Thursday, March 11, 2010

Theme Thursday : Hats


There was a character in a book I once read (I have long forgotten the title, the author or, indeed, the plot) who, when asked how on earth he knew whether he was coming or going, replied that he just had a look to see which way his hat was pointing. I feel a bit like that this week : except that I fancy I might have my hat on the wrong way around. Following the recent long holiday and the even more recent trip to France, I am having difficulty getting back into a routine. I don't know whether I am coming or going. I have managed to get a few blog posts up, but I am way behind on my visiting and I suspect that there is such a back-log of posts I need to read that my best hope is to simply wipe the slate clean and start afresh. If I have missed out great chapters in the colourful lives of my blogging friends, I apologise : I will carry on reading the tales as they unfold and fill the missing bits in with my imagination.


It is Theme Thursday and the subject this week is hats. I was tempted to let TT pass this week in order to carry out further research as to whether I was coming or going, but once I saw the theme I had to join in. Hats are a great favourite of mine on both an aesthetic and a practical level. Aesthetically, and with the possible exception of a macaw, nothing sits better on the top of a man's head than a good hat. How I wish that I could have been around in the days when a man could wear a decent hat without being accused of being dissolute : in the days when the Knapp-Felt Hat Company could introduce a new hat every month. On a practical level I do wear hats on many occasions in order to protect my precious cochlear implant from the ravages of the English climate. When you are walking around with a few thousand pounds of microscopic computer equipment stuck on the outside of your skull, it is always wise to provide it with as much protection as possible, whether it makes you appear rakish or not.

The top picture shows a selection of my hats. The one third from the left served me well during the recent visit to France as this final picture of myself and the Good Lady Wife, taken in Strasbourg, shows. 


Read how other people have interpreted this week's theme by visiting the Theme Thursday Blog. Sepia Saturday will be running again this week and if you would like to participate you can sign up over at the Sepia Saturday Blog. Now it is time that I started visiting a few of my blogging friends before they abandon me for ever. As Bob Dylan once nearly said, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way your hat blows"

20 comments:

  1. g'morning alan! at least it is here...a hat is like a good friend collecting adventures with us. happy tt!

    i'd say start fresh...

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  2. In the U.S., they blamed J.F.K. for the death of men's hats. I think they're the same people who blamed Clark Gable for sharp falls in undershirt sales every time he bared his chest on screen. My father alway wore those felt hats -- until J.F.K. that is - and I alway looked forward to the day that I would wear them. But that day never came.

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  3. This reminds me... didn't you write about specific hat you were looking for a while back?

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  4. what a charming portrait of you and your lovely wife!

    nice selection of hats!

    i know just what you mean about falling behind in the bloggyhood - i seem to do it more and more often - my method is to try not to feel too bad about it and pop in as i can on my favorite spots and catch up on the most recent posts.

    happy tt!!

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  5. You look very dapper in your hat, Alan! I never met a hat I didn't like.

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  6. Hmmm... You have almost as many hats as I do! Good collection. You can always judge the character of a man from the style of his hats; you definitely get a high rating for that collection!

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  7. I'm so glad you didn't decide to skip today's TT. I love your post and particularly the picture of you two.

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  8. Love your hat collection Alan. I am totally with you on the falling behind thing- Sometimes it is very hard to have a blog and to keep up with it- I'm experiencing the same thing right now!

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  9. Nice post - I know what you mean about feeling scattered after returning from a trip - it's a particular kind of limbo - maybe wondering which of one's hats will still fit in the same way?

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  10. You are just SO great.

    Yes, Dylan nearly said just about everything...
    -J

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  11. I look absolutely TERRIBLE in hats, as though I've been attacked by one. I envy you your style.

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  12. Love, love that pic of the two of you! Take your time easing back into reality...cruises do that to you...haha. :)

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  13. Anonymous9:44 PM

    You have a great hat collection. The picture in Strasbourg is so good of the two of you. It sounds like you had a great trip. It's always an adjustment getting back to real life.

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  14. that old advertisement is really beautiful! And you and the good wife make a handsome couple! ;)

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  15. Aww look at you and your lovely wife! Love your hats. My dad used to get furious when we were kids because we'd sit on his trilby on the back seat of the car and flatten it! That was a very long time ago! Don't worry bout catching up on my blog, it's rubbish! I'll give you three days respite . . no posts till Sunday night! Have a great weekend!

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  16. Anonymous12:40 AM

    Well aren't you two just the cutest English couple! And you hat collection looks great.
    :) The Bach

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  17. Alan, wonderful post. Enjoyed it very much.

    I especially like the photo of you in a hat. If you read my hat post this week than you know that I find a great hat to be the sexiest thing a man can wear.

    I do wish that baseball caps would get lost and that great hats would come back in fashion. I also pray that ball cap or not that todays young men would learn to practice proper hat etiquette and take them off in restaurants, churches and such.

    Oh how I miss the era when a man would tip his hat to a lady.

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  18. I love your collection!

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  19. A wonderful collection of hats and you and your lovely wife make an attractive couple. I'm having a bit of trouble keeping up with blogs myself, and as for a routine, that frequently flies out the window...

    Happy weekend to you!

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  20. You look soooo handsome in a hat.

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