Wednesday: Clarks Finnis Teal mary jane wedges

Regular readers of this blog will be aware of my adoration for the two inch wedge heel (well, it's about the only two inch thing I do hold in high regard...)  So with this in mind I have purchased two pairs of Clarks Finnis mary jane wedges over the past year or so - one in teal, as pictured, and the other in a bronze hue.  Clarks do stock a ladies size 9 in some of their ranges, not all, but it's encouraging if nothing else as I find their shoes both comfortable and funky.

As you'll see, I'm wearing them with a pair of black jeans to provide a welcome 'pop' of colour during these dark days.  A colleague of mine said to me recently 'do you own any black shoes?' and the answer is, well, not really, most of mine sit firmly on the funky scale and I'm very proud of that.

I suppose I should talk a little about Clarks as a shoe brand, well I'm going to anyway.  From the memory banks they're a British company, based in Street, Somerset which is located in the West Country - a truly beautiful place, well for a holiday anyway, I can't categorically state that envisage a move there permanently because I'm very much a townie and would find it difficult to adjust.  Anyway, I digress.  Clarks shoes are very much part of growing up in the UK and still remain so to this day, my mother spent a great amount of money on shoes for myself and my siblings whilst growing up.  She ensured that our feet were correctly measured (in the slightly scary metal machine!) and shoes were fitted accordingly so that we all grew up with beautiful feet.  I have to say that the opposite is true for my poor husband, The Duke, whose father spent all of his money on booze and allowed his poor sons to wear ill-fitting cheap 'Winklepicker' pointed shoes, thus causing them to have hammer toes and other awful foot problems in later life.  Ditto my friend whose mother tried to hide her pregnancy in the early months via a series of corsets, thus crushing her baby daughter's growing feet in the process.  Sacrilege!

I did go on a school trip to Bristol and Somerset with my primary school in the 1980s and we visited the Clarks factory in Street then.  I can't recall much more about the trip, apart from the fact that some awful girl called Sharon broke my sticks of rock against a metal bunk, one of the teachers smoked on the coach for the entirety of the journey and some 'dodgy' magazines were discovered on the top of a wardrobe.  Nostalgia's a wonderful thing isn't it?

Monday: workout including sports socks and Nikes

Happy Monday morning world and here's hoping that Hurricane Sandy won't cause too much devastation across in the US.  What an awful thing the weather can be at times?  New York's so vulnerable.

Right, shoes, that's what you want to read about, isn't it?  This morning I woke up with the good intentions of working out, so I donned my three-quarter length leggings, baggy t-shirt and placed a pair of sports socks on my feet, and they're pictured above, in their full glory.  Next I selected my Nike women's training shoes, pictured below.  I do like a women's training shoe, femininity is all when one has feet as large as mine and I adore the pink 'swoosh' plus the silver relief is adorable too.

As for the workout itself, well let's just say that, although I walk everywhere, I'm not the fittest person in the Universe so it was a bit of a strain.  I used one of my Davina McCall box sets, well the Power of Three DVD if you're interested.  For those based outside the UK, Davina McCall or 'Davina' as she's mostly known is a presenter, former dancer and one of Eric Clapton's girlfriends from way back.  She has a reputation for being a bit shouty on air and is probably most famous for presenting the UK version of Big Brother, which she's done from the beginning, well until Channel 5 bought the format anyway.  As well as all of the other career defining stuff she's well known for being the face (or should that be mane?) of a popular hair dye range and for producing a series of successful workout DVDs.

Now don't get me wrong, I love being fit, but scheduling it into my day is a complete nightmare as you're not supposed to work out too late in the day because it disrupts sleep patterns.  I can't abide doing lunges though and do worry about my knees.  I think I enjoy Davina's DVDs mostly because they're very light-hearted and to witness all the heavy-duty flirting she indulges in with Mark, one of her personal trainers, who's an ex-marine and generally a buff bald bloke.  It's made all the more amusing because it's going on right in front of his wife, Jackie's eyes, who completes the husband and wife personal training team.  I personally like a bit of flirtation though, especially if it gets me throughly dark days of winter.

Until next time xxx

Sunday: Silver spangly Converse and a possible blister

Today I went to a special austim-friendly screening at my local cinema with my young son.  A big shout out to the work of the National Autistic Society, they do a fanstastic job.

Anyway, I wore my silver spangly Converse which I've owned for a while, they're great, but akin to all Converse, they do wear out hugely at the heel which is a complete pain.  They are again ruining the socks I'm wearing (knee length, pulled down to a slouch if you're interested) and causing another flipping blister!  I fear I'm cursed with all shoes in regard to excessive wear and foot rubbing.  I used to own a leather pair of silver Converse but the metallic coating on the leather started peeling away after three wearings so I had to return them, but Office Shoes were fantastic about exchanging them for a while leather pair, which is always nice.  I do wonder why I can actually buy silver spangly Converse in a size 9 as they're a unisex shoe - do blokes actually wear them?  I have seen a woman wearing them whilst presenting at last year's Boring Conference, but that's by the by and you'll soon discover that I do love a bit of metallic action going on in my life. 

Friday: returned defective desert boots and pink hi Converse

Today I'm sporting a pink pair of 'hi' Converse boots; I only own one pair of the boot version compared to their shoe 'lo' counterpart as, although I like them, they're much harder to get on and if you're in a rush to get out of the door, it's a bit of a nightmare.  They're very comfortable though, here's hoping that they don't get the excessive 'heel' wear my other pairs do, but saying that, they will because, as you know, I walk everywhere and conversely (boom boom!) wear things out.  Apologies for the sheer deluge of commas contained within the previous sentence, here's hoping the Government doesn't introduce a tax on punctuation, but don't suggest it - they just might....

It's sad news about my new pair of red suede desert boots because, after wearing them yesterday to work for just one day, the insole rucked up and was incredibly uncomfortable under the arch of my foot.  Therefore I returned them to the shop who gave me a full refund.  It's a real shame because I do love to support local businesses as opposed to the tax-dodging companies I tend to deal with.  Sigh!  However, it didn't necessitate a trip to the Post Office, so I'm more than delighted.  I think I'll have to do that on Monday morning if I sell some or all of my items on eBay and as you know, post office queues suck the life out of me.

Finally, a little rainy Friday treat - here's a piccie of of my feet resplendent with their Boots No17 crackle top coat polish.  I do love nail polishes - I keep them all in the fridge as I once read that it's the best place to store them.  I was very tempted to purchase a new make up kit the other day but stopped myself - it's strange, I didn't wear make-up until a few years ago and now I wear it every day unless I'm just schlepping around the house.  Eyeliner's my personal favourite as it makes my eyes stand out under my glasses as I'm very short sighted.  I bet you're all building up a strange mental picture of me now, aren't you?

Until the next time xx

Wednesday: new red suede desert boots and JML 'Shower Feet'

I purchased a pair of red suede 'roamer' desert boots from a local shoe shop this morning.  I have had my eye on them for a while and often like to go in, stroke them then leave the shop, but today I thought I'd cheer myself up and actually buy them.  I must admit that it was a bit odd buying something in an actual shop as I always tend to purchase my shoes online these days, but there is often an issue regarding them not fitting and having to return them, which is a complete pain in the rear.  I also bought some suede protector and a special suede brush from Wilkinsons and they and my beige suede wedge boots have now been duly sprayed on the kitchen floor.  I shall wear them to work tomorrow and will photograph and update the blog accordingly.

Whilst shopping in Wilkinsons and yes, I admit, I adore the place, especially early in the morning before it's too crowded, I spied the JML display.  For those not au fait with the wonderful world of JML, which stands for 'John Moore Limited' by the way, the late mail order magnate who also lends his name to a former Polytechnic in Liverpool, it's a veritable smorgasbord of wonder and it's just as well that I haven't got Sky TV access because they've a channel especially dedicated to the company.  I am sitting here, typing and staring at my JML DriBuddi (basically an upright clothes drier consisting of a pvc zipped casing covering a large hairdryer-style motor - available in all stores...)  Right, get to the point then!  Ok, they were featuring something called JML Shower Feet, which I attach a link to: http://www.jmldirect.com/uk/skin-care/shower-feet/invt/s36sf60100000001/  For those who cannot click on the link, it's a plastic brush/pumice combination which can be suckered to the bottom of your bath or shower to clean your feet, but here's a more fulsome description:

Cleaning your feet doesn’t have to be such a stretch. Shower Feet sticks firmly to the bottom of your shower or bath to make washing your feet easier than ever before.

This cleansing shoe uses over a thousand soft bristles to give your feet an exfoliating massage from top to bottom. The bristles are great at getting in-between your toes and there’s a pumice stone in the heel, so you can smooth away dry and damaged skin. It’s designed for feet of almost all shapes and sizes and attaches to most surfaces. Refreshing and revitalising your feet has never been so easy and felt so good.

I may just have to buy one now, preferably in pink.

Until next time....xx

Tuesday: beige suede Next wedges, blisters and more flipping mist!

Today was a work day so I dressed in my skinny brown cords and placed my Next beige wedges on my feet as they're fairly comfortable at a two inch heel height.  I think I bought them from eBay back in 2006 - heaven knows why I recall that, I'm clearly a bone fide sad case!  Unfortunately they have rubbed the little toe on my right foot so I've photographed it for your information - also I notice that if I upload a picture of a bare foot on my blog then I tend to get more hits - strange but true.  It's quite noticeable how swollen feet get during the day - hence the need to purchase new shoes in the afternoon apparently. 

Methinks I'll carry out a pedicure in a week or two and post some pictures of that.  That will no doubt tickle some of you and I may try out a new colour - I am a huge fan of red toenails.

Until next time x

Monday: mist, cleated soles and new slippers

Today I woke to a world of misty wonder and shod myself accordingly.  I wore my Doctor Martens Mariella knee-length tan boots today which feature a two inch block heel and cleated sole.  I love these boots, but they are rucking up at the back of the heel and have caused a blister, which isn't nice.  Boots such as there are pretty essential at the moment because all of the autumn leaves are making the pavements slippery and I nearly aquaplaned myself into oblivion the other day whilst wearing my Converse. 

I also decided to purchase a pair of fake ugg/faux sheepskin boots to replace the ones I'm selling on eBay at the moment, so I went to a couple of shops but was dismayed to find that they don't stock large slippers in most stores (boo!)  Therefore I went to good old Shoe Zone and I'm not sure whether you've ever ventured inside but it seems to boast the world's largest selection of non-leather shoes, but they do stock size 9 ladies shoes, so I cannot complain too loudly.  First I tried on a knitted style bootee which was on special offer but the size 9 didn't fit and my poor toes hit the end.  Therefore I ended up purchasing a black version of the ones I already own.  I'm wearing them now and they do need a bit of bedding in because they're a tad slippery at the moment.

Bye for now x

Sunday: ballerina socks, eBaying and all that jazz

Today's subject is socks - too small ones to be precise.  I bought a set of ballerina stretchy style cotton mix socks a while ago to wear under my Nike Sanyassi but sadly they weren't really fit for purpose because my size 9 feet stretched them too much and they tended to 'ping' off and ruck around my insoles, which was very uncomfortable.  Anyway, until yesterday they languished in my sock drawer, unworn and rather unloved, but I thought I'd rescue them from their malaise and wear them under my stinky fake Uggs, but I still experienced the fall off factor plus they didn't come up far enough my heel and my blister ended up getting rubbed.  They are so pretty and girly though, I just don't want to part with them!

Therefore I took some snaps, one is attached and I'm planning to list some items on eBay as it's free listings weekend (yay!)  I do enjoy selling on there, it's enormous fun, apart from the final listing and PayPal fees which make any profit margin pretty slender.  Ho hum!

Until next time...xx

Saturday: Doctor Martens Darla Boots and Guitar Lessons

Today I placed my Doctor Martens cherry red 'Darla' boots on my feet and headed off to my guitar lesson.  Although I love the look of these boots, the three inch heels are a bit too much for daily wear and the unyielding nature of the patent leather doesn't provide a particularly comfortable experience.  I am falling in love with Doctor Martens more and more - although I don't tend to wear their more traditional boots and shoes.  This is because, combined with the size of my feet, it would render me unfeminine (in my opinion) and I don't wish to look overtly masculine - also worn with slim or skinny jeans my plates of meat would look ridiculously large - akin to water skis.  

So, how are your guitar lessons getting on, you may ask?  Well, thank you for showing an interest, it's hugely appreciated.  Well, slowly, that's for sure - I just wish I was more naturally gifted in this area.  I mean, I can sing, but only by ear, but playing an instrument is a completely new ballgame, despite my electronic keyboard sitting in the corner of the dining room, slightly unloved.  I should be practicing for thirty minutes per day but I don't tend to adhere to that - my fingers really hurt after a while.  I'm also having to cut my nails down even more and I don't really like that.  Sigh, I suppose I have to suffer for my art!

A day for long boots...

Today it is a little dank, misty and wet outside so it was on with the skinny jeans and knee high wedge boots which I'm sporting in the photograph.  The humble two inch wedge is my favourite heel - it's comfortable to wear, durable and brings my height up to a whopping five foot eleven, which is nice.  It's such a shame that these beauties are wearing out and due to the rubbery nature of their sole, cannot be re-heeled.  Sigh!

The free listings weekend on eBay makes me ponder whether to sell my smelly old fake uggs or not?  On the positive side I could flog them and buy a new pair with the proceeds or keep them a little longer?  I just don't know.  Hopefully I'll make up my mind by Sunday :)

Thank you and goodbye xx

Thursday: Steel-capped boots, blisters, mud and moods!

I volunteered to assist with a major river's clean up this morning and boy, wasn't it squidgy?  Last night's rain sure caused a complete quagmire and I fell over twice on my rear.  I did get the resident photographer to snap the results though, which he duly did.  If you're turned on by mud though, please allow me to explain just how dense and glutenous it really was - the colour was variegated shades of black and grey and when I stuck the spade in there were a fine selection of red worms wriggling about in the dirty abyss.

Footwear wise, it was the Next biker boots which were exchanged for a pair of regulation steel toe-capped work boots (sexy!)  They were very hot to wear and made my sports socks feel very clammy indeed.  They also made my blister worse, which isn't good.  I enclose a picture of the aforementioned heel sore for your interest and information....

Until next time x

Wednesday: pondering how worn the Duchess's shoes get

I would love to be able to combat the bad foot odour I seem to generate whilst wearing my fake Uggs - it must be the synthetic nature of them, but it sure brews an awful stink!  Also, why on earth do my shoes and boots wear out so badly in the heel area?  I attach a pic of my Next tan low boots which are completely shredded at the back, not a good look you'll agree, but guarantee this, they'll be heading eBay's way in a few weeks/months.  I think it's because I do everything on foot, but still, you'd think I was an elephant by the sheer amount of wear I'm creating.  I don't think that they make shoes and boots particularly sturdily these days.  Hence my love of Doctor Martens - well the feminine range anyway. 

Yesterday I wore a smashing pair of M&S patterned brown tights which attracted a great many compliments.  I am a fan of fancy hosiery - but mind you, who isn't?  

Monday: Day - Sniffles, Russ Abbot, the benefits of longer socks and wearing fake Uggs

I shall complete a bulk amount of writing today because 1) it's my day off and I feel slightly run down with a cold and 2) I won't be able to write a great deal until the end of the week, hence the somewhat bumper edition of scribblings.  Music wise I'm accompanied by the mighty Russ Abbot, for all of those who don't know who this great man is, he and his titular 'Madhouse' were a stalwart of 1980s UK Saturday night entertainment.  Probably my favourite part of Mr Abbot's appearance was his rather lovely wig which I've no doubt would race towards a saucer of milk if one was proffered.  For all of you foot fans, apparently Mr Abbot once recorded a song entitled 'smelly feet' which I thought you'd all appreciate a mention of.

Shoe wise, I think I'll don some long socks and wear them with my fake Uggs.  I thought I'd enclose a photograph to illustrate this, just in case you haven't a clue what I'm talking about, but over the last couple of years I've been impressed by the comfort, security and streamlined look of a knee-length sock and I believe the comedian Rob Brydon agrees with this view.  In my opinion I'm a huge fan of them because my Next beige suede wedge boots tend to scrape my lower calf if I don't protect it with a lascivious mix of cotton, polyester and elastane.

Walking in Uggs, fake or not is a difficult operation - I read in last week's Sunday Times Style Magazine that worn, fake or not, they cause a phenomenon called 'Ugg Drag' - i.e. the foot isn't properly supported by the flimsy PU sole and therefore it affords the wearer a peculiar gait, which isn't sexy, I'm sure you'll agree?  I recall reading years ago that Uggs were originally invented in Australia as surfers' shoes to keep them warm after a long session on the board.  I'm sure they didn't charge £150 per pair on those days though! 

Until next time xxxx

Monday: Insomnia, milk, gerbils and my thoughts about cowboy boots

Hello all - I have been looking through my blogger stats and it's clear that I'm getting a fair amount of traffic from across the globe, so a big shout out to all of you non UK-ers out there. I do hope that you weren't too insulted by my comments on Friday - it was merely because I was being hassled by a number of people abroad when I last sold shoes on eBay.

Right, so what am I thinking about at the moment? Well, I guess it's surrounding the fact that I cannot sleep again and I'm therefore drinking skimmed milk (ugh!) and typing away in the dining room whilst my gerbils, named Monica Gellar and Rachel Green, are nibbling away on cardboard in the gerbilarium. These desert rats make great pets by the way, yes, I agree hamsters are cuter with their rounder bodies, pouches and stubby tail, but after many years of rodent husbandry I'm a huge fan of my girls.

 Shoes wise, right - I was looking on the Next website earlier for inspiration regarding cowboy boots and yes, I agree if I wore them over skinny jeans I would resemble a fatter Woody from Toy Story and I don't really own that many pairs of bootcut jeans as they're far too flappy on me. I found these: http://www.next.co.uk/g48208s3 - although the only review isn't too favourable and they're £75 to boot (boom, boom!)

Good night darlings x

Sunday: a rest day for the feet, but with some animal print action thrown in!

Over the last couple of days I've been a little boring with my shoe wearing - the red Converse got an airing as did my new leopard print ballerinas, the latter of which needs wearing in before embarking on some solid pavement action. Sock wise, those 'trainer socks' are all very well, but they slip down and have to be tugged back into place which is such a foot nightmare! My fake uggs slippers are getting worse - methinks a spin in the Bosch washing machine might be in order?

At time of writing I'm wearing my PU white Birkenstock Betula flip flops which are lovely but obviously not warm enough for the plummetting temperatures out there. I do enjoy wearing my red patent Birkenstock Madrids with socks which apparently is exactly what our German cousins do - they're mostly used as house slippers out there.

Bye for now!

Friday: day - blue Supergas, evening - python print boots

Yeah, I admit it - I like the attention, hence my first foray into blogging without the need to hide behind a persona, well, I suppose I am really, I'm not really a fully fledged Duchess anyway! I thought I'd share my foot, shoe, sock and hosiery in general musings with my small, but growing fan base. I must say that I'm more than delighted to do this because I've only experienced respect and admiration from the foot fan community and I adore it. The same cannot be said for our Continental Cousins who, when you state you don't post abroad get rather upset and somewhat insulting when they're rejected.... I enclose a picture of my relatively new blue Supergas - I purchased these as an alternative to my favourite plimsoll, the trusty Converse but I'm not hugely impressed so far. I did the school run on foot and also walked to the hairdressers, a round trip of some three miles or so and my poor freaky second toe on my left foot was very sore. I often experience this problem with shoes, the second toe is much longer than my big toe and hits the end of certain shoes - the worst culprits are Next who's size 9/43 has gotten much smaller over the last few years.

I am wearing my red patent Birkenstock Madrids around the house as I type: I adore these, as I do all Birkies. However, I cannot force myself to purchase a pair of their ugly shoes for use in the autumn and winter - they're too clumpy even for me. Also, how big would my feet look in a white pair of tho

se? I know that I could carry it off with my height, but I'd still look ridiculous, especially as I'm a huge fan of skinny jeans: I'd resemble a huge golf driver...(that's the sport, not the car...) I shall don my Next boots tonight for the tribute concert at my local theatre - they're three inch python print leather boots, I love them but I cannot stand for too long in them, so heaven knows how I'm supposed to survive over two hours' worth of dancing? Time will tell. Toodle pip xxx