A Normal Day Out

By Teresa H.

I decided to join the National Trust last year . My local group has had some very interesting talks as I mentioned in my previous post about my makeup problem . The NT group is LGBTQ friendly however overall policy is one thing but individual acceptance is something else. I attended the belated Xmas party which went very well so I decided to book a holiday with but as a try out I booked a day out at a very interesting house to test the water . This morning I boarded the tour coach and was greeted with ” Oh hello Terri ” from the trip organizer so I chatted with her for a few minutes while others boarded the coach.

Upon our arrival all our names were read out to inform us which group we were in for the tour of the house, we then had some free time to view the gardens and have some lunch. I found a small art gallery and chatted with the on-duty artist, it was nice to swap stories about materials and the work on display. While checking out the gardens I found some plants which I didn’t recognize so I asked one of the gardeners for more information, she was lovely, so I walked round the gardens with her for some time chatting about plants. Finally it was time to meet up with the guide and view the house . Many of the guides are volunteers from the NT, she was very good. The groups were small so quite intimate allowing the questions to flow freely along with some humour. Afterwards while I was having a cup of tea she joined me for a few minutes for a chat and thanked me for asking some helpful questions.

I appreciate this story isn’t earth shattering, in fact it’s nice to say it was just normal and that’s the point I needed to prove to myself and hopefully to you all.  

So my day out went well, in October it will be for a whole week in a hotel .

We’ve been having a heatwave in the UK so I chose a lightweight linen and cotton dress in navy with white spots, it’s sleeveless so I took a neat denim jacket to slip on as I’m slightly concerned about showing my arms but it proved too hot so I ended up carrying it with my picnic hamper. My shoes were navy wedges and I wore a chain necklace with a border of white flowers and small pearl earrings. I chose the dress because it felt suitable, being smart but not overdone for the circumstances. I liked it so much I bought the same style in red with flowers and a black one with white flowers, the red one looks more dressy for a night out and a meal, the black one is more a smart day dress. I paid full price for the original navy one but bought the other two half price.