This morning on the way to collect the car from the Station I bumped into an old friend from Intensive Care who commented on my manbag.
She actually referred to it as a handbag which is by definition an incorrect term.
Manbags, I am reliably informed by The Prof , are slung across your body and not carried over the shoulder (Dick Emery Honky Tonk style) or held in the hand (Lady Bracknell style)
a manbag, he says, is an essential accessory for every modern man!
NowI don't know about that, but ever since the Prof bought me my Manbag for Christmas I have not mislaid anything, which for me is some sort of mega achievement
The items I presently have in my manbag are as follows
one pot of vicks vapour rub.
one pen,
one pair of novelty Christmas socks,
keys,
£2.30 in change
My wallet,
Notebook
phone,
Bluetooth earphones,
facecream (body shop)!!!!! - YES I MOISTURISE!!!
Clinique Happy
Mary's ear drops,
Beanie Hat
Here in the States I've heard them called a Murse. (Man purse)
ReplyDeleteNovelty Christmas socks? It is 12th night, tomorrow you probably should change them out for something else.... maybe TWD socks?
Helen
send me some
DeleteJust as well you didn't leave the whole thing on the bus. I am a pocket person myself and carry a contactless card, handkerchief and phone and loose change is a thing of the past.
ReplyDeletei wont do contactless
DeleteThis in reply to Rachel's comment: I don't get not carrying loose change. I often shop at our local market or in our Asian grocers (a big fat bunch of coriander here, a handful of chillies there) they sure don't take cards - anyway I'd feel ridiculous to pay 90 p or £4.30 with a card. And what of the odd homeless and/or beggar you come across? I am sure they don't take cards either. Or take me only earlier today: I was short of 10 p in the middle of nowhere (carpark). If there hadn't been a friendly soul with loose change in his pocket I'd have been stuffed.
DeleteU
Beggars get more than loose change from me. I carry notes for such occasions. My car has change for car parks. Contactless is quite fine for even a newspaper and there is nobody feeling ridiculous around here.
DeleteI don't trust contactlrss...I don't think it's safe
DeleteI keep a small running balance on the contactless.
Deletepls explain contactless?
DeleteYour card touches the payment thing and the required sum is deducted. Works for small purchases under £30. Like an Oyster Card on the London U/G. Touch and no pin.
DeleteBut it can be read by a reader held close to it....like in a queue or a crowded train
DeleteWow, I learned something - contactless card is new to me. You are all living in Futureland over there!
DeleteThis is why your manbag must have the very latest in anti-skimming technology. :)
DeleteNow Alan's jealous ... he just has pockets full of baler twine, keys, sheep nuts and sweetie wrappers.
ReplyDeleteI would never have contemplated a manbag before as I like Alan had pockets of stuff which I always lost
DeleteMary's eardrops, cute; sounds like my handbag when my son was a child.
ReplyDeleteGreetings Maria x
Mine is rather military looking, it contains pen, pad, and money. All the essentials.
ReplyDeleteIn New York, they just call them a "bag" ..
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, years and years ago, the Yankee and I went for a drive to Woodstock and I ended up buying this beautiful soft leather bag that looks very much like yours :)
Deletemanbag sounds better
DeleteWhat about Boy Bag?
DeleteYou know like Boy Band lol
I’d call it a messenger bag, not that rare surely, even in Wales....
ReplyDeleteAnd suddenly blogger knows me again! I wonder what that was about...
Dude- call it what you want. That's a purse.
ReplyDeleteAnd a very, very handsome one.
a purse? how very dare u x
DeleteLOL Ms Moon !!
DeleteI don't leave home without my 'manpurse' as we call it here.
ReplyDeleteThey are so handy I discovered about 15 years ago.....I hate THINGS in my pockets....any pocket....so this has been a very essential item for me.
In it: meds (nitro), phone, wallet, chequebook, poop bags for the dog, pen, business cards, and assorted cold/flu homeopathic tablets, Tylenol, aspirin and Advil.
I LOVE my manpurse!!
LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteShould be No rules for carrying that very attractive man purse. Personally, I hate seeing them slung across the body. Carry that bag with style...either over your shoulder or in the crook of your elbow. Work that thing! X
ReplyDelete...girlfriend!
DeleteI am only surprised by the socks. Do you not have spare novelty Xmas pants too?
ReplyDeleteI finally persuaded my man to carry a bag but he still stuffs everything in his pockets except a bottle of water that he carries around in the bag. Not a patch on your smart bag though
Trendy!! Very popular and often called Messenger bag, crossbody bag or satchel.
ReplyDeleteLike I said before I should have a pair of clean undies instead
DeleteYou will need another bag then. A bag organiser to insert in your Cross body bag, Which has lots of pockets to hide such things. We don't want any mishaps like emptying the contents of your bag in church to find any loose change in a hurry and your silver smalls land at the vicars feet. The village will think you very disorganised and therefore the best candidate to replace the last post mistress. Lol
DeleteI carried a messenger bag for a while (the brief techno-era of reading on iPads rather than the phone), but these days it's a gym bag, which is handy as it's large enough for my lunchbag as well.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite Washington, DC, phenomena is The Roller Bag Ladies - women who commute every day with a vast rolling briefcase/suitcase. They're everywhere, and we've developed a theory that they take all their work files home every night as a result of fierce disputes in their offices...
off to google then
DeleteI have a messenger bag bought in London many years ago
DeleteThe most versatile bag ever!
You see roller bags over here too. It's to carry your laptop etc rather than lugging it around. I have something similar but it's for when I tote my rather heavy sewing machine to class!
DeleteCalled a murse or messenger bag over here. Yours looks very nice!
ReplyDeleteits from John Lewis
DeleteIf that ManBag serves as well as my indestructible 'Deuter speedlite 20' you'll be mega-chuffed. Good luck and as you're in North Wales don't forget your Welsh-English dictionary, an emergency whistle, a flashlight with spare batteries and instructions for helicopter assistance.
ReplyDeletenow a small torch would be another good idea
DeleteYour phone probably has a torch on it John
DeleteInteresting contents. Your bag must be a heck of a lot bigger than mine although I do wear mine 'cross body' as it's easier on my back. I've often wondered how men manage to keep their lives in order without a 'purse'.....I couldn't function without mine.
ReplyDeleteit takes an age to pack... everything has its place
DeleteMy husband used to accuse me of having a Bag Addiction.
ReplyDeleteI have bags from other countries, all different colors, made of different leathers/cloth/snakeskin etc ...
designer and just fabulous no name bags ..
Lots of Coach, Longchamp ( thank you Harrods) ... bags are fun .
Sing it, sister! I love them too. Just before Christmas I bought one that is just about perfect. Not too big, handles just right so I can sling it over my shoulder or carry it in my hand. And it has all kinds of inner compartments and outer zippered ones. Plus, it didn't cost an arm and a leg. I keep all my loose stuff (pill bottle, lip glosses, cough drops, etc.) in removable zippered pouches so when I want to change bags I just have to grab those and switch them to the bag I want to use.
DeleteLOL " sing it sister" ... Love you, love your bag ~
DeleteThey are handy, who cares what they're called? My problem with any type of bag, is that it's just too handy for SO to say, "Can you put [this] in your purse?" Before long it weighs 20#
ReplyDeleteAfter a lifetime of hand bags and back packs, I finally settled for a rolling carry on bag to spare my back and arms. Small change and tickets are kept in the pockets of my coat/pants.
ReplyDeleteI really must question why you have a beanie and a pair of socks in that bag!? My purse is slightly too wide for my bag and it is causing me no end of irritation as it takes too long to take out. It is on my list of things to rectify.
ReplyDeleteBy the state of my flatulence I should also have a spare pair of undies in there
DeleteBag/Purse .. we call it the same thing here ..
ReplyDeletePurse is a bit feminine for me
DeleteTrue ... bag is fine .. got your bag ? I call mine bags, I rarely say I've got my purse .. Blogger or my computer are a bit haywire .. auto correct on speed etc. So excuse deleted or incomprehensible posts ..
DeleteYou would never catch me with a manbag! According to The Prof's definition that means I am not a modern man. Perhaps I am a prehistoric man... or possibly I am the bogeyman! What I need goes in my pockets - wallet, keys, handkerchief and some loose change.
ReplyDeleteYou are a yorkshireman they don't do bags
DeleteExcept coal bags
DeleteOr old bags?
DeleteTea bags?
DeleteRag bags?
DeleteCross body bag...that's what we call them. Yes, every person should carry a bag. I wear small backpacks since I have very funky hands. No jars of things for me tho. :)
ReplyDeleteMy are is big enough to contemplate a bum bag .if look like Beyonce
DeleteInteresting what you say about wearing a man bag across the torso. I see this mostly with girls and women and always thought it had to do with safety as it's more difficult to snatch off than a bag on your shoulder.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, your bag (not least its colour) is most stylish. I can tell your Prof has taste. As to the socks: If you were a woman you'd make that a spare pair of tights/stockings. They usually ladder at the most inopportune moment, like, say, when on your way to an interview or an important meeting.
Main thing, my dear John, and I do this religiously, is to empty your bag and pockets every evening. That way you'll avoid digging around in a cesspit the next day.
U
PS As resolutions go I can see I have fallen at the first hurdle. Never mind. That's what saddles are there for. To get back onto them. Other than that I blame your irresistible blog.
Who have you upset this time?
DeleteMy son is very attached to his Man bag which my daughter tells me is actually called a Messanger bag. It's bigger than yours, more satchel like and he did use it at school / college. It's very soft leather strung across his torso as he rides his bike everywhere. He looks very cool.
ReplyDeleteHusband wears his jeans pockets out caring keys and change, perhaps he needs a man bag.
It's kind of comforting having everything in one place
DeleteMy dear departed mother would approve of your pot of Vicks. She considered it the magic elixir that could cure anything short of cancer. (And maybe even that, but the research hasn't been done yet.)
ReplyDeleteIt works best when you run it on the soles of your feet
DeleteI think a man bag is sexy.
ReplyDeleteSo do I
DeleteThe manbag looks great; I remember a comment that Lily Savage made many years ago about keeping a house brick in her handbag - I don't do that but sometimes I pick my handbag up and it seems to weigh a ton.
ReplyDeleteI could fill one twice the size ...go figure
DeleteDon't understand your comment: apologies if I've offended you
DeleteDon't be silly...I was saying that I could fill a bag twice the size of my man bag...I just love it
Deletecountry gal, my husband used to tease me about the weight of my bag too .. telling me if anyone bothered us, I should just swing my bag in their direction .. or ask them to hold it for me and their arms or backs would break lol
DeleteI hate and always have hated the word purse for some unknown reason. So I have a canvas messenger bag which I wear cross body. The spouse has a leather patchwork backpack which he strictly carries by the top loop style handle and which is approaching apocalypse survival levels! Its weight is substantial and it is therefor not so much carried about but is ferried from house to car to office etc.. Your bag is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI hate purse too , and I don't know why
DeleteHow I wish my partner would carry one. Instead he loads me up.
ReplyDeleteMy man has used a man bag since I met him in 1980. They are very useful. We have called it a man bag or sometimes a "murse". Every so often when I am feeling snarky I will call it his purse.He has so much crap with him these days, that a manbag is not enough. He now carries a tote bag as well.
ReplyDeleteNah, a murse is a male nurse (manbag optional)
DeleteI have one purse. I rarely carry cash.
ReplyDeleteLike our queen
Deleteit's black too.
DeleteIck, sorry, John and Prof. No purses here, that s why god [or Medieval Man] invented pockets. Aren't you worried you'll lose the darn thing, with your whole life inside?
ReplyDeleteno
DeleteIf you love it and it is useful and a valued gift that is what matters. I'm just anti purse, personally, for women too. So many women carry a bag that weighs more than my pug, literally! And he is a big pug.
DeleteI carry a large messenger bag all of the time. I have no idea what all is in there (one small plastic penguin) last November I had an impromptu overnight trip to Florida, and there was enough in my bag to get me through that comfortably. Maybe I should go for a smaller size?
ReplyDeleteI've tried to persuade Paul to get a manbag but he refuses. I curse everytime I pick his trousers up and the contents of his pockets scatter across the floor.
ReplyDeleteRead him this blog
Deleteas i read the list of your bag's contents I wondered how on earth you fit it all in there. It's a lovely bag but you probably should get a larger one as well, just in case you ever need to carry anything else ;)
ReplyDeleteI take at least 5 minutes carefully packing it! How sad
DeleteI wish I could convince The Other Half to manbag. He has the very largest mobile phone possible, and thus all jeans must have the largest pocket possible for the phone to go into it, which limits the choice somewhat.
ReplyDeleteAnd all the ones the phone fits in are usually the cheap jeans which given to a man such as himself, last only 2 weeks before a hole appears or the zipper breaks or the button detaches, at which time he throws a man tantrum and refuses to buy any more jeans, going back to wearing the jeans he had when I first met him. Which have lasted a very long time, I will be honest.
Yet the phone has to be forced into the pockets of those, and cannot be removed while in a seated position, which means if he forgets to take it out before getting in the car, if it rings while in his pocket there is no hope of receiving that call because it will take a good two minutes of squirming and wriggling after one pulls over to the side of the road to remove it from the pocket.. even if one gets out of the car it is a procedure in which several 100 metre races at the olympics can be run and won in.
What is his objection to the manbag? I cannot work it out. He has friends who manbag, but he just refuses. I suppose if he had to carry a laptop, we would be hunting for an even larger jeans pocket.
You know, we are watching the Indiana Jones trilogy at this time, and Indiana carried a manbag. I will remember to point this out during the next movie. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely cross body bag John ever so handy.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could convince my DH to use a man bag. He too stuffs has pockets. He carries work documents in a very classy leather bag I got him - over his shrieks that it was too expensive, but the leather has lasted the test of time, which cheaper material wouldn’t have done.... so your lovelay leather man bag gets my Big Tick of approval.
ReplyDeleteOh John, the perfect excuse for eating the newly bought Scotch Egg, it just wouldn't fit in the bag.
ReplyDeleteIt's hilarious that just as men are discovering the manbag, many of us women who have pinched nerves in our shoulders from carrying our lady bags are downsizing to what will fit in a pocket! I carry my small zippered purse just larger than a credit card with cards, ID and cash in it, plus keys and small flip phone - and that's it. It's very freeing!
ReplyDeleteBut I hasten to add that yours is a very nice manbag :)
ReplyDeleteI think manbags are smart. I only wish my ex would have carried one instead of jamming his wallet into his back pocket (of course that's SO unstealable) where the bloody thing fell out every time he sat down to drive! Anything beyond that was handed to me with a "here, put that in your bag". I have to admit though that I once hurt my neck and had to go to see an osteopath to get it sorted. Before even looking at me he picked up my handbag and made the "weighing it" sign. Told him everything in that back was absolutely necessary and to not even go there! Anna
ReplyDeleteI would call it a Messenger Bag. I had one just like it when I was very young and likeable!
ReplyDeleteThis is a normal part of life here for men. Nothing female about carrying a bag. It simply makes sense and you don't have to justify it by calling it a "manbag." AND men carry bags like yours, smaller/flatter versions, clutch-like bags with no straps... you name it. And without embarrassment or apology. When we were in NYC last year with our bags, we did get some sideways glances. They all need to grow up.
ReplyDeleteAs Howard cycles to work sometimes, he has a backpack, which is about as understated as you can get - black nylon, into which he shoves all manner of stuff - lunch, bike repair kit, reading matter, groceries, gardening tools and so forth. He's got a high-viz waistcoat to wrap around it for journeys after dark.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of moisturiser, now that he's pretty much recovered from the skin cancer op on his face. (He thought it was an infected whisker follicle until it got wider), Howard is instructed to wear sunblock. I have been on an him to do so for a while, with the added advantage of providing a barrier against the grime & pollution in London, but now he's well & truly been told. I still have to make sure I see him put the stuff on, as he hates the extra hassle.