Hi bloggy-wog! Miss me?! I’ve just realised it’s more than a year since I posted, so I thought now might be a good time to give you an update as we come out of the Covid-19 pandemic. First things first: where the HELL have I been?! Well, I’ve been away for three reasons. The first is that I’ve been busy. I’ve still been writing – SO much writing! But I’ve been working on other projects, which I won’t go into on here right now. One of them involves a brand new blog – I don’t really want to post a link here, but just message me if you really want to know what it is. The second has been Covid-19 ..read more

I began my “MTF HRT” 27 months ago – and I’ve had some pretty good results. However, estradiol patches are a right royal pain in the ass, so I’ve switched to gel. I wish I’d done it years ago! I started taking estrogen via a patch back in May 2018. I can still remember exactly how I felt when I applied that first tiny 50mcg patch to my left thigh. Since then, I’ve increased the dose, going all the way up to 175mcg, which involved using two larger patches (75mcg) and one tiny one (25mcg). Oestrodose The patches have worked well. I have boobs, I have beautiful soft skin and everything else tha ..read more

I’ve just had a message from an old lady friend, and she’s invited me to a ladies-only swimming session. Squeeeee! Let’s call this lady Jan. She’s a cracking mate, cisgender herself and completely fine with me being trans – really encouraging. Always has been. I’ve not seen her for probably over a year, but now we’re back in touch again as she’s rejoined my Slimming World group. She just wants to get to target for the THIRD time and she’ll probably walk it, as she did twice before! I’m looking forward to making a splash! Anyway, part of the Slimming World plan is called Body Magic – and this ..read more

I was beginning to think all this talk about trans women being able to achieve female orgasm was an urban myth. But wow, what a humdinger! I feel a bit funny writing about matters “down there” on here because there are a few people I know in “real life” who read this blog and, well, I’m sure they don’t really want to know about my bits. But I can’t really let this momentous event about my unmentionables go unmentioned – especially as it’s International Women’s Day – and #TransWomenAreWomen is trending on Twitter! Oh, how the transphobes are offended! I’ve read much on the internet about trans ..read more

The news over the past few days has been full of stories about trans women’s participation in sports. This is mainly due to New Zealand weightlifter and trans woman Laurel Hubbard, who’s trying to qualify for this year’s Olympic Games. We’ve been here before, such as when trans cyclist Rachel McKinnon (aka Veronica Ivy) won a world title on the track. Laurel Hubbard On both occasions, the usual suspects have come out of the woodwork with a flurry of transphobic comments in the mainstream media, and on social media.   I’d say the vast majority of comments are driven by transphobia. Look ..read more

To all my trans readers, if someone tries to break your butterfly wings, fly away from them. If, despite your efforts they succeed, summon up all your strength and you can fix them. I believe in you. Keep smiling. You got this. Andie xxx The post Thought for the day appeared first on Andie Pas de Deux ..read more

Two little words have been doing the rounds a lot the past few days after the tragic suicide of Caroline Flack: be kind. I’d never heard of Caroline until her death was announced: Reality TV shows don’t exactly do it for me. Reality TV isn’t real at all – it’s fake. That said, if it floats your boat, well, good for you. I must confess that I was hooked on the very first series of Big Brother when reality TV was still shiny and new. It’s just not my thing these days. I’m currently listening to an audio statement on the radio from the boyfriend of Caroline, who, it appears was hounded to death b ..read more

OK, not giving up alcohol permanently – but I did Dry January this year mainly lose to weight. This worked – I lost 12.5lb in a month. But the greatest benefit was to my mental health. I’ve given up alcohol for extended periods twice before. Once was Dry January and once was for Lent (even though I’m agnostic – it just seemed like a good idea at the time). I don’t remember too much about either time, apart from the fact that I lost loads of weight. Over Christmas, I had a break from Slimming World. I decided I was gonna eat and drink whatever I wanted – and then rejoin as a brand new, much fat ..read more

This has been on my bucket list for eons and eons – I never really thought it would happen. But, hey, it is! I’m gonna be a bridesmaid! Trans girls are no different from most cis girls when it comes to weddings – any chance to get dressed up to the nines, drink loads of prosecco and party hard. I’ve been to loads of weddings and always envied the bridesmaids – the gowns and shoes, the perfect hair and makeup, the flowers. But I never dreamed I’d be a bridesmaid. For one thing, I didn’t come out as trans until the summer of 2017, when I was 44. And who wants a middle-aged trans bridesmaid?! It ..read more

I’ve emerged relatively unscathed on my trans journey until now. The other night, I was called a “dirty tranny” and a “thing” by a man during a physical attack. And this is a guy who claims to be a trans ally. There’s a chap who props up the bar in a pub I frequent who, until now, I’ve always thought of as a trans ally. He calls me “madam” and is always polite and friendly. Or at least, he used to be. We’ve had our political disagreements on Facebook, where we were both friends – who hasn’t in these days of Brexit, Trump and Tories? But we’ve always just agreed to disagree. “Say what you like ..read more