I haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions, but I have decided that in an effort to try and sever unnecessary attachment to things (and habits) I am going to try to get rid of at least one thing every day… and I’ll make an effort to get rid of things I have hung on for no other reason than I have a sentimental feeling about them. Getting rid of something might be actually just throwing away, but will more likely be putting in a bag for a charity shop, but maybe giving to someone I know who would like whatever it is.
The item I am releasing today is a dress and matching blouse which I have always been very fond of… I probably bought it in the late 1980’s so it has done very well, and I haven’t actually worn it for several years. It is a lovely feeling material, I don’t know what sort but probably man-made, smooth and almost silky but quite firm so it doesn’t crush or wrinkle easily. It is red with a blossomy pattern, with light green splashes like leaves. The dress is long, ankle length on me (because I am quite short!) sleeveless and quite loose-fitting. The blouse is short-sleeved and straight and hip-length, with buttons up the front. I always felt very comfortable in this dress and jacket which I usually wore with sandals, and even after I saw a photo of myself wearing it which was not as flattering as I had thought, I still loved it. Sometimes I would wear the blouse separately, over smart jeans or with a black dress or skirt.
We moved from the north to here in the south-west, and stayed for a while in my father’s bungalow in the village we live in now. When we moved to our present house, it was literally round the corner, so although we had a removals van to help with the big stuff, a lot of things were just carried round. Because the bungalow had belonged to my dad there were a lot of his things there left from when he had died so there were mountains of stuff to bring round, and also mountains of stuff to throw away… we had tried really hard to get rid of things, but the move happened so quickly. On the day, there were bags of stuff to bring to our new house, and bags of rubbish… A few days after we moved, when we were trying to sort everything out I realised that my beloved and favourite red dress was missing… and I sadly realised that it must have been taken to the rubbish tip by accident… and then several months later, I found it!! Hurrah!!
Now I think it is time to say goodbye to my red dress and blouse; I can’t imagine me wearing it again, but I hope someone will see it in the charity shop and love it as I did!
Lois Elsden 