have to cope with this indescribable level of emotional and physical pain, but with a society that ridicules, abuses and rejects them. No one – not a single person – is arguing that puberty blockers should be handed out on a whim, but we are arguing that circumstances exist where they are the only intervention that doesn’t constitute an act of wilful cruelty against an innocent young person. And if you think the intentions of those who oppose this kind of healthcare for young trans people are in any way pure, ask them how they feel about social transition. For the uninitiated, social transition can include measures like changing names, pronouns, clothing and hair to more accurately reflect a person’s gender identity. It involves no surgery, hormones or medical interventions of any kind. In all but a statistically insignificant minority of cases, those who oppose puberty blockers will also oppose this simple act of affirming a person’s gender. Just as they will oppose provisions in the GRR Bill for 16-year-olds to alter their birth certificate to reflect a gender different to the one assigned at birth. Again, this administrative measure requires no medical intervention, and may be reversed at a later stage if they change their mind. Had this law been in place in England, Brianna Ghey, the 16-year-old trans girl murdered in Warrington recently after years of transphobic bullying, would at least have had the shred of dignity that will now be denied to her in death. Instead, her death certificate will record that she was a boy, the final abusive act of a society determined to strip trans people of every last vestige of our humanity. If any person opposes these simple, non-medical approaches to affording trans people some basic dignity, it is 100% safe to assume that their reasons for opposing medical care for trans youth are not borne out of anything even approaching altruism. Of course, there is a longer term consequence to denying healthcare for young trans people, and for those who oppose it, it is an entirely intended consequence. If they force a young trans person through an incongruous puberty, it often makes them much easier to ‘clock’ in later life. It makes them easier to mock for not ‘passing’ to a level they have deemed acceptable. It makes them easier to fear-monger about because they don’t look the way our hostile society has decided they should look. Denying this basic care is a deliberate act, designed to double to the abuse and humiliation trans people face, carefully crafted to ensure they will never know a minute’s peace at any stage of their lives. Opponents will also point to those who go through some measure of gender transition (to whatever degree) and later choose to reverse that: so-called ‘detransitioners’. These people, they assert, are undeniable proof that we should withhold gender-affirming care for as long as possible, with some even arguing that no such care should be available until the age of 25 or 26, when the brain is ‘fully developed’. Once again, I’m almost certainly stating the obvious here, but it is preposterous and inhumane to suggest that, for virtually every other purpose, a ‘competent’ person is able to give informed medical consent from as young as 13, that every other person in the country is fully and completely an adult by the age of 18, but that trans people must wait until they are halfway through their twenties to be able to even begin to live as the person they know themselves to be. It is also worth noting that, of those who do end up detransitioning, a large percentage will do so not because they aren’t transgender, but because of any number of other factors including lack of funding, rejection from family, and feelings of being unsafe in the current trans-hostile environment. The actual regret rates for gender-affirming interventions are comparatively minuscule (by most estimates between 1 and 2% of the overall number, not just those who detransition), and significantly lower than virtually any other treatment you might care to name, including abortion, breast augmentation and various types of cancer treatment. Those who do choose to detransition, for whatever reason, deserve to be treated with all due respect and dignity, but they should not be used as a means of denying care to the huge majority who report enormous, life-saving benefits. Healthcare for young trans people, like any other measure that can impact a child’s development or sexual health, is a complex area of medicine that should be approached with care, understanding and love. But for too long, discussions around it have been plagued by lies, fear-mongering and dehumanising terms like ‘mutilation’ and ‘sterilisation’. The suggestion that young people are being ‘rushed into’ medical interventions, given the aforementioned years-long waiting lists, are as ridiculous as they are dishonest. Those who advocate for healthcare for young trans people are not ‘groomers’ or ‘predators’, they’re invariably people who have suffered the alternative and don’t want to see that torture inflicted on anyone else. They’re parents who have to watch their children grow ever more distressed and isolated, laying awake at night worrying about what they’ll do to themselves if they don’t receive help. They’re medical professionals who have seen, first hand, the transformative impact gender-affirmative medicine can have on a previously depressed, withdrawn and anxious young person. The time is long overdue to approach healthcare for young trans people with the same level of openness, honesty and compassion as any other. We need to accept that young people have widely differing rates of emotional maturity, meaning that any kind of blanket approach is inherently flawed. We to start believing that a child who is old enough to consent to contraception, abortion or child birth, is old enough to delay the onset of a potentially traumatic puberty until they reach the stage at which other treatments are appropriate. Max has chosen to donate their fee for this piece to Black Trans Foundation who are currently crowdfunding for healthcare related costs. If you can, please donate to their Go Fund Me by clicking here. This article was funded by LGBT+ Futures: Equity Fund is a two-year £786,000 partnership between Consortium and The National Lottery Community Fund, designed to help community-led and grassroot organisations supporting some of the most under-represented and marginalised LGBT+ communities. Read more here.">a link to the article</a>, but in this case I have copied out the whole thing below, by my standards it is quite a long read but worth it to understand where trans people are coming from on this subject.</i></p><p><i>To be honest I would prefer you to follow the <a href="On healthcare for young trans people; There is no magical moment at which a child becomes an adult. No single instant at which we may safely declare that a young person has exited adolescence, and is fully equipped to enter the world of mortgage stress, Saturday morning food shopping and running arguments about the thermostat says Max Morgan Rather, it is a gradual, imperceptible process of physical, intellectual and emotional growth, a process that varies wildly from individual to individual, until they awake one morning to the bitter realisation that they’ll be lining the pockets of some bastard they hate for 40 hours a week until they’re too old to be considered useful. It should also be noted that the physical, mental and emotional aspects of development often do not go hand in hand. There are many teenagers who may be physically underdeveloped by comparison to their peers, who are intelligent, politically engaged and emotionally mature. Indeed many, by the age of 16, are more sensible, thoughtful and rounded individuals than some in their early 20s (or even their early 40s, but that’s a whole other article). As a society, therefore, we impose arbitrary limits on what constitutes an adult. We pick an age at which we think most young people are able to make important decisions for themselves, but even these numbers vary quite significantly from country to country, state to state and region to region. Taking marriage as an example, in Scotland, a person may consent to this at the age of 16. In England and Wales, it is 18. In some US states, there are no limits at all on the age at which a person may marry, which seems like a thing those who spend their lives insisting they’re ‘protecting children’ ought to be utterly fucking enraged about. But even before our children reach the age at which we say, “That’s it, you’re on your own,” we entrust them to make decisions that might impact their whole lives. At 14 or 15, they are asked to decide which exams they will sit, which will obviously affect the future exams they are able to sit, the university courses they are able to access, and in turn, the employment opportunities open to them when their education is completed. At various ages prior to that, they may consent to take part in rugby or martial arts or some other dangerous sport, in which a moment of inattention or bad luck could inflict life-changing injuries. At 17, we will put them in sole charge of several tonnes of fast-moving metal that could end their own life or someone else’s. And spanning right across this ill-defined grey area between childhood and adulthood is the ability to consent to a range of medical treatments. Gillick competence, a long-standing legal principle in the UK, allows for a child under the age of 16 to receive medical treatment or advice without their parents’ consent, or even knowledge, provided they are considered ‘Gillick competent’ by medical professionals. This principle is accepted and widely applied, mostly successfully, and largely without wider societal protest. And yet, where healthcare for young trans people is concerned, there are many, from social media trolls to authors of antisemitic children’s books, all the way through to elected politicians, who are willing to abandon this principle. All in favour of applying a different set of standards to young people whose assigned sex at birth does not match their gender identity. I’m sure I don’t need to point out that choosing to apply a legal and medical principle to all except a particular demographic is Bigotry 101, but for the purposes of clarity, I will do so. Those who oppose any kind of any kind of gender-affirming healthcare for young trans people will say things like, “Children shouldn’t be making life-changing decisions!” but as I’ve already demonstrated, they do. All the fucking time. A 13-year-old child, for example, may consent to taking contraceptives like “the pill”, side effects of which include headaches, nausea, breast tenderness and an increased risk of life-threatening blood clots, heart attacks and several types of cancer. A young person who becomes pregnant before the age of 16 may consent to an abortion, an enormously difficult and emotional decision for anyone, but especially a child. They may also decide to carry the foetus to term, which will have some of the most life-changing impacts it is possible to imagine. But we accept – entirely correctly – that if they are aware of the implications of their decision, their wishes should be respected, because it is their body and their choice. The majority of young trans people, I would contest, are more emotionally mature than their peers. They’ve usually been forced to grow up quicker as a result of the torrents of abuse they face, both in person and via the press and media, simply for being who they are. As such, they are keenly aware of the implications of healthcare for young trans people. They’re aware, not only of the treatment options available to them (or the treatment options that would be available to them if trans healthcare in this country was remotely fit for purpose), but of the side effects, longer term health implications and the potentially harrowing alternatives to not receiving treatment. They’re also acutely, painfully aware that transitioning will lead to an avalanche of hatred, suspicion, infantilisation and, tragically, as we’ve been painfully reminded this week, a risk of being murdered for who they are. This is not a decision, in the overwhelming majority of cases, they are taking lightly, or because of some ‘fad’ or ‘social contagion’. It is a thing they do because not doing so – even in this climate of outright hostility towards them – would be so much more damaging. Before I go any further, it is necessary to point out that, in this country, healthcare for young trans people under the age of 18 NEVER involves surgery. It doesn’t happen. Ever. It is a lie propagated by transphobic bigots who spend way too much time thinking about ‘healthy teenage breasts’. Such surgical interventions may be ‘requested’ at an earlier age in various parts of the UK (though never before the age of 16), but with waiting lists currently running into several years for a first appointment at a Gender Identity Clinic, and the NHS’s steadfast refusal to reduce those times, in practice, it won’t usually happen until a person is well into their 20s. A young person may request hormone treatment from the age of 16, but again, it is vanishingly rare for them to receive such treatment given the punitive waiting times. The only healthcare for young trans people available under the age of 16 (again notwithstanding the inordinately long waiting lists) is puberty delaying medication. This type of medication has been used for decades to delay the onset of adolescence in children with precocious puberty. A principal reason they’re prescribed for this condition is because a too-early onset of puberty can be extremely distressing for the child affected, and it would be an act of unconscionable cruelty to needlessly inflict that upon a young person when it can be avoided. Unless they’re trans, of course. In trans children, this medication works in exactly the same way, to delay the onset of puberty until the child is ready to consent to further interventions. Or sometimes, though much more rarely, until they decide they no longer wish to transition, at which point they can discontinue treatment and go through puberty normally. The treatment is effective, reversible, in most cases safe, and has been shown to markedly improve mental wellbeing. That’s not to say it’s without side effects – virtually no pharmaceutical intervention is. Some of themore serious side effects may include reduced bone density and, depending on certain other factors, potential impacts on future fertility. These possible complications are not to be taken lightly, but as far as I’ve seen, no one is doing that (though if they are, that’s a separate matter). It is important that these issues are discussed at length with the young person involved – just as it is important for a girl requesting a prescription for the contraceptive pill to be aware of her elevated risk of cervical cancer – and that their progress is continually monitored by endocrinologists and other medical professionals. Those who oppose this vital he will instead advocate for what they call ‘watchful waiting’. They assert that we should monitor the young person through puberty, and wait until they reach adulthood to offer any kind of gender-affirming care. But this is not the neutral act they make it out to be. Yes, puberty blockers have side-effects, but do you know what else has side effects? Puberty. Forcing a young person to experience puberty that is utterly incongruous to their gender identity is an act of extended physical and emotional torture, inflicting psychological harm from which many will never recover. If you doubt this, imagine you have a cis daughter (or maybe you don’t have to imagine). Now imagine she started growing facial hair, and getting a deep voice, a strong jawline and broad shoulders. Imagine, if you can, the immeasurable distress she would feel as her body morphs into something that does not match who she knows herself to be. Imagine the daily anguish as she descends into depression, withdrawal and maybe even self-harm. And imagine there was a way you could take away this pain, a relatively simple intervention that, while not without some risk, would alleviate her suffering. Wouldn’t you move heaven and earth to bring her this relief? This is the grim reality for so many young trans people, who not only have to cope with this indescribable level of emotional and physical pain, but with a society that ridicules, abuses and rejects them. No one – not a single person – is arguing that puberty blockers should be handed out on a whim, but we are arguing that circumstances exist where they are the only intervention that doesn’t constitute an act of wilful cruelty against an innocent young person. And if you think the intentions of those who oppose this kind of healthcare for young trans people are in any way pure, ask them how they feel about social transition. For the uninitiated, social transition can include measures like changing names, pronouns, clothing and hair to more accurately reflect a person’s gender identity. It involves no surgery, hormones or medical interventions of any kind. In all but a statistically insignificant minority of cases, those who oppose puberty blockers will also oppose this simple act of affirming a person’s gender. Just as they will oppose provisions in the GRR Bill for 16-year-olds to alter their birth certificate to reflect a gender different to the one assigned at birth. Again, this administrative measure requires no medical intervention, and may be reversed at a later stage if they change their mind. Had this law been in place in England, Brianna Ghey, the 16-year-old trans girl murdered in Warrington recently after years of transphobic bullying, would at least have had the shred of dignity that will now be denied to her in death. Instead, her death certificate will record that she was a boy, the final abusive act of a society determined to strip trans people of every last vestige of our humanity. If any person opposes these simple, non-medical approaches to affording trans people some basic dignity, it is 100% safe to assume that their reasons for opposing medical care for trans youth are not borne out of anything even approaching altruism. Of course, there is a longer term consequence to denying healthcare for young trans people, and for those who oppose it, it is an entirely intended consequence. If they force a young trans person through an incongruous puberty, it often makes them much easier to ‘clock’ in later life. It makes them easier to mock for not ‘passing’ to a level they have deemed acceptable. It makes them easier to fear-monger about because they don’t look the way our hostile society has decided they should look. Denying this basic care is a deliberate act, designed to double to the abuse and humiliation trans people face, carefully crafted to ensure they will never know a minute’s peace at any stage of their lives. Opponents will also point to those who go through some measure of gender transition (to whatever degree) and later choose to reverse that: so-called ‘detransitioners’. These people, they assert, are undeniable proof that we should withhold gender-affirming care for as long as possible, with some even arguing that no such care should be available until the age of 25 or 26, when the brain is ‘fully developed’. Once again, I’m almost certainly stating the obvious here, but it is preposterous and inhumane to suggest that, for virtually every other purpose, a ‘competent’ person is able to give informed medical consent from as young as 13, that every other person in the country is fully and completely an adult by the age of 18, but that trans people must wait until they are halfway through their twenties to be able to even begin to live as the person they know themselves to be. It is also worth noting that, of those who do end up detransitioning, a large percentage will do so not because they aren’t transgender, but because of any number of other factors including lack of funding, rejection from family, and feelings of being unsafe in the current trans-hostile environment. The actual regret rates for gender-affirming interventions are comparatively minuscule (by most estimates between 1 and 2% of the overall number, not just those who detransition), and significantly lower than virtually any other treatment you might care to name, including abortion, breast augmentation and various types of cancer treatment. Those who do choose to detransition, for whatever reason, deserve to be treated with all due respect and dignity, but they should not be used as a means of denying care to the huge majority who report enormous, life-saving benefits. Healthcare for young trans people, like any other measure that can impact a child’s development or sexual health, is a complex area of medicine that should be approached with care, understanding and love. But for too long, discussions around it have been plagued by lies, fear-mongering and dehumanising terms like ‘mutilation’ and ‘sterilisation’. The suggestion that young people are being ‘rushed into’ medical interventions, given the aforementioned years-long waiting lists, are as ridiculous as they are dishonest. Those who advocate for healthcare for young trans people are not ‘groomers’ or ‘predators’, they’re invariably people who have suffered the alternative and don’t want to see that torture inflicted on anyone else. They’re parents who have to watch their children grow ever more distressed and isolated, laying awake at night worrying about what they’ll do to themselves if they don’t receive help. They’re medical professionals who have seen, first hand, the transformative impact gender-affirmative medicine can have on a previously depressed, withdrawn and anxious young person. The time is long overdue to approach healthcare for young trans people with the same level of openness, honesty and compassion as any other. We need to accept that young people have widely differing rates of emotional maturity, meaning that any kind of blanket approach is inherently flawed. We to start believing that a child who is old enough to consent to contraception, abortion or child birth, is old enough to delay the onset of a potentially traumatic puberty until they reach the stage at which other treatments are appropriate. Max has chosen to donate their fee for this piece to Black Trans Foundation who are currently crowdfunding for healthcare related costs. If you can, please donate to their Go Fund Me by clicking here. This article was funded by LGBT+ Futures: Equity Fund is a two-year £786,000 partnership between Consortium and The National Lottery Community Fund, designed to help community-led and grassroot organisations supporting some of the most under-represented and marginalised LGBT+ communities. Read more here.">link so that Trans Write</a>s get the stats on how many have read the article, but here it is any way.</i></p><p><br /></p><div class="td-post-content tagdiv-type" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: Trebuchet, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.74; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 16px;"><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 21px; margin: 27px 0px 17px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">On healthcare for young trans people</strong>; There is no magical moment at which a child becomes an adult. No single instant at which we may safely declare that a young person has exited adolescence, and is fully equipped to enter the world of mortgage stress, Saturday morning food shopping and running arguments about the thermostat says Max Morgan</h3><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Rather, it is a gradual, imperceptible process of physical, intellectual and emotional growth, a process that varies wildly from individual to individual, until they awake one morning to the bitter realisation that they’ll be lining the pockets of some bastard they hate for 40 hours a week until they’re too old to be considered useful.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">It should also be noted that the physical, mental and emotional aspects of development often do not go hand in hand. There are many teenagers who may be physically underdeveloped by comparison to their peers, who are intelligent, politically engaged and emotionally mature. Indeed many, by the age of 16, are more sensible, thoughtful and rounded individuals than some in their early 20s (or even their early 40s, but that’s a whole other article).</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">As a society, therefore, we impose arbitrary limits on what constitutes an adult. We pick an age at which we think most young people are able to make important decisions for themselves, but even these numbers vary quite significantly from country to country, state to state and region to region.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriageable_age" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Taking marriage as an example, in Scotland, a person may consent to this at the age of 16. In England and Wales, it is 18. In some US states, there are no limits at all on the age at which a person may marry,</a> which seems like a thing those who spend their lives insisting they’re ‘protecting children’ ought to be utterly fucking enraged about.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">But even before our children reach the age at which we say, “That’s it, you’re on your own,” we entrust them to make decisions that might impact their whole lives. <a href="https://www.theschoolrun.com/parents-guide-secondary-school-gcse-options" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">At 14 or 15, they are asked to decide which exams they will sit</a>, which will obviously affect the future exams they are able to sit, the university courses they are able to access, and in turn, the employment opportunities open to them when their education is completed.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a href="https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/sports-medicine/sports-medicine-articles/kids-sports-injuries-the-numbers-are-impressive" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">At various ages prior to that, they may consent to take part in rugby or martial arts or some other dangerous sport, in which a moment of inattention or bad luck could inflict life-changing injuries.</a> At 17, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/driving-lessons-learning-to-drive" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">we will put them in sole charge of several tonnes of fast-moving metal that could end their own life or someone else’s</a>. And spanning right across this ill-defined grey area between childhood and adulthood is the ability to consent to a range of medical treatments.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a href="https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-protection-system/gillick-competence-fraser-guidelines" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Gillick competence, a long-standing legal principle in the UK, allows for a child under the age of 16 to receive medical treatment or advice without their parents’ consent, or even knowledge</a>, provided they are considered ‘Gillick competent’ by medical professionals. This principle is accepted and widely applied, mostly successfully, and largely without wider societal protest.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">And yet, where healthcare for young trans people is concerned, there are many, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/lgbtq-rights-protest-conservative-conference_uk_62bc1e4ae4b0adb8aa4ea53b" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">from social media trolls to authors of antisemitic children’s books, all the way through to elected politicians, who are willing to abandon this principle</a>. All in favour of applying a different set of standards to young people whose assigned sex at birth does not match their gender identity. I’m sure I don’t need to point out that choosing to apply a legal and medical principle to all except a particular demographic is Bigotry 101, but for the purposes of clarity, I will do so.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Those who oppose any kind of any kind of gender-affirming healthcare for young trans people will say things like, “Children shouldn’t be making life-changing decisions!” but as I’ve already demonstrated, they do. All the fucking time. A 13-year-old child, for example, may consent to taking<a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/combined-contraceptive-pill/" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"> contraceptives like “the pill”, side effects of which include headaches, nausea, breast tenderness and an increased risk of life-threatening blood clots, heart attacks and several types of cancer.</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">A young person who becomes pregnant before the age of 16 may consent to an abortion, an enormously difficult and emotional decision for anyone, but especially a child. They may also decide to carry the foetus to term, which will have some of the most life-changing impacts it is possible to imagine. But we accept – entirely correctly – that if they are aware of the implications of their decision, their wishes should be respected, because it is their body and their choice.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The majority of young trans people, I would contest, are more emotionally mature than their peers. They’ve usually been forced to grow up quicker as a result of the torrents of abuse they face, both in person and via the press and media, simply for being who they are. <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/7k8gja/brianna-ghey-killing" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">As such, they are keenly aware of the implications of healthcare for young trans people. They’re aware, not only of the treatment options available to them (or the treatment options that would be available to them if trans healthcare in this country was remotely fit for purpose), but of the side effects, longer term health implications and the potentially harrowing alternatives to not receiving treatment.</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">They’re also acutely, painfully aware that transitioning will lead to an avalanche of hatred, suspicion, infantilisation and, tragically, as we’ve been painfully reminded this week, a risk of being murdered for who they are. This is not a decision, in the overwhelming majority of cases, they are taking lightly, or because of some ‘fad’ or ‘social contagion’. It is a thing they do because not doing so – even in this climate of outright hostility towards them – would be so much more damaging.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Before I go any further, it is necessary to point out that, in this country, healthcare for young trans people under the age of 18 NEVER involves surgery. It doesn’t happen. Ever. It is a lie propagated by transphobic bigots who spend way too much time thinking about ‘healthy teenage breasts’. Such surgical interventions may be ‘requested’ at an earlier age in various parts of the UK (though never before the age of 16), but with waiting lists currently running into several years for a first appointment at a Gender Identity Clinic, and the NHS’s steadfast refusal to reduce those times, in practice, it won’t usually happen until a person is well into their 20s.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">A young person may request hormone treatment from the age of 16, but again, it is vanishingly rare for them to receive such treatment given the punitive waiting times.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gender-dysphoria/in-depth/pubertal-blockers/art-20459075" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The only healthcare for young trans people available under the age of 16 (again notwithstanding the inordinately long waiting lists) is puberty delaying medication</a>. This type of medication has been used<a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/precocious-puberty/symptoms-causes/syc-20351811" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"> for decades to delay the onset of adolescence in children with precocious puberty.</a> A principal reason they’re prescribed for this condition is because a too-early onset of puberty can be extremely distressing for the child affected, and it would be an act of unconscionable cruelty to needlessly inflict that upon a young person when it can be avoided. Unless they’re trans, of course.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">In trans children, this medication works in exactly the same way, to delay the onset of puberty until the child is ready to consent to further interventions. Or sometimes, though much more rarely, until they decide they no longer wish to transition, at which point they can discontinue treatment and go through puberty normally. <a href="https://epi.washington.edu/news/gender-affirming-hormones-and-puberty-blockers-improve-mental-health-in-transgender-youth/" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The treatment is effective, reversible, in most cases safe, and has been shown to markedly improve mental wellbeing.</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">That’s not to say it’s without side effects – virtually no pharmaceutical intervention is. Some of themore serious side effects may include reduced bone density and, depending on certain other factors, potential impacts on future fertility. These possible complications are not to be taken lightly, but as far as I’ve seen, no one is doing that (though if they are, that’s a separate matter). It is important that these issues are discussed at length with the young person involved – just as it is important for a girl requesting a prescription for the contraceptive pill to be aware of her elevated risk of cervical cancer – and that their progress is continually monitored by endocrinologists and other medical professionals.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Those who oppose this vital he will instead advocate for what they call ‘watchful waiting’. They assert that we should monitor the young person through puberty, and wait until they reach adulthood to offer any kind of gender-affirming care. But this is not the neutral act they make it out to be. Yes, puberty blockers have side-effects, but do you know what else has side effects? Puberty.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Forcing a young person to experience puberty that is utterly incongruous to their gender identity is an act of extended physical and emotional torture, inflicting psychological harm from which many will never recover. If you doubt this, imagine you have a cis daughter (or maybe you don’t have to imagine). Now imagine she started growing facial hair, and getting a deep voice, a strong jawline and broad shoulders.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Imagine, if you can, the immeasurable distress she would feel as her body morphs into something that does not match who she knows herself to be. Imagine the daily anguish as she descends into depression, withdrawal and maybe even self-harm. And imagine there was a way you could take away this pain, a relatively simple intervention that, while not without some risk, would alleviate her suffering. Wouldn’t you move heaven and earth to bring her this relief?</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">This is the grim reality for so many young trans people, who not only have to cope with this indescribable level of emotional and physical pain, but with a society that ridicules, abuses and rejects them. No one – not a single person – is arguing that puberty blockers should be handed out on a whim, but we are arguing that circumstances exist where they are the only intervention that doesn’t constitute an act of wilful cruelty against an innocent young person.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">And if you think the intentions of those who oppose this kind of healthcare for young trans people are in any way pure, ask them how they feel about social transition. For the uninitiated, social transition can include measures like changing names, pronouns, clothing and hair to more accurately reflect a person’s gender identity. It involves no surgery, hormones or medical interventions of any kind. In all but a statistically insignificant minority of cases, those who oppose puberty blockers will also oppose this simple act of affirming a person’s gender.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Just as they will oppose provisions in the <a href="https://twitter.com/notCursedE/status/1616447106239311876?s=20" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">GRR Bill for 16-year-olds to alter their birth certificate to reflect a gender different to the one assigned at birth.</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Again, this administrative measure requires no medical intervention, and may be reversed at a later stage if they change their mind. Had this law been in place in England, Brianna Ghey, the 16-year-old trans girl murdered in Warrington recently after years of transphobic bullying, would at least have had the shred of dignity that will now be denied to her in death. <a href="https://twitter.com/BigotsBiteMe/status/1624957535470878721?s=20" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instead, her death certificate will record that she was a boy, the final abusive act of a society determined to strip trans people of every last vestige of our humanity.</a></p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 550px; width: 550px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="" data-tweet-id="1626182638129086473" frameborder="0" id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=spilleroftea&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1626182638129086473&lang=en-gb&origin=https%3A%2F%2Ftranswrites.world%2Fhealthcare-for-young-trans-people%2F&sessionId=459d6733b8fc880b675e59b2e8f7f8aa25d7bfac&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=550px" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; flex-grow: 1; height: 487px; max-width: 100%; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px;" title="Twitter Tweet"></iframe></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">If any person opposes these simple, non-medical approaches to affording trans people some basic dignity, it is 100% safe to assume that their reasons for opposing medical care for trans youth are not borne out of anything even approaching altruism.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Of course, there is a longer term consequence to denying healthcare for young trans people, and for those who oppose it, it is an entirely intended consequence. If they force a young trans person through an incongruous puberty, it often makes them much easier to ‘clock’ in later life. It makes them easier to mock for not ‘passing’ to a level they have deemed acceptable. It makes them easier to fear-monger about because they don’t look the way our hostile society has decided they should look.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Denying this basic care is a deliberate act, designed to double to the abuse and humiliation trans people face, carefully crafted to ensure they will never know a minute’s peace at any stage of their lives.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Opponents will also point to those who go through some measure of gender transition (to whatever degree) and later choose to reverse that: so-called ‘detransitioners’. These people, they assert, are undeniable proof that we should withhold gender-affirming care for as long as possible, <a href="https://twitter.com/LexyTopping/status/1313758331383820290?s=20" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">with some even arguing that no such care should be available until the age of 25 or 26, when the brain is ‘fully developed’.</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Once again, I’m almost certainly stating the obvious here, but it is preposterous and inhumane to suggest that, for virtually every other purpose, a ‘competent’ person is able to give informed medical consent from as young as 13, that every other person in the country is fully and completely an adult by the age of 18, but that trans people must wait until they are halfway through their twenties to be able to even begin to live as the person they know themselves to be.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">It is also worth noting that, of those who do end up detransitioning, <a href="https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/dispelling-myths-around-detransition" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">a large percentage will do so not because they aren’t transgender, but because of any number of other factors including lack of funding, rejection from family, and feelings of being unsafe in the current trans-hostile environment.</a> The actual regret rates for gender-affirming interventions are comparatively minuscule (by most estimates between 1 and 2% of the overall number, not just those who detransition), and significantly lower than virtually any other treatment you might care to name, including abortion, breast augmentation and various types of cancer treatment.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Those who do choose to detransition, for whatever reason, deserve to be treated with all due respect and dignity, but they should not be used as a means of denying care to the huge majority who report enormous, life-saving benefits.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Healthcare for young trans people, like any other measure that can impact a child’s development or sexual health, is a complex area of medicine that should be approached with care, understanding and love. But for too long, discussions around it have been plagued by lies, fear-mongering and dehumanising terms like ‘mutilation’ and ‘sterilisation’. The suggestion that young people are being ‘rushed into’ medical interventions, given the aforementioned years-long waiting lists, are as ridiculous as they are dishonest.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Those who advocate for healthcare for young trans people are not ‘groomers’ or ‘predators’, they’re invariably people who have suffered the alternative and don’t want to see that torture inflicted on anyone else. They’re parents who have to watch their children grow ever more distressed and isolated, laying awake at night worrying about what they’ll do to themselves if they don’t receive help. They’re medical professionals who have seen, first hand, the transformative impact gender-affirmative medicine can have on a previously depressed, withdrawn and anxious young person.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The time is long overdue to approach healthcare for young trans people with the same level of openness, honesty and compassion as any other. We need to accept that young people have widely differing rates of emotional maturity, meaning that any kind of blanket approach is inherently flawed. We to start believing that a child who is old enough to consent to contraception, abortion or child birth, is old enough to delay the onset of a potentially traumatic puberty until they reach the stage at which other treatments are appropriate.</p><h6 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 18px; margin: 21px 0px 11px;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Max has chosen to donate their fee for this piece to <a href="https://www.consortium.lgbt/member-directory/black-trans-foundation/" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Black Trans Foundation</a> who are currently crowdfunding for healthcare related costs. </em><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-azekel-and-jolliff-get-a-wheelchair" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">If you can, please donate to their Go Fund Me by clicking here.</em></a></h6><h6 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 18px; margin: 21px 0px 11px;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">This article was funded by <a href="https://www.consortium.lgbt/equityfund/" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">LGBT+ Futures: Equity Fund is a two-year £786,000 partnership between Consortium and The National Lottery Community Fund,</a> designed to help community-led and grassroot organisations supporting some of the most under-represented and marginalised LGBT+ communities. <a href="https://transwrites.world/lgbt-futures-equity-fund-trans-writes-grant/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4db2ec; text-decoration-line: none;">Read more here.</a></em></h6></div><footer style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"><div class="td-post-source-tags" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"></div><div class="td-post-sharing-bottom" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 42px; padding: 21px 0px;"></div></footer>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-3288592299809153612023-02-16T11:38:00.005+00:002023-02-16T11:47:35.365+00:00Update<p> Very occasionally I actually read my own blog! Today I was browsing through trying to work out when I had written about something, and I found an error on my post of the 19th January 2023 "Scottish Reforms" not a factual or indeed grammatical error, no I had added a link that didn't work ~ I have now amended it so the link works, I will also add it here </p><p><a href="https://www.scottishwomensrightscentre.org.uk/news/news/a-statement-from-scottish-civil-society-organisations-on-the-uk-governments-intervention-o/?s=09">https://www.scottishwomensrightscentre.org.uk/news/news/a-statement-from-scottish-civil-society-organisations-on-the-uk-governments-intervention-o/?s=09</a><br /></p><p>The eagle eyed amongst you will also have noted that I have added another blog to the list on the left of "Friends I like to visit" I have been reading Joanne's blog for a while and thought it about time I added her.</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-36571054929228417852023-02-15T16:54:00.001+00:002023-03-08T14:50:44.939+00:00My Office Today<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBwRdSjO8RL9Nq2D1G972PESVFjnCdmt9VsPv0SxlGZPnOAzEbROCpX0mILCqEOjikurpPXbYpIECYsVToRqw0Sxf-tZ5gV0lEDbOVh3tQRFmAFMBZGTG2o5RZwwkfxmkyXzTbG2f1cdai96Rq9VwHBNVqpWz_JGpJRj8GaE2PQSyUJVGDUVqlA/s4160/IMG_20230214_140148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBwRdSjO8RL9Nq2D1G972PESVFjnCdmt9VsPv0SxlGZPnOAzEbROCpX0mILCqEOjikurpPXbYpIECYsVToRqw0Sxf-tZ5gV0lEDbOVh3tQRFmAFMBZGTG2o5RZwwkfxmkyXzTbG2f1cdai96Rq9VwHBNVqpWz_JGpJRj8GaE2PQSyUJVGDUVqlA/w480-h640/IMG_20230214_140148.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A carpet of crocuses</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: left;"> "I thought you had retired!" well yes, sort of, but gardeners, musicians, artists, artists and others with a passion for what they do never really retire we just slow down. We reduce the pressure as we need to strive less for acceptance, status, or indeed finances. So yes I have been saying I'm retired, but I will still be doing enough gardening to "keep my hand in" to satisfy that side of my creativity, and of course help pay the bills as well.</span></p><p>Yesterday was my first day working outdoors for a couple of weeks (last week held all sorts of other interesting challenges) so it was good to get out in the fresh air and do some stuff! It was a lovely day, the sun shone and for February the weather was quite warm ~ what's not to love!</p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdemKdMj5MzwtaXo83OHPUaRvyg_hpunGZ8qZ97JbAxHyRQKjLN07jvSvn5097fVrHjegZacCu0Tt0rFuf0PcYPNueheGrFgRfkbzxdF2-U8XVATP1Au1frIigu1yTFeF1mv9WxoxX0lEfeVRlFcnAARXh2FKuSFRFJSt0uqPjEo7_EPUX0q4i5A/s4160/IMG_20230214_140237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdemKdMj5MzwtaXo83OHPUaRvyg_hpunGZ8qZ97JbAxHyRQKjLN07jvSvn5097fVrHjegZacCu0Tt0rFuf0PcYPNueheGrFgRfkbzxdF2-U8XVATP1Au1frIigu1yTFeF1mv9WxoxX0lEfeVRlFcnAARXh2FKuSFRFJSt0uqPjEo7_EPUX0q4i5A/w640-h480/IMG_20230214_140237.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the type of snow drop I'm always happy with</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5kq5Ax1c59DCER3uhhsDbbmkgReLi4DuHTC10pt-wosUluZ8_IKlwSXwq8-ie2Ot8Bgma6OU6Ms01_SUQT6b8DulFLg6R8Y42dol8HAbSCg0EZ3jhCNsgO9CTWJvNQaqtvgYzLvCGmKNb-xbrnq141OtHSDSDaf5p8tErKZ6CmvLz0hwcqjxqg/s4160/IMG_20230214_140618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5kq5Ax1c59DCER3uhhsDbbmkgReLi4DuHTC10pt-wosUluZ8_IKlwSXwq8-ie2Ot8Bgma6OU6Ms01_SUQT6b8DulFLg6R8Y42dol8HAbSCg0EZ3jhCNsgO9CTWJvNQaqtvgYzLvCGmKNb-xbrnq141OtHSDSDaf5p8tErKZ6CmvLz0hwcqjxqg/w640-h480/IMG_20230214_140618.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9ZgemNEDkP9c3h68JvOubw8pD26-oAbQA4f_8ZWjR-msxmayi9Spf0Mu6pNQZfd0NakFnmo-FWiqhjZJddTTQo5q2EqyWPPviqEVFnbJ2khHUL9lkUvgLbPkQEg5d4DyWg24mItLmK4OLCVvc-1I5jXGxzX-6GGPByas561Gt14MOJ9q-71PBw/s4160/IMG_20230214_140303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9ZgemNEDkP9c3h68JvOubw8pD26-oAbQA4f_8ZWjR-msxmayi9Spf0Mu6pNQZfd0NakFnmo-FWiqhjZJddTTQo5q2EqyWPPviqEVFnbJ2khHUL9lkUvgLbPkQEg5d4DyWg24mItLmK4OLCVvc-1I5jXGxzX-6GGPByas561Gt14MOJ9q-71PBw/w480-h640/IMG_20230214_140303.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really! In February!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-59317333967908985422023-02-12T18:48:00.000+00:002023-02-12T18:48:03.510+00:00It's only a game? <p><i>For once during February I am taking about a game that's not rugby. I am actually writing this during an orchestra rehearsal while the rest are playing a piece I'm not in. This means I am missing today's England vs Italy match and won't know the result until I get home and watch the recording. Whatever the result I'm not sure I would ever refer to a rugby international as "only a game". My subject here is of course the wizard lady's latest product, or rather the kerfuffle about it in social media.</i></p><p><i>If you know me you won't be surprised to hear that I will not be buying it. I can hardly say I am boycotting it as I have never bought a computer game, not ever, not even once in my entire life. Would I boycott it if I did play computer games ~ well probably, but given would make me a different person who knows?</i></p><p><i>I have heard the argument for boycott as basically how can one morally support a product and help further enrich a person who's views are unpalatable and has no compunction in expressing those views?</i></p><p><i>Then there are two arguments against a boycott, first is simply "I want it, I'm going to buy it, and that's as far as I'm going to think about it. This is of course a difficult stance to argue with as it is based entirely upon satisfying a personal desire. The second is that a lot of other people have engaged and invested in producing this game, why should they be penalised simply for the views of one person within the team?</i></p><p><i>I have indeed used this same argument against the current boycotting of kevin Spacey films. "American Beauty" and "The Shipping News" are two if my favorite films with many excellent performances in front of and behind the camera. A friend of mine was involved with the music for Shipping News and is if course not getting any royalties from it now it no longer gets broadcast. I think this is a little different though, Kevin Spacey has yet to be demonstrated to have done anything wrong, at the moment we just have accusations ~ it may be different after the case has been heard.</i></p><p><i>Further, at the time of production there were no suggestions (as far as I can find out) of inappropriate behaviour by Spacey, he was a leading light of his profession, and a respected member of society. Everyone who was involved with these films, productions at the old Vic, and his honorary degree had no idea that years later he would be accused of inappropriate behaviour. In the same way I'm quite sure that the recording engineers and members of the "Glitter Band" were unaware of Paul Gadd's particular sexual tastes. (if they were then shame on them). In the case of RKR her views are well known, and were being proudly broadcast far and wide well before any work started on this game.</i></p><p><i>Anyone who has been unaware of RKR's transphobia and antisemitism cannot have been living anywhere in the English speaking world for at least the last three years. This leads me to the conclusion that anyone who has worked on this game knows but either doesn't care, or agrees with her.</i></p><p><i>I'm old enough to remember that in the 1960s and 70s we would not buy Spanish oranges or sherry in protest at General Franco's continued dictatorship. From '67 - '74 Greek olives and retsina were off the meno because of the Greek Junta. Likewise who wanted to support apartheid by buying South African goods before 1994? None of these were legal impositions, our governments didn't ban them like they did with Rhodesia (over the illegal declaration of UDI not there appalling treatment of indigenous people) we made moral decisions based on what we knew about the regimes in question.</i></p><p><i>I think all that some of my trans siblings are doing is asking you to make a moral choice here as well. Personally I think that whenever we make any purchases we should to some extent be making moral choices, what we do with our money is the surest indication of our values. </i></p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-21832104090426777192023-02-10T17:36:00.002+00:002023-03-02T22:38:26.244+00:00I'm losing it!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-JxIWoIeFVVF0W8XxrjmVidAiCP73-vCQZmlHafiVlTTDF2wzu3LIVb7rV-vAAc6pMtKBCnyJp0V4xnOj3EO7TZyYBiH2a_QAcIvh3Zv2O42_rPGyhdDPyuEqi-IvJFmwxcEjghs9YjCcaiNOxZijyIBmG5SqXrGJN7vFjtQ0yMjnrbX_tTmJQ/s960/42044883_1877905435638271_2219843551900991488_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="648" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-JxIWoIeFVVF0W8XxrjmVidAiCP73-vCQZmlHafiVlTTDF2wzu3LIVb7rV-vAAc6pMtKBCnyJp0V4xnOj3EO7TZyYBiH2a_QAcIvh3Zv2O42_rPGyhdDPyuEqi-IvJFmwxcEjghs9YjCcaiNOxZijyIBmG5SqXrGJN7vFjtQ0yMjnrbX_tTmJQ/w270-h400/42044883_1877905435638271_2219843551900991488_n.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite jacket ~ Missing! </td></tr></tbody></table>Or maybe that should be I'm losing them. I'm not sure of the time scale or the series of events, but over the last couple of weeks I have discovered that several items are missing. Perhaps a better way of saying it would be that I can't discover the whereabouts of 2 scarves, my favourite jacket, and at least a couple of earrings ~ of course not a pair but two separate earrings ruining two pairs.<div><br /></div><div>Also in the last week I have failed twice, TWICE! to check pockets for tissues before loading the washing machine.</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all I seem to be a bit of a mess, but for the life of me I can't think why? I'm less stressed than often, I've cut my work load right down, but somehow I seem to be just as scatty as ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the same time I also seem to be losing, or more accurately spending, a lot of money, after an unfortunate MOT I have just changed my car for something not nearly as much fun, but hopefully more sensible. It's only a couple of months since I bought a new tuba, and now I have just bought a second hand euphonium on eBay.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm expecting the euphonium to need a bit of work before I can use it in anger, so am awaiting the delivery man eagerly to see exactly what I have let myself in for!</div><div><br /></div><div>So if you find my earrings, my scarves, my lovely black brocade jacket, or indeed my marbles, please let me know.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-q2u23sBOOGX2h54M2_wzkFERIKVTctV8n1m5TwVAL8keeDUe_j4CFKtvk1EDIy6DK6f8Ls5nBvSxqn14u752JHbAB5qq-ithWmzwIpp46WDlexbytChkniqzD6DeKUpv1_gUTFo5z61MfpdaxBvsAH7-HQMvwe5s5EOM1o0xqYU537YVALgsgA/s1906/5r7NbJ-NoPY53UEyhiM1NQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1906" data-original-width="1906" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-q2u23sBOOGX2h54M2_wzkFERIKVTctV8n1m5TwVAL8keeDUe_j4CFKtvk1EDIy6DK6f8Ls5nBvSxqn14u752JHbAB5qq-ithWmzwIpp46WDlexbytChkniqzD6DeKUpv1_gUTFo5z61MfpdaxBvsAH7-HQMvwe5s5EOM1o0xqYU537YVALgsgA/w400-h400/5r7NbJ-NoPY53UEyhiM1NQ.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4196115489075690296.post-45587124079620045632023-02-06T16:47:00.000+00:002023-02-06T16:47:18.969+00:00Those who went before<p> In all sorts of situations and environments we revere people who went before us, maybe we think of them as trailblazers, or role models, either way their existence shows us that we are not alone and, that it is possible to follow the path before us. Whether we are thinking about politics, sport, faith, or indeed being LGBT+ As this is LGBT History Month I think that's the area I'm going yo concentrate on.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCVldS3iKydgvZ7Pn1EZNZUzc9jQZDCWmBd5OUPyA8xdQ-bYBWoQ2daFe8hbLogQW2EhoWco49mb-N3YNRN4zNl7hvl-845hDWvl2gd9fVPmjrQbw2TaWJ7YvNoOO9229gpCqsMY50oI5W8uTampurydpbPb4jNIw5C0jA-6SLFsKWsLJVTyEjA/s802/Cowell_Roberta_1972_05_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="602" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCVldS3iKydgvZ7Pn1EZNZUzc9jQZDCWmBd5OUPyA8xdQ-bYBWoQ2daFe8hbLogQW2EhoWco49mb-N3YNRN4zNl7hvl-845hDWvl2gd9fVPmjrQbw2TaWJ7YvNoOO9229gpCqsMY50oI5W8uTampurydpbPb4jNIw5C0jA-6SLFsKWsLJVTyEjA/w300-h400/Cowell_Roberta_1972_05_04.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not looking entirely comfortable<br />perched on that back tyre</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Even though we see and hear all sorts of attacks on trans people here in the UK. From journalists, from activists, and now from main stream politicians seeking to deflect attention from their own failures, we still celebrate those who went before. Even on the BBC website on their list of<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/15TwTlcSxtJZNHbpztXyjc4/nine-historical-lgbtq-figures-you-need-to-know-about"> nine historical LGBT people</a> they include 4 trans women, including Croydon's own <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberta_Cowell">Robert Cowell</a>. I have written about Roberta Cowell <a href="https://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/search?q=Roberta+Cowell">before here</a> so I'll not repeat myself.</p><p>Of course I am grateful to those pioneers who went first, who showed us the way, what is possible, and possibly now more than ever I'm grateful to Roberta Cowell as I'm about to follow her example. At the weekend I signed up to do a small motor sport championship, so this year I will be competing in the All Circuit Sprint Championship. I know it's not exactly Formula 1 but it is something I've had a long term urge to do and now the opportunity has presented itself it seems silly not to grab it with both hands.</p><p>Despite the lack of female drivers at the very top of the sport motor sport is one of the few sports where men and women compete with each other on equal terms. I'm not sure how competitive I will be, but at least I will be competing on exactly the same basis as everybody else.</p>Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577631984995202146noreply@blogger.com2