Tuesday May 1st
HURRAH!
Some happy news from Australia. A longstanding family friend, Mgr Peter Elliott, has just been appointed auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne. This is very good news for the Church and for Australia. Father Peter is the author of several books - his first was in the early 1970s when he produced a delightful "Thoughts of Jesus Christ" to counter the "Thoughts of Chairman Mao". He has long experience of parish life, and also of work in Rome where he was for some while at the Pontifical Council for the Family. While in Rome, he'd often visit Britain, and stayed with us amid cheerful chaos when we were just moving in to our present house - sleeping on a put-you-up bed next to a not-yet-fully-unpacked refrigerator. I remember some happy days out to all sorts of places, including an unforgettable day with Malcolm and Kitty Muggeridge in their Sussex cottage...memorable talks, walks, exchanges of ideas, laughter...
LONDON...
...is horrid in hot weather, and one can feel things warming up for the long stretch of summer heat ahead. Current fashion rules dictate very tight, black trousers, or of course tight denim jeans, for women and girls - they all look dreadfully hot. Waiting at Clapham Junction today I surveyed the crowded platform opposite. How same-ish and dreary we all look, compared to the way things used to be when there was a much greater variety in dress: today black or blue trousers are the rule for virtually everyone, except for a few, very very few, men in suits (but most men who wear suits at work leave them at the office and travel home in jeans). A woman in a dress is a rarity in a London crowd - some do wear skrts and shirts (as I do) but the summery look of a light-coloured dress is very rare. Will people still feel obliged to be in black and dark blue trousers throughout June, July, and August?
6 comments:
Hey, there's nothing wrong with wearing black...
;-)
(well, ok, I'll pass on the trousers bit!!)
Joanna, not you in "".very tight, black trousers, or of course tight denim jeans
You'll be happy to know that I just purchased a "stone"-colored (light tan, really) poplin suit for the season.
The black and dark blue business is noticeable in London. My wife and I remarked that we saw almost nothing but on men and women, especially those under 40, during our trip there in the fall of 2005. The French cuffs on men is a nice touch, though. When I wear them here, I'm usually greeted with something like, "Aren't we fancy?"
And congratulations to Msgr. Elliott. He is a terrific teacher on the liturgy and I very much enjoyed his Liturgical Question Box
Fancy knowing Malcolm Muggeridge..deep envy!
i did a post on my blog on modesty..i changed a couple of years ago from tight jeans etc after reading a riend's article.'Who wears the trousers?'starting with Prof Higgins, 'Why can't a woman be more like a man?' This was a major change for me as i'd worn trousers for years, even jogging bottoms! YUK!
Only problem i'm having my skirsts/dresses keep getting stuck in my bicycle.(chain).How do you manage?
I've thought the same thing...I must've missed a memo that requires everyone to dress in black. I felt this very much while in Rome a couple of months ago. The only difference is in the States, its also necessary for a woman to have at least part of her bra showing too in the summer. Immodesty is SO boring!
I live just outside Montreal, Quebec, and whenever downtown (my son lives there), it's very striking the number of people who dress in black. I only wear it at a funeral -- and even then with a lighter contrasting colour. It is pretty depressing, especially now that the weather is getting warmer. I'm an organist, and lots of times I notice people wearing black to weddings!!! It may be trendy, but boy, is it ever gloomy... I'll opt for brighter colours or prints any time!
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