So, let’s set the scene. If I’m “bah humbug” about Christmas then DM is at least as bad about New Year. He hates NY parties and fuss. I must confess that I hate all the loud bangs – I can’t abide fireworks or party poppers or any of that stuff so at the appointed hour I always sneak off for a bit of p&q and then rejoin the party after the drunken singing of “Auld Lang Syne” or the seemingly obligatory shoving tongues down the throats of strangers….anyway, enough of my hang-ups….back to the story.
In an amazing coup, I managed to persuade him out of our house and down to our old village for a party with all our buddies. I got so excited that I decided to push out the boat and do myself up a bit. I put my hair in rollers at lunchtime so ended up with huge curls, just like a 1950s Mowtown star….or so I like to kid myself. I put on some make-up and gladrags and off we went. The sad bit about this is that on the ends of my legs were my walking boots as we’d agreed to leave the car down the road and walk home across the moor so it was important to be properly attired for such efforts. The other sad bit is that since I started wearing my specs for reading a year ago, I have realised that it’s almost impossible to even put my eyeliner on without them now, which requires some pretty nifty pencil and brushwork.
I dreamed up this shot at some point in the afternoon and I must say I’m as chuffed as ninepence at how it turned out. This is my new office-come-dressing-room – the other end of it is very sensibly kitted out with my workspace but this end of the room is my Barbie-girly bit. I LOVE it. It’s so much fun….and for almost no money either – it’s v v cheap B&Q paint, Ikea kiddies lights at under a fiver each so all six only cost me around £28. Such a bargain. The table is a crappy one left here by a previous owner that I sanded and painted so it cost me little more than elbow grease. The mirror was a gift from a cloth-eared sister who’d once asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said “lots of small gilt edged mirrors” and she misheard and got me this big one. So, it got used differently.
Anyway, duly brushed up we went off to the party, had a groovy time and I made some new friends. I even found out that an existing friend is a recruitment consultant so he might be able to find me a job if I’m dead lucky. At five to midnight, I sneaked off down to Iain and Becks house to help the babysitters (Iain and DM) see in the NY away from bangs and other things (you already know what).
As for DM? He sneaked away from the party at about 10pm and went off with Iain to spend the evening talking ukuleles and guitars and motorbikes…….but at least I got him to a party for a short while.
The walk home in very sub-zero temperatures was quite a trek but we were well kitted up with hats, gloves, layers and layers of fleeces, torches and a compass. Somehow, the big hairdo didn’t quite make it back – I can’t imagine why.
