It's a yearly ritual; summer approaching, new bathers.I'm very hard on my bathers. I hardly ever wash the salt water or chlorine out; they get scrumpled up in a wet, sandy, salty towel, left in the boot of the car, dried out under the full blast of the harsh Australian sun. I occasionally toss them in the washing machine but for the most part they are expected to do solid hard duty with the bare minimum of care. Some fabrics perform better under these conditions than others, but I don't stress about it for even one second if they don't. I just plan for a new pair per year, no worries; and don't give it a thought besides some pleasant day-dreaming about what colour/print I should have next time.
This year, that decision was taken out of my hands by my very practical daughter, who announced she wanted to give me fabric for my bathers for my birthday. So sweet! Well, apart from the fact that she then had absolute control over the colour I would be wearing! Aaaagh! giving over control of my wardrobe, so difficult for control-freak-me! But, one sometimes has to bow down and accept the dictums of another. And I think it's good for me, helps me for a short while to relax my iron-clad expectations for myself and frequently surprises and delights me.
So, Cassie and I went shopping for the fabric in Fabulous Fabrics together; and I hopefully pointed out a nice navy blue and white striped fabric. Aah, navy blue! you sure have me in your clutches at the mo! I briefly entertained a vision of myself in some Fwanch-inspired, nautically navy/white striped number with a chic wide-brimmed hat set at an elegant angle, paddling about in the shallows in a ladylike manner.
But no! I had not reckoned with the even more iron-clad will of my daughter; who firmly told me that navy/white stripes were so boring and that I would just look the same as everyone else.
POP *bubble bursting*
I was told I would be wearing this nice shade of brick instead.POP *bubble bursting*
You know, we have this saying in Australia about being built like a brick, er, house... * Haha! I jest; obviously this deep coral/terracotta colour is very much moi, a tonne nicer for my colouring than navy and white, I admit it; and I think it also looks rather striking set against the sea-and-sky blues and sandy whites of summer. It's a bit Uluru actually, a very Australian colour.
Cassie chose well, very well indeed :)
Details:
Bathers; McCalls 2772, bikini pattern modified to be a tankini
Hat; Country Road (from many years ago)
Location; Leighton Dog Beach
*just to explain; my Mum reads my blog sometimes, and I would get ticked off if I finished that there saying... yes, even at my age!
