For the record again

Trainers on the blink again, after just about six months, almost to the day (see reference 1). On this occasion, the sponge making up the inside of the right heel was the point of collapse (black in the illustration left), the soles of both heels were quite worn and the front right netting was developing a hole. Plus, the trainers had become a bit feeble, they did not seem to be offering much foot support. After four or five pairs of this popular trainer (Moab Ventilator), was it time to raise my game?

And there the matter rested until I passed the Epsom Millets, where there appeared to be some sort of a sale on. Were they, once again, on the brink of closing down? However, despite the modest appearance of their boot and shoe section, right at the back of the shop, they could manage at least two different sorts of Merrells in my size, the Moabs and something else, a something else which was more boot like than shoe like. Maybe offering more support. With another important difference being that the covering of the inside of the heel looked to be some kind of fabric, rather than some kind of sponge. Maybe that and the slightly different shape would prolong its life beyond six months. Yet another important difference was a label claiming massive discount and that I could have these boots for only very slightly more than I paid Cotswold for the shoes, that is to say £85.

The young man assisting me was slightly bemused to be presented with a pair of old shoes, less laces but still warm. The laces, in memory of FIL and his customs, will be recycled. I still have his bag for this very purpose.

Hopefully, I will now be able to climb like an animal, like it says on their site (see above). The things the marketing chaps think up for us to buy into.

BH not too happy about my universal footwear now being boots rather than shoes, but I don't think the average person, certainly not the average male, would notice unless one was wearing shorts, a practice I parted company from more the fifty years ago.

Oddly, when I go to the Merrells site to see how much I had actually saved, these particular boots, despite there being between 50 and 100 different sorts on offer, did not seem to exist. (Counting having been confused by my being confused about whether boots and shoes and were mutually exclusive categories on the Merrells web site - and I was certainly not into that kind of checking). Were Millets into fakes from somewhere in the Far East, other, that is, than the shoetown in China where the real things were assembled? That apart, it does seem very wasteful to have so many variations on sale, most of which must be very slight variations and the only good reason I can think of is that it gives urban males of a certain age and orientation something to talk about on street corners. All that energy which is not going in gainful employment needs to find an outlet somewhere.

I associate to the equally wasteful number of brands, shapes and sizes of bottled water.

Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/for-record.html.