It's been a week of trials for me, starting with contacts and then trying out my outfit for Friday's ball...with dubious results!

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I am trying out soft contact lenses at the moment and not getting on with them very well. I used to wear gas permeable lenses six years ago. I had them about seven years but finally got fed up with the faff: both discomfort wearing them and taking them in and out. I have an astigmatism so at that time I couldn't have soft lenses, which are supposed to be more comfortable. I was delighted then, when the optician said they now do monthly disposable soft lenses for people with astigmatisms. The pair I am trialling certainly seem more comfortable to wear than my old gas permeables. Unfortunately though, they don't correct the vision of people with an astigmatism (uneven eye shape) as well as glasses, or gas permeables. (I'm not sure of the science of it but basically soft lenses are bigger than gas permeables so move around more on the eye.)I'm having problems as the lenses seem to keep moving out of focus. I'm not sure if it's just me not doing something right, but I fear it may be because of the astigmatism.

Originally, I had been hoping to wear the soft lenses instead of glasses for my husband's work's summer ball on Friday night but I don't feel anywhere near comfortable/happy enough with my vision with them. I also don't feel very natural in my outfit generally. I don't really do dresses or skirts, let alone a proper evening gown. Still, I tried it all on today, minus the proper hairstyle and make-up.

Much better news for my planned week of non-writing but lots of reading is that The Butcher's Hands finally arrived earlier this week. I've had Catherine Smith's poetry collection on order from Amazon for nearly a year now, since reading her excellent collection Lip. I've only read the first two poems so far but it looks very promising, so here's to lots of poetry reading over the next two days...and not getting too drunk at my husband's do!