(no subject)

[llywela]

Having spent most of the weekend feeling frankly miserable, headaches and whatnot, I decided to treat myself this lunchtime. Since I'm not having driving lessons at the moment, because of Mr Instructor having retired (the plan is to book myself in for that darn theory test and then take an intensive course just to get me through that last little bit of confidence boost I need before the test, just can't seem to get around to it...) I decided to put the money I'm saving on lessons toward a decent haircut. I never go to the hairdressers. I dunno why - maybe I have some sort of deep-seated aversion to them or something. I'd let my hair get to about halfway down my back, seriously in need of a trim. So I went along, found a hairdresser in town, and told her to have at it.

It's just below my shoulders and very tidy now. I'd like to say I will turn over a new leaf and go for regular trims now, but I know I won't!

I then completely blew my 'justifiable expenditure' thing out of the water by popping into the bookshop and coming away with three new books. Well, they were in a three-for-two offer! I got Tom Holland's Persian Fire, which I've wanted ever since I read his Rubicon, Helen of Troy by Bettany Hughes, and Alison Weir's Isabella.

Yeah, I'm back in historian mode once more, after reading nothing but trashy novels and Terry Pratchett for absolute ages. I've always been fascinated by Isabella, who influenced 13th century English history so enormously without ever wielding any kind of practical power. She's the one depicted in the film Braveheart as having a fling with William Wallace. Now that never actually happened, but she did run off with a Marcher Lord and then returned years later to throw her husband off the throne and install her son in his place. That son then turned around and had his mother incarcerated and her lover executed. They had, after all, committed treason. Don'tcha just love the Middle Ages? So anyway, I'm looking forward to reading Weir's interpretation of Isabella. And had a fantastic chat with the cashier about the role of strong women in history!

Comments

[rosie55.livejournal.com]

"had a fantastic chat with the cashier about the role of strong women in history!" - that sounds just the sort of conversation I have in bookshops! And I love the sound of Isabella and will ask daughter whether she has it before I sneak off to add it to my tbr pile! She read medieval studies at Uni and read a lot of fiction about the period, too because she just loves it!
Hairdresser - well, I have a great hairdresser who has been cutting my hair for 26 years and now cuts my daughter's hair, too. Our kids were born about the same time and we've compared notes on their lives and ours all the way along, so he's a friend, too. I have quite strong wavy hair, though and unless it's really well cut, it looks horrendous and I get totally neurotic about it and it spoils my whole life then. Not that I'm very good at doing any fancy stuff in between but it does at least lie tidily! On the rare occasions when I have tried someone else, (like when I was living in Surrey - his salon is in Cheltenham!)I have regretted it. I go about every 6-8 weeks and always make it a treat day by having lunch in Cheltenham, too and trying not to get carried away in the bookshops! But if, for any reason, I couldn't have my hair cut by him, I think I might have real trouble finding someone else. Obsessive, moi?! It seems to be love or hate with most people, though, doesn't it! Stuart has clients who come to him while they are visiting family all the way from Saudi Arabia, so obviously a lot of women don't want to change once they have found a decent hairdresser!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh, this Isabella is an actual historical text, rather than a novel. I do read the odd historical novel - Philippa Gregory writes awesome stuff, for e.g. - but I'm also an odd duck who will actually sit down and read a proper history book for fun! I'm a medievalist at heart and by training; I can't help it!

When I lived at home we had a regular hairdresser come to cut our hair, and she still does go and do the family. Her oldest is about the same age as my little sister, Small (ten) and often goes with her to play with Small! But I never manage to get there at the same time that mum has her in, hence why I never get my hair cut. And my hair tends to be rather unruly - not really straight, not really wavy, very prone to frizz and with an irritating habit of developing spontaneous ringlets here and there for no good reason. So I loathe having it done, as even the loveliest cut tends to be ruined the moment I step out into the rain. *sigh* It looks tidy enough for now, though. Maybe I'll go again in another couple of years...

[rosie55.livejournal.com]

Ah, if it's a text J is even more likely to have it, she still has most of her uni texts. And she liked P Gregory, too while she was never one of my favourite authors.
I know exactly what you mean about the frizz and the rain. Mine looks reasonably presentable for a few hours after I leave the hairdresser and I get very fed up if it's raining when I leave because I can all but feel it crinkling as I go! And if mine gets too long it develops this unruly wave on the right hand side. The funny thing is I can remember my dad had the same wave if he let his hair grow too long and my son also clearly had it when he let his hair grow longer than 1/2 inch!
My daughter's hair is very fine but dead straight which she grumbles about so I suppose we are few of us really satisfied with what we have!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I think historical biography is probably the phrase I was looking for there.

No one ever appreciates the hair type they have. My mother's hair is very fine and dead straight, and she can't do anything with it. Mine waves and frizzes, and I can't do anything with it. Such is life, eh!