Dear LPG, 

I am a pensioner who is very grateful to spend at least a couple of hours of every day out and about unless, of course, a friend or two is coming to visit me and, whether I have a planned appointment or a telephone call that provokes one of those moments where you grab your hat and coat, being out is the best way to meet new people and widen your circle of friends. 

A few of us were chatting about this subject the other day when one of the men in the group threw one of those questions into the mix, which is bound to cause a bit of gender-based controversy.  

We discussed the importance of spontaneity and how quickly we can be ready to drop everything and go when invited at short notice.  At this point, I need to tell you that the men were outnumbered by one, but there was a married couple among the five of us.

 
One of the male participants observed that men are much more able to be ready for an outing than their female counterparts.  He argued that no matter their age, when most get a spontaneous invitation, the modern man will pick up a coat, some money, a mobile phone if they have one and their front door key. They are ready for any eventuality, but that is an entirely different kettle of fish for the ladies.

As you can imagine, that comment became the verbal gauntlet that led to a ‘he versus she’ discussion, which kept us talking for some time as the women in the group tried to defend their corner.  But it did get me thinking about why we ladies need so many more essentials than men before we feel ready to cross the front door threshold.

We talked about what is in that handbag that we cannot do without. The phone mentioned above, keys and money are there somewhere, but that is usually the tip of the iceberg regarding what a woman needs at her fingertips when not at home.

Later, I spent a bit of time doing a little research to find out what the internet says that the average lady carries around in their handbag. Most of the websites I found mentioned my typical content, but we can be just as quick as the men when it comes to being ready for the off.   They forget that, for the most part, we keep our essentials in our handbags, and they are usually pre-packed and ready to go no matter how many more vital accessories they hold.  

KV. Lewisham.

KV shares some related information from the internet…
 

KV. Lewisham.

KV shares some related information from the internet…

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…and LPG adds some information on today’s celebration…

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