A trip to the hairdresser. Who can honestly say it isn’t a gossip session, one where either or both of you say “if you repeat this I will deny it BUT have you heard……” Hmmmm actually I guess quite a few ladies, now that I ponder this – I know my dearest Pam – she always enjoys the quietness and the pamper and doesn’t talk or encourage her hairdresser to converse. (Interesting as we both go to the same hairdresser). Late last year I lost a truly, truly dear friend – so Tersh this blog is dedicated to you. I miss you. Since you’ve been gone, I no longer have a therapy session or a “promise to deny it if its repeated”. I can’t really say that my current hairdresser is a “if you repeat this I will deny it” kind of hairdresser – as she never allows me to get a word in edge ways! I know dear reader – can you imagine that!! ME of all people not being able to get a word in? I literally sit there – shake my head – try very, very, hard to show that I am totally, totally disinterested but she doesn’t notice it! In fact, if I am honest this was the exact reason, I met Tersh. See I do truly believe that everything happens as it should in life. And if my current hairdresser hadn’t got too much for me – I wouldn’t have gone to Tersh. Mind you, Tersh – you also got a bit irritating. Ok so for those of you getting as confused as me right now, a few years back I was with my current hairdresser. But her hubby had an affair, each time I would hear about the dream she had where her mom came to give her a message about her husband, and the fortune teller (Yes!yes I know!) said he was going to come back to her – in fact he never did! So now that I have given you an explanation what it amounts to at the end of the day. I have done a full circle and have gone back to the good ol’ bob. Years ago, I had the bob – and no jokes – as Bob’s your uncle – Tersh would flippen cut it – and it would be uneven! I need to add at this point – thanks to COVID I obviously didn’t have a haircut in forever. In fact, we all didn’t hey – but I left it until it grew and grew (Did a Rapunzel on the crowd) and then I reached a point when I looked at my reflection in the mirror I quite frankly enjoyed this long locks look. Now a few of my friends kind of hinted that it wasn’t as pretty as I saw it – I chose to ignore them. Truth be told I actually loved the whole idea of up styles, down styles, plaits or whatever I felt! Ok when I was a little girl – two things I detested! My mom never, ever allowed us to have long hair (in fact Karen did! Blady hell she had a page boy style – it was to her shoulders!WTF??) and the other thing – my whole school life, every year I wanted Baby dolls – and what did I get – nope, I wasn’t given a choice (shucks wonder if Karen was?) anyhow it was blady lace ups! Now I know I have bleated about this in a previous blog! I frikken hated that! You know I would have even been happy to have settled for plain old buckle ups – but nope never was given a choice!
Would love to say this is what I looked like back I the day with my perm – but sadly my memory does serve me correct and I looked NOTHING like this! Remember this actress – sure she was in Dallas – she was Pamela Ewing wasn’t she?
Now dear reader – as much as you are going to find this hard to believe – as yip, there is no denying I do have a fanny flap when people want to teach me how to make an ordinary or gourmet sandwich – but now here’s the crazy thing. When it counts for more – so what I mean by “more” is the fact that when I am paying money – I keep quiet. I know – cray, cray, crazzzzzzy aren’t I! I just sit there with a mouthful of really dreadful and truly ugly teeth (hate, hate ….H-A-T-E!!!!! my teeth!) and see the unevenness (no – well yes my teeth too but in this case my hair!) you know in the end when they have blow dried – gelled, hair sprayed and they show you the back and sides of your hair in the mirror – and you can see it – how the heck can they NOT?? Your hair is wonky – most certainly not straight as a blady ruler! And what do I do ….”Ahhhh thanks its gorgeous, love, love, LURRRRRVE it!” meanwhile – I am seething internally. And God help those people that see me when I walk out the salon. Never mind when Gary gets home – and he never, I mean N-E-V-E-R ever, ever blady ever notices anything – new dress? Nope. New shoes? Nope! Um lost weight – definitely not! Put on weight – without a blady doubt! Burnt dinner – afraid so! Spent money on the credit card – a DEFINITE YES! But my hair – nope. Thing is the boys would always (when they lived at home) always notice my new hair, dress, and they would definitely know I had spent money on the credit card – because it would have been spent on them 😊. So, when she cuts it wonky, Gary will walk in – and no jokes – “Hey what’s with the the squiff hair-do aunty?” – I kid you not dear reader. And then of course I “pretend” I actually love it – and that it is “supposed” to look like this! As toughees for him for not knowing the current hair fashions (Not!)! Another thing, doesnt it irritate you when the hairdresser says as she runs her fingers through your hair “Your hair is really dry, I do feel you should have a treatment” – and if you go ahead – well dear reader you broke for the remainder of the month!
Who doesn’t remember this!
Ok, so where was I going with this – hairdressers. Hm the chitty chats we have – or don’t have and that they have with us! Remember the days of the perm? Oh, my giddy aunt I loved my perms. Looking back, I have no idea why. I seriously looked like a thatched roof. In fact, damn I cannot remember the term Gary would use – but he always used to say it looked like ….. damn can’t remember. Or perhaps I have subconsciously blocked it out of my mind! Oh! my word you know what has just popped into my thoughts! Who used to watch, so this was when TV was new in our country and there was half-an-hour of English and half-an-hour of Afrikaans. There used to be the program on Plakton ….ok no that was the very, very early days. When the program was finished the TV pattern appeared. I remember if you had a TV you were one of the “rich” families. Sjoe imagine these days, my word with families having a TV now in each bedroom and then in the second lounge. We would be classed as frikken billionaires – never mind a simple millionaire! – Ok digressed there for a bit as I was saying – TV programs – we used to watch The New Avengers. I styled myself on Purdy – Joanna Lumley – with that step in the back of the hair – golly and didn’t I think I was the hottest thing around! Hmm I think it was when I was in maybe standard eight? Who remembers the guy’s name? It was Gambit – I used to have posters of them both nogal on my bedroom wall! And our dogs the one was an Airdale I think – well she was Purdy and the other dog….yip you guessed he was Gambit! Right second digression. Getting back to the hairstyles. Then there was the punk era. I used to dye my hair black and gel it up something silly!
And there they are …Purdy, Gambit and I think he was Steed?
You know I am always so chuffed with myself that I never colour my hair – well now that I reminisce it’s probably a godsend! No doubt back in the day when I used to frikken perm it – colour it – it’s a blady wonder I have hair these days! It’s quite interesting – my mom – I have to say she was “me gray no way” for many, many years. I notice my darling sister Karen is the same – and so am I. I have maybe six strands in the front of my hair – which are grey whilst the remainder are brown. I always ponder to myself and tell myself it wouldn’t really bother me if I was grey – hm I actually don’t think it would. Let’s be honest it is what it is – no use fighting the inevitable really.
Ok so where was I going with the hairdressing story. All I can guarantee – if I had had a daughter, long locks for her! After the debacle earlier this week with Chris Rock and Will Smith – it got me thinking. I truly admire woman who either shave (GI Jane) their hair or are bald. Now I was going to say “obviously” but no I guess it isn’t really “obvious” hey as I was going to say no woman would choice to be bald. But there are those that bravely have chosen to be bald. I work with a beautiful soul. During her second pregnancy she had a life changing event and developed (is that the word ?) Alopecia. When she joined the team she would wear a variety of wigs – one day she decided she was tired of wearing wigs to please others! To alleviate them feeling uncomfortable because she was bald. I truly cannot lie – the first time we were to meet in person I did think “Yikes what will I say?” the time arrived and I didn’t have to have angst over what I would say. She looked and still is the most beautiful woman I know, inside and out! She truly is gorgeous – and she exudes confidence. I remember her telling me – everyday, I literally mean everyday people stare or even worse, they blady have the cheek – no its not a cheek – its flippen stupidity – or is it stupidty – yes, I think that is one of many words that I could use in this instance! They actually ask her – now these are frikken strangers and they stop and ask her – shame do you have cancer, does she have this….why is she bald! And then you have the prize idiots that blatantly stare! How blady rude and – well dear reader I reckon its in the breeding. A person who has been brought up decently certainly would never ask nor stare! I truly admire her and have the utmost respect for this amazing young woman.
What do they say? “Hair is a woman’s crowning glory” (or something similar) however, not so much in my case, there have been many times – sadly I even have proof (photos) that this didn’t always apply to me! I have had the fuzzball look, the blue bird shiny blue black look – and recently the “long locks I am so proud of coz I look so good (not) look” but if I am honest, its really not the most vital asset – whether you have damaged, short, long, frizzy, purple or no hair – its surely more vital as to what’s inside that counts!
And that dear reader – whether you Rapunzel, GI Jane or Jade Pinkett Smith is all she wrote for this week. Thanks for loving my blog the way you do – stay safe and be blessed.
Mwah Mwah