More often than not when I travel by bus, I will spend at least some of my time pondering why old ladies (normally well represented on this mode of transport) all seem to sport the same hair do.
It would seem that at around the age of 65, you no longer harbor any desire to ‘add a few layers and keep the length’ when you visit the hairdresser, your mop is no longer contaminated with every spray, spritz or serum stocked at Tony and Guy, and the curious way in which you used tie up your barnet using only chinese chopsticks seems no longer appealing. No, the new order of the day is short, white, tidy and most definitely curly.
For a while I did wonder whether like a bus pass, at retirement age you were given vouchers for free trips to a hairdresser that only offered this kind of do – perhaps as an economy of scale. Recently however, I have reasoned that maybe all elderly people’s hair is simply styled this way as an issue of practicality, being able to fit under a rain hood without any bits poking out and getting wet for example. The ‘old person look’ therefore is potentially not simply a matter of taste, but occurs through a number of sensible decisions having been made.
You may ask me why all of a sudden I have arrived at such conclusions.
You see, the fact of the matter is that I have a shopping bag.
This didn’t occur to me until the other day as the bag I carry in addition to my handbag is normally used for transporting my lunch to the office. Recently however I have found myself venturing out with it with the sole intention of storing any intended purchases within its robust hessian material, and have delighted in the comfort of its padded handles – much more user friendly than your average plastic carrier bag.
The problem lies in that it is only really old people that have a designated shopping bag -but thus is my argument. I can see their point.
So along with my bag, the flat, sensible shoes that I purchased a little while ago, the tissue stuffed up my sleeve for ease of use and my general disapproval of the behaviour displayed by most young people (pull your trousers up please, I do not want to see your underwear) , I am well on my way to being a proper old person.
I just know when I start writing to the council about rubbish collection and am attracted to anything crocheted I’ll truly be there.
I can’t wait.
oh my god what is it with girls and stuffing tissues up your sleeve?! and you say that boys are gross!!!!
anything tissue related in mind is gross! Amy – the time you really need to start to worry is when you get given an honary freedom pass, everything is all a little cheaper as people assume you are consessionary rate and you only ever buy your undies from M&S. Btw, the major plus side of being old is that you can seriously flout the law – I am encouraging Helen’s mum to be extreme in her protests to save the KM Theatre – as I pointed out “does it really matter if you get a criminal record – its not like you are in the job market!!” Katty Blanch – saying how it is since 1980!