grey matter

Things I figured out for myself today:

1. If I only just noticed the baby poo on Ivy's sock when putting her in the car after school drop off this morning, hopefully no one else noticed it either.

2. I genuinely love school drop off and pick up. I love chatting to the lovely parents of Henry's classmates. We must be at the right school.

3. If, for her morning nap, I put Ivy in the same position at the end of her cot that she's always been in, her feet actually stick right out the end of the cot. Time to move up. 

4. I love it best when Tilly dresses herself in the morning:

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5. And I've probably given too much time today to thinking about grey hair.

My two sisters and I could have at least solved the renewable energy question if not global warming if we had invested a tiny bit of the time we've spent discussing, considering, and generally prioritizing hair. 

Long or short? Blonde or red? Does a beer rinse really work? Expensive cut vs the next door neighbour with skills?

And truly, thanks GOODNESS for Skype. It saves the constant photo-taking/downloading/ emailing we would have otherwise engaged in.

I have photos of both sisters cutting my hair (when I was younger and more fearless). We've dyed, we've shorn (well actually only I did that) and we've braided. 

Right now, both my sisters have spectacularly cute short hair. Mine is mid-growing-out kinda nothing at present. But I have a plan. A long one. With plaits. 

One plan we haven't discussed? Grey. 

It's a funny old thing, the grey hair question. I think it feeds into our whole cultural denial of aging, particularly in women. I mean really, how many under 50s women do you know with grey hair? There's something in us which seems to say that to go grey is to give up, to acknowledge we're getting old(er), and somehow it doesn't typically evoke sexiness or vitality. 

I have one (young) friend with spectacular grey hair. Long, fabulous, grey hair. 

I'm so impressed with her hair. 

We avoid chemicals in this house. We clean with natural ingredients and I make my own laundry powder (more on that another day.) The last time I dyed my hair I used a natural henna from the health food shop. Really though, if I'm embracing all things natural, shouldn't I let my hair grow into it's natural colour? Which pretty soon will be grey? 

Something I figured out today: I don't think I'm quite ready for it. Even though I've seen some truly gorgeous examples of it. 

I'd really like to. I'd like to know I'm not subject to cultural pressures which are probably quite misogynist. I'd be curious to see what it looked like. And if you can quietly and gradually go grey, then you avoid that whole entire grey roots and two-tone thing. And it's natural and beautiful. 

So what about you?

xxx

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