The BBC is to begin filming a new comedy with the female lead being played by a Rebecca Root an actress who is/was transsexual playing a transwoman, something of a first, according to the Guardian. So well done the Beeb.

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/04/bbc-sitc...

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/...

According to MS Outlook, Olympic champion Bruce Jenner is making a film about his transition to female. As he's related to the Kardashians, who it appears publicise everything, it's hardly surprising. However, the support he appears to be receiving from them is heartening.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/news/bruce-jenner-is-...

A thocht f' a' ye attendin' ain.

A SOLITARY PATH

As I Walk’d By Mysel

by Robert Burns.

As I walk’d by myself, and talk’d by myself,

Myself said unto me:

Look to thyself,take care of thyself, For nobody cares for thee

I answer’d myself, and said to myself,

In the self same repartee:

Look to thyself, or not look to thyself

The self same thing will be!

My radiators have been fixed so hopefully no more water dripping about the place. My house feels nice and warm again and I'll shall sit down before I open the bill when it arrives.

Did a bit more cycling today but my fitness is well down after my cold. My mileage for last year was the lowest for ages, so I hope to do better this. My daughter seems to be feeling a little better as well, so perhaps things are going to improve at last.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother. I had an idea for a Christmas story but it had to be written and posted yesterday to be effective. It needed a sixteen year old boy soprano, they're unusual. So it needs a contrivance, there's always the cop out of magic, genital damage pre puberty, AIS or intersex - quite rare, or T-blockers. I opted for the latter, administered by a mother who thought she was doing best for her son. I then have calls of child abuse and for another author to redress the balance.

The BBC are doing a serial of 5x 15 minute episodes about Amy, a girl who's born in the wrong body, and how her parents try and cope with it. Times in the UK Monday to Friday 11.45am repeated in the evening at 7.45pm and then available on the iPlayer site. It is a drama, but sounds quite interesting, hope there aren't too many stereotypes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v2ynx

According to my mother 62 years ago, my dad came home from the office party the worse for wear. Trying not to make much noise, he went up stairs carrying his shoes which he then managed to drop down them. My mother was rather pregnant and I appeared the next morning, all 5lb 2oz of me. The morning was the 3rd December 1952. (A week later the Christine Jorgensen story broke - pure coincidence, I expect).

This rebuts all rumours about my being found under a gooseberry bush, though some might like to see me there now.

It would have been Huw's 34th birthday today. Didn't feel much like writing, sorry.

Angharad

I've just got off the phone to my needy friend who had bent my ear for the previous 90 minutes. I feel washed out, so hopefully tomorrow I should have time to write. Apologies to my regulars. I've been rereading back numbers of Bike and some of them moved me to tears and one or two episodes had me laughing out loud--and I wrote them. I had completely forgotten bits, so anyone who hasn't yet tried ordeal by Bike, it might be more pleasurable than you thought.

I keep nodding over my 'puter so going off to bed. !'ll finish the episode of Bike, tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience. I could recommend trying some of the earlier episodes if you're desperate, I've been rereading some of them and enjoying it.

Lea T has signed up with US company Redken to front one of their campaigns. I was too busy so they asked her.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/style/transgender-supermo...

Sorry folks, the time has crept up on me and I've not had time to write because I've been doing stuff for our cycling club AGM tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I'll get something done tomorrow.

Angharad

I'd never heard of Tom Grace until he became Laura, but apparently she's some sort of pop singer with a band I've still never heard of and according to this article, some sort of trans icon. For those interested she's making some films about trans people for AOL.

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/oct/17/true-tra...

Congratulations to Audrey for winning her case on changing names and gender on official certificates of education in Kenya, which is a very conservative country.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/transgender-activist-win...

It's getting too late for me to write tonight's Bike, I've been out listening to a lecture about warfare in the Neolithic. Apparently 30 years ago there was a widespread belief that the Neolithic was a period of unbridled peace and harmony between 4,000 - 2,000 BC. Textbooks of archaeology would talk about it in glowing terms suggesting it all went wrong from the Bronze age to the present.