5th Dec.2008 'Hair today gone tomorrow'

Was thinking about my hair this morning as I showered. That might seem strange, so let me explain. My hair is getting very thin, I think due to the effects of the chemotherapy toxins attacking vulnerable DNA (must look that one up). Anyway, I do know that in about three to four days it's going to start falling out, so each time I shower, I wonder if it will be the last time I see it long.

You might think there is little that could be said about my hair, but actually you'd be wrong. Here's a little potted history in remembrance!

1970's - My hair was very long and straight, parted in the middle and I often wore it in two plaits, especially during the 'flower power' era. I remember having a very trendy perm at some point, but the dates are hazy, however when Graham and I married in 1975 it was long and I wore it in ringlets under a large hat.

1980's - My hair went through several transformations, from a female mullet through to a medium length corkscrew perm. Initially in Swaziland it was long and I wore head squares, but I guess the heat got to me when I was pregnant with Louis and off it came again.

1990's - Although I did manage to grow my hair to shoulder length a couple of times, it never quite made it back to being long. Now in nursing, it was easier to keep it reasonably short. Unfortunately though I still dreamed about growing it and over a period of several months I would try different ways of styling, shaping and colouring my hair to keep my interest going, trying to avoid a sudden impulse cut when my hormones got the better of me. It was a plan that never worked and my family, friends and work colleagues got used to my sudden changes.

Probably my most ambitious change came while we were living at Crayke. With Graham's approval I went for an Annie Lennox look - very short and white blonde. I loved it, but it was hard keeping the roots highlighted. It was like this when I started Nestle, but apart from the time involved it was very expensive to keep up, so I started growing it out again for a while, delighting everyone with my frequent changes.

During the 1990's I met up with an old friend who was teaching Belly Dance. It was to be the start of a hobby which I've followed until very recently. Of course long hair enhances the dancing image and I was envious of those with natural flowing locks. I had to be content with a hot, heavy wig.

2005 - The year I started working for British Oxygen (BOC) and a turning point in my life. A job where I felt I was using my potential, where people really valued my input and most of all a job which gave me a salary in line with my qualifications and abilities. Yes, my hair still mattered, but for the first time I didn't feel I needed to keep changing my image in order to boost my confidence and it began to grow quite happily. It also began to go pretty grey, but even that didn't bother me. Now people began to comment on how much it had grown and that spurred me on.

Aug. 2008 - My hair is long and I love it, twisting it into a french roll or leaving it in clips all night so that it's all kinked and groovy the following day (a trick Ruth taught me). At long last I'm belly dancing with my own hair and it feels good.

December 2008 - So here we are, I'm about to lose my lovely locks and yes, I'm dreading it, but I'm already thinking about some of the trendy styles I can try when it starts growing back and who knows eh!

Thank you to my hair for putting up with me!