Ionic

Nice extra pix. Mind you, the last one is going a bit bendy. Always a bit of a problem with wholly open shoes without any strengthening structure. Not so good for those over 80kgs..... Oh to be a size 38, HS, how nice. When we saw some stage show samples made up for Prince at a Heelmeeting a month ago, we reckoned they were under a six, say either a 5 or 5.5. So he has never been able to shop in the men's department! /I

We've seen something similar but not identical in the UK. Anyway now I know the German for "High Heel Lover" LadyBrigette has quite a shop of fetish shoes for auction there doesn't she? Extreme and cheapo; I think mostly intended for horizontal use... /I

He he.... You'll be pleased to know that I already own one or two pairs reflecting the chosen pic on my avatar. >snip<

/I=8+

I would have thought that L.A. at least and perhaps New York might be a strong enough draw to attract a group together for a fun day out. /I

There's a few Londoners about, perhaps we can get small group of us together, say, a week into January when a second round of discounts should have been ticketed. /I

Hiya bladerunner, howdi & welcome, I would just like to alert you to the edit facility (look top right of posting), so you can easily tidy up any typos or other ambiguities in an earlier message. /I

really? I'm not sure I would even tell myself if I was a 'crane spotter' !!!

For streetheeling I managed at long last to find some black opaque knee highs at the Waitrose (John Lewis) supermarket next door to me ~ doh!! That should make the longer shaft boots rather more comfortable. Previously I sourced the same in ankle highs from M&S which look to be slightly blacker. /I

Gosh, are those really uk10s? Then the heels must be a good height. As long as they weren't a us10, that's what matters.... /I

Do both!! You clearly want to pass off, but when you don't have the time to dress convincingly, get the ankle boot out as Firefox described above, and go male mode! /I

First your English is very clear and well constructed, you certainly don't need to apologise for it. Much better than my feeble efforts in French and Italian. [edited: and even rustier Spanish!] Secondly, please do tell us which country you are in because that will help us understand the cultural background your questions are coming from. Why not add it to your hhplace forum profile. You don't need to add any more identifying detail. (everyone else please note too!!) Here in London, I believe you would get more stares passing as a female than wearing 3.5" block heeled boots, or even slightly tapered ones, with reasonable length boot cut style trousers. If you do want to pass, you need to be able to do it very well. It is not for me, the full beard is rather a 'give-away'... /I

......I recently sent a PM to a certain lady member of these forums on the North American continent, telling her to "Keep your pecker up!".......

/I

Tricky to find those as we approach mid-winter as it the boot season. The last clear out sales of the summer stuff are mostly over. /I

Well done, with fine 4" heels that was braver than my first outing! Indeed braver than my usual outings. I shows what everyone says, it isn't that hard is it? /I

looks like you've been planning this for ages!! /I

Yes, it's tough and we all go through that. Mail order solves one problem but not the other. Try looking for some strappy stiletto sandals, they will wrap up into the smallest parcel to hide. I think it is easier to be a bit weird in a charity but go first thing in the morning when it is quiet. The shop staff are easier to handle than other shoppers. Good luck. /I

I helps if you say whether you are USA or UK size and hence where you are. From those sizes you are both more likely to be UK than US. If so, then the best I can suggest is to try rummaging in the charity shops where you will find stuff from 5 to 10 GBPs amounts you might be able to rustle up. At 10 pounds they should be in very good condition. They won't of course be latest fashions but a year or two old at best so not too many stilettos as yet. I have certainly found three or four good pairs of ankle boots in generous 8s and even a 9 giving plenty of space for socks. One was a very narrow thin blade heel which is virtually a stiletto. _ At 14 you may be too young to use eBay and certainly electronic payment systems unless you have someone older to do it for you. _ Next look out for the Sales from December 27th onwards, when there should be lots of stuff heavily discounted down to the 10-20 pound range in the mass multiple stores. And double discounting a couple of weeks later but then it is mostly rubbish. What is good about the sales is everything is out on the racks so you can choose your size, quickly slip one foot on if you are brave enough then quickly pay at the till asking for the other foot. _ The cheapest ranges in the Argos Additions catalogue are in the 15-20 pound bracket. It might be possible to order, pay in cash and collect a few days later at the shop counters rather than telephone sales. _ Read the old threads in this forum for more ideas, e.g. look for the one on Brantano shops. Finally, start praying hard that your feet stop growing and don't get much bigger than an 8!! /I

Perhaps we'll have to discover how to break the monopoly and then run a shop for small quantities of components on Jennyspage...... /I

We ran with the 'sporty heels' theme in this thread:

http://www.hhplace.org/hhboard/viewtopic.php?t=2096

but those weren't as nasty as the first examples here.

/I

..or perhaps lots of switches but behind a totally inaccessible panel or else at the end of a labyrinthine maze!! /I

OK I asked for that one too....

but we don't need to limit ourselves to educating ourselves about heels, do we ?!?

[yes bubba, the gabbro should be heavier; granite is light and giant globular plumes of it float up from the mantle, e.g. Dartmoor 280million years ago, Bodmin Moor 287mYa etc are huge blobs or plotons of granite].

Try this webby for Cornish geology and archaeology: http://www.colbyweb.co.uk/cornwall/02geology/index.html

/I

Probably want to do something like mid to late afternoon E.S.T. to catch most time zones at a civilised time. The Aussies will be sound asleep I expect then but it should work for everyone else!! /I

Confession time I went into the local CND charity shop today and bought a pair of Faith boots, I spotted on Friday. They are marked an 8 and are a good 8 in foot length, however they are quite narrow but do have a sort of rounded square toe. I only need to get them to stretch a bit across the ball of the foot if I can. The heels are 4", not tapered and a kind of trapezoidal cross-section about 1" x 1" and a completely plain leather design for the vamp. Not very sure what this dates them too. Even if I could, I wouldn't put a picture up, 'cos Firefox will have them off me in a flash!! My bargaining attempt didn't wash , because previously I haven't paid more than 5GBPs in a charity shop and these were rather more. Mind you they are in perfect nick apart from quite a bit of off-centre wear on the heel tips. /I

My story slightly confused my attempt to make a question about refixing the shank in general. That is once the original fixing had failed whether getting a fresh thread to hold was likely to be successful. In the pair in question, a small plate about half an inch square lifted and could be felt right through the insole. The plate has two prongs of folded over metal which are driven through into the heel; I can't tell if this is all or whether there is a hidden bolt underneath this too. Either way, this particular pair are not generously sized enough to be worth spending any dosh on; the only reason they are not already in the bin is they might provide an example to experiment and learn on. /I

Oh he's a wag isn't he, that Heelfan.... _ The chipping quarries in Cornwall that I have seen are for Gabbro rather than Granite. Gabbro is a basic rock from deeper down and is a more abrasive rock for road surface aggregates; granite is an acidic rock, weathers on exposure and not abrasive enough. It would be slippy if used in crushed aggregate for roads or so my geology guide told me. /I