Saturday 7 November 2015

Last Month

October was often sunny, sometimes grey and mostly cold enough to require a coat and gloves on my way to work. There was very little rain.

A good example of what the overall atmosphere of last month was like are these two pictures. The foggy morning one is from the 21st, the sunny one from the 31st of October (which would have been Steve's 47th birthday).


I have been wearing my new coat nearly every day:


The coat was what I consider a great find: My sister, my niece and I went shopping in Harrogate back in August. It was in Miss Selfridge's that I came round the bend from the staircase leading to the upper floor, and my insides did a little exclamation mark the moment I spotted The Coat on a rack: My type of cut, my type of colour (pale blue comes second to yellow as my favourite colour) and my kind of detail (the fake fur collar and the silver-rimmed pale blue buttons).

I tried it on... and loved it. But I thought of the two padded coats I already own and which are warmer (one is warm and one is VERY warm) and more robust when it gets really cold in winter, and also of the limited space in my suitcase. The voice of reason won, and I put The Coat back on its hanger. 
Not much later, we left Selfridge's and went for coffees, teas and cakes at a nearby café. Much as I enjoyed the cake and conversation, my mind kept going back to The Coat. When we paid and left the café, I asked the others if they'd come back to Selfridge's with me... Of course they didn't say no, and not only did I end up buying The Coat, I even managed to fit everything into my suitcase - the 3 dresses I had already bought (I showed them to you in earlier posts) and a small pile of books included.

For comparison, here is Selfridge's own picture. I don't think the model's shoes really match the coat, and her bare legs make for an unconvincing look: at temperatures low enough for a coat with fake fur collar, you wouldn't walk around without tights, would you! (Unless of course you were wearing trousers.)

Anyway, you are welcome to ridicule me for being once again so shallow-minded about something as unimportant as what to wear. But believe it or not, having something nice to wear for cold weather helps me to cope with this time of the year much better. So far, I can't complain - we've not had any snow yet, and November has started as mild as if it were the middle of spring. But mornings and nights are cold, and will get colder. Christmas Market will start here in my town in less than 3 weeks, and I am really looking forward to that!

8 comments:

  1. Not at all shallow-minded! What a very cute coat which looks great with your dark blue tights and black boots. I also love your light blue purse which looks like the size of a brief case. I agree that the Miss Selfridges photo is not a great way to sell a coat. I feel cold looking at it.
    We have had surprisingly warm weather for this time of year, but this morning it is 32degrees Fahrenheit - freezing. I don't think it will be warm again for quite a while!

    My husband's birthday is always something that affects my emotions great deal every August. I do not expect this to change. But it is not a bad thing. I am not explaining this well, but I am sure you understand.

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    1. I do indeed understand very well, Kristi. The 31st of October and the 5th of November will never become my favourite days in the calendar, but they are important and "not a bad thing", to use your words.
      Very warm and sunny here today - I even did some sunbathing out on a green meadow today, something unheard of for November in this area!
      The bag is the perfect size for me when I go to work, it allows me to carry documents without having to fold them, plus holds my kindle, wallet, mobile phone, keys and a pack of tissues.

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  2. What? Are you kidding me? I am very glad that you got that coat! "My mind kept going back to that coat"...so of course, you should have gotten it! When you see something that is just right for you, by all means, make sure you get it if at all possible! Forget all about that voice of reason!
    And you are right, those tan/brown boots do not look well with that pale blue coat! You should send your photo to Selfridge's, you model you! :-)

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    1. I really should, Kay, shouldn't I :-)
      Yes, when something has so clearly written my name on it, I simply have to take it, you are right!

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  3. Shhh! You shouldn't be telling everybody that Yorkshire is the place to go for great clothes! If the word gets around we will get bus loads of Londoners coming up the M1 to raid our shops. Then they will see how wonderful Yorkshire is and how cheap our house prices are compared to the south east and before you know it we will be overrun with them! All because of this blogpost!

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    1. I am well and truly sorry - maybe I could replace "Harrogate" with "Anytown" and redirect all the shopping traffic there!

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  4. Meike there is nothing shallow-minded in being concerned about one's clothes. In many ways they are a very important part of what we are and the picture of ourselves that we portray and the way they make us feel. Many of us hide ourselves behind or inside our clothing shell. Many people regard what they wear as unimportant and that, in itself, tells the world something about them.

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