A lot of time this week has been spent in an overhaul of my clothes. I've been lounging around for weeks, or months, in the same old baggy black trousers (I have a couple of pairs exactly the same, and more in navy for an alleged change of style) but a couple of incidents led me to think it was time for a revamp of my wardrobe. First, my in-box was being bombarded by sale offers for gorgeous, wildly patterned, or soft velvet dresses. So, so tempting. Then, I spotted a tweet from author Anthony McGowan - No one ever says to a peacock, "Hey, Mister, this is neither the time nor the place for that tail" - and despite it actually been a writing tip (the rest of the tip apparently refers to the 'superiority of farting to burping in books (and life))*, I thought it applied equally well to my clothing choices. I would buy some new glamorous clothes and wear them every day, and if the cut of some wasn't exactly flattering, it wouldn't matter as I'm not going anywhere for anyone to see me.
On the other hand I'd made a resolution earlier in the year to not buy any more clothes (it hasn't worked) and I would rather lose some lockdown weight before I go on a spending spree
It hardly took a moment's reflection to realise that I probably had a garment or two, lost somewhere in the back of the wardrobe, that would fit the bill, so I set myself a challenge for the week - to hunt out and wear something different every day, to save the baggy trousers for walking and gardening.
From flowery or flouncy ruffled skirts, to my purple 'festival' trousers and crochet waistcoat, everything I wore felt so much more fun.
It made getting up and dressed each morning take rather longer than normal but having worked out what I have, what still fits, and which pieces go together, in future it shouldn't take half as long (and I may even get back into the swing of putting tights on without contortionist wriggling, or ending up looking like a comedy medieval peasant with yards of material hanging off my toes!). My skirts and dresses are definitely making a comeback though.
The beginning of the week saw the world wrapped in fog, but Thursday, Friday and Sunday saw a welcome return of sunshine.
Eating something different is, I believe, part of living more colourfully. This week's new experimental recipe was a bit of a cheat - taking an idea from Diana Henry's Roast Figs and Sugar Snow for glazing poussins with a maple-syrup, garlic and hot sauce, and applying it to chicken thighs and roast vegetables (parsnips, sweet potatoes and cabbage). The full recipe included a cornbread stuffing which I didn't bother with, but the glaze was one of those oh-so-easy and effective twists that I'll use again and again.
* If you're intrigued about the book of writing tips, you can find it here - Swallowed by a Whale: how to survive the writing life, and more about Anthony McGowan (he's a Carnegie award winning author, not just a teller of fart jokes) on his website
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