I love you more than chocolate itself

I’m more than half-way through my choccies now, each one wrapped in a loving message, for extra sweetness, aww. I had to think about the one above, but yes it’s true, I do. Me and chocolate go back a long way but you have the edge babe, I love you, more than chocolate…

Anyway, just a quickie today, as I’m so excited but have lots to do. I just got my new driving licence – WOO HOO! I now have formal ID in Lucy’s name and with her much more presentable photo, feels good. Now, when I filled in the form I assumed they wouldn’t accept me using the title Miss, not until I get my gender recognition certificate. This document has just been introduced in this country, and in my case I will have to wait a minimum of two years, living in the female role, before I can get one. It allows you to be issued with a new birth certificate displaying the correct gender, thus allowing you to marry a man, and so on. When I examined my old driving licence I thought none of this matters because it doesn’t actually state on the licence whether I am male or female; the question on the form must be purely for their records, so I put Mr, not wanting it to be sent back with a request for a GRC. First thing I notice on my new licence is that on the separate photocard section it DOES stipulate gender, but on mine it didn’t say Mr Lucy Diamond, it said Ms! For once in my life I am glad I have bad handwriting, and/or thankful to the good people at the DVLA for using the appropriate title. Either they misread my small r as an s, or just assumed that’s what I was from my photo (which I showed you all here a while ago). I am so pleased. I can now use it as proof for those awkward people who don’t believe I have changed my name to Lucy. Paypal for example; why oh why do they need to see a copy of my driving licence? They never saw the old one when I opened my account, in fact they, as with many other such organisations, never asked for any form of ID whatsoever. Strange; a nuisance, but no longer a problem.

Mum is coming over for dinner tonight, so I must tidy up a bit, make myself presentable, go out and buy food, and get cooking, amongst other things. She has told a few of her friends about me, who all send their love, and has told my gran, her mum, who said all the right things and just doesn’t have a problem. Now, she is 87, considerably older than my dad, but much less narrow-minded. I think her attitude towards this puts my dad to shame, though of course it’s not my place to say so. She told mum that she knows about such things and thinks we are all very brave and that I’m just lovely anyway, so she doesn’t have a problem with it. Maybe it’s a dad’s job to have problems with their kids, to question everything they do, to try to control everything…. But, whilst he does all that, I don’t see him making any serious attempt to understand it. Perhaps gran has seen a bit more daytime telly. I hope my mum points out gran’s open-mindedness to dad, not unimpressive for someone born in 1918… Being "old school", is no longer an excuse.

A quick comment on some of your comments to my previous blog: I won’t be preparing a written statement for the benefit of the local gossips; politicians do that sort of thing, nor will I be relocating. Going to a different place doesn’t stop people talking, either here or there, and people talking does not bother me in the slightest, but one would be naïve not to anticipate it.

Pippa is a man, shock, horror! Unlike me, Pip does both, very well I might add. It took me a while to get my head round it but I believe she is happy in either role, as long as she has some opportunity to express the female side occasionally. (A small irony that she becomes less of a father figure by adding "pa" to her name, but only a small one). It’s lovely to be out with my man, a happy couple, a semblance of normality, and great fun to be out with my bestest girlfriend, so I really don’t mind either way. To quote Pippa from her blog (Jan 23^rd 2005), "Its not what you wear that makes you feel special, it’s how the people that matter to you see you. Lucy sees me as ME... drab or girl, it’s STILL me and that’s all that matters."

You are indeed you, and that’s how I see you. Simply lovely.

Right, one more choccy then breakfast…

xx