Foggy London Town

 A few times I have mentioned my aspiration to go to "something" at least once a month, a concert I'm not playing in, an exhibition, a play ~ not anything but definitely something! Well, today I did do my something, I went to the Monet in London exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery. I am normally very fond of the Impressionists and of Monet in particular so I was looking forward to this exhibition as well as a trip up to "Town"! It was my first time at the Courtauld Gallery, and they clearly have some wonderful works in a very impressive setting. Indeed I gather that this wing of Somerset House used to host the RA before they moved to Burlington House. At some point I fully intend to go back and take a proper look at the permanent collection.

Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather

The actual exhibition was based on plans made by Monet himself to exhibit his London paintings in London, including is series on Waterloo Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Charing Cross Bridge. It was fascinating seeing these paintings together so close to where they were painted, side by side, the different light, the different effects of the fog, and the differing times of day, yet I still found the whole thing vaguely disconcerting. Monet was fascinated by the London weather ~ what we would call bad weather! Mostly the fogs that would blur views, filter and colour the light and mute the sunlight.

Parliament, Sunlight in the Fog

Now, this is my city, and I am just about old enough to remember the smogs ~ they were blinding, smelly and we now know a serious health hazard, they were caused by the coal burning industries (power stations, gas works, mills etc.) featured in so many of these paintings, along with all the coal fires heating all the homes and offices in what was at the time the World's most populous city. Monet is even quoted as saying that he only liked London in the winter because of the fog! Looking back I can understand that, a bit! Back in the 1960s I remember all the buildings and monuments in London as being black, the Houses of Parliament were black, Nelson's Column was black, even Whitehall was black. London was black! No wonder it didn't attract the artist when all he could see was black.

Walking from The Strand to Piccadilly today I was very conscious of all the colours the white Portland Stone, the aged brown brick of St James Palace, the warm yellow sandstone, red brick and yellow stucco, the contrasting black and white of Trafalgar Square. All this is now visible because all of the coal soot and stains have by now been cleaned off. Somerset House itself now rejoices in it's almost baroque splendour and decoration ~ this is my City, this is the London I love! Maybe it is the reminder of what London used to be, the grubby, dirty, foggy, industrial city that my Grandfather knew and my father grew up in that has left me feel uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong I recommend a visit, if you can get a ticket, my reaction may not have been the one intended by the artist or the curator, but it was definitely a reaction! I wonder if all my fellow visitors who viewed it all through the lens of their camera phone can say the same!

Too Much

There is so much going on to reflect on, the vicious attack in Paris, leading to equally senseless but, so far, much less fatal attacks on "People of Faith"; Tesco's finally admitting that the "Race for Space" was a mistake and are to close several of their stores; crises in the NHS; elections; arrests and all sorts of things in the news.

All of that and the main things on my mind are work, rain, and family.   Work because I can't do any today because of the rain and family, because, well, because they are family.    I seem to be subject to mood swings at the moment, yesterday was a good day, I worked mostly clearing up the last of the leaves and dead bedding, then later I spent some time with my daughter ~ a good day.   Then I wake up this morning to steady persistent rain, meaning that any prospect of outdoor work today is simply off the agenda.   Rather than rejoice at some extra time to myself I am feeling very "down" and can't help thinking about the money I won't be earning.

One of my Facebook friends reminded of this Bible verse and I am now determined that I will rejoice and be glad.   So now I am going to go upstairs, but on a smart dress and go out to the Dulwich Picture Gallery and I will enjoy myself.

If I have swings like this now, then what will I be like if I go onto HRT?

My favorite outfits of the year

This is where I realise just how many clothes I have, lots, these are some of my favourite outfits from the year, in no particular order.

They are mostly dresses, I like dresses, partly because they are the most feminine of garments, there is no male equivalent, they also feel so much nicer, and dare I say it I think they rather suit me.

This year I have also been wearing much less formal clothes, as I have been participating more and more in the real world  I have taken to jeans and a top much more.   I love wearing my skinny jeans with my "Pirate" boots, but more often it is the convenience and comfort of boot cut jeans and ankle boots.

 I have also found myself with a lot more sweaters, I have the "Angora" cowl neck seen here, but I have also picked up a few turtle and polo necked sweaters that I like to wear with either jeans or a skirt and thick tights

 This trouser suit is nice, comfortable as well as smart, the jacket is on the longer side almost three quarter length, I have even teamed it with a shirt and tie and worn it in "boy mode"

This mauve skater dress is a definite favourite, casual or dressed up it always looks good, and I love the swirl of the skirts.

 Regular readers will all know of the special place that black dresses have in my wardrobe, not least as they are my staple concert wear, I a still waiting for the right opportunity to wear my posh evening gown, but I can always enjoy Justin's photo of me.

A busy day ahead

Looking back at what I planned, or maybe aspired to, this year I have got off to something of a running start.   I have not had a proper Paula day since my wife put her foot down.   We have cleared the air a lot since then, she has given a little leeway and I have restricted my "activities".   So tomorrow I will be having quite a busy day, I will be starting out having a hair cut, it has got quite long and a bit "shaggy" but I am now of the opinion that I can get away without a wig.   I find this a lot more comfortable, after all it is much more natural, nearly all the time I am wearing a wig I am self conscious as to how it is sitting, is any of my own hair showing etc. etc. Anyway I will be going back to Nicola, if she carries on as she started I am sure I will be happy and that it will be money well spent.

Anyway I start with a haircut, the hairdresser has only Paula and that will continue, after that I will be going up to town to the landscape exhibition at the Royal Academy.   It feels like quite a while since I went to an exhibition so I am looking forward to this, it is also a nice chance to spend some time out, look at some of the West End shops and have a nice lunch.   After that I will be dashing back for a visit to the osteopath.

I have still to make the decision about what I will be wearing, I have more or less narrowed my choices down to my nice M & S Trouser suit, a grey panel dress or a slightly shorter mauve panel dress. The final decision will be down to what accessories I can wear, at the moment I limited to trousers or opaque tights.   One of the "activities" I have had to curb is shaving, at this time of the year that should not have too big an impact as long as I wear high necks and trousers or thick tights, it will seem a bit strange stripping off for the Osteopath and being hairy again.   I am sure he is far to nice and polite to comment but I am sure it will not go unnoticed, I have decided however that at the moment I have more than enough to worry about and will therefore choose not to worry about this.   Then at the end of the day I have a band rehearsal, the first since Christmas and it coincides with S's birthday.  

All in all I am packing a lot into a single day, but I feel I am better just taking the one day off work and filling it rather than falling into the trap of tacking several bits, and then finding I have missed a lot more productive hours.   With all that going on I doubt I will have much of a chance to post tomorrow.

Progress with the computer ~ limited I may have lost so much data and what I can access is a newer version of Office arghhh it's just all such a pain!

Grayson Perry and the purpose of art

I have written before of my fondness of visiting an exhibition and my interest in the activities of Grayson Perry, I'm afraid that I have been too busy with work and stuff to take advantage of an opportunity to combine these two pleasures.   Perrys' exhibitions the "Tomb of the unknown craftsman" at the British Museum will be closing soon and I just haven't time to get there.

I would like to thank Stana for bringing to my attention this interview with Perry, if anything it serves to enhance my esteem of him both as an artist and as a person.   Although iI was originally drawn to Grayson Perry because of our shared cross dressing activities I find that his work is always interesting and always has something to say.   I am of the opinion that the purpose of art is to communicate, and if the art fails to communicate to the viewer the intentions of the artist then it is just decoration, and of our decorators we probably require a better technical standard than most artists can manage.

Zip files

Something Stana posted reminded me of a situation I found myself in last summer this is a post I put up on a forum at the time

"I was a little upset the other day. For reasons that can only come under the heading of "it seemed like a good idea at the time" I was wearing tights (pantyhose) and panties under my drab trousers, I then found myself with a little unexpected free time so did a little shopping, browsing the charity shops, I bought a pair of black & white open toed pumps in one shop, moved on to another and found a nice black & white print dress. Well I at least had to try it on, into the changing room all seemed fine, but I couldn't quite reach to do the back zip up all the way.

I felt quite mischievous so stepped out of the changing room and asked the assistant if she could just zip me up, bearing in mind that I had gone in wearing male work trouser shirt and loafers, and came out not just wearing a dress but also hose and heels I did expect more of a reaction, than "of course dear, that really suits you"- well after that I just had to buy the dress."

so far I have only had the one occasion to wear this dress, which is a shame since I really like it, and although it is maybe a bit young for me it always puts a smile on my face.

Hem lines

Back to simple fashion conscious ramblings, as a tall girl I find hemlines a problem, I like them to be either one thing or the other, high or low nothing wishy washy in the middle.   This does mean that a lot of styles get rejected simply because the skirt is the wrong length for my taste.    I believe that the hemline should be either above the knee (somewhere between the top of the knee and below where the fingertips reach on the thigh when stood up straight) or below mid calf. In defence of my position I present two pictures.

Maybe not a great picture (the sun was in my eyes) but what is there about this dress that is not to like?   It is very simple black with white spots, and a white yoke, it is a nice soft cotton  that flows nicely and is quite sensual.   Wearing this I feel classy, dignified and comfortable, what more could a girl ask for?  This photo was taken on a fairly cold spring day s I teamed the dress with a white jacket, this also obscures my farmers tan, I think I would now wear my black and white sandals rather than these black gladiator ones.

Here on the other hand I am close to looking as though I am looking for an opportunity (if you see what I mean) but that is the environment, the time of day and the pose rather than what I am wearing.    I think that this length of dress works well, shows off the legs (always a good thing for some of us) and detracts slightly from our height, If a style distracts from height and breadth of shoulder as well then it is a real winner, for me this LBD is just such a winner.   I consider adding a belt to raise my waist even more, and sometime wear a jacket, or scarf across my shoulders, but however I wear this I always feel gorgeous.   There are many who may not feel that I look as good a I feel, but who cares, this is all about feeling good, feeling you look good, and enjoying the feeling

Best Dressed

I love those tights

I see that once again I have been missed out of the Daily Telegraph Best dressed list, I can only console myself with the thought that they have missed off Karen Gillan as well.  

The gallery they have put together of her in this same section shows how she can do every look with style aplomb. Anyway take a look and see what you think  http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/   Of course it could just be that I have a bit of a thing for young Karen.   I hear that she will be leaving Doctor Who, I hope that doesn't mean that she will be leaving our screens, Saturday evenings just won't be the same

I am really annoyed with my self - I have missed the Degas Exhibition at the Royal Academy.   I had planned to go to this as soon as I heard that it was going to be on.   I have always had a weakness for his Ballet paintings and this exhibition was centred around these, and his whole intent on capturing movement.

Two Dancers on a Stage

I have just realised that the exhibition ends on Sunday, I have to work today (Friday I am preparing this in advance) and will be in Cardiff or on the M4 all weekend.   As well as the disappointment at missing this particular exhibition it is also a missed opportunity to go out dressed.   I have found exhibitions to be great places to go when dressed, it can be relatively inexpensive (compared to shopping), and anonymous, everyone at an exhibition is more interested in what they have paid to see than the other people there, having said that I also enjoy looking at the people so maybe I should say no one except me is interested in the other people there.

A resolution for next year is to go out dressed at least once each and every month, I will try to make these outings coincide with interesting "cultural" occasions - exhibitions, recitals, etc. This should help me to get out more, save a bit of money, and enjoy some interesting new experiences.

A day out

Well I didn’t make it to the National Gallery.   I just spent too much time faffing around and getting myself ready.   I suppose I could have spent less time ironing, and sorting out my wardrobe.   But I have so few occasions to do these things that I had to take the opportunity.   By the time I was ready to go out it was nearly mid day, so I went to a more local venue, the Dulwich Picture Gallery.   For those who don’t know it this was the UK’s first public gallery, with an excellent collection built up over the 200 years it’s been around, for more just follow this link http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/

Eventually I made my decision on what to wear and managed to get myself ready.   After a few experiments I opted for my light green dress, with natural hose, black and white pumps a nice fitted grey jacket.   I felt very good, classy, classic well presented, yes very good.   I had lunch in the gallery restaurant, which was very nice, and it was a joy to be treated like a lady at all times, the staff in both the restaurant and the gallery treated me with friendly respect just like any other visitor.

 

After the gallery I had a few chores to do, I had to get a replacement cash and carry trade card, pay in at two different banks, and still find time to pop into a couple of shops.   Throughout I never felt as though I was getting any more attention than any other customer would have.   While it is nice to be noticed and appreciated it is also very nice to just blend in.

My last two shop visits were first to a craft shop to buy my wife some scissors, but while I was there I had a look at their jewellery section, and had a thought – erm I find it difficult to find nice clip on ear rings, so lets try making some, more will follow on this.   My last visit was to one of my favourite shops, Matalan, I tried a few shoes on but the only ones I liked I would never have a chance to wear.   Killer heels just are not street wear when you are 5 ft 10 to start with.   I also tried a couple of dresses on, a fairly plan grey one that just didn’t work for me,

and a black and white number that I loved, but feared that it was too short.   I didn’t buy it but would love to go back with someone else who could advise me, that is something I

would love, but can’t see it happening any time soon.

In all I

have to say that it was a very good day, I had a lot of fun, and just enjoyed myself being out and about as Paula.