New Tricks For An Old Dog - Skills for 2014!

As 2013 draws to a close, I thought a light-hearted blog (with a little message inside) was called for so here goes.

I was in New York just before Christmas and bought my first ever pair of Levi 501's. The additional first was that these have the first button fly I have ever worn in my over 50 years of life. When trying them on in the shop I only did up the top waist button so it was only when I got them home I encountered my challenge.

Now I have talked before about some skills you should learn from your father; things like how to shave, how to handle yourself in a barbers, how to get your shoes polished, etc.. I hadn't thought that fastening one's trousers fell within this arena - one just knew how to do this. With a zip fly my technique is fasten the waist band then pull up the zip - simples.

When I did this with the button fly, the technique let me down. In part this was because the demin was new and stiff so any buttoning was harder than necessary, but more importantly doing up the waist band then cramped the space left for my fingers to manipulate the studs. I hurt my fingers and failed to fasten the top stud.

Now my father was not around and my house is full of ladies so I had to work this out myself - and I did. I realise that this may be second nature to many readers, but to me this was new. The secret (if one can call it that) is to button the fly from the bottom stud moving up and fasten the waist band last. So simple really, but as I said a first for me.

So now I have added a new skill to dressing arsenal - I can fasten button fly trousers! :)

The next one I want to master is this method for tying a tie.

With these I should be all set for 2014!!!!

Happy New Year one and all ....... and why not look out for the new skills you have aquired in 2013 or want to learn in 2014.