2022 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

PipneyJane

Good morning All

We got back on Sunday afternoon and now I have the lurgy.  Not Covid - well, at least, not yet, because I keep testing negative - but definitely a cold virus of some variety.  It’s probably too late for me to hope that I won’t give it to DH, but at least I didn’t pick up his stomach bug.  (He spent the last four days of our trip with stomach cramps and diarrhoea.  Thank heavens for loperamide.).

No further Commonwealth Games related spends to declare, although I would have bought a “Cthulhu for Prime Minister” t-shirt, if Forbidden Planet had had one in my size.  Instead, I bought one for DH, because they had his size.  (I spent his coupons.)

TwibbleDee said:

Turns out, 90F still isn't cool enough for me to go walking for 15 minutes during lunch wearing closed shoes.  I had to change back into my little floppy sandals because my feet were overheating.

Might be worth checking out the hiking shops for a pair of “hiking sandals”, @TwibbleDee. They are designed for walking, have cushioned soles and are adjustable so won’t flop around your feet.  My Teva brand ones are at least 10 years old, have walked thousands of miles and are still going strong.  Seriously, I have absolutely no memory of buying them, they are that old.  Might have been in Miami in 2006; might have been somewhere else.  I know I bought their replacement pair in Wellington, New Zealand, in 2018, because I saw a good bargain.  (Currently gathering dust, upstairs, in the bedroom corner of shame, while waiting for the Tevas to wear out.)

- Pip

dreamyd

Laura_Elsewhere said:

@PipneyJane, here you are - it still needs its edging picked up and knitted round the square neckline and the armholes, but...  

It's a very open knit, so I can't wear it over pale tops - but I think it will be a nice lightweight addition And using up yarn I'd had hanging around for years...

Love that photo!

Laura_Elsewhere

TwibbleDee said:

Turns out, 90F still isn't cool enough for me to go walking for 15 minutes during lunch wearing closed shoes.  I had to change back into my little floppy sandals because my feet were overheating.

Oh, and official decision has been made - I am keeping BOTH of the dresses I got this last time.  Already accounted for in my coupons.

My suggest9ion is perhaps *not* to choose the middle of the day for going for a walk!   Over here we're advised to stay indoors between around 11am and 3pm in very hot weather, and certainly when I worked in the south of France which has very much hotter weather, people were endlessly baffled by why British/American people don't stay indoors/ in the shade in the heat!   

@P@PipneyJane - useful to know about the hiking sandals, many thank s- I bought a pair of Hi-Tec ones a few years ago and have been mending and glueing them back together ever since... 

Laura_Elsewhere

@PipneyJane - and I do hope you feel better soon! An old college friend's wife was a volunteer at the Commonwealth Games so they both drove up and glamped for a week in Shropshire (they live a very long way away), he dropping her at the station each day for the train into Brum - so he and I and Mr E were able to meet up a couple of times, he came and saw the flat, and we went for a couple of lovely long hikes, and caught up on quarter of a century of catching-up! 

Laura_Elsewhere

I know it's August and a heatwave, but... 

Forecasts for fuel costs this winter have just gone to 'astronomical', from a previous 'sky-high', so it probably makes sense to plan as much as we can now. We're lucky in our little village of Much Mending on the Borrow, in that we have such nice neighbours and this cosy Village Hall, but all the same...

I'm trying to think of things to suggest - the one I always try to tell people about is to buy *viscose* tights and not nylon, because nylon tights will basically conduct all the warmth right out of your skin whereas viscose will insulate and keep the warmth in... even better if you have viscose and wool. If all you have is nylons, try wearing two pairs at the same time... 

Two thin layers, or even three, are often warmer than one thick layer. 

It's surprising how much of a difference it makes wearing ankle-warmers or wrist-warmers - if you can't knit then ask friends and family for old accidentally-shrunk pure-wool jumpers, or buy them in a charity shop and deliberately shrink them (note, you want to buy ":handwash only" ones!). Cut the sleeves off to use as wrist-warmers or leg-warmers, depending on size - once it's shrunk, you can cut up knitting without needing to hem any edges If you can sew a bit, cut the body up to make leg-warmers - or buy a too-big thin wool jumper (you know those thin ones men wear) and shrink it, then cut off the bulkier collar (if needs be) and make it into a thermal vest to wear under other clothing. 

Curtains - open them in the morning in sunny rooms to get the 'solar gain' warmth, and close them mid-afternoon, *before* the temp outside drops. If you can close up a room completely, then do so. In very cold months, we used to close up our sitting-room, but these days we need it as Mr e works from home there... 

Any other ideas? MSE's cold-weather mantra is very wise - heat the person, not the room... 

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

TwibbleDee said:

Turns out, 90F still isn't cool enough for me to go walking for 15 minutes during lunch wearing closed shoes.  I had to change back into my little floppy sandals because my feet were overheating.

Oh, and official decision has been made - I am keeping BOTH of the dresses I got this last time.  Already accounted for in my coupons.

My suggest9ion is perhaps *not* to choose the middle of the day for going for a walk!   Over here we're advised to stay indoors between around 11am and 3pm in very hot weather, and certainly when I worked in the south of France which has very much hotter weather, people were endlessly baffled by why British/American people don't stay indoors/ in the shade in the heat!   

@PipneyJane - useful to know about the hiking sandals, many thank s- I bought a pair of Hi-Tec ones a few years ago and have been mending and glueing them back together ever since... 

Well, yes, of course, don't go out during the heat of the day.

The thing to bear in mind is that it isn't the heat that kills people; it's the humidity.  36C is perfectly tolerable, if the humidity is less than 50%.  25C is impossible, if the humidity is over 90%.  (I remember feeling quite horrid, in Brisbane, in winter, when it was 96% humidity.)  There was an interesting article about it last week, on the Grauniad's app.

- Pip

PollyWollyDoodle

I'm guessing this is @TwibbleDee's lunch hour, so if she wants a walk to get away from her desk that's the only time?

I'm regretting my lovely woodburner, left behind at my old house. Mind you it only heated that room, due to the shape of the house. I have a long term plan for one here but there are other priorities. I will be using my heated throw, perfect for sitting on the sofa. I'm thinking about a second one to perhaps use while sitting at my desk. Definitely worth investing in thermal underwear, it makes a big difference - as @Laura_Elsewhere says, layers are the thing. 

TwibbleDee

PipneyJane said:

Laura_Elsewhere said:

TwibbleDee said:

Turns out, 90F still isn't cool enough for me to go walking for 15 minutes during lunch wearing closed shoes.  I had to change back into my little floppy sandals because my feet were overheating.

Oh, and official decision has been made - I am keeping BOTH of the dresses I got this last time.  Already accounted for in my coupons.

My suggest9ion is perhaps *not* to choose the middle of the day for going for a walk!   Over here we're advised to stay indoors between around 11am and 3pm in very hot weather, and certainly when I worked in the south of France which has very much hotter weather, people were endlessly baffled by why British/American people don't stay indoors/ in the shade in the heat!   

@PipneyJane - useful to know about the hiking sandals, many thank s- I bought a pair of Hi-Tec ones a few years ago and have been mending and glueing them back together ever since... 

Well, yes, of course, don't go out during the heat of the day.

The thing to bear in mind is that it isn't the heat that kills people; it's the humidity.  36C is perfectly tolerable, if the humidity is less than 50%.  25C is impossible, if the humidity is over 90%.  (I remember feeling quite horrid, in Brisbane, in winter, when it was 96% humidity.)  There was an interesting article about it last week, on the Grauniad's app.

- Pip

Our humidity is higher than usual right now…but that means it’s all the way up to 35% or so during the day.  The joys of living in a desert.

The problem is, I don’t think to go out at any other point.  Walking during lunch is part of my escape. 

And I used to wear Tevas and such all the time, but I can’t handle much arch support.  My feet feel best in barefoot-style shoes. 

2Scratters

I have found some shoes that suit my style and some already purchased but tended not to wear. I made a purchase of a shoe stretcher due to the cost of having them stretched. Sadly it was a new one. However my shoe purchases non were new albeit a pair which were brand new off the car boot. I have broad feet and struggle getting what I like and that is me. This brilliant purchase has already paid for itself and am now working on other footwear which does not get worn as it should due to the pinch. I will be looking for pre owned boot stretcher next and that will be me done for a long long time with any new/extra shoe purchases. The only exception will be slippers and odd pair of summer sandals.

2Scratters xx

weenancyinAmerica

I tend to buy shoes in the children's department because you can get wider ones. And the larger sizes do fit adults very well. I especially buy my clogs and sandals in the children's section. Here the children's size 3 is the same as an adult size 5 and the children's size 6 fits an adult size 9. So you may need to have your feet checked for which size.