Finding my Feet
When I venture outside, as many of you already know, I usually wear these:
For church, glamour and my annual Wild Night Out I exchange them for these:
But for the most part of most days, I am shod in these:
Sunshine, however, throws me. My footwear has to endure the mile walk to school and back. It has to accommodate the fact that my nail varnish remover doesn't work and that the Vicar's stored his razor in an unknown new place, so I can't mow my shins. And so, when things hot up, I turn to these:
All of the above, except the Hunters, cause my young daughter pain. Especially my vintage M&S Footgloves (above). Because the mothers of other local 9-year-olds express a more proper sense of self in variations on these:
For church, glamour and my annual Wild Night Out I exchange them for these:
But for the most part of most days, I am shod in these:
Sunshine, however, throws me. My footwear has to endure the mile walk to school and back. It has to accommodate the fact that my nail varnish remover doesn't work and that the Vicar's stored his razor in an unknown new place, so I can't mow my shins. And so, when things hot up, I turn to these:
All of the above, except the Hunters, cause my young daughter pain. Especially my vintage M&S Footgloves (above). Because the mothers of other local 9-year-olds express a more proper sense of self in variations on these:
When a batch of family prints arrives from Photobox, I feel the pain too. I look, I realise, like a vicar's wife. Maliciously, the sun decides to shines as I ponder this, and so my boots are no longer feasible. I decide, therefore, to go shopping. My young style advisor comes too, for she doesn't trust me unleashed in a high street on my own. We try wedges and kitten heels, platforms and flipflops. I pace the aisles in canvas and leopard-print, Nike trainers and diamante bling.
Some of them are unkind to my corns. Others bully my budding bunion. Most of them topple me before I can attempt lift off. At last I seek sanctuary in the shoe shop beloved of my elderly mother. There I find a heaven of rubber-grip heels, sturdy strapping and insoles cavernous enough for my arch supports. And so I brace up to summer in these:
My daughter is disappointed, but placated. I am briefly jubilant. Until, that is, I realise that new sandals unleash a costly train of events. I shall have to invest in new nail varnish to cover the obstinate shreds from the spring heatwave and in transparent plasters to conceal my burst blisters. I shall have to master the science of toe-nail clippers and, since the concealing graces of tights are now impossible, I shall have to buy my own razor.
Mercifully, as I tot up the cost in money, time and patience, the sun recedes. Next morning we awake to the customary downpour. And I, radiant with relief, tog myself up for the school run:
How do you preserve glamour when the sun shines?
Ah Foot Gloves - I also have an old pair. They never die do they? Just go on for generations of unglamorous plodding. I like your new sandals. I find it very hard finding comfortable and practical sandals so when I do I tend to buy two pairs so that I don't have to buy any more for years.
ReplyDeleteI like my new sandals too, but after 2 miles they began to rub. so back to the Footgloves except on sedentary occasions. You're so right - the perfect sandal is an elusive treasure.
DeleteLooking at your stance, I imagine a rolling pin being wielded out of camera shot... I think it's the fourth image that will stay with me.
ReplyDeleteThat's the only image that's not of me! Dunno if that's a compliment or not.
DeleteWho is it, then? I don't mean the sandals. Count carefully, 1, 2, 3, 4...
DeleteOh yes, that is me. Numeracy is not my strong point.
DeleteI think I am just going to avoid this problem by sending them to boarding school....
ReplyDeleteI think it would be cheaper to have several pairs of sandals specially made for you!
DeletePersonally I love the rain boots! I don't have Hunter's but a similar (less costly pair) that I love. I wear them in the garden, I wear them on rainy days and when the sun shines. My children though much older than your daughter, have just given up on me and my wardrobe.
ReplyDeleteWe'd make a handsome pair at a garden party!
DeleteFirstly your knees are fab. Secondly you rock boots! I have two modes of footwear; converse trainers and a pair of grotty teavas (spelt wrong. I've given up on skirts, so I bow down to your sense of style!
ReplyDeleteNever ever has anyone admired my knees before! My daughter would giver her collection of Match Attax for me to wear Converse!
DeleteI doubt this was the purpose of this post - but I now have an urgent need to go shoe shopping! And I still have intense welly envy over your Hunters. My footwear consists of: converse hi-tops, converse daps, ballet slippers, flip-flops, gladiator sandals and wellies. Occasionally I rock the platforms, but this is on a bi-annual basis.
ReplyDeleteMy 9yo would say that you sound one cool dame, apart from the sandals!
DeleteI share your pain, literally.
ReplyDeleteWhen the sun shone this morning, I prepared my feet for church. No time for nail varnish alas, but
atheletes foot cream both little toes -- too long in slippers this winter
corn cream and plaster for the dying remnants of a verucca, covered with waterproof tape.
thin tape round big toes because sandals rub on hairy knuckels (do toes have knuckles? anyway you know the bit I mean)
antihistamine on bee sting on other foot -- not surprising I wander around barefoot
Elegant it was not -- but a pharmasists delight surely.
That made me laugh! I counted the other day that need 8 daily unguents to keep my body fragrantly together.
DeleteI too am a lover of the boot. I tend to end up in smelly converse in summer! Pong! X
ReplyDeleteI guess I'd better get myself these Converse. Hot, though, aren't they, if the sun shines?
DeleteM&S footglove sandals all the way here. They do actually do some nice ones nowadays!
ReplyDeleteMich x
They do, I've noticed. But take the view that so long as I have one pair still holding together, why branch out into more.
DeleteI wish it wasn't so painful for you, because you really suit a little more glam and it's always worth that bit more effort for how it makes you feel - unless you're still deeply uncomfortable, which it looks like you might be! I think your daughter is a fine influence but you're still fab exactly as you are X
ReplyDeleteYou are very kind and sweet. Actually felt a fool in all of the above because could only stalk along as though I had a bag of acorns between my thighs (a bit like the teenagers on their 6 inch platform walk around here!)
DeleteTop post.
ReplyDeleteIt showed off some quality female legs and feet, and made me laugh as well!
Well, that, of course, has made my eveing, but the compliment about my feet makes me fear you must be, er, pulling my leg!
DeleteHave you tried Birkenstocks?
ReplyDeleteI have a silver pair and they're comfy and fabulous. And trendy. Ish.
I never have. That could be my answer. I wonder where you get them...
DeleteYou actually have great legs and ankles n(yes, and knees too) - surely it's worth a little suffering to show them off ...?
ReplyDeleteNo, no, it's not. Not when you have to walk four miles every day!
DeleteHeya! I understand this is kind of off-topic however I had to ask.
ReplyDeleteDoes operating a well-established website like yours require a lot of work?
I'm brand new to running a blog however I do write in my journal daily. I'd like to start a blog so I will be able
to share my personal experience and views online. Please let me know if you have any ideas or tips for
brand new aspiring bloggers. Appreciate it!
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I was curious if you ever thought of changing the layout of your site?
ReplyDeleteIts very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way
of content so people could connect with it better.
Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or 2 images.
Maybe you could space it out better?
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Hello! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers?
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda paranoid about losing everything I've worked hard
on. Any suggestions?
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