Regular readers will know that in addition to being a (sort of) writer and dog parent, I am also a keen doer of highly scientific experiments. And this winter of 2010/2011 will see a dramatic addition to my scientific studies.
You see, I'm having an All Natural Winter. I am not allowed to buy anything other than wool, cotton or leather, to keep me warm this winter. I am allowed to wear items already in my wardrobe (to do otherwise would be wasteful) but there must be no man-made additions.
Why?
Good question.
The first reason is to do with static, smell and self-esteem.
The second reason is to do with Bruce Parry.
Man-made fabrics make my hair stand on end and can create so much static that it's painful taking them off. Man-made fabrics seem to become very smelly very quickly. Man-made fabrics are either too clingy or too stiff and for some reason they are always incredibly SHORT.
Bruce Parry went to live with some Eskimos. He took Gore-Tex this and that, goose-down filled whatevers, and ended up freezing his butt off, so they lent him some reindeer skin outerwear and he was just as snuggy as could be, and he could move freely.
Hence, my all natural winter. I have become obsessed with tweed and thick fisherman-type jumpers. I probably look even stranger than normal. BUT - so far, I have been warm as toast.
However, I can't decide if I want this winter to be as cold as last winter, so that I can really test my theory, or not. Probably not, although a few days of snow is always fun.
I will update you with the results of the experiment. Wish me luck.
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gosh i like the sound of it but how do wellies and swish walking shoes fare on your scale? also what about fleece? it does dry quicker than wool. nowt like a brushed cotton pyjama though. good luck with the experiment!
ReplyDeleteWhen I stumble across those programmes, where a well-fed presenter with crew in tow rock up uninvited to some 'tribe', with the deluded purpose of finding out what they can "teach us all in these troubled times", I can't help but wonder why Bruce, Ray, whoever, don't ask themselves the blindingly obvious question. Why don't the Nyangatom, Suri, Kombai, Nenets or Dassanech come to England to find out how we live? Could we learn something from that?
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