Happy Christmas, Festive Tootsies & and an interview with the Duchess

"It's Chrissssttttmmmmasss!" as the venerable Sir Noddy Holder once sang and yes indeed, it is.  2012 is drawing to a close and our thoughts turn to eating turkey, pulling crackers and generally drinking before lunchtime.  What are you all up to?  Mine's a quiet one and is being spent with the Duke, the Earl and the dowager Duke and Duchess - i.e. my parents.

I thought I'd enclose a snap of my latest pedicure - my toenails are adorned with Boots Number 7 'vivid violet' shade and I think you'll agree, it's both festive and fun.  You'll also, no doubt be impressed by seeing the bottom of my pyjama trousers - oooohhhh!   Lovely.

The Duchess on Feet: a festive interview

Q: So, what is it with you and your feet?
A: I guess it's because they're not conventionally attractive - i.e. they're far larger than the majority of women's in the UK where I believe that the average size is about 5 or 6.  The Grimms' Fairy Tale Cinderella has a lot to answer for, especially the original version where both of the Ugly Sisters mutilate their feet to fit into the heroine's tiny glass slipper.  Does this mean that women who sport a larger foot are deemed unattractive?  Yeah, probably.

Q: Have you ever dated anyone with smaller feet than yourself?
A: Yes indeed, I once 'walked out' (how I love that term!) with a gentlemen who had size 7 feet (eek!) - I must admit, along with a short stature, small hands and feet on men are pretty much a turn off for me.  My husband, the Duke has a sturdy size 11 which is perfect.

Q: Have you ever received any negative comments about the size of your feet?
A: I have on a few occasions, yes.  I seem to recall taking part in a trampoline lesson at school where we had to just wear socks and some of the other girls took the mickey somewhat.  I was always gutted that I couldn't purchase fashionable shoes from shops such as Dolcis and instead had to buy Hush Puppies instead. 

Q: You're a huge fan of Birkenstocks - what attracted you to the teutonic comfort sandal?
A: I once owned a Next copy of the footbed style sandal and really liked those but read that Birkies are the real deal.  The first pair I bought from Amazon was a three strap Florida style in a beige colour called 'ice' and they were immediately comfortable.  I wore them to death for about three years but adored them.  The next purchase was a silver pair of single strap Madrid and then the toe post brown Mayari.  I recall reading reviews of the shoes on the web; clearly I am a complete sad case!

Q: Do you have any other comments?
A: I enjoy writing the blog and am always impressed when I receive hits from across the globe.  Sometimes I'm not sure whether it's just people looking at the pictures and ignoring the text, but hey ho!