h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

[Amy P]

Sunday 24 November

Up to Portstewart, about 60 miles away on the North coast, to where my parents and middle sister live, for a lunch to celebrate sis's birthday.

I'm wearing another of my Vegas bargains - a pair of leather jeans (pants, I guess, since they're Murrican) in ox-blood red. I've gone for other similar colours - a rust silk shirt, a dusky rose cardigan and a maroon biker-style jacket, accented with some colourful jewellery and a big coloured scarf. I took the Jaegar sweater up with me, it fits my mother beautifully, she's delighted, and cant wait to wear it to a luncheon date tomorrow. And I've promised to be her fashion and colour consultant, and take her shopping one day in the new year.

but... what shoes/boots are you wearing?

Flat Mary Janes in tan with a cerise flower on them.

Oh and David Dimblebey is wearing dubarrys in tonight's episode of Britain and the Sea.

Every time you say Dubarrys I keep thinking of the pub down the docks with the colourful reputation. Time was, if you said David Dimbleby was seen in Dubarrys you'd be looking at a libel case.

[Amy P]

Monday 25 November

Today I'm looking a bit like a mango sorbet. I have an unusual skirt from M&S, in a sort of slub biscuity-beige linen, though it calls itself "orange" on the label. It is a straight up and down cylinder shape, but with a flap at the waist that folds over on itself, held in place with 2 buttons. I'm not totally happy with it for 2 reasosn - one it's a summer linen, so gets creased very quickly. Two, it falls to just below my knee, which I think makes it look a little frumpy. I'm considering having it taken up a couple of inches.

Rust shirt, ecru cardi, and coral pashmina, worn with cream ribbed tights and the heeled brown boots.

Only a couple of inchs? damnit.... boots again.... I must try go into a physical shop to look at some; I'm a bit hesitant to spend megga-money (well more than £40 which my boots normally end up costing), on what proabably are a gorgeous pair of boots (the equestrian ones sound good), without first seeing them, and trying them on... they'd be no good afterall if I can't wear them however gorgeous they look

OK... its all* your fault!

William and I were going to the cafe.... But it was busy, and they're always so* slow in that cafe, so we wondered into the shopping arcade, and thought we'd just browse a bit, before trying the cafe again... and, for some reason* I said 'shoe shop?', and indeed there was a shoe shop, just in front of us... a new one, which we'd never been in before...

Boots.

they had* boots; I've admitidly been looking for a new pair of zip up boots, for at least two or three years, and not yet managed to find any...

I looked at about three or four pairs, any o f which was better thanaything I'd seen over the last two or three years, in vairous shops in at least three differnt towns/citys...

whittled it down to two pairs, and went to try them on

both fitted fine, though one pair had a little bit of 'up and dow' movement when i was inside it, and, well, the other* pair, although slihtly more expensive, also had more* buckles, and metalwork on them... just that hint at steampunk/gth I thought... and* they fitted slightly tihter/better sold, to the man in the black leather trlby Admitidly I'd still like a higher pair of boots; these are just another pair of ankle ones, but no where ever seems to have thigh or knee high mens boots I think If I do want them, I'll have to look at getting a female pair, irrelivent ornot of my cross-dressing though getting a pair of female shoes in a males* size 9 I think means a female size 10, which might prove problamatic to find to say the least I might* just be able to get into a generous cut pair of female size 9s though, but I'd ave to try em on to know that, again, which involves a physical shop, rather than the larger range of whch only the internet seems to offer thesedays

[Amy P]

Hey, I've been blamed by 2 legs!

Do I get a t shirt, or cerfickatick or such?

I think all the NaJoPoMo-ers should chip in and buy you a pound of butter.

I'll personally bring you an autographed block of butter, sculputured into an artistic, albeit slightly rude, sculpture, the next meet we're both at!

Starting to contemplate the idea already, of 'modifying' my new boots... I@m thinking silver metal chain work.... maybe a few more rivit bits... err, waht are those metal sort of rivett things, y ou put in, which have an hole in the middle, to put the err long metal bit of a buckel though... some of them... add an extra hole to one of the buckles too, so it does up a little* tighter... maybe a matching 'metal heel', to match the one at the back, only added to the front... and spikes... yeh... hmmm... Not quite sure what look I'm aiming for here.... lesbian biker goth steampunk chick I think hmmm... second thought... I proabbly oughta leave the boots alone, they are new afterall

Grommets?

Perhaps; take a buckle; right, theres the buckle bit (square bit of metal, bit across in the middle, with the 'bit' pocking out....), then you've a length of flat leather, with holes in, for the bit of metal from the buckle to go through; but, into those holes, you put a sort of metal rivit thing, to stop the leather fraying... some of them, and the tool to fit htem, need I... I've already got a hole punch thing for leather, though that's for belts really and the smallest hole on that might be a bit* big... but I can improv something to make the hole,, just need the rivit things,plus the doobry for affixing them to the leather kinda thing, once I've got it, I'll proabably find endless uses for it...
**starts thinking about leather things, with buckles that cost a fortune to buy online **

Yes, grommets are your boys. As opposed to Wallaces. Which are...something different.

ahh; now I remember; the wallaces are the long pokey bits that go through the gromits, on the buckle... nah... really* they are...

Tuesday 26 November

A meeting in Dundalk

I've chosen one of my favourite Joe Browns dresses, which is a bit more formal than their usual dangly floaty style. Colourwise it is a mix of plain black sections, with patterned bits in biscuit, olive brown, and our old friend heliotrope. It has one black sleeve and one patterned, and an asymmetric hemline. Black tights and black shoes, a grey scarf, and the first outing for a new jacket in biscuit colour (Jaegar, £99 down from £260). That's at the top end of what I'd pay for an item of clothing, but I've spent so many mornings going "I must get a plain beige jacket to go with that", so I reasoned it will work with lots of my wardrobe. It has no pockets and no buttons at the front, so it has its mission statement clearly as "decorative" rather than "functional".