"When I am an old woman I shall wear
purple...."
Some time next year, apparently, when my daughter
and her fiance get married. She's already decided what I will wear, and it
really is purple. This is a great relief to me, as I hate shopping. Don't get
me wrong, I enjoy looking round shops; what I can't do is make purchasing
decisions, particularly under pressure.
I was invited to a wedding last year. With
several months' notice, I thought I'd be ok. A friend volunteered to take
me shopping at the local designer outlet, and I had a good time trying on
dresses and posing for photos to review later at home. Plenty of time, no
pressure, so I wasn't concerned about coming away empty-handed. A couple
of months later another friend took me to Manchester, where I had a great day
and bought lots of lovely clothes. None of them were suitable to
wear at a wedding, though, unless bikers were going to be involved.
Finally, the weekend before the event, I went to York on my own, panicked, and
bought three dresses.
I had to take all of them with me to the
hotel, as I couldn't decide which one to actually wear until the day
itself. No-one was going to be looking at me anyway, I was only a
guest! Planning a 'mother of the bride' outfit doesn't bear thinking
about.
"...With a red hat which doesn't go, and
doesn't suit me..."
I have two hats. Both are black beanies, and
one has 'animal' written on it. Neither of them suits me, and I
don't think either of them would be acceptable at a wedding. I do not
like hats. I quite like fascinators, but they don't suit me either.
I do have a red handbag, perhaps I could use that.
Not on my head, obviously, although I suspect
that's where it will end up if my daughter has to take me shopping.
(With thanks to Jenny Joseph, for her poem,
'Warning')
