Around on the city-west side of the Bay, not in proximity to any houses, I came upon a Bay walker, definitely not a sportster, in her pyjamas.
They weren’t the type of pyjamas that could be misconstrued as a track suit. They were the pastel flannelette type with the draw string pants and the button up top that were paired with some sheepskin- lined slippers.
At first I thought she could be sleepwalking but she did seem in the moment and moving at a pace that would be considered acceptable by most Bay walkers. I wondered if she had recently moved here and just didn’t know the comfy suit was meant to be worn only for bed!
I myself have made similar mistakes in foreign lands. In Japan, as a teacher, I greeted my class in a pair of blue plastic toilet slippers having forgot to remove them before leaving the toilet block! When my students realised they laughed hysterically and pointed at my feet.
I was humiliated on one level but also thought, ‘So what?’ It confirmed to them though I was another ‘baka gaijin’ – stupid foreigner! Their obsessive shoe removal ritual was really beginning to do my head in; understandable for someone who had spent most of their life in bare feet. And that’s before Plantar Fasciitis set in!
Actually, when I think about the suitability of pyjamas to the Bay Run and toilet slippers to the classroom they seem to be perfectly appropriate. Flannelette breathes and the adjustable pants allow for a range of movement and can be tightened when all those kilos come tumbling off. The top can be buttoned up or open depending on the weather or the phase of the walk.
But, most pertinently, they come in a wonderful range of colours and designs. I think I would go for the black and white ‘fat cow’ print, so much better than the purple strangulating lycra top I bought on special at Aldi.
Got Bay anecdotes? Message baybitch@ciaomagazine.com.au.
