How waterproof are the new boots? 

During the summer I had the chance to test the "waterproofness" of my new walking or country boots.  Here's a video.  It was recorded in slow motion so that I could have a good look at how close the water came to the top, so you may want to switch to x2 for viewing.

They turned out to be perfectly watertight.  Obviously after a while the water would begin to soak into the leather, and going in too deep would overtop them, as there's no drawstring at the top to prevent it. That's why I moved slowly, testing the depth at each step with my thumbstick.

But altogether I'm very happy with them.

 End of the road for favourite boots, and arrival of new ones.

After more than 30 years my favourite tall and rugged leather boots have reached the end of their useful life.  Letting in water, split and detaching soles, failed seams and after many patch-ups, it's time to replace them.

They've done well considering the number of times they've been soaked in rivers and the sea... 

And here's their replacement...

Shires Moretta Nella fully waterproof 18" tall leather boots.

They are a bit heavier than my old Viva La Diva boots, but much more rugged.  

Because of current travel restrictions, I've only been able to try them out on a few local walks, but look forward to getting a lot of use from them on future country and hill walks.

Look out here for posts on these walks.

Happy New Year 2019

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my readers. The weather has been very mild for the time of year,

so I'm still able to go out and about wearing short skirts and bare legs, as you can see

from the photo below, taken on 30th December, when the temperature was +10 degrees Celsius.

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Me, just outside Haddington, Traprain Law in the background.

Asos and Zara offering skirts for men

Good to see some mainstream clothing stores offering skirts for men.  

ASOS Skinny Trousers With Wrap Skirt

ASOS Super Skinny Trousers With Skirt And Exposed Zips

ZARA Wrap Skirt

ASOS Reclaimed Vintage Tartan Kilt

Mostly they are being modeled by men who are also wearing trousers.  
Perhaps useful for winter weather, and many women do likewise, but once
I’ve put on a pair of trousers, I don’t see the point in putting a skirt on top:
it defeats the comfort benefit of wearing a skirt in the first place!

 Charity shops

For those new to wearing skirts, both men and women, I always believe  

the best starting point is the charity shop. There you you can try a variety

of styles at very little cost. Always remember to take a tape measure -

don't rely on size labels. Women's clothing sizes have changed over the years

and some of the stock in charity shops can be quite a few years old. Also the

previous owner may have shrunk the item, or altered the size to achieve a good fit.

The majority of the skirts I have were bought in charity chops for around £4 or £5 each. h

Here are a few of them:

 

Happy #SkirtDay !  

This day, 10 March, is international Skirt Day - a day to wear and celebrate the skirt as the wonderful garment it is.

Today, at least here in Scotland, the intense snow and freezing temperatures of the last week have been replaced by slightly milder, although very wet, weather.  Time to be wearing shorter skirts again!

Here I am at the market in Leith.

If you would like to celebrate Skirt Day, first put on a skirt or kilt, then you could go shopping to purchase a new skirt, sew your own special skirt, organize a get-together and ask your guests to come dressed in skirts, or simply go about your usual Saturday activities wearing a skirt or kilt.

Then share your Skirt Day celebrations on social media using the hashtag #SkirtDay, with pictures if possible.

I celebrated the day by first going to the Leith market for some food supplies. Then went on to a shopping park where I bought a denim button-front mini skirt at the Marks & Spencer clearance shop.

Than you for reading this post, and Happy Skirt Day 2018.

Summer

It's been a busy summer for us, with a lot of bare-legged skirt wearing. Here are a few photos.

Springtime in Edinburgh Botanic Gardens.

A view of Stoneypath Castle in the background after a short country walk from Garvald, East Lothian, Scotland.

A visit to Abbotsford, in the Sciottish Borders, the former home of Sir Walter Scott. We used the new Borders Railway followed by a riverside walk to get there.

In the "Oriental Garden" in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland.

On a short visit to Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England.

Bare legs at last.

For the first time in ages I'm out with bare legs. The denim skirt felt so good - hardly noticing any contact of the fabric on my legs at all - almost as if I was wearing nothing below my waist.

I am wearing the denim skirt with walking boots partly because I was on a country walk at the time I took the photos, but also because I generally wear walking boots and socks with a denim skirt - I  think it looks best.

When wearing a plain black skirt, I prefer to wear black shoes, such as these lightweight canvas ones.

Both these skirts are by Tu, from Sainsbury's (UK).

Last summer...

I haven't updated my blog in a while.  I'm still wearing skirts most of the time, although the choice is a bit limited just now because of the weather here - close to zero degrees Celsius, wind and rain.  But here are a few photos from warmer times last summer.

Spring breakfast in the sun in Penrith.

At Irvine Folk Festival

A walk in Glentress Forest, near Peebles.

July in Leicester.

Near Peebles.

Enjoying the sunshine during the Edinburgh Festival.