Keeping warm, Che Guevara style

“Until victory always … [wear a hat]”
Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

Recently I lived in an icebox of a cute cottage shaded by a magnificent liquidambar tree and set slap up against a cliff, not far from Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was glacial in winter; even in summer it was chilly. Neighbour Martin reckoned our places were a good 5 degrees cooler than elsewhere in the city but I'd say it was more like 10.

When my sharemate Bonnie complained of the cold, I’d say, “Put a hat on”, because as a kid I’d read in a survival manual that you lose half your body heat from your head. Now according to “scientists” that’s a myth. Well I’m a hat fan and think science is a myth (it all depends on who’s paying the scientists).

It’s a nippy evening as I’m writing so rather than put on the heater, I’m wearing a red angora beanie Bonnie gave me when she left the country (thanks Bonbon!) and am toasty. But as Che Guevara would agree, you can’t beat a beret.

I have the classic revolutionary style (as popularised by Che in Cuba and South America) in black felted wool with a ribbon at the back and the semi-circular support in the front so it sits nicely and doesn’t squash your hair. Another great thing about the beret is that it’s usually thick enough to be waterproof so I can leave my umbrella at home. An elegant low-cost solution to keep heating bills low, avoid hypothermia, stay dry in a cloudburst (your hair, anyway) and look chic to boot. Vive la beret! – Sage

PS And hats off to the Bundeena fire service who kindly rescued my black and white cat Cowboy from the top (30 feet up) of a telephone pole early last Monday morning. Thanks firies!