Real stories · The jumper that argues with November

November in York is fifty shades of grey pavement — this jumper refuses to join in

Flowers you can't kill, in the middle of November — that's what this jumper is. I'm 67, and from Halloween to March, York conducts itself entirely in grey: grey sky, grey pavement, grey anoraks as far as the eye can see. Every winter I feel my own wardrobe surrendering to it, one sensible dark jumper at a time.

What I wanted was something warm that refused to surrender.

Then I found the Melivra from a British label called York Boutique — a deep soft fleece jumper with a neat half-zip collar, in grey absolutely covered in big cheerful orange flowers. Mine is the orange; there's a yellow-flowered and a pink-flowered one as well.

The fleece does the warmth and the flowers do the rest. It's thick, soft pile that's warm the second it's on — light and breathable with it, and gentle against the skin, no prickle anywhere — which is why it's become the default for every grey morning. And the flowers are not subtle, which is entirely the point: the greyest street in York now gets a small, well-insulated parade.

Deep soft fleece that's warm the moment it's on, covered in big cheerful orange flowers — which is why the greyest school-run morning now gets a small, well-insulated parade.

It was £54.95, half the usual £110, and I did hover — then counted the grey mornings between now and March. Roughly a hundred and twenty. That's pennies per act of defiance. A fortnight to send it back and free delivery settled the rest.

It has since done a week of drizzly school runs, one bakery trip in proper rain and a coffee morning where it caused a small sensation, and my granddaughter now calls it 'the flower jumper' with deep approval. Sandra said 'you're brave'. In February, Sandra will be asking for the link.

If your winter wardrobe is also quietly surrendering to grey, do have a look. The Melivra is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 230 women, it comes in orange, yellow or pink flowers, in UK sizes 8/10 to 16/18 — and at half price the orange goes first.