Red hatted ladies of a certain age

Last week I met some of the local chapter of the Red Hat Society. They were splendidly dressed in scarlet hats and purple outfits and were having a great time at our local flower show. I had heard of them before but never seen them out and about in their full regalia.

The idea for the society came from this poem by Jenny Joseph

WARNING

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other peoples gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

I'm thinking of joining!

On a similar theme, an old friend of mine, Mavis, died last week. She would have definitely joined had she been younger but she lived their philosophy to the full anyway. She had been a Landgirl in the war and moved here permanently when she met her husband, a local farmer. I will miss her wicked sense of humour and her raucous laugh.