I tried to go sock shopping yesterday. In most of the regular places, it appeared socks were out of season. Allegedly it’s summer, which means we are not supposed to wear them.

I went home, and looked at the name woven into the soles of my favourite, nicest coloured socks which I only wear when it’s really cold beacuse they’re knee high ones. They were from a very small, independent shop in Southwold, which I can’t remember the name of. They are striped, but in very tasteful colours which I would wear on other parts of my body, near my face etc.

The name on them was Gallo, which, it turns out, is an Italian sock manufacturer. They don’t appear to have a website to allow people to buy their socks online. There were several forums in which people were desperately trying to find out information about them. I searched for ‘Gallo socks’ and then went to Google translate and found out the Italian for socks ['calze'] and searched for that too. I found some on Italian eBay. I even attempted to Compralo Subito, but apparently L’oggetto potrebbe non esserti spedito! Which is rather irritating.

Gallo do have a lovely sales thing, which is a striped vending machine that sells their socks. I wish there was one outside M&S in York. But there isn’t. If there was, drunk people would probably set fire to it or something.

Anyway, the synopsis is that I have fallen dangerously in love with a brand of obscure Italian socks which is choosing to remain elusive. I have no idea what to do about this infatuation. It reminds me of being a teenager. Except with socks, rather than unattainable youth orchestra soloists etc.