One of the advantages of going on a lazy holiday just the two of you is that there is no urgency to keep anybody else happy or occupied, you can potter around at your own pace, you can visit the places you want to and stop for lunch whenever you want for as long as you want. The other advantage is that you have time. I have almost finished knitting a pair of socks, have had read several books and have caught up on all those blogs I follow but often don’t get around to reading.
At this time of year (with apologies to my readers from the Southern Hemisphere) it would seem that the minds of many turn around to where and how to store their summer clothing and bedding. This is a concept with which I have some trouble getting my head around. Granted, I do wear more jumpers and scarves in the winter, I give up bare legs and wear woolly tights. But I don’t have a separate summer wardrobe, I just wear more layers in the winter. As for our bed. We have one duvet, I’ve no idea of the tog value, it’s feather and down and if I am too hot I toss it off and if I am too cold I wear pyjamas and put a couple of blankets over the top.
Why on earth do we need separate wardrobes and separate bedding? What shocked me even more was that many of the earnest discussions about the best way to store said belongings were on websites and groups dedicated to minimalist/low impact living. Surely the essence of low impact living is to ensure that your belongings are multipurpose?
There are a few items that only see the light of day in summer or winter. Bikinis, woolly hats, woollen long-johns. I am struggling to think of any others, my standard summer footwear (Birkenstocks) become my winter indoor slippers worn with lovely thick hand knitted socks. Those handful of season restricted items hardly need a drawer of their own let alone a purposed wardrobe or cupboard.
So today I am still on holiday in the south of France. It is warm but not excessively so. I am wearing my birkies, navy leggings and a long floral shirt. If I were at home in the north of England where I am reliably informed by friends it is somewhat cooler! I would maybe wear a tee-shirt under my shirt, a cardigan or jumper on top and put on socks and shoes when going outside. Likewise I have linen dresses that I wear in the summer and then in the winter layer up with tee-shirts and jumpers.
I do have some woollen skirts, dresses and trousers, but surprisingly few for somebody who lives in the apparently frozen north!
Before you start dividing up your wardrobe into Summer and Winter and thus consigning your clothes to be worn for only 6 months of the year, take another look. If you are looking to downsize your wardrobe start looking at ways to wear most, if not necessarily all, your clothes all year around. You can wear linen trousers in winter if you want, you just need a pair or tights or long johns underneath!
It also makes packing for travelling a whole lot easier too if you can make your wardrobe work for two seasons instead of just one.
Love Gillie x
one pair of shoes at a time 