In the Driving Seat

My Summer season starts with a trip to see my dad for Father’s Day. It’s an hour or so’s drive and as soon as I get in the car, lots of pieces of advice he’s given me over the years fills my head and makes me smile.

It’s the day when mum doesn’t get all the attention, when he is centre stage and we talk a bit about work, my car / house / love life, and of course this year, Covid will be on the menu, and we laugh at pranks we pulled on my kid brother and my mum over the years. Dad barbecues (weather permitting) and the table gets decorated in blue in his honour and it is full with bowls of salads and home-made bread.

This year it’ll be the first time I’ve seen Dad since Christmas, though work usually takes me all over the world, I’ve been at home but feel like I’ve been a million miles away. Shaking off the winter blues and coming out of lockdown is a bit emotional, but there’s a lot to look forward to.

After my trip to my childhood home, there’s a sailing trip in July and an intimate wedding in August. Then on to September when my other favourite season begins.

I think though, that this time of year is my favourite for menswear. Colour, linen, shorts, suede moccasins… they all scream Summer and that means adventure. Temperatures rise and so does the fun level. I’ve got Dad a raspberry red button-down shirt and moccasins to match. He’s always been dapper, a little quirky even, even throughout his long military career, he always stood out from the rest of the men in uniform.

One memory he recalls often, is the time when I fell off my chair, gashed my head and bled all over his mess dress shirt, so this red shirt is a bit of a tongue in cheek gift which he will explode with laughter at, as soon as he unwraps it.