Recent Entries

• All good things

  by Ariane Durand September 10, 2023
  It seems so long ago that I went into Guildford for a make-up lesson and bought lots of cosmetics. Ariane has had be very patient to try them out, and I don’t do patient. I have so little time on my own.   First one of my aged relatives came to stay with us. She’s lovely, but she’s 90, and she’s i...

• Trans and Orthodox Jewish

  by Ariane Durand September 7, 2023
  I came across this moving short video on the Guardian website today. It tells the story of an Orthodox Jewish trans woman, Talia Avrahami, who started life male and transitioned to become female. She was working as a teacher at a school in New York City when she was outed in 2022 by a group of paren...

• LGBT Christians

  by Ariane Durand August 11, 2023
  Please don’t take it the wrong way when I say that I am a Christian. I am not trying to convert anyone to my way of thinking. The Christian way makes sense to me. But everyone must find their own way in the world. As it happens I believe that leading an ethical life is more important than which reli...
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• Phoenix from the ashes

  by Ariane Durand August 8, 2023
  Nearly three months since I last posted. What happened? Living a life in the shadows became too much for Ariane to bear, and for a range of internal and psychological reasons she disappeared off to the realm of the imagination. Unfortunately her wardrobe disappeared also. That turned out to be an ex...

• Quiet days

  by Ariane Durand May 24, 2023
  I don't feel so keen to go out dressed locally on these bright spring days. Instead I've had a couple of quiet Ariane days at home, trying out various outfits. I'm starting to simplify my style and make some compromises – for example an hourglass waist is not worth it if you feel very uncomfortable ...

• Ariane about town

  by Ariane Durand May 17, 2023
  I haven’t had any proper Ariane time since coming back from Manchester. So I was pleased to arrange afternoon tea with Penny and Paul today. I knew they would be on their own at their home. The main issue was whether I should travel in boy mode and change into Ariane at theirs, or get ready at home ...

• Are you ready Manchester?

  by Ariane Durand May 8, 2023
  The highlight of my stay in Manchester was Saturday night. I met up with two female friends, Edith and Rachelle. They knew about Ariane but this was the first time we had met in person. For this occasion I was wearing a new black cocktail dress and heels – I had told them I would look posh because I...

• Ariane on Canal Street

  by Ariane Durand May 6, 2023
  After a few days in the Lake District, I am now in Manchester for the final part of my anti-coronation northern tour. Last night I was on my own in my hotel room with a wardrobe full of Ariane clothing. I thought if I was ever going to socialise on my own, Manchester was the best place to do it, so ...

• Ms Lola

  by Ariane Durand May 2, 2023
  Another day, another dressing service… Today I went to see Ms Lola (not her real name) who provides a range of makeover and related services to the trans community from her studio in north London. Originally I had asked for a makeover and photoshoot, but this time I decided that I should actually le...

• Same-sex marriage

  by Ariane Durand May 2, 2023
  Last night I went to a Christian discussion group in my local town with other members of my local church. There were eight of us in total including my friends the hosts. This monthly group offers fellowship, spiritual support, and cake, but the main focus is the discussion of a topical subject. This...