Transitional Little Toe + New Clarks National Sugar Biker Boots

I bet you're all asking the question to yourselves 'what's happened to the Duchess these days?  Doesn't she care about the myriad of foot fans who hang on her every word across the globe?'  Well, here I am, back again, talking about feet and shoes, just the way you like it.  Actually, if you check, I do write a whole load of other blogs too, but they don't encounter half as many hits as this one still does, even in a dormant state.

Firstly, feet - well, it's the UK in September and the weather's turned for the worst, which is a shame.  I am looking out at my garden and seeing all all of the rain falling onto sodden ground.  Therefore my poor Birkenstock collection will have to return to their boxes on top of the wardrobe until next May, more's the pity and I've had to find alternative footwear this week, wherein lies the problem.  I'm sure regular readers will recall the splendour of my Clarks zebra print boots which I wore on Tuesday and being slightly pointed they caused issues with the little toe on my left foot.  I made the problem worse on Thursday by donning a pair of red patent Clarks Finnis asymmetric mary janes which rubbed and as a result, I could barely walk.  Here's a picture, poor old tiny toe, that's a massive blister isn't it?:

 New season, new shoes - right?  Yeah, with bells on.  Clarks were offering a 20% discount off of full price adult boots and shoes so I cleared it with the Duke and jumped straight in, purchasing a new pair of biker boots to replace the ones which have turned green after years of use combined with being consigned to the front porch.  The style is called National Sugar and the have a superb grippy sole combined with a low (1-2 inch rubber heel) and I think I'm in love.  I have already covered them in Dubbin to protect them against the English weather and they're ready to go next week after a short period of wearing them in first. 

As well as the black leather version I bought they also offered the style in grey suede and brown leather but the former isn't really suitable for this climate and the latter is a tiny bit samey and closely resembles a pair of knee length Doctor Martens diva boots I already own.

Here's a front view - lovely aren't they?  Very clompy indeed.  Mmm.  Also, here's another huge thank you to Clarks for producing a size 9 in quite a few of your funky styles: it's brilliant!

Ninety Posts - Not Out

I bet you're all out there in cyberspace wondering what on earth has happened to the Duchess's foot blog, aren't you?  Then wonder no more, I'm back, but it's only a temporary return as I have seriously used up most of my foot and shoe chat for the time being.  I have recently been away on holiday and as a result, my feet are nice and tanned; to be precise they are sporting a Birkenstock Gizeh-shaped tan, as pictured in the first shot, although to be honest, it's barely discernible as a result of the flash:

I did quite a lot of mudwalking whilst way and for those who aren't au fait with such things, it's when one walks along the mud when the tide's out and I attach a picture below of the 'after' effects.  The minerals in sea mud are wonderful and sinking one's feet into the squidgy mud is rather splendid and squelchy.  Mmm.  Actually, it barely looks like my feet at all and to be honest, you'd see better plates of meat gracing The Chamber of Horrors in my opinion, but I thought you'd appreciate the shot anyway, which was taken about a month ago now, hence the different shade of nail polish I'm sporting. I have absolutely no idea why they're so swollen looking?  My feet are usually much more streamlined than that.

Finally, I suppose you've never seen my Next sequinned flip flops have you?  Well, here's a pic for all of you fans of 'thongs' of the foot kind (not the knicker kind as I really hate those, there's nothing more uncomfortable in my opinion and I'd much rather wear the kind of brief which is commonly known as the 'apple catcher').  They're a size 8 and therefore a little small, but I've had them for years now and rather like them; actually I'm wearing them now as I type.

Friday: A mosey around M&S

Yes, it's Friday and boo it's bloody raining again, but luckily I'd returned from the shops before the first raindrops hit the pavement.  My stomach is really annoying me at the moment as it's massive and no, I'm not pregnant, I'm just very lardy at this present time.  Yeah, I'm going back on a diet but it's not nice as some of my jeans are cut a bit too low and I have a hangover of amorphous glutenous fat hanging around my midriff.  Anyway, I ventured into M&S this morning to spend the £5 voucher I was granted the other day which expires tomorrow.  Walking around I could not see much that I really wanted - the £9.50 cotton shorts were too skimpy - i.e. they would reach a few inches down my leg, thus exposing my un-toned upper thigh; as I already own a pair of Levi's shorts which are a similar length I could not expose the public to such sights, so I passed them by.  As for anything else, well I just couldn't be bothered to buy any more middle of the road middle aged clothing, so I plumped for these instead:

They are of course to wear under my new hot pink Clarks ballerina shoes.  I do love them so!  That is of course, that I adore my shoes, not footsies, I think you'd have to be a sadder person than me to get excited about the prospect of wearing foot hosiery. 

Friday: Foot note + The Summer Solstice

Happy Summer Solstice!  It's officially the longest day of the dear and I'm not getting naked with the druids in Stonehenge, but am still trying to recover from this cold/chest infection at home, thus I am living a strange life full of TV, toast and comedians' biographies.  OK, you may say, and how's that going?  Well, it's all very well but I really want to get back into the swing of things before too long as there's a Duchess-style dent starting to appear on my sofa at the moment.  Hopefully my DVDs will turn up at some point, but failing that, I'm enjoying the BBC comedy series Extras, especially since it's been available via Lovefilm instant (although not last night when it singularly failed to load.)

Here's a picture of my toes, duly painted with Boots No7 chili red.  Do you like them?  I do - it's just a shame that they haven't seen much sandal action this year, well what with the weather being as bad as it has been.  Bah!

Friday: ooh, new Clarks shoes, ooohhh

Yes, I have new shoes and indeed, they're great.  I purchased them in the Clarks sale and the style is called Carousel Ride and the colour's fuchsia.  To wear they're great - lovely and roomy (unlike their Next patent counterparts!) and they contain the brand's patented softwear, which equates to some nice padding in the inner sole.

Mmm, I think I'm in love with them already ;)  Just in case you cannot see from the pictures, the fabric's a microfibre or suede mix.  I don't think that they're leather anyway.

Finally, here's the box and I am so grateful that Clarks offer a size 9 to their customers and glory be, it's a 'proper' size too, not one of those namby pamby skimpy size 9/42, of which I've written loads about in the past.

Now, here's the rub, how on earth am I going to store all of these blasted shoes?  Eeek.

Sunday: Time for a break? Maybe, or maybe not.

I have decided to take a break from writing this blog for a while as I'm running out of steam!  I do have a callus at the moment if you're interested and quite frankly, if you're excited by that, then God help you!  Do check out my other blogs though as I'll still be penning those.

Of course, when and where I purchase new shoes or find some old ones I haven't worn in a while I'll try and write something; otherwise not.  Toodle pip for now.

*Update* after less than twenty four hours I've purchased two new pairs of shoes in the Clarks sale, so suffice to say that I won't be hanging up my blogging credentials for a while.  Tsk, I'm so flaky....

Friday: 7 denier appearance illusion tights

Yesterday I attended an event which I needed to dress up for, hat and all. Of course, I'd love to share the details with you, my internet public, but I cannot, more's the pity.  Anyway, as I understand it, your interest really centres around tights and feet doesn't it?  OK, well you're well-served anyway.  I wore a pair of M&S 7 denier appearance illusion tights as they went with my Boden Amalfi dress so much better than clunky opaques, but unlike their thicker friends, they weren't particularly comfortable, despite being a size XL.  They reminded me of the thinner tan and barely black nylons I used to wear when I started work, many many years ago - i.e. they were never long enough and the top seams used to chafe my inner thighs accordingly.  Perhaps you think that that would be arousing?  Well, no it's not particularly.

So, here they are - fresh out of the packet and raring to go.  At about 1pm I was enjoying a pre-drink with my husband, The Duke, and retired to the ladies - I pulled up the aforementioned hosiery and lo and behold, a huge ladder appeared! Argggghhh!  Luckily, being skin coloured it wasn't too obvious.

It rained yesterday, more's the pity and I did worry that the back of my legs would get mud splatters from walking on grass - they didn't though.  Talking of such things, quite a few of the ladies wore spiked or stiletto heels, which sunk into the sodden earth.  Some of them sported high wedges which, when allied with a substantial platform, always look like the wearer has hooves or suchlike.  Call me boring (you, never!) but I chose to wear my red patent Clarks mary jane wedges, as they're both comfortable and functional.  I realised that I'd be on my feet for the majority of the afternoon and shod myself accordingly.  I swear that I'm sounding more and more like my mother as the years roll on.

One of my colleagues didn't know what patent leather was?  Really?  Apparently not, but as I've previously discussed, I love the stuff.  Yum, shiny shiny!