Dating – Skirtingroundmylife

Honey And Lemon

I wrote this poem especially to celebrate lesbian visibility day. I titled Honey And Lemon and it may explain at least to some extent why I’ve always taken the cautious approach to my sexuality and why tan tights and twin sets might actually work for me.

Honey And Lemon

Purple was the colour
of the dress I wore
that night
the night I walked on eggshells
and danced on frosty pavements.
In my head, I heard my mother’s voice echo
carving my thoughts
like dad carved the Sunday roast
as you tempted me to explore the ways of sapphic desires
I was scared to move in
for the kiss I knew I wanted
haunted by shadows of shame
I blamed myself for daring to believe
you would want a woman like me
now I realise it was fear
that stopped me dancing.
I have long since moved on
from walking on eggshells
on cold night autumn nights
I have ceased fighting with myself
though I’m no longer able to fit in to that dress
I just want to tell you
if you still want to dance with me
purple is colour of the lingerie
I’ll be wearing when you move in for the kiss
and I enjoy it the way a woman does
tasting both the honey and the lemon
as the bees fly around the flowers of our dreams

Belle Of The Ball

There is no escaping the fact that I’ve been inspired by LGBTQ History Month, so inspired in fact that I’ve written this poem on topic of dancing especially to commerorate the event. I’ve deliberatly written it from the point of view of two mature women one of whom may be a transwoman, becoming romantically involved after meeting at a dancing class. I’ve given it the title Belle Of The Ball I hope you enjoy the read.

Belle Of The Ball

my partner birls me round the floor
I’m feeling apprehensive
she told me relax
as she takes me in hand
and whispers something io
says she knew that I was just the right type
she would teach the steps and the twirls
from that moment on
I gave her my trust
I knew she liked dancing with girls

Of course she’d been married
for most of her life
the respectable types
always are
she knew she liked women
she had since her teens
though she thought it a step too far
as she taught me to waltz
as a women should do
and to tango the
Argentine way
we kissed under stars
and got in to the grove
our desires had come to play

she told me her daughters encouraged her
to take up dancing lessons
the youngest one said she should talk to the priest
and maybe start going to confession
it’s just in case you meet a man
who gets you all excited
or maybe do what Katie did
like kiss a girl and like it.

my dancing partner smiled at the thought
as her youngest daughter blushed
I’ll just see how it goes she said
and enjoy some fun filled lust
her daughters thought that we were friends
until they saw us kiss
in ways that only women know
we shared some midnight bliss

She told them all it’s my time now
it’s time to take a chance
your dad would be so proud of the fact
I taught this girl to dance
he knew I had my tendencies
and the passions I kept at bay
he said that I should dance with girls
if that was nature’s way

As its if he was giving his blessing
she told me as we danced
she’d waited all her life for this
we had to take the chance
a woman knows what a woman knows
and she knew what to say
I felt like the belle of The ball that night
and we danced to the break of the day

Skirting Round My Life 2021 My Year On The Blog

As I look back on the events of 2021 I have to say that it wasn’t the year I or anyone hoped or expected it would be. These past 12 months have been a difficult year for us all and this continues to be reflected in Skirting Round My Life as it has in every blog, journal , magazine or other news outlets.

On looking at the statistics, this year has seen Skirting Round My Life on a bit of downward trajectory which I think was to be expected given the circumstances. Hopefully this will change in the next 12 months. Though that will, to a certain extent at least, depend on things opening up a bit post Covid and providing me with more opportunities to enjoy myself and post about my exciting experiences.

The first thing to say that Skirtingroundmylife gained 2, 507 views in 2020. This represented an drop of 16% from it’s 2020 total of 3,018. Though disappointed with the drop I am not in the least bit surprised as continued uncertainty from Covid19 played havoc with our lives and restrictions on what we could and couldn’t do meant opportunities for growth were very severely limited.

This lack of opportunity resulted in a very dramatic drop in the number of posts in the last twelve months as they fell by almost half from 98 to 50. It can also be said that the number of both visitors to the site and comments on posts are both down with the later dropping from 28 to 16 and likes falling by more than 60% from 83 to 36

Topics covered in the last twelve months included Acceptance, Age, Bisexuality, Childhood, Christmas, Coming Out, Ceilidhs, Concerts, Covid19, Crossdressers, Dancing , Dating, Death, Discrimination, Equality, Faith, Fashion, Friendship, Grandparents, Holidays, Lockdown, Love, Memories, Mental Health, Poetry, Relationships, Secrets, Sensuality, Sex, Sexism, Sexuality, Stereotypes, Transition, Transphobia, Visibility, Women,

2021 again saw a slight dip in my global reach as visiting nations were slightly down from 31 in 2020 to 27 last year. The top five countries were UK , USA, Ireland, Germany and Finland, with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Guernsey, and Sweden. making up the top ten. There were also readers from countries including France, Croatia The Philippines, Denmark, Colombia, Peru, Norway, India, and Poland amongst other nations who paid this a visit

As all the statistics have now properly evaluated it is time to bring this review to its conclusion but before I do so I just want thank all my readers. Whether you subscribe to the site or read the posts on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter it doesn’t really matter, the main thing is that you read them and find them entertaining, enjoyable , thought provoking and maybe in some cases challenging. I really hope you’ll continue to do so as that’s what makes blogging so enjoyable for those us who put our opinions out there on the blogosphere for you to read. So all that remains is for me to wish you A Happy, Successful, and Peaceful New Year and I hope you’ll keep skirting round my life throughout 2022 and beyond .

Till next time

Gayle X

Sunset Years

This is my new poem on the topic of ageing I’ve given it the title Sunset Years I hope you enjoy the read.

Sunset Years

When the envelope arrived
in the morning post
I was hit by a bolt from the blue
I turned white as a ghost
as my travel card came with no date by which to renew
It dawned on me I’m a old girl now
but I won’t be held hostage to fears
this is my journey
to make my time mine
It’s the start of my sunset years

Now alas my new card
had no sign for companion
so I paused for a moment to think
I had dreamed of the day I’d go back to the dancing
as my face turned a bright shade of pink
it was time to get my big girl pants on
a time to accept my reality
well look at Madonna
she’s older than me
and she’s always prepared for new challenges.

If I could just be more like her
you never know who I’d impress
I really must stop being frightened of fate
and be open to what it suggests . well I’ll show I’ve still got it
in my little black dress
and that fishnets look good on my legs
they’ll be no second prizes for me anymore
all I ask is a little respect

so it’s time to make my sixties swing
and let my dreams run riot
It’s ballroom not clubbing
that’s that’s this woman’s thing
and I’m not in the mood to be quiet
not for me the easy choice
I’ll raise my hemline and my voice
well it’s my life and I’ll enjoy
the days of my sunset years.

Testing The Waters

In this poem I look at the idea of online dating from an older transwoman’s perspective and show why it might be a better choice than you may at first believe It’s titled Testing The Waters, I hope you enjoy the read

Testing The Waters

I was never a fan of internet dating
but this one was different
we chatted for hours
without hearts and flowers being mentioned
though suggestions of sex
we’re hinted at right from the start of our chat
well at our age we can’t afford to hold back
and he danced round my heart
with well chosen words
to tempt me in to his arms
we know we are no spring chickens
but that’s what makes this long distance lust
so attractive
he knows what buttons to press
and while I’m too old for a white wedding dress
I’m not past wearing white tights , with a navy skirt
and a corset to hide my bulges
and give me a fuller figure
we may nearing the winter of our years
but there could yet be
time to gather in a harvest
ripe for the picking
before the last snow of
the season
falls to cover the ground
we will return to when ashes are scattered
meanwhile in two different lands
we type phrases in which daises are never mentioned
and I blush at thoughts of my secret other
who will be the virtual lover for now
till the days when the music changes mood
and testing the waters
we can see if our ships have finally docked
and settled on the Foyle or the Clyde
or whether they will pass in the night
never knowing what might have been
had we landed to kiss on the shore of a stranger.

Night Owl

In this my first poem of 2022, I look at the potential for romance for older transwomen or as I prefer to call us transwomen of a certain age. I was inspired to write it after a chat with Ailie Wallace after enjoying a recent flirtation with a friend that made me examine society’s attitudes to sex and older people. It’s titled Night Owl . I hope you enjoy the read.

Night Owl

She knows the magic of the night
the time when stars dance around the moon
like women do round our handbags
dressed in her finest gladrags
she applies her make up
the perfect finishing touch
for a woman who accepts the fact she is no spring chicken
nor is the partner she’ll be dating
but is claiming this time as her time
to do as she wishes
she may shock a few onlookers
as she goes to venues
where women of her generation
are too often afraid to venture
let alone be seen on the dancefloor
she is not content to leave such pleasures to the young
women of her age deserve to have fun
and she intends to do just that
the night owl in her mini skirt
defying the rules of age
she had been taught to be obedient
and saying yes to embracing the chance
denied her in her teenage years
as stars dance round the moon
in the arms of her lover she discoveres
why the young ones say they never feel the cold

Fetish Nights

In this poem I travel back in time to the mid to late 1990’s when I was still very much in the closet and finding my feet in the LGBT scene. In those days being a trans woman was a very difficult shift you had to be a very discreet in the way you went about things and finding where you could be yourself wasn’t always easy. It was a challenging environment l to come out in but if there was one place I found acceptance it was in the underground music scene and in particular Fetish Nights. This was my safe space where nobody ever judged me where anything went as long as it wasn’t harming anyone. This poem is my tribute to those carefree nights and occasional days where I was given the chance to be me. I’ve titled it Fetish Nights I hope you enjoy the read.

Fetish Nights

It was once a month in the early years.
I crossed the lines of respectability.
If only my mother had known.
she could have saved me from myself
and my sinful desires.
the fires of hell consumed my soul
out of control. I knew
the names of my demons
lust and passion can and do
make slaves of us all.
when nature calls you realise
you have to do what you do
man or woman it made no difference to me
I decided to do what I’d do with whoever I pleased
and they weren’t the only ones doing the teasing
they were able to please me
when I was in the mood for pleasure
that’s what I loved about fetish nights
nobody judged you, nobody cared
who you were or what you wore

Playing Footsie

This poem recalls the night I got chatted up by a woman who was shall we say slightly more direct in her approach than most other women or for that matter men who’ve shown an interest in me. It was with this in mind that I wrote the poem thinking why this had challenged my own sexual identity as until that moment I had always managed to pass. (Yes I know we hate that word in this context ) myself off as a reasonably straight transwoman. You know the kind of transwoman who though she would maybe dabble in exploring her more female side would tend to restrain herself from doing anything about it. I’ve given it the title Playing Footsie. I hope you enjoy the read

Playing Footsie

Drinks for two
in an almost empty bar
as we chat about our days
and how they’ve been
I’m confronted by a question
about whether or not I’d consider
a lesbian relationship
initially I take a step back
give myself time to think
I can’t help but wonder if she is flirting
testing the waters
she knows I’m a transwoman
says women have ways to navigate potentially difficult challenges
with necessity the mother of invention
and lust it’s obedient daughter
by this time I’m lost
as I visit an exciting new reality
my sexuality ready to explore
new ways of dreaming
I imagine us on her sofa
wearing nothing but smiles and matching lingerie
as our legs intertwine
on playing footsie
having enjoyed the foreplay
I turn over and ready myself
for what this night will bring
allowing her to do what she must
as I spread my legs I place my trust
in her hands embracing my Sapphic future
before the kissing starts

Dancing With Strangers

In this poem I look at a night at the dancing and the search for what some of us call the one. I’ve given it the title Dancing With Strangers I hope you enjoy the read.

Dancing With Strangers

In the club you eye them up
In the hope they may you ask for a dance
you have no way of knowing what they might say
this stranger who has caught your gaze

You see them smiling
chatting to friends
pretending to be interested
you move closer
attempting to be discreet
as you listen from a distance

Eventually you notice someone else in the crowd
smiling back at you
it’s true it wasn’t the one you had
your eye on
but attractive all the same
you return the smile
you know the rules of the mating game

As you head towards the dance floor
you look in the direction of friends
to gain approval
or at least confirmation
they are ok with your choice
the voice in your head says dance
but when it comes to taking chances
you always tread with caution

They know you well enough to know
taking risks was never your scene
though you have to occasionally
if you want to find the one
the song is Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
and you decide to danger with a stranger

Yes you’re aware of the danger
the hidden risks
but three songs later you’re still dancing
with Prince orPrincess Charming
the first kiss is electric
the second even better

All too soon it’s time to go
the last dance is slow and incredibly romantic
you leave with your friends
though you wish it was them
in a frantic rush you find a pen
take down their name and number
then discover they want to add you
as a friend on Facebook.

You agree to the request
but say it’s best that you add them
by which you mean
safer
well you need to check them out
to see if their details are really worth keeping
or if their interests
include dreaming, eating , and sleeping.
to decide if dancing with strangers
was a risk worth taking tonight.

Above The Hem Line

This poem is written on the theme of borders and boundaries but I’ve interpreted the subject on matters of consent from a woman’s perspective rather than a geograrphic one. I’ve titled it Above The Hem Line. I hope you enjoy the read

Above The Hem Line

Anything above the hem line
is a border you can’t cross
a clearly marked boundry a no go zone
I don’t care how much your hormones are raging
when a woman says no
that’s what she means
you need to understand
you may be the man to your friends
but all this pretence
will make no sense to her
she controls the rights to her body
it is if you like
the geography of her personal space
the smile or other expressions
a facial map of her thoughts dreams and desires
you may want to aim high
but she’ll be the one who decides
how high your allowed to venture
or if the hem line
remains the boundry
you won’t be allowed to cross