A Weekend With Friends

We often read, and write about, members forming real friendships here, and where possible, meeting up for events and such.  Well, in October 2024, four of us - Fluff, Ellie, Liz and I - did just that when we met up in Leeds for LFF.  I wrote about that at the time, and we all wanted to do it again.  So, my next opportunity was to coincide with a booking at Femme Side Studios, with the lovely Tracey Galligan.  Fluff and I arranged a double makeover and photoshoot followed by a girls' night out, and invited Ellie and Liz, hoping to spend a few days together.  The timing was too early for Liz to get to the UK, but we three managed to attend and also arranged to meet Rebecca Lewis and her lovely wife in Oxford.  This is our account of the few days we enjoyed in each others' company.

Travelling to Fluff's place went very smoothly, train, tram and flying machine were all on time.  Landing at Luton airport, I picked up my suitcase and had just got out into the Arrivals concourse when I saw Fluff coming in from the other side - there were instantly big smiles and bigger hugs!  A quick trip in the car, made quicker by our excited chatter, and we arrived chez Fluff.  First things first, time for a much-needed cup of tea and a change from drab to fab!

In the afternoon we set off in the car again, for a browse-and-buy wander around Milton Keynes shopping centre.  Although I'd been out en femme in Leeds, that was 99% in the evening and night.  This was my first outing by daylight and I have to say, everything we read about others' reactions, or more accurately, lack of reaction, is true.  I did see a couple of people give us a second look, but that was it.  No comments, giggles or sneers - even though with our timing, the walkways became busy with older schoolchildren not long after we arrived!  It was just so liberating and natural to wander round as two women friends out together.

On Friday morning after a hearty breakfast, we packed some things to take to our makeover and Fluff pointed the car towards Leicester.  Parked just a short walk from Tracey's studio, we arrived to a lovely welcome and mugs of tea.  We all chatted together as Tracey worked her magic on both of us in turn.  It's just like having a friend do our makeup, so relaxed is the whole day.  Tracey had told me to do a quick style myself on my hair, and she would give it an extra zhuzh (or however you spell it!).  More than once, she invited me to try anything from the racks of clothes, shoes and accessories there at the studio.  But I explained that I'm a realist, and that I wanted as far as possible to try to recreate the look she gave me at home.  So I wore my own clothes, shoes and jewellery.

If the makeover was fun, the photoshoot was even better!  Tracey had both of us posing like professionals.  So enjoyable and, as I told her, the first time in my life that I have ever looked at photos of myself and been happy.  That girl creates and takes a good pic!  Ellie arrived for her makeup-and-go with Tracey's partner Tony, whose alter-ego Toni we'd met last time at LFF.  As Ellie was being made up, Fluff and I were still doing our best Twiggy impressions.  (Oh, she doesn't do modelling any more? Has it really been that long?)   Tracey then had us all pose together for some group shots, even though we were by now well over the time we'd paid for - she's so lovely about things like that.

Leaving in our full outfits and makeup, we finally bid Tracey and Tony farewell with warm hugs all round, and returned to the outside world as dusk fell ... only to find a group of teenage boys not far from the studio door! "Here we go", I thought as we had to walk right past them.  But no, not even a flicker.  If they even looked at us at all, I didn't see it.

After convoying back to Fluff's place for dinner together, next on the agenda was the famous Pink Punters, again in Milton Keynes.  Fluff and Ellie had been before with Liz, and said the upstairs cocktail bar was favourite.  We arrived around midnight, to find that upstairs is only open on Saturdays and the Friday of their Big Night Out, which was earlier in the month.  Oh well, we were there now, so we were determined to enjoy it.  The main covered outside bar has two firepits with roaring flames, a very welcome heat on an otherwise chilly night.  We soon got comfortable around one of them.

As had happened in Leeds, we were befriended by a small group that I initially thought of as being young girls.  However while chatting, without being asked, each of them told us her age - they were actually all in their late thirties to early forties.  They were so lovely, they had started by apologising for approaching and asking about us!   They were really interested in why we crossdressed, how long we'd done so, and so on, lots of questions.  We wondered why 'straight' females would go to an LGBTQ-friendly bar, but it's simply because they feel safe there.

We left 'Pinks' well after 3am.  Back at Fluff's, goodnight and lights-out was more like 4:30am - only to get up again at 8am in order to get ready to go to Oxford - en femme, of course! - to meet Rebecca Lewis and her lovely wife.  We had booked lunch in Victors restaurant, which came recommended from the girls' previous experience.  Saturday morning felt more like the middle of the night to me, but Fluff drove us yet again to the Park and Ride, from where a short bus journey took us into the centre of Oxford.

We met Rebecca and her wife just outside Queens Lane Coffee House.  We all hugged and I gave Mrs Lewis a little peck on the cheek ... and  I was horrified to see that I'd left a big lipstick mark!  I'd completely forgotten that I had any on, it must have been a couple of hours since applying it.  I pointed out the lipstick and apologised, but there was so much chatter and hugging that it was lost in the confusion.  Meanwhile we were being made very welcome in the cafe by the young girl at front-of-house, who went on to serve us.  Luckily, Rebecca spotted the lipstick once we sat down, and it was soon sorted out.  Five much-needed coffees later (OK, just the one each!), we strolled through the town as our knowledgeable guide Rebecca told us about the places we passed.  We had an excellent lunch at Victors, I'm sure there were times I even forgot that I was dressed!  It was lovely there, so relaxed and natural and all the staff were welcoming and friendly.

After lunch, Rebecca once again guided us on a picturesque walk out by the river and back into town.  At one point, Ellie and I were even recognised and greeted by the girl who'd served us earlier in the cafe!  But the short night and long evening before eventually started to tell, and we ended up in the snug at The Jolly Farmers pub, Oxford's oldest LGBTQ+ venue, for cups of tea and coffee on their very comfortable sofas.  Rebecca kindly drove us back to the Park and Ride, where we thanked her for such a lovely day out and said our goodbyes - or rather au revoir, as I fully expect to meet her again.

After a quick refresh back at Fluff's place, we went shopping for ingredients for dinner in a local supermarket, still en femme - another first for both myself and Ellie.  We happily click-clacked up and down the aisles, again to little (if any) reaction - except for one checkout lady who greeted Fluff, saying that she hadn't seen her there for a while.  Saturday night concluded with an excellent meal, prepared by Ellie - her lasagne was delicious, paired with some lovely wine and good conversation, peppered with anecdotes.  It's the minutiae of life and how we share it, that builds the layers of friendship between us.  Having the time to spend together definitely makes the friendships formed here become deeper and more meaningful.

Going out en femme takes on a new normalcy with every step.  The whole weekend, we were just three girls having what felt like a brilliant sleepover.  My own confidence has grown beyond my imagination.  Another example of the power of CDH, and I'm certainly thankful for it.