Spring is definitely round the corner. There are crocuses all over the place.
The footpaths are still very muddy. There’s one stretch that’s not really a footpath but an actual road leading to a row of terraced houses. It’s full of deep potholes that have been full of water for what seems like months. I really don’t know how the residents of the houses stand it, especially the one who has a large ‘dog-grooming’ van. In fact, I think the residents need to ‘adopt’ the stretch of road and have it properly surfaced, after which the local council will take responsibility for it. At least, that’s what we did when we live in an out of the way terrace in the valley between Delph and Denshaw.
On many of the actual main roads around here they have installed speed bumps / sleeping policemen to make drivers slow down, but not on our road which is the A62, at one time the main thoroughfare for going to Yorkshire, still used as a run-off road if the M62 is closed. The speed bumps are quite fierce, as I have commented in previous blogposts. In Mumbai, according to this article, they have installed a section of “musical road” on the Coastal Road expressway. If drivers keep to the reduced speed limit it “plays” a well known tune. Drivers who exceed the speed limit are subjected to a less musical, more unpleasant vibration. Local residents are not happy and want the “music” to stop.
Recently I have taken to “shopping the wardrobe”, as my daughter calls it: rooting out some item of clothing I have not worn for years. Some styles have come around again in the time these items of clothing have been locked away. Not locked away but equally vintage as some of my other clothes is underwear. Now, this morning Guardian columnist Emma Beddington wrote about having been advised that your knickers should be changed every 6 months - not changed as in ‘clean knickers every day’ but thrown away and replaced with now ones. Apparently even regular washing will not completely remove all the bacteria and such like, so we should throw them out. “It’s a horrifying thought,” says Ms Beddington, “given I’ve got pants dating back to 1995”. Quite so! Mine too! It sounds like another ploy to make us spend more money. Not quite built in obsolescence but long-life bacteria.
Having read all this, she claims to have headed to M&S, the best place for underwear; even the super-stylish French have been known to compliment M&S on the quality of its undies. But Ms Beddington had this complaint:
“I was unable to identify the pants I used to buy back in the day, and instead faced a baffling onslaught of fabrics and proprietary names: Flexifit Modal Thongs, Boston Microfibre No VPL High Rise Shorts, ContourWear No VPL Brazilian Knickers and SmoothEase Invisible Comfort Shorts. I was reduced to wandering around, sadly whispering: “I just want a multipack of plain black cotton pants.” And yes, I know how old this makes me sound – even older than my pants.”
Maybe Manchester ladies are more demanding of stores stocking what they want and need that London ones but I have never had difficulty finding a pack of 5 standard cotton knickers. And it must be said that M&S is the best place to find men’s standard Y-Front underpants, although, as with the ladies’ knickers, there is a disturbing amount of choice of styles of gent’s undies!
I’m going to Manchester tomorrow so I’ll check out the undies situation nowadays.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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