Fauxhemian Rhapsody

Recently I was at the shops with Dan, looking for a winter jacket for him. My beloved hates clothes shopping, I think he'd rather get his teeth filled at the dentist than try on clothes in trendy stores with salespeople who ask you what kind of 'look' you are after. Anyway, we found a leather-look jacket for him in the first shop we entered and bought it before he could emit too many passive aggressive vibes.

Then we had some time on our hands, so I left him with the toddler in the overcrowded indoor playground and went to do a spot of clothes shopping for myself. Unlike my husband, I don't mind looking at clothes, as long as I don't leave empty-handed. Clothes shopping for women is a minefield though, and I never quite know which shops I should check out as a woman who's *ahem*, approaching mid-life.

In your 20s, you can wear crazy, cheap clothes from shops like Supre, Valleygirl and Sportsgirl and still look great - you're 20 something and beautiful! In your 30s you move onto stylish, classic  shops like Witchery and Country Road, or if you have kids and a mortgage, Target and op shops. Now I've reached my 40s I suppose I should be looking at David Lawrence and Blue Illusion. 

Yet somehow I can't bring myself to buy clothes from shops where a twin set costs more than I'd make in a day of emergency teaching. Besides, I hate twin sets! So, after looking at the 'mature woman' shops, I went back to the 'young things' shops and bought... some faux leather leggings and a faux fur vest. Yep, I know. If I had a daughter, she'd be rolling her eyes in embarrassment.

My sister-in-law, who's young and knows about such things, tells me that this is 'last year's look'. Truth be told I think I'm about a decade too old to pull off any 'look'. And yet, I'm secretly pleased with my purchases. They're warm, add spice to my wardrobe and importantly, were bought on sale for a good price (maybe cos they were from last season;).

In the end, you can wear whatever you like when you get old. You're only limited by your own perception of what is and isn't 'appropriate attire'. I'm hoping I can be like the woman in this poem and wear purple with pride.

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me,
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals,
and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired,
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells,
And run my stick along the public railings,
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens,
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat,
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go,
Or only bread and pickle for a week,
And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats
and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry,
And pay our rent and not swear in the street,
And set a good example for the children.
We will have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me
are not too shocked and surprised,
When suddenly I am old
and start to wear purple! 
Jenny Joseph

Linnets wings vs the world wide web

I'm not one to make lists of resolutions - new year ones or otherwise. I don't perform well under pressure and seem to do better with a 'have a go' attitude. So, my latest quality of life-enhancing initiative has been to be online less and be 'present in the moment' more. I'm hoping that this means spending more time mucking around with my boys with no agenda, enjoying God's creation, seeing real-life friends, finding some new creative outlets and possibly even a spot of exercise - you never know!

I also want to prioritise time to sit and read books rather than flit around the virtual smorgasbord of blogs, facebook and youtube clips. There have been a few warning signs that the 'flitting' has not been good for my mental state. Towards the end of term I found myself forgetting things, running late to appointments... I even forgot to pick up my son from childcare on the last day of term - ooops! Very unlike my usual conscientious self.

So, I'm trying to step back a bit and breathe. Which is hard to do when you are constantly 'connected' with the world wide *funnel* web.

I know it's a cliche to say that the internet is turning us into superficial, short-attention-spanned narcissists who want to be endlessly entertained and instantly gratified, but hey, cliches are often true! So, here's to a simpler life.

Emerald Lake Park in Autumn

I'm leaving you with WB Yeat's evocative poem 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree':

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;

Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,

I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

Sigh. Personally I think I'd get a bit lonely after a few days, and struggle to exist on honey, beans and natural beauty...But the idea is very attractive, don't you think?