mylifebyandrearaven

I was reading an article the other day in which the author expressed her annoyance of people assuming the most basic of things. In her case it revolved around the simple question "tea or coffee?' It wasn't the fact that she had been offered a hot drink it was the assumption that she would consume one or the other, tea or coffee, as if there could not possibly be any other choice. On a TV breakfast program (in a similar vein) here in the UK the other day, when talking about football (soccer to our American friends) one presenter asked another "which team do you support?" to which the reply was "Spurs". My instant thought was that the initial question should be "do you follow football" if the answer was yes then ask what team he supported. My next thought was that has this person answered with "Spurs" because it is the truth, or because it is easier to just go along with the assumption. In my youth at school the expected thing for...

This is the time of the year when most of us reflect on the past year and look forward to the next twelve months. I started this blog in February so not quite a year yet but this is the most appropriate time to review progress so far. This is the first time I have written a blog so I hope you will forgive me for any mistakes that have crept in along the way.  2019 has certainly been an exciting year and worked out in a way I could never have imagined at this point in 2018. I have been lucky enough to have several trips to Pink Punters, every visit has been a success and very enjoyable. I have met up and become great friends with a number of girls,  this I have to say has been a very satisfying experience. Just having like minded friends I can meet up with and chat to has given me the confidence to go further and do more. The girls introduced me to cocktails, not my thing in boy mode, but I have started to take more of an interest and my willingness to try some more has gr...

Christmas is a great time of the year, true it can be stressful in the run up to the big day but in the end most of us enjoy the Christmas period. However for a crossdresser it can also be a very difficult time. I, like many crossdressers, do not have universal approval from my family so it will not be possible for me to dress as I would like to, not only on Christmas day itself but for around three weeks over the festive period.  As Andrea I do get out once a month and also have some time to be me at home, which compared with many is a fortunate place to be, but as Christmas is such a special time I have always dreamed of wearing my favourite dress and heels during this time, maybe not on Christmas Day itself but on one day at this time of year. Unfortunately that is just not going to happen due to family commitments and other circumstances. Now many would say I am already very lucky being able to enjoy my regular outings, and I would agree, but being without Andrea for three...

Glamour, it's that word again, last time we looked at glamorous lingerie, but this time I'm looking at glamour in a wider sense. The reason for this is that somebody posted a photo of Sofia Loren on Flickr, myself and another person posted a comments to the effect that women form that period (early1960's I should guess) always seemed much more glamorous than women of today. This sparked a reaction from a young lady in her twenties who said that in her opinion women of her age were much more glamorous than the likes of Sofia Loren.  This person is, of course entitled to their opinion, fair enough, but I think she has missed the point, these days, the word glamour, to many has a different meaning. Today the word glamour has more to do with fashion than it did in the 50's and 60's, nowadays a person is deemed to be 'glamourous' if they walk along a red carpet in a posh frock. But that does not automatically say glamour to me, stunning, beautiful, attractiv...

All of us girls love lingerie, thats a fact. There is always something special about lingerie, I suppose is is partly because it is the polar opposite of mens underwear. But lingerie these days as lovely as it is, does not appeal to me as much as that of the 50's and 60's. I suppose it is partly because we all like to be a bit nostalgic and imagine that everything was better in those far off days. Lets have a bit of a history lesson, after the war most of the goods sold in the UK had to conform with the 'Utility' regulations, these regulations were introduced in 1941 to control the amount of material used in the manufacture of products, by cutting out unnecessary use of materials. These regulations covered everything from clothing, furniture, footware, even the shape of the roofs of buses. All had to be designed to use the minimum of materials and at the same time be made to a high quality to ensure a long life. In general as far as I can tell 'utility' prod...

For this third interview I am very pleased to introduce Cimbie Browne from the South East of the UK 1.How do you describe yourself, (crossdresser, transvestite, trans gender) ? Aspirationally I consider myself to be a transwoman, since childhood I have never accepted my birth gender. I do find it difficult to attach a label to myself on the other hand and think I’m just me.  2. How long have you been crossdressing? Like most of us, I started at a very young age, the whole thing, clothing, makeup lingerie of my mother’s held a fascination for me from an early age. I came across a lipstick of my mothers when I was around seven or eight and I was compelled to try it on. It felt and tasted lovely wearing it. This ecstasy was tempered with a feeling of guilt that burdened me for so many years. I really thought I had a mental condition and regularly set myself targets of stopping by certain milestones in my life. In those early days there was no source of reference and ...

I was recently asked a very interesting question by a lady friend which has made me think about what us crossdressers do. This was the question: "Most crossdressers I know go out of their way to be as glamorous as they can - and succeed. Even though I am married, I dress to attract the opposite sex. Yet 9 out of 10 crossdressers say they are not interested in men. Odd! You'd think they would want to experience the full feminine experience, wouldn't you? But most seem to draw the line against experiencing men. Any thoughts or views?" Firstly to answer this question I can only talk about myself, other crossdressers may have a different view on this subject. My first thought on this is that I am not attracted to men, and this would be the response from many, also I am not interested in any sort of relationship apart from pure friendship. I am aware that this does not answer the question, but, when a woman goes out for the evening looking fabulous she is not necessari...

We all have friends, some more the others perhaps, but we all have friends, people we have met along the way that we enjoy seeing and being in their company. But for a closeted crossdresser, as I was for many years, finding a friend that you can share the crossdressing side of your life with can be very difficult. Most of us turn to the internet in an effort to find someone who we can chat to, but of course as we all know that can be fraught with difficulties, not the least being certain the person you are talking to is who they claim to be . But if you can get past that real friendships can develop, and I have been very lucky to find some very good friends this way. Sometimes a very special relationship can develop something much more special. A year or so ago I answered a post on an on line forum from a genetic lady, who I shall call Chris, she had recently discovered her partner was crossdressing. I offered to answer as many questions as I could, from my perspective of course, ...

On Friday the 9th of August I joined some friends for a night out at Pink Punters, a TG friendly night club near Milton Keynes. This would be the eighth time I have attended their "Big Night Out" and every visit has been a great success.  I arrived at the Campanile Hotel which is just across the road from Pinks at about three in the afternoon. After booking in and finding my room I quickly changed into a skirt and top as I had arranged to meet Penny for a drink in the bar. The first time I came, venturing out of the hotel room into the corridor was a heart stopping moment, but now it seems so ordinary, with my bag over my shoulder I made my way to the bar.  As always the bar staff are very friendly and treat all the girls just as they would treat anyone else, no matter what they are wearing, and I have to say on some occasions even I have been surprised with what some people regard as suitable clothing! Anyway drink ordered I sat at the bar, if you have...

Transition is not for me, to be honest I don't think it ever has been even if circumstances during my early life had been different. I admire and support anyone who choses the transition route, it is an immense undertaking fraught with difficulties. Apart from the huge commitment and risks involved, why would I want to? Yes it would be nice to have my own boobs, but as I am not full time I suspect there are times when they would get in the way! At my time of life, I now just want to enjoy myself, so I can see little point in putting myself through the long and difficult process. Transition is promoted by some as the panacea for those who want to become the woman of their dreams, it may be for some but transition is clearly not the be all and end all. It obviously works for a lot of people, the fabulous April Ashley is a prime example, but sadly not for all. Gender reassignment surgery is a complicated procedure that, to be honest I don't know much about, but it is a proced...