One of the unexpected side-effects now that Christopher is no longer here is that I’m having to get my hair cut more often. I absolutely hate spending time and money at the hairdressers (that’s probably obvious to anyone who has ever met me……) and Chris was always happy to trim my fringe when it got too long, thus saving me from a trip to the hairdressers when it was only my fringe that really needed attention. He even bought me a pair of proper hairdressing scissors for Christmas a few years ago, as he was a firm believer in any job being easier if you had the proper tools. He got pretty good at it over the years, and could be relied upon to cut it at least reasonably straight.
Since he died I have had to face up to the unwelcome fact that my fringe is very fast-growing, and if I don’t do something about it, it soon gets too long and gets into my eyes. I’ve tried cutting it myself, but that was very unsatisfactory. I did think about asking my mother to have a go at it when I’ve been visiting my parents, but I’m still deeply traumatised by her efforts at trimming my fringe when I was a child! There are photos of me aged about seven with the most amazingly crooked fringe, and I really don’t want to be reminded of that……..
But then I discovered that the hairdressers that I have been going to for the past fifteen years or more are very happy to see their regular customers in between formal haircuts, and trim their fringe for free, without an appointment, just as long as one of the hairdressers has a few minutes free! I popped in last Friday afternoon and it was done – quickly, professionally and with the minimum of fuss. So all those years of being a skinflint and getting Chris to cut my fringe were completely unnecessary!
