I'm just very busy at the moment, did some teaching today on a conservation course helping some youngsters get to grips with surveying mammals and invertebrates at the local agricultural college where they also do conservation and wildlife courses. So I've had no time for writing today as my own courses are becoming increasingly demanding. I'll post when I can and try and at least keep Bike going.
I had a tutorial tonight and when it finished I had neither the energy nor inclination to finish the joiners next episode. I'll try and do it tomorrow.
An article from the Guardian details the murder of a Kurdish transgender woman by her brother, who may well get away with it.
It strikes me as perverse that it's acceptable to murder someone for being themselves but not for someone to live as they feel comfortable. This young woman was doing nothing to hurt anyone, so why kill her? The term honour killing is bizarre, it's a disgraceful killing and the disgrace is for the people who perpetrate and condone such murders. Shame on them.
Sorry folks, I realised I'd made a major cock-up in the latest episode of The Joiners, so I have largely rewritten it and offer it for your perusal, which means you can read it all over again and compare it to what you saw yesterday.
Real life has caught up big time this week and I have an assignment to complete in the next couple of days, I am really busy also my elderly neighbour has also become increasingly needy and confused and I can't abandon her but she really soaks up the time. So sadly, I haven't time to write (except bloody carbon cycle and not carbon fibre, and grassland ecology) and most of that is calculations in gC per m squared per year.
Anyone who thinks the Open University is a soft option is probably too stupid to do a degree with them.
I shall be posting another Joiner's chapter shortly and probably another Drew Goes South, tomorrow. However, my university course is getting ever more demanding and I'm possibly going to have even less time than I do now, I'll have overlapping modules for a few months, the new one is the one that requires the equivalent of a dissertation, though I'm hoping the fieldwork I'll need to do for that will be fun.
Anyway, please take this as notice that my posting may be more erratic than usual.
I'm going to repost the three books that make up my fanfic Gaby in Dorset Trilogy here. I've agreed this with Mads who of course invented the
main characters that the story involves.but is different enough to show my take on the Gabyverse, a bit more angst and action all with my off-beat sense of humour. For those who haven't seen them before, do enjoy them, for those who have seen them, do enjoy them again. I'm re-editing as I go along so they should read slightly better.
I wish you all a peaceful, prosperous and healthy 2022. The fact that all of these can be magically achieved by reading stories here and commenting on them (especially my ones, natch).
May we finally emerge from the spectre of Covid in all its awful varieties and start to live again but also to be kind to each other.
Finally, a toast to absent friends, may we always remember those who are no longer with us.
The second British MtF to receive 'sex-change' surgery. She lived a chaotic life of peaks and troughs including the disgraceful divorce case where the establishment, including the leading UK gender psychiatrist almost destroyed her. She will be remembered as a beautiful and charismatic woman who campaigned for transgender rights and was awarded an MBE. May she rest in peace.
An article from the Guardian reporting that the 'equal treatment benchbook,' published by the Judicial College suggests more protection for trans people when in court including prevention of revealing original names and genders unless relevant to the case in point and the use of preferred names and genders where possible.
I would hope there aren't that many of us up in front of the judge, but who knows.
This fascinating article appeared in today's i newspaper and it concerns the history of transgender people and how the law treated them. Very few knew of a court case from 1968 which was heard in private and the details hidden away. It certainly affected the conduct of the April Ashley case in 1970 and is basically about the establishment elite giving the rest of us, especially transsexual people the heave-ho until the European Court of Human Rights caused Blair's government to amend the law.
It's a long time since I've felt such a strong urge to write but this latest series of The Joiners seems to make me want to write instead of doing other things. I should be studying not writing fiction while listening to Carpenter's CDs.
I haven't posted a new picture of a dormouse for a while, this was one that escaped while one of my colleagues was checking a nesting tube and took refuge in a tree. The photo was taken with my phone and I have tried to enlarge it.
Taylor Ryan's, Bailey Saga, which starts with Summer of Bailey.
I was the one who suggested Taylor should post here and I'm glad she did, the saga is a detailed description of the tribulations of adolescence made worse by the background of gender discomfort and bigotry or homophobia from some quarters. Virtually all the main characters have a story to tell as Bailey grows as a person and grows up in general. It is a very well written series that brings into focus the roller coaster ride that is adolescence and one person's in particular.
Then please do take a look at Jamie Hayworth's Susie and Jeffrey stories, they are a laugh a minute and a tribute to the theatre of the absurd. They do require a little work if you're not British, as the setting is very British, but it isn't all black pudding and flat caps. Also please go for a wee first or there is a danger you may have little accidents and don't eat or drink while reading them unless you have a wipe-clean screen, but do enjoy, they're really funny.
A link to a Guardian story about someone they suspect was Klinefelters who was buried with grave goods of male and female, demonstrating they were respected by the community. My own thoughts as I read it were that the individual may well have been a shaman.
The following link is to an article about someone's brother who was a transman and who died of ovarian cancer. The fact that the person interviewed is the deputy speaker of the House of Lords, shows that both transsexualism and tragedy know no social boundaries and a poignant reminder that even after SRS we often have reminders of our original biological sex which can cause problems and even kill as well as therapies for the new gender may increase some risks. Includes a piece by an oncologist who specialises in transgender patients.
On July 14th 1986 I crossed my personal Rubicon, burned my boats etc, and officially transitioned turning up to work in a skirt. I can still remember it, it was a pretty emotional moment but my lasting memory was of how helpful colleagues were.
I am beginning to wonder if Bike has had its day. It's interesting because when I stopped writing it for a year or two, I had regular pleas to start posting it again, but peculiarly, the people who lobbied hardest no longer seemed interested in commenting, so I presume they were no longer reading it. Comments are the only payment we receive as authors and I notice the number of reads and comments are dropping although the kudos stay about the same.
Do I continue posting Bike, or has it had its day? I am asking for your opinions.
I have always been a fan of Richard Dawkins for his no-nonsense attitude to myths and superstition, science works on evidence not 'imaginary friends'. It appears he feels the same about transgender people which has led the American Humanist Association to withdraw an award they gave him 1996, as humanist of the year.
Three stories from the Guardian, looks as if transgender children are now being targeted by the right-wingers In the US. Not that we have anything to brag about in the UK as the High Court has stopped the easy prescription of blockers to transgender teens.
Unfortunately, I have a severe arthritic attack on my right thumb which is swollen and very painful and is making life difficult all round. I hope it clears up soon and I can get back to normal life - the pain is something else.
Scottish musician and producer, Sophie, has died following an accident in Athens, according to the Guardian see link below. It's always a tragedy when someone so young dies and at age 34, would have expected to have many more years to live.
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
