Showing posts with label hats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hats. Show all posts

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Many Hats I Wear


I’ve had quite a few people find their way to my website this week just gone. It’s probably a good opportunity to introduce myself in more detail. Mostly I am a mum, wife, teacher who also happens to reside in Western Queensland, but I wear many other hats as well.

Wannabe Writer: Several years ago I started a blog to serve as a kind of journal about my seemingly unique experiences as a city girl making a life in the country. As it turns out, my unique experiences were anything but. There appears to be quite a few of us figuring this whole ‘Farmer’s Wife’ bizzo out. I have been fortunate enough to be able to have many of my musings published, which is not only great for a laugh, but also great for my ego.

P&C Mum: I try to limit my involvement in local community groups to a number just high enough to stress me out moderately, but not enough to send me into a complete state of meltdown. The P&C is one of those groups. I am passionate about my children’s education and find the P&C a welcoming, fairly straight forward commitment. This committee involvement has (at some point or another) also been the Show Society, Kindy Committee and Rodeo. It evolves with our social dynamics.

Soccer Mum: I’m not really a soccer mum. We only have JRL out here, so we spend winter weekends for a few months of the year travelling huge distances to watch our kids have fun kicking a ball around, and I definitely don’t misbehave on the sidelines. When the weather warms up, I swap my hat from JRL mum to swimming mum. The kids pretty much just swap boots and ball for togs and a towel. Same same but different.



Friend and Neighbour: There aren’t too many people out where I live. It pays to get along nicely with the small number of people who surround you. If you run short of bread or milk or barbeque flavoured rice crackers, a good relationship with the people next door is the difference between a 20km round trip, and an 80km round trip. Thankfully I actually really do like my neighbours.

Given all the different hats I wear, you would think that I actually wear a bunch of other (real) hats as well. I don’t wear too many hats. (Or rather, I don’t have a favourite). Incidentally I don’t wear an Akubra. I never have. But I’m definitely considering it, and actually, if I really think about it, it’s the hat I am most looking forward to wearing.

If you have any other questions for me, I’d love to hear from you!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Akubra

I want to buy an Akubra.

There's something about an Akubra hat. They are distinctly Australian in many respects. In fact, they have (as I learned upon investigation) been associated with Australia since they were first made in 1905. Akubra is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘head covering’. Therefore,



Back in my city days, you would have been hard pressed ever spotting me in any head covering at all. It just didn't 'gel' with my city persona. Very sad given my skin quality and the climate we find ourselves in, in Australia. Country people just seem to 'get' that in order to survive the extreme temperatures the sun can deliver out in these parts, you need to dress appropriately.

 Although worn in many outback areas of Australia, they are increasingly seen on the heads of people from all walks of life.

City girls.

Perfect for hiding a receding hairline.

Even Oprah had one on in her visit to Australia! You can google the image, but I had to remove it from my blog after the media company who took the photo asked me to remove it for 'out of licence use'!!! (I find it amusing they think my little blog is significant enough to warrant an image removal. I will name and shame them later :) )


The hats, which are made of treated rabbit fur, have been worn by Australian soldiers, political leaders and sportspeople. And by farmers. And farmers wives. And by farm kids too.


Years and years ago, CP told me that you can't trust a man in black Akubra hat.
Hmmmmm.... Sorry Lee!


And what about this well known black Akubra? Would you trust this man?


Or maybe CP just said that because he prefers the lighter coloured Akubra?! I have to admit that I haven't really paid that much attention to detail. Maybe someone can enlighten me on the subject?

My kids will be getting their first Akubras by the end of this year. I even bought one for the last nanny we had (as a going away present). I am truly fascinated by them.



 Interestingly, as much as I love them, I don't own one myself. I am almost at the stage where I really should buy one (having lived out here in the bush for over 10 years now). But I am more into hats of this persuasion...

Bright, sunny, pool side accompaniments. :)
I am currently in the business of buying a wardrobe that would befit an Akubra hat. Blue work shirt: check. RM Williams boots: check. The hat will be next. I promise. Even though I said all those years and years ago that it would never, ever, ever happen! Life is funny like that.

PS: Any recommendations or advise about buying my first Akubra?