Oh this old thing

We have been invited to a drinks party tonight given by a lovely American lady who lives in the town. Champagne et amuses gueules (whatever they are). We have decided they are like amuses buches but hopefully bigger.

I have spent the last hour delving around in my 'not worn since we got here' clothes (or actually not worn since we downsized 9 years ago) trying to find something suitable to wear. Encouragingly most of it still fits - except the ones I bought when I did actually lose the half stone/stone I have been fighting all my adult life and they have hardly been worn!

If I'm the only one that knows that one potential outfit is about 20 years old and another one even older, does it matter? Maybe everyone else practices the philosophy of 'if you haven't worn it for six months throw it out'. I practice 'if it fits keep it' it will come in.

I was a tall child and by the time I was a teenager I was six feet tall. My family are all tall too so at home it didn't seem odd and it wasn't until secondary school when I was at an all girls school and my twin brother was at the boys' school that I was the tallest. In the 70s this made clothes impossible. There just weren't any to buy that were long enough and shoes were a nightmare.

Him outdoors has none of these problems. Clothes for him have to be 'friendly'. A new thing has to be virtually (or completely) identical to the one it is replacing. He'll come in from the garden at the last moment, throw on the same pair of chinos, hope his favourite shirt is ironed but if it isn't second favourite will do, and off we'll go.