January 4th, 2013…

Ok, scarlet may be a slight misnomer if we are going to be chromatically accurate. In fact, as I sit here dripping colour onto the dog towel draped around my shoulders, I could as easily end up vermillion or ginger. Not that it matters. As long as it is vivid.

Oddly enough, given my age, I’m not covering grey hair. I have a few, of course, but would wear them, like the laughter lines, as a badge of honour… sort of a campaign medal for living. But great granny’s genes run strong and her hair stayed dark into her tenth decade. No.  Red hair is a statement of intent.

It started a couple of years ago when my 52^nd birthday came and went much the same way as all the others for the past couple of decades. Pretty much unremarked. I sort of thought, bugger it…