Hat heaven

I've blogged about hats before. I love hats, especially big, extravagant ones, but there are rarely opoprtunities to wear them. I wasn't invited to The Wedding, never go to Ascot - in fact I don't really seem to move in hat-wearing circles. But on Saturday, a much-loved niece and goddaughter is getting married, and I shall wear a hat.

In Devizes, we are lucky enough to have hat heaven; a wonderful, deceptively small, mysterious, beamed cave, where J hires out hats. She has over 2000, many of them displayed round the room in a rainbow of colours, so the choice is huge. She is always kind and helpful, asks to inspect your outfit before producing a hat, adds little bits and bobs to the hat to match, and will make up a little feathery corsage if you want one. Nothing is too much trouble.

So yesterday, off I set to choose a hat. J brought out several, including one which loooked exactly like one of those frilly floppy lettuces (with a lettuce bag to match), but I finally settled on a huge lime green one with an enormous bow, and I'm thrilled with it. As I was about to leave, J, who is probably past retirement age and very glamorous, received some post.

"Oh, good!" she exclamed, on examining its contents. "My Glastonbury tickets have arrived!"

What a woman. What hats. What a place. Oh, boy!

Hats (a cheery subject for a cold day)

Talking of weddings (well, a lot of people seem to be) I just love hats. I'm not a dressy person; I spend most of my life in jeans. But hats - they're different. There's something splendid about hats, but all too few occasions upon which I can wear one.

Here in Devizes we have a magnificent hat-hire shop. Inside this charming, low-beamed building there is an entire rainbow of hats; big, small, fluffy, flowery - you name it, Joan has got it. You bring in your outfit, and she finds you the hat. And she's alway right. Having found the hat, she will attach little bit of things - feathers and other fripperies - to match, say, your shoes.

But sadly, apart from a niece's wedding next year (that will be a big hat day), there will be no other occasion in the forseeable future for me to visit Joan and her hats. The only other hat occasion I can think of is a royal garden party, and I would really hate to go to one of those (if anyone royal is reading this, please don't take offence; just invite someone else instead). The idea of having to dress up and trawl into London to have posh tea with hundreds (or is it thousands?) of strangers fills me with horror. That, and the fact that the hat would probably get squashed on the train (well, you can't wear a big hat on a train, can you? There's hardly room for the passengers, without hats).

Never mind. Just remember; if you are in the South West, and need a hat, Joan's your woman. Oh, and please can I come with you to help choose it?