crinolines and screwdrivers

A fun day at York Castle Museum yesterday when god-daughter and I went to the costume demonstration and were laced into corsets and crinolines. The corset was surprisingly comfortable, but probably because it was too big for me. I loved the crinoline. We looked like wedding cakes, and it was like walking around in a protective bubble. Nobody could jostle you in the street if you wore one of those. Nobody could push past you in a doorway, and on a cold day you'd have room for two pairs of big knickers and a warm petticoat.

An item of not-so-Victorian advice I passed on to god-daughter this week - every woman needs her own set of screwdrivers. Always know where they are, and never lend them. It leads to a sense of self-reliance and a degree of independence. It also means you can mend the wobbly hinge on the loo seat and take the batteries out of anything that annoys you.