The Last Laugh

On Saturday evening I met up with two buddies at the Tate Modern for a wander around the Rothko show followed by meeting up with two of their friends and dinner at a really lovely Malaysian restaurant near London Bridge. As the weather here has been filthy for the last few weeks with frequent, heavy downpours I took the precaution of donning my outfit as you see above. Many of my friends mock my Drizabone and oilskin hat as old fashioned and I must admit it was in part my general tweediness that led me to get them. There was a practical concern too and that was you can't get men's full-length waterproof coats in more modern fabrics and styling.

The last laugh came as I walked home from the restaurant. The heavens opened and I saw many folks diving for cover, even those in fancy Berghaus all-weather jackets as their jeans got soaked. I, clad in my old-school garb, down to my solid, no-nonsense English heavy leather shoes was able to carry on, warm and dry, until I got home. Sometimes I am accused of being a recalcitrant, old-fashioned git. I'm not sure that's entirely fair. I tend to think it's also a matter of quality. To those who accuse me thus, I might point out that I embraced digital cameras and CDs early as they are in most practical respects superior to the formats that preceded them. On the other hand I have stuck with tube guitar and hi-fi amps because I have yet to hear a transistor amp that gives me the sound I want, and the same considerations come to the fore with clothes. I like the older styles partly because they are generally better made and will last a lot longer than fashionable high-street stuff. In the case of the Drizabone, for example, it is a design that has been refined over many years from practical experience and from Saturday's sojourn I'll take well-made and thought out old-fashioned duds every day.