Week Ending 27th November

Yesterday K and I went to the races for the end of year work Christmas party.

We had to be up at 7.00 am as tradesmen were coming to install the kitchen.  I actually slept in and then schlepped around in my pyjamas while they started work.

It was grey outside and then the rain started falling.  I felt my enthusiasm for the day sink slightly as there is nothing worse than a rainy day when one goes to the horse races.

After I had my shower and got dressed I started blow drying my hair.  I know this bit of information is as boring as shite however I have to talk about this.

I have a lot of hair and now that it is full of grey it is extra hard to blow dry but it is worth the effort.  The worst thing for grey hair is damp air.  Cold damp air.  Cold, rainy days are my worst hair nightmare.

I took extra care blow drying.  Extra time.  Made thoughtful choices about the hair products.  Not enough and the hair will frizz.  Too much and it will frizz.  And then on some days it does not matter what you do, it will frizz.  And yesterday was that day.

As I stepped out of the bathroom I was happy with the end result.  Smooth hair, lovely dress, kitten heel shoes and nice handbag.  Ready to go.

However, as I got to the car I could feel that movement of expanding hair.  Hair starts to curl.  Hair starts to frizz.  Hair starts to get life of own.  The rain had set in for the day.  The hair was moving.

We drove the car to a meeting place where we then went by hired bus to take us to the races.  They were out of the city.  Country races.

The meeting place for the bus was across the road from the beach.  This cold, windy and salty air ensured that whatever I did to my hair in the confines of my bathroom was a complete waste of time and I should have just dried it under a hand dryer for all it mattered.  It was full on woolly grey hair.

As we arrived at the race track the rain and wind were fierce.  I had an umbrella which was kind of pointless in that weather.  My dress got wet.  My dress made with vintage silk taffeta was now wet blowing up in the air like a big parachute.  I had to hold it down, keep hold of the umbrella and also try to walk across wet grass without my shoes getting stuck in the ground.

At least we were undercover as we had hired a marquee.  It was about 12.00 pm and I was starving by now.  The food was not due until 1.00 pm so I actually drank two glasses of champagne.  Being a person who just never drinks, the champagne had the immediate effect of warming me up which was most welcome as it was chilly.

I made one bet and lost $10.00 which, for a bookkeeper, is enough to give me a stomach ache.  Or was it the third glass of champagne.  Not sure.  But I did not have a flutter after that.  Just watched the horses run by.  Lovely animals with their long limbs stretching out as they thundered by.  Nothing quite as beautiful to watch I think.

At one point I had to use the toilets and made my way across the wet and windy landscape.  As I stood in front of the mirror trying to make some order of my big hair my eyes made contact with a young girl who was staring at me.  She continued to stare as she walked slowly out of the toilets.  Looking back at myself in the mirror I wondered just what she thought when she looked at me.

There I was, skin white with the chill of the air.  Wearing a dark crimson dress, wild grey hair and a tattoo.  Plus a black flower fascinator topping it off.  To her I must have looked like something out of a Grimm's Fairy Tale book.  A modern day witch.

We did have a good time but the weather was most disappointing and my hair just did my head in. I like my hair "just so" and it did quite the opposite.

When we got home most of my new kitchen was in and that was great.  I then sat down to chat to my son about the day.

Just as I was about to start the conversation he said "Oh my God mum, what happened to your hair? It looks bad".

He then said "you don't look ugly, you hair just looks bad."

I think that was complimentary.

I had to laugh.  The honesty of teenagers is just fantastic.

Today the sun shone and my hair was perfect.

And that was good too.

Ciao
LC