vestis facit virum

Ah, for Freeport we did steer, our provisions to renew . . .

a rather fetching suit - very dashing

Despite waking up this morning feeling that perhaps a weekend should be used to relax more, I decided against my better judgement to wear something different to work. Mind you, I was very relaxed at about two thirty on Sunday morning. Still, enough of that for now. Usually, I wear a black suit and one of the few shirts that are ironed. Today, I chose to wear a suit that I have had for years but probably only ever wore once before.

It's a light colour - possibly brown, possibly grey. I'm not sure, really, I thought it was brown. Anyway, I don't think I'll bother again. The amount of comments I got was unbelievable. It seemed that just about everyone had an opinion. I really didn't think that anyone would particularly notice but so many people commented on how "smart" I looked or inquired if  was going "somewhere special" or had an interview that I began to wish that I hadn't bothered.

I do wonder why people care so much about what others wear. In some cases, it was merely an opportunity to take the mickey but with others it seemed a major talking point. These people must have sad lives if what I'm wearing seems important to them! Still, it's nice to be told you look quite dashing, I suppose. Still, it'll be back to black tomorrow.

Every once in a while Mrs Dave and I have a cull of clothes we don't seem to be wearing very often. I came across this particular suit at the back of the wardrobe and it took a while to remember where and when I got it. As it looks so new, I thought I'd better get some wear out of it. It appears I bought it at Freeport, which is a shopping centre near Braintree. We don't go there very often but it's worth driving down to occasionally. M&S clothes can be bought there at very reasonable prices. It's like a permanent sale. They also have a Bose shop but I'm banned from there - by my wife, not the shop itself, I hasten to add.

The link to Wikipedia there for Braintree suggests that the town was possibly named after the old English word "Bran" which means crow. This is linked with "Blackwater" too due to the "crow-black appearance" of the water. Funny enough, Freeport is by Braintree and the River Blackwater flows nearby, so perhaps we could call it Blackwaterside:

One evening fair, I took the air
Down by Blackwaterside


I've often wondered where the original Blackwater was that the song uses as a setting. It probably isn't this particular one as there are many called the same. Most likely, it seems, the song was named after the river near Ulster. Mind you, it's not the only place you can spy an Irish lad. I've spied them all over the place - there were several around on Saturday night and they too have a habit of leading people in to bad habits* (not just fair maidens):

Go home and weep your fill,
And think upon your own misfortune
Which you bought with your wanton will

Which is where I came in, I believe.

*It's a joke: as an Englishman I am quite able to bring about my own misfortune, as indeed I did on Saturday evening. Apologies all round but thanks for a great craic, Brendan.