ABBA.
Hi to you,
.
Soon I will be going with a friend to see an Abba tribute band and we are really looking forward to it.
We were talking about what to wear and decided it would be fun to dress the way we did back in the ’70′s. The only good thing about becoming so much older is that we were there the first time around.
My friend asked me if I was going to wear my crocheted skullcap with the big flower on the side, but after some consideration I concluded that as I now wear spectacles it would totally ruin the effect.
Style is one thing but overkill is something else entirely.
.
This conversation brought back memories of a long forgotten shopping spree from 40 years ago, when I madly spent a shocking amount of my housekeeping money on a huge brimmed, drooping, dramatic, dark green hat.
I had just got married and money was very stretched but it was one of those bargains so beloved of us women who shop.
I felt that I had saved a ton of money because it was greatly reduced down from it’s original outrageous selling price.
.
Anyway. I arrived home all flushed with success and pranced around modelling it for Big H.
He sat there looking a little perplexed before asking me if it was not a bit too large for me. I said that it was but it would be fine with a bit of folded paper tucked under the band inside.
He said it would be better for him to steam it a bit with the kettle and shrink it just a little. This would surely work as it was made out of felt.
I said yes.
In those days I thought he was wonderful and that he could do just about anything he set his mind to.
So later on, after dinner, he took my new hat into the kitchen to perform his magic and I settled down with my new library book.
.
As I was reading, I did not take much notice of the time, but eventually I realized that he had been in the kitchen for ages and ages, so I shouted out to ask him if he was O.K.
.
There was a total silence so I called out again. I was about to go and see what was happening when he slowly came out of the kitchen with one hand hidden behind his back.
I was sitting there expectantly.
” Well, did the hat shrink?”
“Oh yes.”
“Well. Where is it ?”
In what seemed like very slow motion he drew out his hand from behind his back and held it out to me.
I just sat there staring at it.
“What !”
.
There, on his palm was a tiny little green hat in incredibly thick felt. I think it could have fitted a garden gnome.
“What on earth have you done with my new hat!”
“I just steamed it and it went all wavy so I kept steaming it while I tried to pull it back into shape, so it kept shrinking and getting worse until I had to stop. I’ve just been in there having a fit of giggles, wondering what you would say when I showed it to you.”
“Oh my god, you are rubbish. I thought you could do anything.”
“Well” he says, straight faced,”I bet there aren’t many people who could do this.”
.
Honestly we ended up in fits of laughter.
The tiny hat stayed on the mantelpiece for ages until the dog ate it.
.
LOL
J
.
.
