at9

This is weird. I walked up our local high street today. The brand new OTK boots that I didn't buy are now in the window of a different charity shop, still with tags and packing. Unless there are two pairs of identical boots that were given to different charity shops, or possibly somebody bought them at the first shop, didn't like them (which is understandable) and gave them to the second shop.

In the first charity shop there's now another pair of boots in the window marked as size 10. These are knee high, pull-on, not new. i don't much like the look of them so I'm not going to bother trying them.

"Vertically challenged" is certainly used in the UK. Usually in a humorous or sarcastic way. Other useful euphemisms include "horizontally challenged" and "hard of thinking".

I only used the photo to illustrate the heel. The boots she was wearing were fairly conventional, slightly pointy toe ankle boots with no platform.

My wife likes them and is happy to see me out and about in heels.

We were talking to another woman at the event who was wearing unusual heels which turned out to be by John Fluevog. See screencap for style of heel. Hers were ankle boots. She also liked my boots. Not sure I like the JF heels but it makes a nice change to see something different.

Yet more reaction to my Asos leopard print boots. My wife and I went to an event in central London last night. We spoke to a woman who was wearing some very sparkly 3" stiletto shoes. She said she had seen me on the way from the tube to the venue and had hoped to meet the guy in the leopard boots.

8 hours ago, Cali said:

@at9 "... brand new in box, right size, for £20. ..." says it all.

In the UK there is an absolute right to return goods ordered online for a full refund. I think the time limit is 14 days but it might be 30. The person who bought them originally presumably didn't get round to returning them in time.

There are other possible explanations for why they ended in a charity shop but that seems the simplest.

The boots I didn't buy today: https://www.longtallsally.com/lts-black-5050-stretch-over-the-knee-leather-boots-in-standard-d-fit-p

Saw these in a local charity shop, brand new in box, right size, for £20. Tried them on. The foot fitted OK but they were truly horrible and baggy round the ankle.

I have a pair of these and wear them a lot: https://www.asos.com/asos-design/asos-design-heeled-chelsea-boot-in-faux-leopard-print/prd/203044136?clr=brown&colourWayId=203044145&SearchQuery=mens+heels

Compare with: https://www.ysl.com/en-us/boots/vassili-zipped-booties-in-leopard-print-suede-6676201FL002198.html

The YSL ones will be better made and possibly more comfortable but I'm certainly not spending that kind of money.

Asos have a lot of men's boots with heels. The highest, at 5", is this example which to my mind is hideous: https://www.asos.com/asos-design/asos-design-heeled-chelsea-boots-in-stone-monogram-print-with-toecap-detail/prd/202817383?clr=stone&colourWayId=202817388&SearchQuery=mens+heels

I've been looking at those red boots. Nice. Same basic design as my leopard print ones.

They have the leopard print boots back in stock: https://www.asos.com/asos-design/asos-design-heeled-chelsea-boot-in-faux-leopard-print/prd/203044136?clr=brown&colourWayId=203044145&SearchQuery=mens+heels

I wear mine out quite often and have had several admiring comments. All from women. I don't think men even notice them.

Outfits shown on the catwalk (runway for left-pondians) are nearly always extreme in some way. Whether they are on women or men. They are intended to amaze and inspire, rather than actually be worn by real people in real life situations.

This is not a new phenomenon. Go back to Dior and the "New Look" in 1947 or even further and you'll see what I mean. Perhaps things have got even more extreme in recent times but I wouldn't be too confident about that statement.

Although it's hardly appropriate for the new King, I can't get "Vicar of Bray" out of my head.

"In good King Charles' golden days when loyalty no harm meant

A zealous High Church man was I and so I got preferment...."

Plus I've got parts of Charles Ives' "Variations on America" as an earworm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variations_on_"America"

A different take on the various kings Louie.

She's hanging from one arm, which means very good grip strength, but she isn't doing a one arm pull up. Still impressive.

"Engineer" means different things in different countries. In France, Germany and some other European countries it's a protected title. You can't call yourself one unless you have the right qualifications. This is roughly equivalent to Chartered Engineer in the UK. Over here, the word "engineer" is often used to mean anyone using an oily rag. No disrespect to those who get their hands dirty - thay do necessart work - but in France they wouldn't be called engineers (ingenieurs). In the US it also means the driver of a railway locomotive "I'll tell you the story of a great engineer, Casey Jones...."

Possibly a difference in how thing evolved. in the UK, engineers like Newcomen and Watt evolved from very practical folk such as millwrights. In continental Europe it evolved from a more theoretical and abstract base.

None of these is wrong, just different. Now if those pesky natural philosophers would get their act together... (we call them scientists now)

If it moves, it's biology

If it stinks, it's chemistry

If it's physics, it doesn't work properly

Another old joke:-)

All the science is either physics or stamp collecting. Attributed to Rutherford.

Rocket science is easy. Rocket engineering is very hard.

PS: I'm an engineer (Chartered Electrical Engineer, Fellow of the IET). I still have immense respect for scientists, even if some of what they do verges on non-falsifiable and hence not really in the realm of science at all. Engineers have simpler criteria to judge their creations: Does it work?

My wife and I have just been to a restaurant for dinner. I was wearing a simple kahki skirt, below the knee. I was wearing flat mean's sandals.

This guy had a mixed experience: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/jul/11/harry-styles-can-get-away-with-wearing-a-skirt-but-can-i

My understanding Is that if you wear a skirt etc and present as a man then that's OK.  If you try to appear as a woman then it isn't. 

There will be a few awkward edge cases but most will be pretty obvious. 

Twinkle, twinkle little LED

How I wonder if you're dead.

This side of The Pond we say it as both the word LED and "ell ee dee".

The wiki entry for TTFN https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TTFN states what I believe is the correct origin, the BBC WW2 radio comedy "It's that man again", usually abbreviated to ITMA. The Winnie the Pooh film reference is given (it's not in the books) but the surprise was its use in Batman in 1966.

I too corresponded with Megan. A lovely person and a great loss.

Way back then, men wore frocks (often called robes) and high heels didn't exist.

As the late great comedian Dave Allen used to say when signing off at the end of his programmes: "And may your god go with you". Don't know if that show ever went across The Pond.

I'm sure most us here will know the quote: "He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!" That's my sort of religion! Along with the cheesemakers.

I think this about when you first signed up to the site. In my case 2006, which makes me a fairly old timer but not truly vintage.

I would much prefer not to muck about with computers. Most of the time all I need is a web browser and office stuff. Unfortunately I've had to learn far too much in order to support my own work requirements. Being self employed I either have to pay somebody to help or do it myself. I'd rather rely on my own efforts.