Possibly not one for the boys ....

... or those who disagree with conspicuous consumption really.
The London Poetry Festival approaches, website here: http://www.londonpoetryfestival.com/index.htm
and I'm reading on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th. That's this Friday and Saturday.
So what preoccupies the middle-aged-poet-about-village? What to read? How to read? Performance anxiety? Nope; I am so shallow there is only one thing on my mind. What to wear.

Luckily it is sales season in the nearby big (that's relative, incidentally) village, which is served by several excellent boutiques and a shoe shop. My purchases, with the aforementioned event in mind, I detail lovingly below. I declared every item as I entered the house, and believe me, the sales were really sales, not just those 50% off efforts.

First, the Friday night jacket:

To be accessorized with the bracelet below:

And worn with black linen trousers, plus these excellent sub-bondage shoes:Saturday night, black jeans with this top:

Detailing here. That is nice, isn't it?I only have to sell 125 copies of the pamphlet to break even. Joke, husband, joke!

Of course, there are serious issues to be explored here: image and identity, appearance and confidence, and why the hell anyone should read better if they feel they're looking acceptable. But hey, that's for the writing.

P.S. On another heavier note, the Arena Special, "The Hunt for Moby-Dick" is currently available on BBC i-player. It's presented by Philip Hoare and is good.