An eagle-eyed reader emailed me today and commented on the pictures from the other day at the little café, and exclaimed "Marie, you have new glasses!" Errr...yes, I do, but I never expected anyone to actually notice the fact.

They were the last purchase I made before I left Nynäshamn for summer sailing and I didn't write about it at the time because I was too busy with other things and also because I hate shopping for glasses and wanted to forget the whole sorry episode.

There's nothing worse than shopping for new glasses. Well, maybe global famine or an epidemic of bubonic plague, but glasses shopping rates right up there with them in my book. Aside from that, glasses shopping just never feels right. At least for me.

I'm happy to have the eye test and god forbid, with the amount of reading I do, I surely don't want my eyesight to deteriorate. It's just the choosing of the frames that is problematic. I hate it and avoid going to the optician just because we'll have to go through the whole collection, with me screwing up my nose, asking with an irritating whine why I can't just have the same frames or new ones identical to the old ones. I don't like change! And I never look like me anymore. Yes, you're right, I'm behaving like a two year old in full tantrum mode. *stamps foot for effect*

For a start, I'm short sighted, so I need to stand about 1cm from the mirror just to see what the new frames will look like. And that is far too close to comfortably look at myself. I see all of those wrinkles, freckles, large pores, the witchy few hairs on my chin (when did I turn into my Great Aunt Margaret?) and just can't see beyond that. I think around 5 kms away is a good distance from which to view myself in the mirror. And they always say "Stand back and look" which is ridiculous as they know from the eye test that I'm but a whisker away from a white stick and a seeing eye dog.

This time, Lars-Göran got me there by stealth. We were apparently just going into town for a short walk. I should have been suspicious that the dog was not to accompany us. As we passed the optician, he suggested going in to ask something about his glasses (which badly needed replacing!) and while there waiting, I started to try on frames as a bit of a joke, picking out odd ones and turning to him saying "What about these?"




Buoyed by the horrified expression on his face, I quickly turned to the sunglasses and plucked a pair that I knew he'd hate, repeating the question. He pulled a face, then looked at them more closely and asked why they had D&G in huge gold letters on the side. You can tell he has no idea of designer labels or the idea of letting the universe know what expensive brand you are wearing! So I showed him the Dior and DKNY etc on the other glasses, saying that of course, these ones were Dolce & Gabbana. "Don't you mean Dolce & Grabbarna" he said with a perfectly straight face. At which point I cracked up laughing so much that I had to sit down.




For those who don't speak Swedish, the word grabbarna means "the boys" and used in the same way we'd say that the boys were going out fishing. I can't believe he'd seriously think that's what the label was called, but apparently so. After I stopped laughing I told him that it was a high end Italian fashion label favoured by the likes of Madonna and that Gabbana was the surname of one of the founders/designers. But of course, he got the last laugh as when the optician returned with his glasses, he asked if they had time to test my eyes as I needed new glasses. I was too stunned to resist.

As I had guessed, my eyesight had changed. It seems to be getting longer with age, so I have to take my glasses off to read, but need them for longer distances, so my current glasses were unsuitable. Okay, I'll get new lenses but I wanted the same frames! Not possible, apparently. They have been discontinued (probably 3 minutes after I bought them) and there was nothing similar, so we started the whole "Let's try and find a new look" merry-go-round that I hate so much.

Because I'm such a nice person, I'll give you a link so you can do this in the privacy of your own home before having to subject yourself to the indignity of public ridicule. The link is here - just upload a picture of yourself and fire away.

So which look should I go for?

How about the Brian Henderson (from Bandstand) tv frames?




I was feeling very Nana Mouskouri and as I was just warming up for a verse of The White Rose of Athens, Lars-Göran shook his head and said nope.

So how about the school librarian look?




I practised saying "Sshhh" in a stern voice. Then "No running in the library!" But it really wasn't me. I hasten to add that I never once looked in the mirror, which rather threw the girl who was helping us choose. She picked frames and I put them on and turned to Lars-Göran who said no or maybe. My argument to her was that I never see myself anyway, so I don't care what they look like. Lars-Göran however has to look at them every day, so it's better if he gets something he thinks is okay. I'm fairly sure she thought I was nuts.

So why not go with that thought and try for the clown?




I could tell from the look on L-G's face that these were on the "no way!" pile. He is a bit like me in that we like our glasses to be unobtrusive. I guess if you are someone like Jenny Kee and working in the design industry you can get away with frames like that, but I'd feel like a freak and if I had to wear a paper bag over my head before I went out every day it would defeat the purpose of having glasses in the first place.

Well, I like birds, so why not try the owl look.




That was not a good look for me either. So we scanned through the maybe pile again, discarding several pairs before hitting on the pair I finally bought. Sight unseen, so to speak as I didn't look at them at all in the mirror, much to the horror of the optician who for some reason thought that I ought to. I told her that if she and Lars-Göran thought they looked all right it was fine with me as I only cared that the lenses worked. In the end it was quite painless really.

Another reader sent me a link to some shoes that she thought I ought to see as they are being flogged off in the States by the Nordstrom chain of shops.




No, in case you were all wondering, we aren't running a bunny-shoe-empire! And while these did produce a laugh from me, I think they are quite cute in contrast to the mammoth crocs hideousness.

It continues cold, misty and dark as we make our way slowly towards the winter solstice. A bright point on the horizon is the start of the medieval Christmas markets at the castle tomorrow and at Motala on the weekend and the lighting of the decorative street lights as well. You need something warm and cheering in this weather just to keep going. And yesterday I bought something else to brighten up those cold evenings - Lucia Choklad Starkvinsglögg.




It is a mulled wine (glögg) with a mild chocolate, caramel, plum, all-spice and orange hint to the wine. It sounds so tempting that I think I'll get out my copper pot and serve some right away!

Is 3.30pm too early to hit the booze do you think?