A Meeting of the Learned Society

There is a tiny handful of people who I know who will get this post (you know who you are ladies!) so I feel justified in blogging about my new dress

I've bought it to wear when I give a paper at a conference in July - it's the first paper I've given for ages and consequently I'm feeling rather nervous about it.

But wearing a yellow floral dress (which I intend to team with my favourite yellow cardigan and trendy chunky white sandals) can't fail to keep me smiling, whether the paper goes well or not.

I'm reminded of Mildred's purchase of a new brown velvet hat to cheer up her winter coat in preparation for a meeting of the Learned Society in Barbara Pym's Excellent Women. I just hope I won't feel like Mildred did once she got to the meeting and thought, 'It was a pity I had not thought of reading up the subject a little, that would have been far more to the point than buying a new hat'...