viva la parasol

Just in time for our painting party and barbecue this weekend, I have procured for the backyard a freakin' huge parasol (translation: patio umbrella). It stretches out four metres wide and has a clean, crisp white fabric shade. Just imagine sittting in the luxurious shade on the backyard sipping drinks on the patio. I'm giddy with excitement!

And I managed to snag the whole shebang for forty-three dollars and change, just a little less than half the regular price. It was one of the display models, and I had the J call me when while was taking down the summer displays to let me know if there was a parasol among the things for me. Another one of the perks of the job - first pick of the marked down cast-offs!

The word parasol makes me think of pretty pink umbrellas, or lacy, frilly things that Eliza Dolittle would hold with both hands and twirl as she sang. My newest acquisition is neither lacy, nor frilly. It's strong and heavy, and big as a sail. Speaking of which, I designed an ad promoting the summer range a few months back, playing with scale and proportion. It had a parasol stuck in some funky summer glasses. The tagline read "who said parasols were just for girly drinks?" It almost flew, but got pulled at the last minute in favour of another more conservative ad concept that I pulled together. Too bad. I would have liked to see the public response to the girly drinks ad.