Nina's Blog - Sunday 2nd August 2026

@22Michelle Not many places have a library like this. It's The National Centre for the Written Word. In addition to the library and cafe it has a maker space with 3D printers, laser cutters, etc.

See https://theworduk.org/

@ninalanyon Sounds amazing and the kind of facility we should have far more of.

@22Michelle The Advanced Research Centre at Glasgow Uni. also has a maker space but I'm not sure that the general public can use it. It also has a good cafe :-)

See https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/arc/researchersandstaff/arcmakerspace/

@22Michelle Not struggling. Not sure I ever was.

For me it was more a journey of discovery. I don't think I've ever felt guilty. I did suffer from a fear of embarrassment but I eventually realized that that had more to do with keeping secrets than what the secret actually was. So when I finally decided to come out to my sons it was with a sense of relief that I would no longer need to spend so much time sneaking around pretending that I didn't dress in women's clothing.

The labels are confusing and imprecise. When all this was mostly theoretical and just a way of passing the time in a hotel room while away on business I started describing myself, mostly to myself, as a bisexual cross-dresser. A couple of years ago as non-binary but still a cross-dresser. Now I think it reasonable to describe myself as trans or transgender and not cross-dresser, but I hesitate to call myself a transwoman. Not entirely sure why.

I haven't had sex with a woman since my wife got cancer and I'm not entirely sure I miss it. If I am a transwoman and have sex with a man does that make both of us heterosexual? Or should we create yet another label to argue about? Hetero-gender perhaps to appease the 'born as a man' crowd?

@ninalanyon We are all different, and how and why we did what we did to deny, cover or admit what we really are is also different. Some of it remains a mystery even to ourselves even now. And as ever to read about your history was very interesting. Some of mine remains fuzzy, or lost forever, far too much drinking involved, but occasionaly something sparks a memory. I just try to make the most of my life as I go on.

@22Michelle Absolutely!

@kwood1 This one didn't look at all self conscious. He wasn't showing off, just too warm for a shirt it seems.

@ninalanyon i was just appreciative that it took all week to replace the tiles, and the weather held!