When we got up Sunday morning, it was still dark outside. I was bathed in lavender smelling bubble bath and went to breakfast wearing my dressing gown. After breakfast my hair was done in plaits. I was dressed in a white camisole top and frilly panty, white ankle socks and white shoes with 1 inch heels, then told to put on my dreesing gown.

There was an ajoining door from the vicarage to the church and once there, I was taken in to a room just inside the main doors of the church. I knew it wouldn`t be long before the church started to fill with people and there I was in my underwear.

A couple of minutes later, some of the other women entered the room and before I knew it, had me in layers of petticoats over which they placed a white dress with even more frills.

I was glad they weren`t going to put makeup on me. They did put a veil on me, attaching it with clips to my hair. They spent the next 10 minutes making sure everything was perfect. I was then then left on my own while the morning service got under way.

I was left on my own while the morning service got under way. I had been told that someone would come and get me and not get messed up. About 20 minutes later, the choirmistress came to get me and stood me just inside in the doors and handed me a small bouquet of flowers to hold in front of me.

The Organ started to play and I was nudged forward, the long walk started and seemed like miles. I could see everyone looking at me and smiling, but I knew that I had to continue walking. Eventually, I reached the communion rail and knelt down. The vicar went through the ceremony which took about 20 minutes and when he finished, I had to turn round and go and let everyone welcome me into the church family.

What a fuss everybody made! I always hated being the center of attention, but couldn`t avoid it, today.

Eventually, the veil was removed and handed to my mother, an elderly woman came over and taking my right hand, placed a ring on one of fingers. She told me it had been handed down through her family for over 100 years and it was called a virgins ring.

As she had no family, she had presented it to me, saying that I should pass it on to eldest girl in my family. I didn`t know what to say, so I gave her hug and kiss.

Once everybody had left, I was taken back to vicarage to change.The vicars wife, seeing the ring, told me I was a very lucky girl and said someting about about the ring that I didn`t understand other than it was a very old tradition that wasn`t used anymore and that the ring was very valuable historically, and that I should carry out the old lady`s wish.

Once I was changed and Sunday lunch was over, I was taken home, the veil and dress was handed to my mother. My family hadn`t come near me in the church, but kept to the side lines. Mum took some perfumed sachets and put them between the layers of dressm and after wrapping it up with the veil, placed it in a box.

She said, "A momento of her daughters first communion, it would never see the light of day until it was needed for my own daughters first communion."

The rest of the day I spent quietly in my room until dinner, I had a lot to think about, was starting to think that everything was getting out of hand. What would happen when my year as Queen of the May was over, would I be able to go back to being the boy I was or was I stuck as a girl for the rest of life ?

I felt I had no control over my life anymore, everything was being decided for me. Everytime I got an answer to a question, even more questions arose.

OK, I had eventually agreed to accept that I would be a gir until my year as queen was over live totally as a girl. Everyone was very helpful, there no intentional humiliation. Was it me or is there something more to all of this than appears on the suface, where was all this leading?

I started to ask questions about everything and sometimes got answers that were meaningless or avoided the original question. I had asked my parents, my teachers and the vicar. I was told don`t worry, everything would work out. What did that mean?

Days passed, and my wardrobe was added to all the time, I was being fully immersed in the activities that girls did. When my legs eventually regained they`re strength, I had to start dance lessons again, but this time, I was learning the girls steps. Mum had enrolled me in ballet classes.

For a sport, I was given a choice between hockey or netball. After all the pros and cons were seen, I ended up playing netball. Not that I expected to play for the school, due to me wearing spectacles.

When I turned up for my ballet class, I was the only one wearing a pink leotard, all the other girls wore black. I had pink ballet slippers the rest had white.

The first lesson seemed difficult, doing exercises on the bar, but I was told it would get easier once I got used to it. You could have fooled me. I was moving as if I was about 100 years old.

Well, as the weeks by it did get easier and turned out to be a lot of fun. Netball was another matter. I was useless, at times the game moved so fast that I couldn`t see the ball so that I couldn`t keep up. In the end, I just sat on the side lines and watched.

We were know in April and things really started to move fast. I was taken to be measured for my costume, rehearsals were being done, and more lessons on deportment.

I was taken to the beauty salon, so they were trying different types of makeup on me and I got lessons on how to put it on. Putting on dresses, etc, was now second nature, the only time I had a problem was when a new article of clothing or accessory was given to me.

During cold weather, I wore thick tights like the other girls my agem but now that the weather getting warmer, the tights that I now wore were almost invisible when I put them on. I had to be very careful that I didn`t put a run in them.