At the Crossroads

The title might suggest that I've reached some sort of crisis point in my life, but in fact it's a play on words to describe my recent weekend with my friends Lucy and Mandy in Somerset. During a previous visit we talked about me visiting at a future date in order to go with them to a meeting of Bristol Crossroads. This is a TG support group who meet once a month in the Bristol area and as I know a few people who attend I thought it would be nice to go along. The meeting due to be held at the end of July was their annual barbecue and so it seemed this would be an ideal one to attend.

Originally I had intended to travel to Taunton on Saturday to meet up with Lucy and Mandy and then go to Bristol. I would then return home on Sunday. However, Lucy persuaded me to arrive on the Friday so that we could make a weekend of it. My journey down was the first time I had driven to the West Country as a woman. It was quite a hot day, coming at the end uncharacteristic warm spell. But it was so nice to drive there in a nice light skirt and top combination and enjoy the freedom of being in my preferred gender. I only made one stop on the was there and that was at Illminster to pick up some fuel and a snack for myself. Then it was on to Taunton to be housed and fed by Lucy and Mandy with their customary hospitality.


So, Saturday morning found Lucy and myself heading off to Exeter for a nice girly shopping trip. And that's exactly what we had. Shopping with Lucy is always an enjoyable, if tiring experience. Quite honestly there's nothing like wandering around and browsing through loads of clothes shop. Of course to this has to be added a large number of charity shops. These are excellent places for picking up a bargain or two and the best thing is you never know quite what you'll find in them.



Let's Go Shopping!

If you measured the success of a shopping trip in terms of purchases then like most such outings, this one was a failure. But of course one of the things you discover when you explore you female side is that there is far more to shopping than just buying things. I've had plenty of experience in the past of shopping for female clothes as a man, and to be honest it's a fairly cold experience. But to wander around countless shops as a woman, especially in the company of such a good friend as Lucy is a wholly different experience. Just to stand in front of a mirror and hold a dress up in front of yourself to get an idea of how it will look just has to be tried to know how it feels. Then of course there is the experience of taken some outfits to the dressing rooms to try them on. That beats it all.

I'd already bought my outfit for the forthcoming evening and all I was looking for was a nice big scarf to go with it. Lucy on the other hand was seriously looking for a bargain and soon found a dress that she liked. However, she wasn't convinced that the the size on the dress was right for her and so went off to try it on. A few moments she was back smiling triumphantly because it was a prefect fit. This just proved the value of trying on an outfit at the store.




A Little Piece of Culture

So, the rest of our time in Exeter was taken up with more shops, coffee, lunch and an impromptu photo session outside of Exeter Cathedral. On our way back to Taunton Lucy took me on a tour of the Blackdown Hills, which lie between Honiton and Taunton. It was here that she had lived until quite recently and it is certainly a lovely area. However, it is rather remote, especially in winter and this was one of the reasons for her recent move to Taunton.

Then it was back home to Lucy's for a rest and to get ourselves ready for the evening. Crossroads is held at a village on the outskirts of Bristol and Lucy had asked if I would be prepared to drive. Given how much she had done in terms of driving on my previous visit I was more than happy to agree. The journey was at least an hour's drive, even in good traffic conditions. So we left in good time leaving us plenty of time to get there. In the event the motorways were good to us and so we stopped near Bristol at a service centre for a coffee.

On reflection this was a bad idea. Although the coffee franchise was part of an alleged major international chain, the coffee and other drinks were of a very poor standard. Perhaps they are obliged to lower their standards to conform with British Motorway Service Centre regulations.

However, the worst part of our visit was that Mandy twisted her knee getting out of my car. She has been suffering from a bad knee for some while now and only recently received some treatment that had made a difference. Now, in her struggle to get out of my little car she had hurt herself and for a while it seemed she was back to square one. I can't describe how bad I felt about it but of course for her it was a whole lot worse.


So, bruised and battered in several ways, we made our way on to our meeting. These are usually held inside the village hall but as this was a barbecue it started outside. Although it was high summer the evening soon turned chilly and many of us were glad to be able to don cardigans and coats to keep the "summer" evening at bay. The meat for the barbecue had been obtained from a local butcher who specialises in different flavoured burgers and sausages and it showed. There were several varieties on offer and the ones I had were delicious.


Our New Dresses

Gradually the evening chill took its toll and we were soon inside the hall where it was definitely warmer. I was struck by the friendliness of many of the members and was able to enjoy a chat with quite a few of them. This is not always something that is true of such meetings but Bristol Crossroads certainly was a nice venue and it was clear to me why Lucy and Mandy are regular members. It also gave me a chance to meet Viki, who I had met a few weeks before when I visited Bath with Lucy and Mandy. All too soon, though it was time to leave and head back to Taunton, but not before we had stopped at a shop to pick up food supplies for the journey.





Firepool Lock

The following day, Sunday, I was due to head home, but I had already told Lucy that I wasn't in any hurry to get away. So, a morning and lunch in Taunton town centre was arranged. After breakfast we walked along the canal towards the town centre. This allowed yet another photo opportunity, this time at Firepool Lock. Lucy has used this spot before for some of her photos and now it was my turn. This is the point where the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal joins the River Tone. In days gone by the canal continued further West to Tiverton via the Grand Western Canal. Much of this still exists in the Tiverton area but is now isolated from the Bridgwater & Taunton. Whilst we were at here there was a reminder of another form of transport from a bye-gone era and that was the unmistakable sound of a steam hauled train departing from Taunton Station. Music to my ears!

The walk along the canal was bracing and a good antidote to the tiredness I was feeling after what had been a very active few days. We stopped at Firepool Lock for a while and made sure that the had the photos we wanted. After that it was on into the town centre and our first stop at Debenhams for a much needed coffee. Although Sunday shopping hours had been relaxed for the duration of the Olympic Games, Debenhams were sticking to their usual Sundays hours and so we were left kicking our heels for about 15 minutes. It's not often that I find myself being first across the threshold when a store opens its doors, but it was the case on this day.



Does it Get Any Better?

So, after a much needed coffee we spent some time browsing through the outfits on display. Then it was off around the rest of the town. I happened to mention to Lucy that one type of place I had yet to visit as a woman was a pub. For Lucy that's enough to be regarded as a challenge and so she decided we were heading to one of Taunton's town centre pubs, The Perkin Warbeck for lunch. This establishment, named after the famous 15th century pretender to the throne, is a large town centre pub with a wide range of food on offer. Having selected our meals we went to order and here I was thrown momentarily but the woman behind the bar when she greeted us with "How can I help you, girls?" To be honest I'm getting used to being called "madam" and really enjoy it. But this was the first time I'd been called a girl and it threw me momentarily, much to Lucy's amusement.




Sunny - For Once!

After lunch was over we headed back to Lucy's, via Vivary park. This is always a favourite for photos and for once the sun was shining during my visit. We lingered here for a while the get some photos in these gorgeous surroundings. After such a hectic weekend it was a joy to end it in such a way.

However, time was pushing on and as I had a long journey ahead of me it was time to turn thought towards leaving. So we headed back to Lucy's and said our goodbyes. But I was left with memories of a few days spent as I'd wish and in the company of two lovely friends

Thank you Lucy and Mandy XXX

....and thank you for reading this


Susan XXX