David Gilmour

Music is a part of my life and as something I did sometimes mention on that old Friends Reunited blog and while I may get around to talking more about my liking of the Pink Floyd one day, there is an solo album by a member I do like

Simply entitled David Gilmour, this originally came out on May 26th 1978 between that bands Animals album and the late 1979 album The Wall and is a fairly sombre album which I do like 

This is a original UK first issue from that year with it's lime green Harvest logo that I own although it was re-issued on EMI's Fame mid price label in 1983.

In some ways it's the more mellow end of the regular Pink Floyd sound mixed in with an element of Jazz.

I first heard it on the Friday Night Rock Show with the late Tommy Vance in the late 70's and early 80's and also on the Into The Music show he present around 1984 and 1985 when he played classic album tracks with a nod to the new compact disc versions.

My favourite track is the single There Is No Way Out Of Here.

Taking care of your appearance as a Feminine Gurl

 

I have always felt there is a good deal of merit in the notion that taking care in appearances often leads to a more disciplined approach in other areas of your life such as learning and being conscientious.

A good deal of that comes from my own recollection from being at schools that had uniforms that we were expected to wear correctly at all times and to whom we were taken to task for when we did not such as fastening our buttons or ties correctly.

Although I struggled and still do with both I knew enough to ask for the help I needed to ensure I was properly dressed and so was not exempted from what every other child learned, which it has to be said was only right.

This is a part of reason as a adult-child regressor I do wear a uniform beyond just mentally taking me back in time to the childhood that mentally I am unable to progress much from. 

When looking at what underpins that return, there would be much merit in correcting the imbalance when it came to gendered interests as that boy back then by building in things like reading girls comics and annuals that I so wanted to do and even own which given the intensely binary playground of that era I just could not.

My Gran when she was alive bought me The Sparky which was nominally non-gendered as was the beano but with more feminine interests in a non soppy way.

It as many comics did even had it's annual you got for Christmas outside of a Christmas themed edition for that week.

Spring memories

This time of year always reminds me of my time in Junior School where often we'd go off for part of the morning for a walk doing nature study where we had to find and identity different 

species of tree, flower, plant or birds.

As part of the lesson we were taught outdoors, we would draw what we'd seen and make notes, feeling things too before returning to our school building.
Just wondering around like we did back then is really helping me recover right now.

Moving On

The child he helped raised grow under his influence feeling confident not just within himself but amongst the class they had been immersed within socially, indistinguishable to their peers.

By the time I had transferred with most of my class going to a State Comprehensive High School things were looking up although Jacqueline and another boy were going to Catholic schools and I was off to boarding school.

As was normal back then metaphorically the school gate was always open so long as it was arranged through the School Secretary, I could and did visit him for several years after when home.

As far he was concerned it was continuing care and interest that mattered in a child not just the nine to four-thirty for so long as you were on role so he'd take an interest in how you were doing at your new school and offer adult guidance.

I learned to find the real me and in time to express more of my sissy gendered side while showing maturity and becoming a respected member of the community.

I saw him shortly before he died and what I do know is how proud he was of my achievements and that I had found a niche, a place in the wider community and although my Mum had her disagreements with him, he was saving me from being under educated and hidden from society which was common place.

I strongly believe he was right even if had we'd of been a few years later more help would of been rewarded by more quicker progress.

The early days as a sissy school gurl

I was that sissy gurl

Physically and Developmentally disabled, trying to find a place in the world with differing ideas about what I should be doing and how people should be helping me as my own folks tried wrapping me in cotton wool and my Headmaster amongst others unwrapping it, having me do everything every other kid did.

I was assigned in school officially as a boy but everybody knew that wasn't really so.

I didn't mind playing football and lots of girls did want to as well but the only way to play as a team and get a kickabout was as a boy which was a bind.

He got me wobbling on a football pitch making me learn about trying to keep up, learning to pick myself up from falling down, try play on to learn resilience, finding the strength to continue.

I really liked Music and Movement including dance but back then people laughed at you or worse for even thinking about going the whole nine yards and wearing a lovely tutu.

That's what I wanted.

I enjoyed being dressed up and women putting make up on me feeling as one with myself.

My headmaster got help for me learning when it hard in an era of little support and with it I came on and learned to speak French.

I found the guts I had to be me.