David Mitchell

One of these people is an egomaniacal model with a tiny brain. The other is Derek Zoolander from the 2001 Ben Stiller film Zoolander.

But seriously. What is happening here? Well on a Saturday afternoon last April, we were down on Portavoe beach, between Bangor and Donaghadee, and bumped into Jen from True North Life (from whom we have bought a load of stuff) and her friend Claire (who I know from uni). They were taking photos of their products in the sunshine and got me to wear a few items. It was a laugh and I got to keep the ‘infinity band’ (a neck warmer) and headband. How about that blue sky, eh?

So at long last, ‘unisex headband model’ is now firmly etched on my CV. True North Life’s stuff is great – check it out here – and it came to us at the right time in our lives. I’m not sure if it’s being a dad, or the pandemic, or getting old, but in the universe of possible lifestyle priorities, finding the right things to wear outside is much more important than it used to be.

All those lame things your mother once said about wearing sensible shoes, a waterproof coat with a hood, and layers that you can take off if the weather changes, become your own internally generated wisdom sometime in your 30s. If the gear is well designed, so much the better. Before going outside, I have to hold the kids at gunpoint to get them to put on a jacket, while I suit up like a crime scene investigator.

But as I always say, as long as you’re outdoors, you’re on holiday.