Our high temperature today will be around 80, which raises two points…

Number one, whatever happened to Spring? I have a collection of lightweight coats yearning to be worn but when the seasons change so dramatically there’s very little need for them.

Number two, even though it’s March...has the time come to switch into warm-weather skincare mode? I’m neurotically obsessed with avoiding as much sun damage as possible, so the SPF 15 that I wear during the winter gets upgraded to 40 or so during the summer. Additional protection comes from hats...at the moment I have my eye on my husband’s Panama...and parasols. Ever since I saw Robert Capa’s photograph of Picasso holding a beach umbrella over Francoise Gilot as she walked along the beach at Golfe-Juan I’ve connected parasols with romance. Unfortunately I’ve failed to convince my husband to follow in Picasso’s sandy footsteps so I’ve had to downsize my ideal to the self-held variety.

I would love to find a Victorian parasol in a good enough condition to use but this has proved more difficult than I anticipated...so I’ve been making do with the Chinese paper ones, which are fun but lack a certain elegance. However, I recently came across these lace parasols and I think I need to get a black one to add to my collection. Admittedly, they’re not the most practical choice in terms of providing shelter from the sun but they do have the romance factor...plus, the crafty side of me is saying that I could try to add a lining under the lace...perhaps acid yellow peeking through the black?