Today started with preparing breakfast for my favourite friends, David, Lynette and Jessie, it was a shame that Anna wasn’t able to come but breakfast was amazing, French toast with fresh fruit, maple syrup and clotted cream followed by a cooked breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausages and mushrooms, there would have been tomatoes as well but we forgot them!!. Then in the afternoon as Denise had work to do I took myself off to Nannup to move the caravan and check out the state of the place. About half way through moving the caravan the neighbors came across and we had a chat about progress etc I happened to mention that I had dropped my glasses in the water tank! Wassa was straight on to it, went home and came back with a home made contraption consisting of a length of plastic pipe with a piece of wire running through it and a loop at the end, he was determined to retrieve the said spectacles and sure enough about 15 minutes later there they were! I was so impressed! Emma then decided to head back and asked if I would like to come over for a beer, now I’m not much of a drinker but we owed them some cash for extra work they had done on the slabs and I thought it would be a nice way to get to know them so I finished with the caravan and headed over, 2 hours later, after non stop talking I pretty much knew most of their history, the good and the bad but I was honoured that they had shared it with me as they hardly know me but I just know they are going to be great friends and a lot of help in the future, quite how they will go when I tell them of my journey I don’t know, Emma will be fine I think as are most female friends, I think it might take a while for it Wassa to get round it but I’m sure we will get there.
Author: Stephanie
The journey starts
Today has been an unusual day, wasn’t very motivated when I got up and changed plans several times before deciding what to do, eventually decided to go into town to do some shopping, get some things for breakfast on Sunday with the Pilpel family, Denise wanted to visit a shoe shop to get some sandals for summer, eventually buying two pairs for $342 which seemed an awful lot for what they were! Then a visit to muffin break for a coffee and I couldn’t resist a muffin of course, best one I’ve had in ages! Cranberry and almond! Followed by some girly shopping in jeanswest and rockmans for Denise and then rivers for me, first time I have openly tried on women’s shoes in Busselton showing my painted toes! Denise was so far out of her comfort zone it was amazing! I ended up buying 2 pairs for $70 and a $5 voucher for next time, I love them! Just wish I could wear them in public!. Spent the rest of the day doing jobs around the house and garden while Denise did her book work, had a wonderful dinner of New Zealand salmon then watched “the danish girl” very thought provoking to say the least, I wouldn’t have picked the ending at all, it made us both cry but there were so many parts of it which hit the spot with me in terms of the problems transgender people have to face, in this case there were lots of differences to me and it was set 90 years ago when the world was a very different place but all the references to being trapped in the wrong body, dressing up in secret, pushing the boundaries as to what you can get away with and the sheer pleasure of being the person inside not the person on the outside who everyone sees were so real to me. The biggest difference to my case was that lily wanted a relationship with a man whereas I still want to be with Denise and have absolutely no desire to date a man.
The biggest thing to come out of it for me was how hard it is for the partner, in my case we will still be together but Denise is going to have to get used to living with another woman instead of a man and being labelled a lesbian which will be difficult for some to accept, it absolutely brought home to me how lucky I am to have her in my life and to have her support as I couldn’t do it without her.
I missed a very special event of the day, a visit to spotlight to get a pattern and some fabric for Denise to make a dress for me!!! Had a lovely time choosing them both with the help of a very kind sales assistant!. Also in our Skype conversation with mum, Denise actually told her that the dress was for me, now that is a lot for an 86 year old to take in! But as usual she was her wonderfully accepting self and didn’t seem confused or concerned about it, she is one in a million and I love her dearly, I so with that I had had even a quarter of the relationship with my own mother that I have with Doreen, things may have been so different!.