I braved the hairdresser last week. It’s been 6 months since my last visit and there is only so much D.I.Y fringe cutting my face can tolerate before ‘the look’ goes cock-eyed. Hated the face covering requirement, hated the lack of the usual cup of tea, biscuit and chit chat, hated being squirted with so much hand sanitiser I needed mopping up with multiple tissues. The cost had gone up £5, too. Presumably to cover the expense of the discomfort. A big length chop was swiftly executed to form a short, layered bob. Think Edna Mode from ‘The Incredibles,’ only white locks. Like this...
Anyway, not enough to put in plaits or bunches now, but a blessing in this recent hot weather.
The granddaughters are here at the moment, and today we went to Shrewsbury for a girlie shop. What a dire experience. Many shops closed either temporarily or permanently. Many unavailable for spontaneous visits because they are small, independent places that were operating appointment only ‘shopping experiences’. People glaring at each other for wearing face coverings/ not wearing face coverings/ getting too close/ not moving fast enough/ moving too slowly/ whatever. Grumpy, dictatorial shop workers. Except the chap in ‘The Entertainer’ toy shop where Small Granddaughter was joyfully spending all her birthday money before cheerfully announcing she was ‘now broke!’ He was nice. But then he wasn’t wearing a face covering so had the gift of freedom upon his personage.
The experience not helped by the addition of heavy rain showers. Which meant we spent a lot of time in shopping centres. Which meant I was required to wear a face covering. Which left me hot, sweaty, heart racing, panicky, unable to breathe, and all the while trying not to show my discomfort because I did not want to upset my granddaughters. The eldest asked a couple times, ‘Gran, are you okay?’ to which I replied, all false cheerfulness, ‘Yes, I’m fine! Don’t worry about me.’
I donned a face covering to walk twenty paces up a corridor in Shrewsbury Museum to reach the coffee shop. Where I was ‘allowed’ to remove my face covering because we were eating and drinking. So sitting still, in an enclosed space, for half an hour. And then I was ‘required’ to replace the face covering to walk the twenty paces to the exit. It really does not make sense to me. But we got lots of cake and drinks for half price thanks to the ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ government scheme. Which is really helpful in my attempt to reach a healthy weight, as we are being urged to do. Which does not make sense. How about sponsoring half price fruit, veg and fish instead? Eh?
I shall not be going shopping again (except for brief dashes around the supermarket for food) until face coverings are no longer mandatory. I shall buy anything else I need on-line and have it delivered. I don’t need much.
Except for things to make sense.
Comments
Will miss the bunches!