Balaclavas
One of the obvious victims of global warming is the balaclava. I mean when, outside of an SAS member, alpine skiier or a bank robber, did you see somebody wearing one? Perhaps it's all part of the backlash against the muslim veil, parents no longer send their little boys off to school wearing one in case they suffer a public stoning or worse.
Back in the late sixties/early seventies when I were a lad, the arrival of winter was heralded by the pulling from the drawer of the knitted balaclava - I had two actually, one in blue and the other in green. It was as much a winter ritual as putting dubbin on your football boots or breaking the ice on your free school pinta.
I suppose terrorists gave balaclavas a bad name in the same way apartheid stopped us eating cape grapes for the best part of thirty years. Also the big difference between modern schoolboys and older generations is that many are driven to school and if you drove through town in a 4x4 wearing a balaclava you'd soon have PC Plod on your tail.
Still, in an age when the tank top and cardigan have been allowed back into polite society there is still time for the good old balaclava to make a comeback.
3 comments:
I had a maroon uniform one at prep school and one winter we were issued with luminous armbands to be worn over our navy blue burberry mackintoshes that rendered us invisible in the dark.
My younger son recently cut ski mask holes in his black woolly beanie hat. So he's making a stand.
But as he was armed to the teeth and in combats I think he was doing SAS. At least I hope it was. He might have been turning over a sub post office....
I have never owned a balaclava. Small boys may be able to wear them without suspicion but on an adult they look very dodgy indeed.
Thanks Gavin - that's made me laugh out loud in the office which must worry some people as I'm on my own!
I agree Six - a few years ago I was on audit when suddenly two men in balaclava's appeared on the roof of the building opposite. They wandred around a bit so I called the client, after a few minutes they were joined by a third man - he was carrying buckets and a ladder, they were window cleaners!
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