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Hiya, ladies; I've been lucky enough to spend a few hours of "Holly Time" today; it always feels so good! But it makes me wonder... do you think you actually need to spend time en femme, or is it just enough for you to know what you want - even if you don't get to dress as you really want? I'd love your opinion... And by the way; a year or so ago, I was able to post forum questions reasonably easily; the format has changed since then and I now had to spend over half an hour trying to work out how to do it this time! Do you other ladies also feel the current format is almost impossible - or is it just my computer illiteracy kicking in? Please let me know on both fronts... Holly XXX
@hottestwitch Personally, I need to dress. I spent a long, long time being unable to dress at all and just thinking about it.
Just thinking about dressing up (for me) is absolutely no substitute.
As for the format thing, I don't really have an issue - it's just articulating my thoughts in a readable format that I have issues with 🙂
@hottestwitch Imagination gets me so far, but I need to dress and need Anna time. Thankfully I get 1 or 2 days a week in full Anna mode.
thinking about it, or even just acknowledging the desire wouldn’t do it for me.
as for posing questions on the forum, I haven’t tried. I have only replied to posts like yours. Whatever was required, it appears you have figured it out.
@hottestwitch I'm different than most people here. I need to put on a skirt (or occasionally a dress). I don't need a bra, forms, padding, makeup, wig, heels, jewelry, or anything else. I'm very comfortable at home if I'm just wearing a skirt and either a feminine or androgynous top. I don't need to feel or look like a woman or to feel feminine. I enjoy the feel of the clothes.
If I'm going out (or at least past the mailbox), such as a walk through my neighborhood or shopping locally, then I need to make myself look like a woman. I'll put on forms and a bra, shoes (either sneakers or flats depending on where I'm going), and a wig. My makeup is usually a bit of beard cover on my upper lips and chin. My wig covers my cheeks so I'm less concerned there. If I'm going to be just outside, I'll wear sunglasses. If I'm going to spend a lot of time indoors, I might add a bit of concealer under my eyes.
If I'm going out for a meeting, a party, or some other evening event, then I need to add much more makeup (especially around the eyes, but do a better job on my face as well) and jewelry. I may add a corset too (in lieu of padding). I will often wear some some kind of heels. My outfit will usually be dressier too.
@alison-anderson I do this sometimes, but I love the whole process of changing from drab to Anna, especially make up and choosing the wig and outfit
choosing the wig
@annaredhead Going out in my own neighborhood, and having met people (Alison has made a friend during her walks), I want to look like a normal woman. Changing my hair style and color, particularly back and forth, tells people I'm wearing a wig. Keeping the same wig makes it look less suspicious.
@alison-anderson Most of mine are the same colour, a dark red. Just the style varies. I've experimented with long hair and really copper-coloured red. I've only been out a couple of times in full Anna mode and well away from home. Being over 6 foot (before I put heels on) is always going to look suspicious!
@alison-anderson your answer is amazing. When I am on CDH I am definitely indi. I am new to CD and have not really met indi yet except when I put on a dress or skirt and wig while nobody else is home.
@alison-anderson Must admit that - only if necessary - I can go for quite a while without being Holly - and only being partly dressed can satisfy the itch. I just wonder if I'm unusual (actually, no-one has ever told me I'm not!) in that I find it just about possible to not pull on a pair of panties and a short skirt! Frankly, I'm amazed at how much interest this question has aroused; we ladies are obviously a bery, very thoughtful and intellligent lot!!! Holly XXX
do you think you actually need to spend time en femme
There was a time when that was true. Now it's less about the clothes and more about being myself. That's a common sentiment among girls that are transitioning.
As for the new format, I think there are pros and cons. Overall I like it more than the old one.
BUT....I work in IT and easily adapt to change. It's the nature of the work I do. I've learned to embrace it.
I've always benefited from expanding my comfort zone. Sometimes I have to push myself past my own bias to see that a new way of doing things is often better.
/LK
@hottestwitch I need to spend time dressed authentically. It took me too long to get where I am now and I'm not about to let it slip away. In my case, it isn't enough to just dress. Rather, I need to get out in the world as my authentic self and live.
@hottestwitch - I have to dress up. I can go a week or two without because life interferes. I'll think about Lauren then but eventually the need to be me kicks in. If I only thought about it I wouldn't have bought all those shoes and outfits that I love so much. That's my .02cents...Lauren
@hottestwitch I don't really even think about it, these days it's just what I do every day. Having said that I am going away visiting family & friends over the next few weeks & that will be by far the longest I will be away from my wardrobe for 3 years or so. It will be interesting to see how I feel about that by the time I get back. We shall see.
@hottestwitch Holly, interesting question. In my case, I need to dress. If for some reasons I cannot dress fully, I find my mood drops and I get a bit irritable - even if I am underdressed (which is all the time). I need to feel a tight skirt around my thighs and the supported arch my feet make in heels. I am lucky that at home I dress all the time, with the love and support of my wife. But although the feeling of the clothes and underwear and shoes is very important, it is the emotional sensation that I miss when not physically dressed as I feel I ought to be. I dress to feel comfortable about myself…knowing that I want to dress is exciting but not satiating. Hugs Christine
Hi Hollie,
I live on my own, so can dress as I please. Most days I dress, although casually. A soft bra and knickers, but no forms or shapewear. Today it's a red tunic dress over jeans. Sometimes it's so casual I'm happy to go out as I am and I find plenty of women dressed just as casually. In the evening, I might put on something that I wouldn't wear outside and a bit of lippy. It seems to work for me.
But 'making an effort' and full make up is not something I do all that often. It' will be at evening at home, when I know I have a clear run. Catch 22 really. I often frustrate myself applying make up, because I don't practise enough and wouldn't put on make up and paint my nails just for an hour or two if I've then got to take it off.
eM
Hi Holly, on behalf of my fellow culprits (@ellyd22 @sashabennett @alexina) I need to apologise - I couldn't understand why anyone would start a topic about Haggis, but when I went back to the start of the topic I realised it was about a far more serious sunject. So I have given your question some thought.
Over many years of wanting, and at times managing, to crossdress in various situations, I can definitely say that just wanting to is not enough. Certainly I can go long periods without doing it, but in the end the force is with me and I cannot resist. Somehow I find I have to engineer the circumstances that will allow me to crossdress to a greater or lesser degree.
Now, I suppose as an experiment I could try just stopping all crossdressing (but I know better than to purge!) and see how long I can last without it. But isn't this simply the cross dressing equivalent of 'cold turkey' - or in the context of this topic should that be 'cold Haggis' [damn - they have squirmed back in again].
But since Haggis have popped up again, does anyone know how big they are? Are they A cup size, C cup size or what? And when they breed, is it true that they always have 2 offspring? Is that why Haggis have been attributed with the development of the Binary Resting Arrangement to enable two babies to rest securely at the same time 🤔 ?
Wait ... what?
Haggis have cup sizes?
*starts leafing through bound volumes of the Proceedings of the Scottish Zoological Society in search of references*
@ellyd22 Yes, this is the internationally agreed SI* unit of measure for Haggis sizes, defined as "the cup size into which they fit entirely and comfortably".
[* SI - Simply Ingenious]
Haggooses?
Haggeese?
I've always just said 'Haggises', but now you've got me doubting myself.
I'm going to have to consult McPherson's Etymological Dictionary and Scots Almanac (4th edition, 3rd printing, revised) or I won't sleep tonight.
I am beginning to understand why the Bodleian Library reach out to you when they are unable to source a particular volume.
@ellyd22 I always use Haggi as a plural as found in the Scottish national dictionary. TBH I lost interest in McPhersons after the third edition I didn't think it had the panache & verve of edition 2
Haggooses & geeses are the result of a bizarre cross pollination experiment in an effort to cut down on transport costs by creating self delivering meals. It turned out they had no sense of direction though so they can only be found in the snowy wastes of the far north. Incidentally the native inuit hated the flavour so much they invented surstromming to get rid of the taste of it.
OMG, how did I manage to miss all the haggis posts last night? Sometimes the automatic 'last post' function on this site means that so much essential useful information just passes you by 🙁 Laughing so hard this evening though! That was probably the best hijack I've seen yet ... and even better, by the look of it I've not finished reading just yet 🙂
Top tip!
If you want to keep an eye on ALL replies, rather than just seeing the most recent response to a thread, then the News Feed is the thing to watch 🙂
I don't know why you were laughing though 🙁
The Haggis posts represented a serious exchange between a group of equally seriously-minded individuals. Solemn discourses such as this, on carefully-curated and peer-reviewed websites, are how science progresses.
I'll have you know that this is cutting-edge stuff 🙁
@ellyd22 I have but one word in response - or more accurately, a three-letter acronym. But better in that case that I not give voice to it or find the appropriate emoji!
Perhaps this one will do instead - 
Ooops who put those there? 😉
Top tip!
If you want to keep an eye on ALL replies, rather than just seeing the most recent response to a thread, then the News Feed is the thing to watch
Ah, that could be the answer to all my problems - thank you hon 🙂 I can now be sure to catch every subsequent haggis, a bit like sheep going though a narrow gap (but a lot more deadly, I understand).
@finallyfiona I've got a million (well - not quite, obviously) posts to review about the Haggis menace; given the possibility of the destruction of all civilisation, I need to look at them all carefully, hence I'll be looking at them carefully and won't have the time to respond to any more on this subject... unless it looks like we'll all be suffering under a Tartan Terror if I don't! By the way; I'm told that there is now a new genetically engineered haggis - three times the size of the usual one and limmune to any pesticides... We may indeed be on the Eve Of Destruction! (Apologies to Barry McGuire!!!) Holly XXX
Having an itch that you just can't scratch isn't fun, but given enough time or distraction, an itch usually goes away.
Not being able to dress, though, could be like denying a person's identity, so the comparison of an itch and identity is not equal.
Can crossdressers live with not dressing when we want to? Members here describe doing that for decades.
Well Holly, as you'll know I have little choice, as my dressing opportunities are virtually non-existent. My choice. So I spend most of my life in a pink fog just thinking about it constantly. Incredibly frustrating. And I'm on this lovely forum far too often 😂.
I had an issue with the new forum layout for a while but I'm fine with it now. As a retired IT professional of 45 odd years experience I know that there has never been a software upgrade that users have all taken on board willingly. Everybody hates change.
Hugs, Chrissie xx.
@chrisfp99 I'm also retired - but as for IT... I realise that I'm a dinosaur, and I'm sure that all the lovely young ladies out there will be able to sort everything out easily for themselves - it's just that it's a bit of a problem for me...... Must admit to all the other ladies - yes, it's very, very difficult for me when I can't be Holly - but the idea that I could be is incredibly satisfying... just not quite as much as I really need... Love you: Holly XXX
For me, I don't need to like I need to breathe or eat or sleep, but on the list of non-absolute-essentials it's pretty high. I can get a bit grumpy or down if I go too long without getting dolled up. That doesn't usually happen though as I keep my social calendar pretty stocked and even without someone else organizing an event, I'll reach out to a gf or one will reach out to me to just grab a drink/bite.
You'll find your own comfort level! 🙂
I can get a bit grumpy or down if I go too long without getting dolled up.
Snap, Melodee! I have a couple of long term family issues that cause me varying degrees of stress, depending on the nature and scale of whatever the current crisis or drama happens to be.
I mentioned, in another post, that, due to the rooms in my house being visible from the street and the houses opposite, the longer days make it risky to dress as I wish so I haven't done so for weeks now and, yes, the stress levels have been rising!
I get out on the golf course two or three times a week and go for brisk walks the other days, plus playing my bass, meditation and breathing exercises all help but, as has been mentioned, they are no substitute.
I hummed and hawed for a while before posting this as I'm nowhere near as constrained as Chrissie and others but I regularly say in my intro replies that we can share anything here so there it is.
The other thing, of course, is that given the rate that time seems to whizz past now, the nichts will soon be drawin' in again as we say in Scotland 😊.
Allie x
@alexina Scotchland? Currently nearly 24 hours of light (actually just about true up in Shetland) but still well below freezing point (and that's the highest temperature at the warmest place in the entire territory!) So don't worry about the nichts drawin' in - it's nowt that the Jockettes are unused to! I'm sure (and hope) that you will find some form of time to be Allie; you'll undoubtedly get more time than I do!!! Oh - and I'm sure you won't concede more than four goals aginst the Germans today... Oh, hangonasec. it's finished and... ahem... Love you (English Girl) Holly... XXX
Ah, you've been here then 😂And you're right, we are not unused to it! In the same way that we are not unused to the national men's football team continually disappointing their always-hopeful support.
Thankfully I have never nailed my flag to that particular post 🙄. I don't watch sport either, with the exception of Wimbledon and I don't care who wins that. Well, as long as it's not.....ha ha! I play golf but I wouldn't watch that either.
Oh, if you ever want to change your epithet from hottestwitch, you might consider "cheekybesom" 😂😂😂
But all in the best possible taste ❤️
Allie xx
@alexina Must admit that I haven't got a clue about how the Scotch ladies team are doing; question though, can't they institute a trans/cd team?... I love sport... but probably with the exception of tennnis which isalmost as boring as golf! (Motorcycle racing is, however, absolutely phenominal!!!) Cheekybesom... I LOOOOVVE THAT!!! Holly XXX
@hottestwitch Agreed. I have just got over the excitement of the TT last week & have BSB & WSB to look forward to tomorrow (if I'm still awake after the Le Mans coverage). It is going to be nice to have a day off building kitchens to just lounge with a glass of vino & watch the telly.
I doubt a trans / CD football team would work though. There would be too many players being stretchered off with broken nails or messed up hair
@sashabennett The TT was superb, n'est pas? Michael Dunlop - STREWTH!!! Le Mans... I think that's French for "unconscious"... Actually, I think the biggest problem for a trans/CD footy team would be the need to repair our makeup once we actually headed the ball...
@hottestwitch Indeed, ces't magnifique n'est-ce pas? (that's it , my knowledge of the French language has now been used up) 🤣
Forgive me for releasing the inner pedant, Holly but, as I don't follow any teams, I don't know how the Scots ladies team are doing either. Scotch refers to whisky or mist 😂.
The last time I was on a motorbike was over 30 years ago, my brother in law insisted I try out his shiny new Yamaha. I started it up, kicked into gear, slowly released the clutch and seconds later had mounted the pavement and was headed straight for a lamppost! He never offered again🤔.
"Cheekybesom" ha ha, I thought you might like that.
Hugs xx
@alexina Actually... please read your AJP Taylor... the actual adjective is "Scotch": the problem is that the whisky industry (please note that it probably should be the Irish version of "whiskey", considering they have the oldest distillery in the world!) decided that it would be a good idea to create a unique term for themselves and therefore came up with "Scots" (properly only a plural) and "Scottish" (a totally invented word). AJP was not just the greatest historian of the 20th century - he knew what he was talking about... Yamaha? Some very decent bikes in their history... i'm just a Royal Enfield addict!!! And I'm seriously considering "cheekybesom"... except that I adore the real Holly Marie so much!!! Love you: Holly XXX
Ach, Holly, facts are chains around an imaginative mind 😂. Still, do not hesitate to correct me should I make similar errors or am suddenly taken stupid 🤔.
Royal Enfield, I agree, a classic. A lifetime ago, I had a friend who strongly favoured AJS motorbikes but he also thought nothing of riding it up the inside stairs and dismantling the engine in his bedroom! Rough and ready doesn't even begin!
I'm glad you took my suggestion in the spirit it was made, it is often used as a term of endearment or at least with a wry smile.
Hugs
Allie xx
@alexina AJS? Superb!!! Not only was the 7R a beautiful looking bike, it was also fantastically successful... plus we shouldn't forget the fact that Les Graham was the first 500cc World Champion on a Porcupine! Mind - riding a bike inside??? No problem with working on an engine in my bedroom (not a new experience for me!) but riding up stairs is only O.K. if you're competing in trials... Oh - and I really, really do like the idea of "cheekybesom"! Holly XXX
... and P.S. I think the "facts are chains..." quote was by Albert Einstein? If so - classy! Who couldn't love him?
Ok but allowing the sump to drain onto the carpet?? It's fair to say that he didn't live in a mansion but even then, and I was about 15, I was developing a kernel of propriety and could not belive what I was seeing.
For myself, my first and only foray into motorised two wheel transport was a stripped down, monkey bars,125 Lambretta LD, I must have snapped the driveshaft three or four times! Xx
@alexina Lambretta... uuugggghhh... The divide between proper bikes and horrible scooters is still as wide as ever... By the way; congratuations on being a Featured Member - you deserve the recognition! Holly XXX
Yeah, low wheels gave them a higher centre of gravity so falling over was easier. As I said it was my one and only dalliance with death traps and I gave it up after driving straight into a huge boulder, (unintentionally). It came to a sudden stop and I experienced unpowered flight so that was that.
Thanks, Holly, I'm sooo chuffed 😊
Hugs xx
@alexina Likewise, my house is right on the street & the conservatory at the back looks out over the local park which is always full of kids playing football & dog walkers. Now there is no way I would venture out dressed up but if I'm in my own house then I feel no need to compromise who I am & I doubt anyone is going to pay much attention anyway so I'm OK with that. As for the long days, thank goodness, I've had enough of dark days & nights & as you say, they will be back before we know it so I'm just making the most of them. A bit of sunshine wouldn't go amiss though.
I wish I could adopt that outlook (no pun intended) and if it was just me then I think I would but my family would have to deal with the fallout and I can live with the situation in the meantime.
@sashabennett Aaaahhh... "a bit of sunshine wouldn't go amiss"... in 2024, that must mean you are in the U.K: now let's have a look at your profile... aaaahhh... Scotland... so it's every year for you then... Sasha; if you'll get up the guts to go out en femme, then so will I; it's difficult for me, but if I knew that one of my sisters was relying on me to help them out, then I'd definitely take the risk of being found out; how about it? Say 4am tomorrow? What do you reckon? holly XXX
@hottestwitch If you could get here from Leicester by 4 PM tomorrow I'd be impressed! I travel down to Brum on a yearly basis (in fact I'm heading down a week Monday) & it's a solid 12 hr drive. Anyway by 4 in the morning I'll be well in the land of nod after a full day watching Le Mans & a very wet BSB from Knock Hill, or should that be a traditional drizzly Scottish day LOL. I've never plucked up enough courage to venture out yet but maybe baby (one day)
X
Sasha
@sashabennett I don't think I could get there by 4AM on Thursday; it's not just a long, long way but as I'd be continually attacked by wild haggises and suffer from about 1,000,000,000 million midge bites it could be almost impossible! I was actually thinking that we could do the walk simultaneously but in different locations... how about that? Holly XXX
@hottestwitch Actually haggis season is over now. I saw the last burrow was empty only last week & luckily we seem to be in a midge free area so all is well on that front. As for the walk, it's hooning it down right now & so I'd come back looking like a drowned rat & as things stand I get to spend all day in full Sasha mode whenever I want so I don't really feel the need to risk going out anywhere but like I said, maybe....one day....
Sasha
@sashabennett The haggises will just be hiding from your gaze - turn your back and they'll be immediately heading for your throat! Also... Scotland... midge free area? Are you sure??? Mind, if you get to spend the entire day as Sasha, I really envy you; I don't often get that sort of chance and you really should just enjoy what must be a fantastic experience for you! I'm sure we could do a simultaneous walk some other day, but just savour the experience of being a dry Sasha - in Scotland it may not happen too often!!! Love you: Holly XXX
@hottestwitch Ah, there's the thing, I never claimed that Scotland was midge free, just my particular bit of it. All it takes is a wee breeze to keep the little buggers at bay & being right on the coast we "enjoy" a blustery climate. Also I always keep a haggis net in my pocket just in case, they are far too tasty to let one slip by, luckily they are not as nimble as you might think.
It really is a shame you can't spend a bit more Holly time, I do feel for you but I guess it makes it that bit more special when you do get the chance. Also you did get to do a makeover which I must admit to being a bit jealous of. It's something else on my "to do" list but it isn't going to happen up here.
Take care
Sasha
It's something else on my "to do" list but it isn't going to happen up here.
For me, too, Sasha, I'm thinking most probably Leeds or Leicester , the one I've seen mentioned a lot here. Probably not this year either but I've promised myself one for my 70th next year so if you fancy putting on a Sou'wester until we cross the border, I'd welcome the company.
Allie xx
@alexina There is another option which I know of but hasn't been mentioned here & that is Translife in Bognor Regis. Their pricing is very competetive & the results look pretty good too. Admittedly it's a lot further than either of the other options but it's worth bearing in mind & you get the chance to visit Brighton at the same time.
Ironically I am down in Brighton in a couple of weeks time but the schedule doesn't have enough time in it to fit a visit in for a makeover although I will probably call in to peruse some of the other items on sale. They have a website & comprehensive you tube channel if you want to check them out.
I guess you could fit a trip to Leeds in to coincide with "first Friday" to make that more worthwhile. I really must make the effort for a meet up sometime, thank you for the offer, I've had so many offers of get together's from many CDH'ers but the time just never seems right, also, I have never let Sasha loose on the outside world & it would be a big step for me. I hope I can change that someday. I guess I'm just too busy fixing the house up right now & haven't got time for anything else sadly. Not quite how I envisaged retirement but it keeps me off the streets. (maybe that's the problem) 🤔
X
Sasha
I have never let Sasha loose on the outside world & it would be a big step for me
Exactly the same for me, Sasha and it would have to be outside Scotland so LFF is the current most likely but I read Jacqueline's report from that and the first thing I thought of was, "That's the first of you going out at that time o' day, I'll be gie'n it big zzzz's by then!"
Xx
https://www.crossdresserheaven.com/community/personal-stories/larks-among-the-loiners/
First time I've managed to do that from the phone so let me know if it works for you.
xx
I brought it up with Mrs B in a roundabout way just to test the waters &see what she felt about LFF & meet up's in general. She didn't say no but a raised eyebrow & Hmmm.... says a lot without saying anything. Seems like that's off the menu for the time being then.
I await with baited hook and before you start, I'm not fishing for puns....
@sashabennett Midge free? In Scotchland? That must only be because they get frozen solid before they get to feast on you... And a makeover? Well, I appreciate that Leicester is a log way for you, but there's a Premier Inn next to the train station and the number 5 bus - five minutes walk from the Premier Inn - takes you right next to Tracey's fine establishment; a bit of an oddessy, but well, well, WELL worth the effort! Holly XXX
@hottestwitch Frozen? but it's been nearly 14 degrees here today, positively balmy for up here!
I made a roundabout comment to Mrs B earlier after reading the link kindly provided by @alexina regarding LFF just to test the water. It was greeted with a raised eyebrow & a Hmmm...... So I guess that's a no then. I'm sure that if I pushed the issue then she would probably agree but I don't want to do anything that she is not completely OK with. I think for now makeovers are going to be in the same category so that'll have to go on the back burner. Ah well.
@hottestwitch Ah, there's the thing, I never claimed that Scotland was midge free, just my particular bit of it. All it takes is a wee breeze to keep the little buggers at bay & being right on the coast we "enjoy" a blustery climate. Also I always keep a haggis net in my pocket just in case, they are far too tasty to let one slip by, luckily they are not as nimble as you might think.
It really is a shame you can't spend a bit more Holly time, I do feel for you but I guess it makes it that bit more special when you do get the chance. Also you did get to do a makeover which I must admit to being a bit jealous of. It's something else on my "to do" list but it isn't going to happen up here.
Take care
Sasha
I never claimed that Scotland was midge free
In my experience of Scotland, when someone says that an area is 'midge-free' all that means is that you get free midges.
I read in the Scottish Wildlife Digest that scientists from the University of Pittenweem have been radio-tagging the Haggis to find out where exactly they go after leaving the burrows.
Do you know anything about that?
The article said that the Haggis population is thought to have declined by over 60% due to global warming. Apparently, if we can find out where they congregate post-breeding, then there's a chance of setting up some sort of protected area.
I hope so - they're lovely wee things. I was lucky enough to chance upon a small family group in the wild near Glen Tanar sometime in the mid 1980s, and was able to watch them for five minutes or so before the wind changed and they caught my scent.
Ellie x
@ellyd22 Haggises are lovely? I was severely savaged by a group of them and very early lost a finger... Global warming means, of course, that it may occasionally almost get up towards freezing point up in the haggis breeding grounds; I'm sure that the report of a decline in their population is merely due to the cameras that are supposed to be photographing them freezing up before the majority of them come out for the evening... Incidentally; the temperature here in England today was 20 degrees - in Scotland it was also 20 degrees! The problem was that in England that was in Centigrade and in Scotland it was Fahrenheit... Holly XXX
Holly - there are two times of the year when you must NEVER approach Haggis.
1). Late autumn, when the bull Haggis are in 'must' and out of their minds on testosterone.
2). Late spring / early summer when the young are still weaning. The females can be very protective around then.
Was it either of those two times when you were attacked?
I had my telescope with me when I had my sighting; I was counting Capercaillie as part of a research project. That meant that I was able to watch the Haggis going about their business from a safe position some way away.
There were warning signs in place all over the glen. I'm glad I didn't just startle one as I was walking through the heather, or who knows what might have happened 🙁
@ellyd22 Funnily enough, it was at the height of summer; even then I had to be treated for frostbite......
@ellyd22 and all Haggis research fellows
I have information on that!
Back in 1994 we dispatched one of my team members (who came from Scotland) to TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) for a few months to learn how they 'did things'. On his return he brought me a present back from Japan ... it was a Haggis 😀 . Is that where all Haggis migrate to, or do they aim for other eastern countries as well?
This must at least be proof that Haggises (or Haggi, or Haggisi, or whatever the plural of Haggis is) can swim long distances; or perhaps they have perfected the art of stowing away on long haul flights?
Could this also explain the existence of Japanese Whisky, which is otherwise a bit of an anomaly?
Do the Haggis take the whisky with them when they migrate? Or is it the case that some of them migrate to Japan BECAUSE of the existence of Whisky there?
It's a fascinating area of research - and one of the many things that the radio-tagging work may also shed some light on.
@ellyd22 Aaahh... now Japanese whisky is actually reasonably easy to explain - it's just saki flavoured with powdered haggis - hence why (as an ardent vegetarian) I can never drink it (plus the fact that it's pretty horrible...) Apparently, there is some evidence that the first haggis in Japan had arrived with Kublai Khan's invasion force in 1281, it having left Scotland and travelled to China with Marco Polo... apparently, it really liked Polos (who doesn't!) and thought that Marco must have owned the factory that made them...
Just the ONE Haggis though?
So many questions!
- Are they capable, in extremis, of reproducing asexually or perhaps splitting in two like amoeba?
- Were the Japanese so taken with this individual that they started importing them? (was there a 'Haggis Road' in the same way that there was a Silk Road?)
- Or did this first pioneering Haggis lay down a pheromone trail so that other similarly adventurous Haggis were able to follow in its pawsteps?
@ellyd22 @sashabennett @hottestwitch @alexina
I think the association with Japanese Whisky is correct. Our wee friendly (?) Haggis came with a label attached which I initially thought was Japanese, but on closer examination was the written equivalent of alcoholic induced slurred words.
Sadly our Haggis friend drank us out of Whisky and then promptly departed ... presumably back to Scotland, but with a rather staggered and wandering gait. I later heard that they had established a colony of their alcoholic sub-species in a remote Glen. Many efforts have been made by Haggisologists to locate their colony, often holding lengthy vigils in the vicinity of piles of discarded whisky bottles (it has never been clear whether the bottles were discarded by the Haggis or the Haggisologists). But to this day the Haggis have proved nearly as elusive as the famed Haggis Boson.
PS: I am mystified as to how my work colleague managed to bring a Haggis back by plane. When I carried breast forms in carry-on luggage I was interrogated when they showed up on the X-ray machine; the security personnel thought I might be smuggling grapefruit.
@fembecky Little known fact, One particular subspecies of Haggis has evolved with shorter legs on one side than the other. This enables them to run around the side of the Glens whilst keeping a level gait. The downside of this is that on level ground they are particularly unstable which is often mistaken for drunkenness.
Also haggis are allergic to grapefruit so perhaps that's why they were checking!
@sashabennett Very similar to the sheep in Wales... though they have a good reason to keep running as quickly as possible... Dunno about the grapefruit - my preference on that front is for grapes......
@hottestwitch And very similar to the sheep who graze on the raised banks of the reservoirs near Heathrow. Two subspecies have evolved - one that can comfortably graze in a clockwise direction, the other anti-clockwise. Any that attempt to turn round just end up toppling over.
Clearly, interbreeding is tricky, in fact almost always unsuccessful, for geometric incompatibility reasons.
the security personnel thought I might be smuggling grapefruit.
I can understand their caution. Grapefruit can be deadly in trained hands.
@ellyd22 Even worse in the hands of half trained experimentalist such as myself 😀 .
@fembecky The only thing I could disagree with there is to say that the alcoholic version is a sub species... though the pile of whisky bottles is likely to be down to the Haggisologists - after all, they're all likely to be from Scotchland, n'est pas?
Don't know about their swimming abilities but I thought that everyone knew that Haggis can fly.....backwards. See, they take off into the prevailing wind which then becomes a following wind and they can end up anywhere...
@alexina Cunning little critters aren't they 😀 . I wonder if plane manufacturers will start to copy them? It is said that the safest seats in trains are those facing backwards. I can imagine the same is true of planes.
@fembecky Cunning - and vicious... Apparently, haggis bites are the second biggest cause of death in Scotchland - behind frostbite...
It's because their saliva contains flesh-eating bacterial strains. They bite you, then track you over a period of days as the wound becomes critically infected. When you're at your weakest, they move in for the kill.
Otherwise, they're adorable and can make excellent pets.
Rubbish! Everyone knows the second biggest cause of death here is being hit by a low flying caber.
Xx
@ellyd22 MMMMMM.... tea... next to beer (when I'm a boy)? or red wine (when I'm Holly) - could there be anything better? I only have three tea cosies - is that a safe limit?
Three things:
Thing alpha - why have you got tea next to beer in the first place? It makes a godawful chaser.
Thing 2 - there is NO safe limit where tea cosies are concerned. They get you when you least expect it.
Thing C - Q: could there be anything better? A: Yes, Holly. Cocktails. As a part-time mixologist, I'm currently devising a bespoke CDH cocktail. Watch this space.
It was always thus, the little things you'd least suspect invariably turn out to be lethal.
Don't even get me started about thimbles....
Honestly, Holly, people will be thinking it's c-c-c-cold up here. Oh, nearly forgot, time to feed the sled dogs....
Xx
people will be thinking it's c-c-c-cold up here
I'm beginning to question the veracity of some of the the entries in this thread. I can only base my knowledge on my 3 extensive visits to Scotland - a land of beautiful contrasts.
June 1969 Walked up Ben Nevis on about midsummer day in blazing sunshine and took in the glorious views while standing in the snow at the top!
Dec 1995 (I think) Sat in an aircraft at Glasgow airport for hours while they repeatedly tried to de-ice the plane.
Sep 1997 Sat in a cafe at Crinan harbour watching the rain beating in THICK (ie no spaces between the raindrops) and horizontal.
Actually, I would love to visit again someday 😎 .
I lived in Scotland for four years, which is why I have such an expansive and complete knowledge of Haggis.
I was thrown in at the deep end, and had to learn quickly in order to survive.
Study the Haggis.
Understand how to behave around them, especially the silverbacks.
Or ... die.
It really is as simple as that.
Rebecca. Don't even CONSIDER returning to Scotland unless you've completed the Level 4 training.
Don't listen to the naysayers, Rebecca, Scotland is a very welcoming country. All you need to bring, regardless of the nominal season, is: a good heavy raincoat, a bottle of factor minus 20 sun cream, a stout pair of snow shoes, 5 litres of anti midge paste, 10 thick jerseys, a phrase book/translation device if you plan to visit Dundee, a small bag to put your deep fried mars bar in while you eat the chips, a double-sided scarf (one side blue, the other green) if you plan to visit Glasgow, a job application form, blank, as protection against attack by neds and you'll be fine 😂😂😂
5 litres of anti midge paste
I'm laughing so hard that you chose to use the word 'paste' in this sentence.
That is PERFECTION.
On behalf of all writers everywhere, I salute you.
Thanks, Ellie. Yes, I did choose it deliberately but I forgot to include a trowel with which to apply it.
I'll see your salute and raise you two deep bows, the kind where you almost tip over too far xx
@ellyd22 In my limited experience they tend to head off into the forests once the breeding season is over. They usually follow the wild boars & scavenge on the left over truffling after the piggies have been through. Now that the traditional haggis crofters have all gone they are not as easy to spot as they used to be but if you are persistant they can still be found. It's a shame you can't post pictures here as there is one I have of Jock McSchoogler showing off his prize winning haggis "Tup" taken at the annual highland haggis fair of 1889. Maybe you can find it online.
Sasha
Yes ... I've found it!
It's not the black and white original but an image that's been colourised to bring out the natural tints of the hair.
Glorious! It's easy to see why they blend in so easily with the bracken.
While I was searching, I saw that Gordan Buchanan has been out filming Haggis for the next series of 'Springwatch'. This was near Gairloch, which remains something of a stronghold 🙂
They've managed to get some amazing footage using camera traps, and a spectacular sequence of a Haggis lek. I don't think that's ever been filmed before 🙂
Sasha - it's so good to find someone who knows their Haggis! Were you brought up around them?
Ellie x
@ellyd22 If Sasha was brought up around them, does she still have all her fingers?
@ellyd22 Not so much, I grew up in Birmingham, not well known for it's haggis, not even curried! Having moved up to Scotland 6 years ago I developed an interest in the local wildlife so naturally the wee beasties had to be on the list. At this point I consider myself to be a keen amateur & there is so much to learn.
I will keep an eye out for the next run of springwatch though. Gairloch is on the other side of the country from me & a bit midgey for my tastes. West is best if you are a midge spotter but I find the haggis population in the east is as good as anywhere else these days, especially around the Braemore & Gobernuisgeach area (try saying that after a packet of whiskey flavoured wine gums)
Sasha
Holly, now that I live alone, I can dress whenever I want. Some days I’m too lazy. Some days I get the urge to dress and try to look and feel as feminine as I can. As I’m sure you know, looking down and seeing breasts, even though their not real, is extremely satisfying.
I want to spend my life en femme so I do, 24/7.
I love to dress when i get the chance, I've not been able to dress for quite some time now, I thought i might get the chance this week but I've had to play nurse maid to my wife she fractured her ankle when we was away last week and my week on my own has disappeared, I can't even dress in a nurses uniform either I've got to stay in drab, I suppose i could risk underdressing as I'm sleeping in the spare bedroom at the moment so i don't harm her bad foot X
Hugs Rozalyn X 🤗
My sympathy Roz. My wife fractured her foot a couple of months ago and I had to play nursemaid (without the outfit unfortunately 😂). Of course it didn't affect my inability to dress 😢 xx.
@chrisfp99 Chrissie in a nurses outfit...... I don't think they would allow me to say much more than that!!! Holly XXX
@rozalyne @chrisfp99 Sorry to hear about your SO's foot injuries. In my case it was me who had the accident about 6 months before I retired. I managed to fracture both ankles; one was minor and healed in 2 or 3 weeks, but the other heel shattered into pieces and needed to be screwed together with a metal bracket. That took many weeks to recover. My wife patiently nursed me through it!
The downside is that my right foot is now a non-standard shape and I am beginning to find that as I walk my foot moves in ladies shoes in a non-standard way. The result is that I can wear out shoes quite quickly.
Oh Rebecca, poor you! I sympathise as my daughter Rebecca had a horrendous ankle injury last year. A month in hospital, four surgeries, plates, screws, rods, a major skin graft. 10 months later and she's still nowhere near completely recovered 😢. We're off on holiday on Friday and she wants to walk down the dreaded steps she fell down. Will be a stressful moment but required xx.
@chrisfp99 What a horrible injury! I am so sorry for her; my own recovery was a "walk in the park" (phrase carefully chosen 🤔 ) compared to that. And your daughter is called Rebecca! Such a nice name. Hope you all have a great holiday, and kudos to her for planning to face up to her nemesis 👍 .
Rebecca xxx
I am fine wuthout dressing, but I do get bits and bobs in often, like panties 24/7. I enyoy myslf when I do dress, but it is not ever a burning desire.
I dress all day unless I am having time out to do those things enjoyed in male mode, part of pre life and it doesn't bother me knowing as soon as it is over it's dressed again.
As for I.T. well I manage to get by and things seem to work okay and if there are any issues a two year old is found to sort out any issues.
Hi girls,
As most of you know, I, like Liz K, am a full time girl. So it has become a simple matter of deciding what outfit I'll wear for the day, what perfume, what lipstick and which shoes. I wear a wig and have four of them in the same exact style as I view it as my own hair. So for me, it's just getting dressed in "my clothes".
Hugs,
Ms. Lauren M
for me, I feel that I enjoy getting dressed up. is it a "need" I don't know f I go that far, but is it a strong desire. Dressing is on my mind many times throughout the day. It does certainly fulfill my bucket in a good way. Even my counselor feels that if there were no repercussions from friends, family and society I would dress all the time as well as if I could start all over again, I would come back as a woman. I do find that that I do enjoy dressing up and exploring more of my feminine side
Dressing is like working out at the gym, if I am away from it too long I start to feel stressed or down and it always makes me happy. On average I probably dress two or three days a week and get out of the house at least once per week. I just adore being Debbie especially if the pink fog hits and then its a necessity.
@debbiedd Yoiu should adore being Debbie - she is a gorgeous lady! Holly XXX
I dress when I feel like it but there is no compulsion, I don't 'need' it, I just like it. Sometime, like Anna above, I'll put a tight top and a skirt on in the house but no wig, forms or makeup, just 'cos it feels nice, especially in the winter when a long boho skirt keeps my legs warm. If I'm going out then it's the full works as I am trying to 'pass' at a distance.
Even if I could, I wouldn't dress all the time, life's too short for all that faffing about every single day when as a male I can just sling on a T shirt and a pair of shorts.
What did Jodi Mitchell sing, "dont it always seem to go that you dont know what you've go til its gone"
I can still underdress each day and sleep fully femme every night. But since Christmas, health problems have stopped my every few weeks overnight charity volunteer trips where I have time to "get my full Caty on"
I do miss it, but as I'm now in my late 70's I guess I have to accept "the old gray mare" is gunna have times where I just have to accept (to quote another song lyric)
"Fings aint wot they used to be" EG I know and accept I'll never attend another CD convention.formal do....
The only consolation, I have a very good collection of photos and articles about the "good old days" and many of them can be seen right here on CDH.
Happy dressing**
Caty
**Me.. jealous.... never...
@ryanpaul How could I not reply to someone who quoted the phenominal Joni Mitchell? Roberta Joan Anderson as was... and who amongst us has not changed her name to match her personality? I know that the itch is always going to be with me... after about a week I can't resist pulling on a short skirt and some tights - but if I had no choice, I could probably just about get away with merely thinking about the fact that I could - given the chance - still just head into the bathroom and spend a few - very few - minutes as Holly. Overall, I've just got to say that I'm still only 50/50 on this one... Holly XXX
I try to dress for at least a couple of hours each day. My wife is a night owl and is up till 4am and sleeps till after noon each day. Yesterday she could not get to sleep and was still up when I woke up at 6am. I was greatly missing my dressing time that day.
@dianas1960 Lucky to spend a couple of hours a day... not so lucky about last night - I feel for you! Holly XXX
