xaphod

Do you want to meet me on Kings Cross concourse ? or if that's too early we could meet for lunch at the Paradiso off Oxford St. Fog, see your PMs. Xa

Hi, Fog, Long time no speak. It would be fun if you could make it. Never mind the heely stuff, I think we have some catching up to do. Xa

To hell with it, I've booked my train ticket for Thursday 6th. I will be at King's Cross station at 1110 am. We could meet up at this super-shiny version of St Pancras (next door) and introduce our European cousins using the new Channel Tunnel rail terminal to style, UK-wise ! Xa

I feel the need for heels .... ..... might even feel the need for speed if my 4wd fails its MOT ! If all goes well, I'm up for a London visit. I'll bang a stake in the ground and say Thursday 6th Dec, if that's OK by you. Libertys are doing some well sexy leather gloves, so I might want to go there! Xa

........................

Yes, Xaphod, you were courting danger when using acetone in a confined space - but as much from the danger of fire as from its toxicity!

..............................

And if the vapour is drawn through a cigarette, highly toxic phosgene is produced - as some have found to their cost when using it for degreasing etc.

Hi,

Yup, I know about inflammable acetone. I made a point of removing sources of ignition on the boat, especially all the batteries which could have made an electrical spark, had I dropped a spanner across the terminals, or even turned on a switch. It's surprising how much heavy vapour can build up in the confined areas of a boat, despite having all the hatches open in an attempt to clear it.

Forgot about the problems with smoking and trichloroethylene though !

-----------------------

While we are on (or is it off ? ) the topic, the classical foulup is to unlock the front door.

"Hey, I smell gas !"

Click on the light switch.

BOOM !

Xa

Laurence is alive and kicking in her new house in Flanders (north Belgium). I believe she is busy in transgender circles, so this is taking much of her time at present.

BTW, the name Laurence is a Belgian peculiarity, being definitely a girl's name.

Xa

Aside .....

I seem to remember being 'down below' on the boat doing some heavy glass-fibre work (building a big battery box to house 330 Ampere-hours worth of batteries).

Sloshing some of the 25 litres of acetone about with the abandon caused by the acetone being cheap and in surplus caused the air in the confined space to become, shall we say, 'somewhat heady' with fumes. Wow, the colours, man. Now I know why kids sniff the stuff !

Xa

There are lots of new faces at this event. For the benefit of them, and for us old pharts with short memories, it might be an idea to organise name tags for one or two of the earlier events in the hotel. Xa

I stumbled across this online shop that specializes in thin/ULTRA pointed toe stiletto pumps and boots.

http://www.rosashoes.co.uk/

After checking this website/online store out, all I can say is that I've never seen such beautiful and sexy stilettos. Well, I personally love pointed toe and thin heels so you can imagine my excitement.

Unfortunately, us guys are not considered potential customers and the largest size they have is a 41.

I'd love to get this classic stiletto court shoe (1) but I'm afraid it would be too tight and the heel too high. The next best thing would be to get one of these lovely shoes for are female partners rrrrrrrr!

While I'm not a fan of lace up boots, the boots for sale here could've been the exception. (1, 2)

Here are some more photos of these great shoes/boots:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8239539@N02

Hope you at least enjoy the photos on the website. I have.

To disagree with some others, I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Roger and Sarah Adams' stuff. I regret not being there at the beginning, so I will keep an eye on them, now they have been resurrected.

With my size 39s, I might just take a trip to their shop just to buy a pair and thumb my nose to their stuffy attitude about guys in heels.

Xa

Yes, a return email has confirmed that my booking includes breakfast. Xa

Hi Xaphod,

I can confirm that if you quoted the group rate number and secured the special group rate that a full english breakfast is included.

If you would like written confirmation on this email our contact at the hotel, Lea, directly and I am sure she will respond. Lea was assigned our account from Thistle head office who negotiated the rate with with us.

Look forward to seeing you at the meet,

david & cathy

Thanks, David, I've emailed them today. I will keep you informed.

Xa

Calv and I are booked into the Thistle Hotel, Euston for the 15th and 16th.

Just one thing, the preferential rate confirmation email did not specifically mention breakfast, quoting 'room only'.

BTW, if, as I do, you think that 0870 numbers are a scabby BT scam, the geographic number is 020 7387 4400, (or +44 20 7387 4400 from outside UK).

www.saynoto0870.com

Xa

Calv and I are booked into the Thistle Hotel, Euston for the 15th and 16th. Just one thing, the preferential rate did not specifically mention breakfast, quoting 'room only'. Xa

Sorry, guys .... other things on the go, so I can't make it. Xa

Yes, the ankle boots were bought in 1998 from one of the shops in Camden High St. They are 'Red Sun' brand, long since unobtainable, I'm afraid. I'm a bit particular about having boots of reasonable quality and that don't get too sweaty if worn all day, especially if the weather is becoming warmer. These are leather upper and leather lined. Even after walking around Reading all day, they were still cool, although, on taking them off, you could see that the lining had absorbed quite a lot of moisture. This is why shoes should be rested for a day or so before wearing them again, to allow them to dry out and not get stinky ! Xa

Yeah, might be up for that. Where ? ..... London, Birmingham (wot you up to Calv? ) or Norwich are the preferred locations for me. Xa

As Euchrid said, Enjoyable day .... fed and watered well, Pity there wasn't a better selection of shoe shops in Reading, Sortof the wrong time of year to shop for boots, Let's see if the established members can support a relative newbie more, next time ! Xa

Fuss-schuhe

www.fuss-schuhe.de

..... they have some very good quality 5" blade-type heels and some 6" stils.

The comfort and fit of these is brilliant and I swear by them.

Beware, they also do some fetishy plastic stuff, so read the descriptions carefully. If it says 'black leathery', read, nasty plastic !

Xa

Kneehighs ..... going back to the vernacular of my Northern roots, You did well, lad ! Xa

Here's a map of the area of Snowfields Rd.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=532817&y=179859&z=0&sv=SE1+3SS&st=2&pc=SE1+3SS&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf

Years ago, this was a pretty rundown area of town. I don't know what it's like now, but judging by the amount of gun crime reported in SE1, I'm not sure whether or not I'd like to be out there by myself in heels, especially at night.

Perhaps Dr Shoe might be able to give us an update.

Xa

I've got an old email address for him somewhere. I'll mail him, asking him to contact you via a PM on this board. I can't guarantee anything, but I'll give it a whirl. Xa

BTW, in Camden, remember to wear a pair of shoes you can walk a good distance in.

Sundays are so popular that they only allow you to exit Camden tube station. When you wish to enter the tube system from Camden, they make you walk to Mornington Crescent, which is around 3/4 mile away.

I'm not doing much that weekend, but I don't fancy London just before Christmas (humans are fine .... just not that many of them ! ). If I'm feeling masochistic, I might make the trek.

Xa

Hi, TB2 and Fog,

Yes, meeting you for lunch was great fun. We won't mention politics here, but Atilla the Hun would have been proud of us !

Talking of AtH, I guess he might have worn a pair of boots such a mine .... maybe not with the 4" heels, but knee-high and red could well have fitted the bill. The boots were co-ordinated with a red shirt from 'Gap'. Not wishing to have too much colour, I wore a dark pin-stripe, mid-calf length skirt (must blend in with the commuters on Waterloo station !) topped off with the long leather coat and the hat.

In the West end of London this outfit is regarded as eccentric, nothing more. In Liberty's where I mooched around the 1920s gallery, a sales assistant caught my eye and said 'hello .... haven't seen you for a while' while I contemplated a French, Art Deco hanging lantern for my hallway (big lantern, small hallway OOPS ! ).

In no time, it was 1630 and I took the tube in the ©rush hour to Waterloo to meet Fog at the Reef Bar. Too much beer was drunk by this fairly clean-living guy. Combined with lunch beer this became a bit too silly .... ho hum.

I think I'll end this missive with a little quote about clean living:-

Interviewer, gushing

Dolly, you're so beautiful, what's your secret?

Dolly Parton,

Clean livin' ...... avoid clean livin' at all costs !

Xa

Marrup .... I've sent you a PM. Xa

I'm up for Nov 15th at 1245. Much later and we will start to get embroiled in the Christmas madness. Despite sitting back to see if I like the way this board develops, I see no reason to curtail my heeling. Xa