The Story of My Hat

I always said I would never wear a hat, hats are for old men, and just there for decoration , often to make out you are better than others , which I definitely am not.

I can now be considered an old man , I am 64 and I am a granddad, and am very unfit and physically and mentally good for nothing , although I can pen the odd piece of prose to share with friends on Facebook , Twitter and Vocal. In fact it has been a prompt from a wonderful Vocal friend , with comments from close friends and family that have caused me to put pen to paper or rather finger to keyboard to share this with you.

My favourite hotel bar none is La Rosa in Whitby , although I often stay at Dillons, an amazing Guest House just off Pannett Park run by a wonderful couple Matt and Craig who’s breakfasts are to die for.

La Rosa sits at the top of West Cliff and then you have a steep descent to the river , across the bridge , and then up the 199 steps to Whitby Abbey which I always visit when I am in Whitby.

Anyway this particular day the rain was coming down and the wind was blowing , definitely not umbrella weather. I saw a lot of umbrellas being destroyed by the wind that day. Whitby and it’s Abbey have a magical pull for me and I really wanted to visit the Abbey but I just had a waterproof jacket but nothing to protect my head and hair.

☔🎩🎓⛑️👒☔🎩🎓⛑️👒☔🎩🎓⛑️👒☔🎩🎓⛑️👒☔🎩🎓⛑️👒

Was on the market near the Abbey steps and there was a stall with a variety of headwear . I talked with the proprietor and he suggested for £12 THAT HAT. It was waterproof and banded so would stay on my head even in the blowiest wind. I was a little dubious but took the hat then started up the 199 Abbey steps. It was blowing , it was raining on the North East coast , rain blowing in from the North Sea , and when I got to the top there was a warning that if you have heart problems or related conditions you should not attempt to climb these steps and maybe take a bus or taxi. I suggested that the sign be moved to the bottom of the steps , and , fair play , the following year it was at the bottom.

So I wandered round the Abbey in the rain and wind , and you know what , I was dry. Not only that I had both my hands free for taking pictures and the hat stayed on. I fell in love with my hat. It was practical and useful and meant that I would never need an umbrella ever again,

Since then if it’s raining, looking like rain I always take my hat out now , never an umbrella. Also people seem to like me in the hat as well , I am less threatening and a little cuter so someone said , or maybe I just imagined it.

I am not the only one who wears this hat. Brenda Blethyn as the geordie detective “Vera” wears one too , so it has become my “Vera” hat instigating lots of insane jealousy among certain groups of friends (in the best possible way.

So I did say I would never , ever wear a hat, and while I have a panama hat and several winter weather protective hats , the “Vera” hat is my most worn. I still would never wear a hat for decoration , only to protect me from the weather.

So that is the story and history of my hat, where it came from and it is now staying with me for a long , long time. Below are a few more hats from the past.