Friday 16 November 2007

On Mohair

This is the hat given to me by one of my visitors this week:





because I was wearing her spare one after leaving my own at the tandem place last Monday (distracted by intensive Italian cultural research).

Car Guy managed to hold out for approximately 48 hours before letting slip that it made me look like one of the Law and Justice-voting babcia army - the moherowe barety (mohair berets).
- It's not too bad, at least it's not a beret...
he said, totally failing to mitigate the situation.

Now I am in a quandary. Do I continue to wear the hat, cos it's winter and freezing- or do I need to search for more politically-neutral headgear?

Should I start a PETA-inspired campaign: 'I'd rather go naked than wear mohair'??

Please say no- snow was still falling thick and fast last time I glanced out of the office window.

(This of course makes it even harder to find the car).

Perhaps I should simply embrace my new-found mohair-ism, file my umbrella to a sharp point and jump in with the granny gang. No more being asked for ID in the off-licence, no more standing on the tram! I could quit my job and ask the Bad Obwarżanki Lady for an apprenticeship! Fluffy hairy freedom could be just around the corner...

Does the hat stay or go? I'm putting it to a reader vote, and I'd love to hear what both of you think...


New from Conjugation Corner:
I've finally realised that I've been ordering my drinks "with ice" but "without ice-cream" since I've been here. One more syllable and I'd have been ordering them without the refrigerator. Ah the beauty of an inflected case system.



And the fashion section:
Although the time has finally come to relegate the Birkenstocks to their rightful environment (indoors), staying upright continues to be a problem, for quite different reasons.
On the plus side, sliding about on packed snow is a fantastic core-conditioning workout. Joseph Pilates, bite me...



7 comments:

Anonymous said...

As someone whose age is rapidly approaching that of the Babcia Army, I would have to vote for the Mohair, if only as a replacement for the hair I have almost forgotten that I used to have. And the hat pictured has the appearance of a long gone family pet, so there is a rather comforting (if slightly sad) feel to it. So definitely it has to stay. And if you get adopted by the Babcia army or the Bad Obwarżanki Lady, is this necessarily a BAD THING? As for the politics thing, people should know better than to judge a book (head?) by its cover. Be yourself! However if all else fails, it can be used to wipe snow off the cars in the street until Car Guy finds the right one

Michael Dembinski said...

Our Pani Zosia has dropped her mohair beret in favour of a rather fetching '60s cap that would befit a Beatles groupie. Unfortunately, change of headwear has not gone hand-in-hand with a change of views.

The Babcia Army that rules Poland is going Underground.

Becca said...

Oh those evil old ladies have done mohair so much damage. I also have a slightly furry hat (not beret) which has attracted similar comments. Ignore them.

A warm head is so much more important. I think if you were to pair it with a fat fur coat and scowl, you may not get away with it, but on its own it'll be fine. You are clearly no Babcia.

Anonymous said...

Hats are definitely the way forward and that looks like a fine example of a hat and I suggest you wear it with pride and ignore all stereotypes!

Michael Dembinski said...

'Pani Zosia' - cooking, cleaning, ironing, babysitting for the past ten years. Wonderful energetic woman (now into her 70s), full of folk wisdom; unfortunately, a devotee of The Evil Lord Rydzyk.

BTW: Was in Kraks today - check http://jeziorki.blogspot.com for 21 Nov.

Anonymous said...

Hatless in Poland? Are you kidding me? Believe it or not but Krakow made Edinburgh feel positively tropical when I arrived back from my visit!! In the interest of preventing frostbitten ears and icy hair I advocate wearing mohair.

pinolona said...

Thanks for the support! The hat is staying. Cold ears turned out to be a stronger argument than politics...