At half term both mum and Mavis`s aunt took us to see the lights at Blackpool, we got to Blackpool around 11am and after getting a quick snack went to the Pleasure beach for a while, it was pointless going onto the beach in October the waves were pretty bad with the wind and it was too cold.

After a while we left the Pleasure beach and went for lunch in a nearby fish bar, after which we accompanied the two women as they descended on first the outside market them to various shops and stores. after they had got everything they wanted we took it back to the car.

Blackpool is always packed full of people for most of the year and we stayed near our mothers when on the streets, we took in a show and went for a late meal after which we went and got the car and joined the proccession of a few hundred cars to drive along the front and view the lights in all their glory.

We arrived home around 3am in the morning and after unloading the car went to bed, dad had been working and my brothers had been to watch a football match somewhere.

I got up around midday and was just having a cup of tea and some toast when Mavis and her mum arrived, the tow of us went to my room leaving my parents and Mavis`s aunt to talk.

Dad had an allotment and had decided that I use a section of it as I wanted to try growing herbs for the kitchen, we had dug it over and manured it for the coming spring, well dad had really I just cleared away the loose weeds as he threw them on the path.

Mavis was helping me to choose which ones to grow and we pouring over gardening books and checking the internet for the best ones to start with. We had already decided on Parsley, Basil and Thyme and we reckoned about half dozen in total would start us off nicely for our first attempt.

The area dad was letting us use was only about six foot square and we wanted to plan it so that tall plants didn`t block the sum from low growing plants. Dad already had a Rosemary bush so that was one herb we didn`t neet to worry about.

Mavis suggested that maybe we grow plants like lavender and such to dry and make small bundles of pot pourri or what ever it was called, apparently you could put it in small packets and put it in drawers to keep clothing nice so I agreed. I spoke to dad about it and he told me that there was plenty of Lavender growing around his green house and that Rosemary and Thyme could be used and suggested we try Lemon Balm and drying the flowers of plants that he dead heads. It sounded like a good idea and I knew dad would help us were he could.

Using the computer we made a plan of where and we would we would plant, we showed dad what we thought looked good and he said we made a good plan, so all we had to know was wait until after the new year and the planting season.

Later on we went down into the basement workshop where me and mum and had our sewing room and started to made some cloth envelopes to put the pot pourri in if we successful. We had lunch and watched a DVD for a while before it was time for Mavis to go home.

The next day mum dropped Mavis and myself of at schooll as usual the weather was really bad very windy and heavy rain, I had stuffed my cap into one of my bags Mavis unfortunately couldn`t the girls hats were too big and stiff for folding as we rounded the corner to the back of school the wind caught her hat and blew it off her head at first the elastic that went under her chin held it and but as she grabbed for the hat the elastic snapped and blew the hat along the ground.

I dropped my bags against the schools wall and went chasing after Mavis`s hat, the rain was almost a wall of water and making it difficult to see through my spectacles, I tripped and fell headlong into a very puddle and ended up soaked to the skin. I retrieved the hat and handed it back to Mavis, picked up my bags and we went into the school.

When we entered the pupils that had seen what had happened gave me a cheer a couple of the other boys started to make snide remarks but were soon silenced by the rest, those hats the girls wear don`t come cheap and Mavis`s would need a good cleaning now.One of the teachers who had seen what had happened took me to the main office and asked the secretary to see if there was anything in lost property that I could wear so I wouldn`t have to go round in wet clothes all day.

Everything she had in the storeroom was huge on me and I thanked her and said I was OK, the headmistress had heard what had happened came over and took me along to her office. After telling me I was very brave to chase after the hat said she had clothing in her storeroom that would fit but it was items of girls uniforms that had been donated by girls that had left.

She asked if I would object to wearing some of them for the day and as I was cold and wet said I had no objections. She quickly selected a load of stuff and took me to the staffroom were I took of my wet clothing and after rubbing down with dry towels put on what she had handed me. When I was dressed she came back in and smiling said I didn`t look like a drowned rat anymore.

I was handed a hot drink as the headmaster came in, while I had been getting changed the headmistress had told him what was happening and he come along to check I was alright. He smiled when he saw me and asked if I was OK I told him I was.

Assembly was just about to start and one of the other teachers took the headmasters place while he talked to me, Both heads told me that the school new what I had done and had been warned that any trouble against me would be dealt with by the police, my uniform was quickly bundled up and sent for cleaning.

I was escorted to my first class by the headmaster who again warned them about bullying as I took my seat, except for a the odd snide remark such as " Homo or Queer" none of the other pupils said a word about how I was dressed.

At break Mavis and I were usually alone but today we surrounded by others from our class, the saying I had a lot bottle wearing a girls uniform and everybody saying I looked a smarter in a dress than in trousers.

I was one of those boys that didn`t seem to fit anything and even tailored clothes didn`t look very smart on me, my clothes were always clean and pressed but it never seemed to matter they never seemed to look right on me.

At lunch break in the canteen Mavis and I were at our usual table in the corner and some of the girls in the class came and sat with us,they started to talk like girls do but Mavis and I didn`t join in unless we asked a direct question. The two of got up to leave and the rest said don`t go, they all apologised for not being very nice to us and from then on became our friends.

Because of what had happened and what I had for the day, I gained a lot of respect from boys oh they didn`t become my friends but the bullying stopped and I was left alone.The school bullies were also warned off that they could expect trouble if anything happened to me in future and they stayed clear.

Just before lunch break finished I was called to the staff room were the Headmaster was having a meeting with all the school staff, I knocked on the door and it opened. I was ushered in and everyone started clapping, every teacher said how impressed they were by decorum I showed during the morning and my form teacher said he was proud to have me in his class, they all wanted to make sure I was alright and that I wasn`t haven`t any problems, I assured them all I was alright and that I was having no problems with anyone.

All the lady teachers gathered round me and said how smart I looked and that I would look better if I had my hair fixed in a pony, I let them do it and they plaited my hair, when they finished I looked like all the girls in class especially with the school ribbons. A lot of the boys had longish hair as was the fashion and usually mine was kept in a sort of ponytail held with an elastic band.

I was told that my uniform wouldn`t be back from cleaning till the next day at the earliest and I assured the headmaster that I had my spare uniform to wear at home and that what i was wearing at the moment would be properly cleaned and laundered and returned. I accompanied the teacher to my next class and not a word was said when we entered, everyone carried on as usual i could see the girls smiling though.

Sewing class was the last lessons of the day and again the teacher was smiling when I entered, we all sat down and got out what ever we were working on, I was doing a tablecloth the piece had cut to size and I had already completed the hemming, now I was embroidering it along the edges. When I first started the teacher thought I was a bit too ambitious but she let me carry on and was surprised when it started to take shape, she was impressed when we she saw the embroidery taking shape and except for a bit of advice now and again let me carry on with it.

I was doing a bit of the embroidery at home as I wanted to finish the piece before term ended and the stitches were very tiny at times. Our project for the class hadn`t been announced as yet and we were all eager to get started on it.

When it was time to home the headmistress caught up with me and handed me a coat to put on, she said there was no point getting soaked again and it went with uniform. She told me that she rang mum and that she would be taking Mavis and myself home in her car. We arrived home and mum seeing the car pull into the drive had the door open ready for us, she was a bit surprised to see how I was dressed but didn`t say a word, just smiled. ( What is with all these womens smiling at me ???)