Friday 30 December 2016

In Which French Women, Mark Harmon And Sherlock Help Me With My Wardrobe And Other New Year Resolutions


Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

First housekeeping. I've finished How To Build A Girl by Caitlin Moran. The book that kept me company at work on Christmas, I loved it then and nothing changed on completion. And given that I'm a fifty two (nearly fifty three year) old man to have enjoyed this novel shows exactly how good it was.

Now, coming soon to a place near you. a new year. And with it.......resolutions. Normally I've never really gone for resolutions but this time I'm going for them in a big way.

These come in two main categories: The first being to up my game on things I've started this year.

Learning languages: As much as I can possibly do I shall be listening to French, Italian, Polish and Welsh depending on the day. If I can practice speaking it to people, whether online or face to face, so much the better.

Within reason be more continental in habit: Particularly in front of those right wing fascist people who have emerged from the slime and think that a hard Brexit is beating up Polish immigrants.

(Already I'm toying with buying those pod coffee machines that get advertised on the TV. The only thing holding me back there is that I didn't realise that the choice is like VHS/Betamax. A family necessity or a throw it away on the tip blunder. Wife's not enthusiastic. Mind you she wants one of those George grill things).

Work For Plaid Cymru: Particularly around April/May. Imagine a man that just spends most of his time sleeping so neglecting his duties and when he does wake up bosses people around but acts incompetently . That is Bridgend Labour Council. Local elections are in May. They have to go .

Go through the Elizabeth David Cookbook: You thought I forgot didn't you? But no. Just opportunity didn't knock. Will work through it.

Similarly:

Fill up the Panini Euro 2016 sticker album: As above.

Then there is the second category of resolutions. Those new for 2017.

Do voluntary work in a foodbank: Says everything you need to know about present day Britain that I can contemplate doing this. Not sure exactly when though. Daughter's knee problem means that for the moment during my days off I'll be the bus taking her the half hour journey to/from school (allowing her to stretch her leg) so there won't be a lot of spare time.

Sort out my wardrobe: Yesterday I was working in the evening but wife, mother and daughter went out to see brother-in-law and his family. On their return they showed me the Christmas present for me.....a £30 voucher for a clothes store (I wasn't offended. We got him exactly the same thing from exactly the same clothes store).

Been contemplating a new look for a while now when I realised that the tenplate  I should follow was the Mark Harmon character from NCIS. It was a look that said, "I'm in my fifties. I've dressed casually, but I'm not pretending to be thirty years younger or about to go to the golf course".

Not completely that look though. I've seen the large coat Benedict Cumberbatch wears in the Sherlock TV series....and I want it.

And as for French women? I read somewhere that they have a small wardrobe but of good quality rather than my strategic clothes manoeuvre of buy them cheap and pile them high, For 2017 I'm going to follow that pattern and see where that leads me.

We'll see how well I do.

Until the next time.





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