It seems there has been no Spring this year. We have been precipitated straight from a cold wet winter into summer, and suddenly the clothes of winter – polo-necks and heavy coats – are no longer appropriate to the weather.

There is an adage which states, “Ne’er cast a clout ‘til may be out.” May, in this case, refers to the flowers of the hawthorn, called may, which appear around now. It is supposed to be unlucky to bring may into the house. I don’t think it brings bad luck – I’m sure this is an old wives’ tale, set about by housewives themselves who objected to sweeping up all the little petals as they cascaded to the floor. Once cut, the blossoms do not last.

But, back to the clothes. As you might expect from someone who was an image consultant and personal stylist, I have a lot of clothes. They are all beautiful clothes, although not necessarily expensive, and clothes which I love. The problem is, now I am retired, I no longer have a use for all my business clothes.

I always counselled my clients to build a wardrobe around their needs, not their desires. I would tell them to have regular clear-outs of their clothes, at least twice a year. I would tell them to ask these five questions:

·       Does it fit?

·       Is it in good repair, or is it stained, torn, just plain tired?

·       Does it suit you?

·       Do you need it?

·       Do you love it?

This is all good advice, but I am finding it hard to follow.

Owing to limited wardrobe space, I keep all my out of season clothes in the loft, carefully packed in mothproof and waterproof bags and boxes. Yesterday, I unpacked all my summer clothes and put away all my snuggly jumpers and woollen trousers.

The problem came when I asked myself the five golden questions. You see, I have not yet lost all the weight I put on with the steroids, so quite a lot of the clothes don’t fit. All of them are in good order and, yes, suit me. But do I need them? Since I retired, I no longer go to business meetings and don’t need to look smart for work. The only time I wear my beautiful clothes is when I am going out for lunch with a friend and for church on a Sunday. So – do I need all these clothes? Probably not.

But – do I love them? Yes! Each and every item! My clothes are like old friends. Each piece brings me pleasure and I enjoy spending time with them.

Is it vanity? I like to think not. It is love, pure and simple: my clothes bring me joy.

So, even though I don’t need a lot of them just now, that may change if I start a job, and more importantly, I cannot bear to say goodbye to these very good friends.

Mary

A Moodscope member