Took Dad coat shopping to Go Outdoors in Loughborough this afternoon. Andree, Chantal and Tia came too (Go Outdoors is dog friendly). It went remarkably well, although when Dad said that what he wanted was a coat that was “tailored” I did wonder whether we had come to the wrong place.
The practicalities of being elderly hits home when buying a coat. The correct size is actually too small when you need space and flexibility to manoeuvre rheumatic arms into sleeves. Modern “outdoor activity” jackets are the perfect design, being lightweight, flexible, breathable, hardwearing and forgiving, but the double zip, opening from top or bottom, is a mixed blessing for arthritic fingers, especially when it can be confused with an extra inner zip for a fleece lining, but Dad decided to purchase a jacket anyway.
There was a slight delay when I arrived at the checkout with Dad only to find that Andree, who was holding Dad’s new coat, had stopped to browse a bit more, while Tia was, quite understandably, heading for the door. The purchase was eventually made, and we all came home for a well-earned cup of tea, where Dad was adopted by Muffin.
Reports from my sisters Ros and Pauline are that Dad has already phoned them to say how pleased he is with his new jacket. Success.
Technically we live in Oaktree House, but sadly the tree had to go.
We now have a thriving Oakstump at the front of the house.
