Dykes without Bikes !

Dykes without Bikes !
Originally uploaded by LaMinch.

Janette, me, Donna and Jude, my companions for last years Pride and re-united for this year - great company

Dykes on bikes

Dykes on bikes
Originally uploaded by LaMinch.

And we're off...you can't see the crowds on this shot as we are off the main route by this stage, as ever the crowds were loud and supportive, you get a great buzz.

The magic sofa

Max & KP
Originally uploaded by LaMinch.

Meet Max, a great friend of mine who let me sleep on her sofa last year during pride. The sofa does indeed have magic powers. Twice now women called Kate have come from Europe (the other one is German), slept on her sofa and fallen in love while staying in the city. So, if you're called Kate, gay, single and looking for that special someone give Max a call ! It's far more exciting than personal columns, although the airfare is more than the average cost of a night out on the pull !

Getting ready and counting down ....

Getting ready and counting down ....
Originally uploaded by LaMinch.

Finally, some photos for you. Lining up in preparation for Dykes on Bikes is an amazing time. For those of you who don't know about this, the San Francisco Pride Parade is led by approx 500 bikes, all carrying dykes and their BOB's (Bitch on back!). it's an amazing feeling and the crowds are so supportive, it's an incredible experience.

A whiz in the kitchen

In the spirit of financial common sense my aim has been to cook in the apartment more than usual. On previous trips I have behaved like a food critic and to hell with the expense, the pound is riding high ! This time, however, I'm here for 3 months and that attitude doesn't work alongside my bank balance and unemployed status. The plan has thus far gone like this:
Day 1 - Buy food (minus shopping list and thus forgetting countless essentials)
Day 2 - Reach dinner time and realise there are no pans (when the owner of the apartment works in a restaurant, why would she have things like pans in the place ?)
Day 3 - Still no pan but I decide I can cook spaghetti in a frying pan.
Day 3 continued - Can't turn the knobs on the cooker. Have bagels for dinner followed by a bag of M&M's and a beer.
Target - Buy a microwave !!!!!!

It is worth pointing out that I have had to phone friends whilst they were holidaying in Australia in order to ask them how to open the petrol cap on their car and how to remove the bag from their hoover (it was a Dyson !!!). There is no hope.

Loud and Proud

Pride sunday was a big day for Shana and I. For those of you not in the know, we met at the end of the Pride parade last year. This year we got to ride Dykes on Bikes together. We rode with some friends of mine and had a ball. We completed the day by having dinner at the restaurant she tok me took on our first date. A16 is a wonderful wonderful restaurant, one of my favourites. If you are ever in the city you have to go !

In a nutshell .....

Sorry, I've left you all wondering.....Actually I'm not sorry, give a girl a chance to settle in !
So, what's been happening ? A lovely welcome at the airport followed a phone conversation that went along the lines of "Where are you ?" "At the airport, where are you ?" "At the airport....Oh, there you are"! There have been meals and drinks at the usual array of fabulous bars and restaurants, cycle rides through Golden Gate Park, motorbike rides round the city. I saw a great production of Brecht's "Happy End' at ACT, a seriously beautiful and well maintained theatre, and have enjoyed a couple of evenings with my new beer and debate partner - Theresa of Wink SF. Give us a week and we'd have the US on track !
I ran the Pride 10k on Saturday, a devil of a route; a loop in the centre of Golden Gate Park. A devil because once you've completed the first lap you know what hell lies ahead, in this case a long hard slog up a steady incline, but I didn't walk once.

Day 1:

Beer, fried food, watching sport on tv in a bar : WELCOME TO AMERICA !!!!!!