The past is a foreign country (160/365)

[white_hart]

After nearly 15 months of lockdown or semi-lockdown, there are so many things from the Before Times that feel like they belong to someone else's life.

I haven't worn any of my coats since March 2020. When I go out, it's either in the car, in which case I don't need a coat, or I'm walking, and wear a waterproof jacket instead.

I used to wear necklaces for work, but I haven't worn any jewellery apart from my wedding and engagement rings and watch since March 2020.

My office is full of my work shoes and boots, which I obviously haven't been able to wear while I've been working from home, but I look at them now and can't imagine wanting to wear any of them again. The main reason why they are in my office in the first place is because they're not comfortable enough to walk to and from work in, and most of them were bought when I was still someone who wore skirts and dresses. And now I have an office full of shoes I may never wear again.

I'd pretty much stopped using shoulder bags before the pandemic, because they always hurt to carry, but unless I have a backpack full of work stuff (or a bag full of swimming kit) I mostly just have my phone and keys with me these days. (My phone case has a slot for my debit card; I haven't been carrying my wallet, with my other cards, and haven't used cash at all since last March.)

In anticipation of visiting my parents! and spending time with a friend who's going to be holidaying near Oxford! I thought that possibly I needed something in between Massive Work Backpack and what I can fit in my pockets, looked at all the bags I currently own, decided that they definitely belonged to someone else's life, and ordered a small sling backpack. I apologise in advance if doing this turns out to jinx the reopening and we all have to spend another six months in lockdown.

Comments

[oracne]

I know what you mean about bags - I've always gone back and forth between backpacks and messenger bags, because being out and about all the time meant I was carrying a water bottle and my e-reader and that sort of thing. Now, sometimes I only have a credit card and my keys.

[white_hart]

Yes, I used to take so much stuff everywhere! Books, knitting, reusable mug, reusable shopping bag, waterproofs or umbrella just in case, extra cardigan, chargers...

[cmcmck]

I've now said dammit and have started wearing jewellery again after a similar gap.

[white_hart]

I'm not sure I'm ever going to be able to be bothered again!

[nineveh_uk]

I started with a rucksack for work after doing my shoulder in just before lockdown, and only a week in was never going to do a shoulder bag for work again. I have, and will still use, them for other things, but big work bag? Rucksack for me now.

[white_hart]

I'd always used backpacks for work but had smaller bags for when I was just going out on a weekend or similar, and none of them feel like me any more.

[angelofthenorth]

Please don't jinx it - H will emigrate if he's stuck with Mum for 6 months!

[white_hart]

I really hope I won't, I don't think I can take much more lockdown!

[danieldwilliam]

MLW has a nice small leather backpack with a grab handle which solves her medium sized bag that is easy to carry but doesn't make her look like she's going to the gym issue.

I am thinking of retiring my wallet.

[white_hart]

I don't mind my bags looking like I'm about to do something outdoorsy, I just don't want to be carrying a huge backpack with nothing but my wallet and kindle in!

[antisoppist]

When I went to Son's gig I had to dig out leather shoulder bag to contain purse, phone, keys and book for emergencies, which is for Going To The Theatre rather than rucksack which is for Going To The Shop and it was very weird like from a former life.

[white_hart]

The other week when I was in the office my feet were getting really hot so I put on a pair of the office shoes (little purple pumps which cost a surprisingly large amount of money in a shop in Bath which I visited with ankaret about seven (ETA: no, it must be at least eight, because I remember having them in the job I left at the start of 2014) years ago, but which were clearly worth it given that I still have them seven years on) and every time I looked down it was like I had someone else's feet.

[alithea]

Gah, that was the trip to Bath I was supposed to come on, wasn't it? Should have ruddy well ditched work and come anyway! One day!

[ankaret]

I was just thinking that I'd met you when you wore dresses and jewellery, but it still seemed like an error in the fabric of space and time when you mentioned it. As if I'd gone downstairs and found Peter in red trousers reading the Telegraph, or got a phone call reminding me I'd signed up to become a missionary in Tibet.

[white_hart]

It was quite a long period of my life, and it didn't actually end that long ago, but it still feels incredibly distant.

[clanwilliam]

I cleared out a lot of stuff when I moved, but my shoe stash is quite small. Work outfits are pretty much the same as weekend outfits for me and shoes were all flats anyway and mostly walking ones already.

My best buy bag in lockdown was a Patagonia Black Hole ultralight tote pack, which packs down into one of its pockets and is remarkably comfortable to wear as a backpack as well as being very strong. It's currently my default bag.

But very excitingly, my new "train bag" arrived yesterday and looks like it's exactly what I need. And that's an insulated nylon tote with lots of well-designed external pockets that could have been designed to hold the stuff I want with me on a long journey!

[white_hart]

My "work shoes" were always a slightly doomed attempt to balance comfort and not actually looking like I'm going hiking, but I just can't be bothered any more.

Does the train bag have a special pocket for Vatican Cow?

[clanwilliam]

Sub-editors are not customer facing, and no-one gives a shit what our feet look like!

There is not a dedicated Vatican Cow pocket, but there are several where she can look winsome while peeking out, and there is at least one secure zipped pocket for moving fast while changing trains.

[alithea]

I have an old fashioned leather keycase which holds a few cards and a few coins and literally the only bags I've carried for about 2 years are a small cord messenger bag and shopping bags, and the vast majority of the time I just stuff my key case and my phone in my pockets and don't carry a bag at all.

[white_hart]

Same, at the moment, but if I'm going further afield or will be out for longer I will want more stuff with me.

[alithea]

Yes, it'll be odd to go back to carrying a backpack to go on longer outings when Mum's up visiting!

[sollers]

I stopped using shoulder bags after studying the bones of a young Neolithic man who had knackered his back by carrying a load on one shoulder and took to using a backpack that zips up the side facing my back and a neck purse which mostly contains cards - I haven’t used cash except at the local chippie since last spring.