Friday 10 January 2014

Having a Laff

Dontcha just love to have a laff now and again? Laffing and larking about is good for you, and if you can laff at yourself more's the better. I spent most of my teenage years changing my looks with wigs and hairpieces, and could go from blonde to black in half an hour. It was fun to dress up for clubbing, my friends never knew what colour I was going to be until we met up at the door. I had a long dark wig which I sometimes wore loose like Sandie Shaw, or backcombed to give it bulk copying Cilla's style. A ponytail was sometimes added on top of my scraped back short hair to give the appearance of long locks. Sometimes I piled it on top of my head in cascading curls. Then I had the blonde wig which I teased into different styles, the Dusty Springfield look was my favourite. 
Sometimes my friend Jean would come to my house to get ready for a night out. I was pretty good at hairdressing, never been trained, but had the knack. I would shampoo and set her hair for her, comb it out and style it with one of those tail combs. My hairdressing skills saved her and me lots of  £'s, we both went out with perfectly preened locks. We worked in a factory, and on a Friday, if I wasn't going to wear a wig,  we used to go to work with our heads full of plastic rollers topped with a hairnet, so all we had to do was comb it out before we hit the town. My goodness, I wouldn't dream of walking about all day with rollers in my hair today. Nobody bothered then. 
Anyway, to the pics, Auntie was having a de-clutter and  I spotted a wig sticking out of the top of a carrier bag. Always looking for an excuse to lark about, I tried it on. Ha ha, lets take some selfies. What about me in this black one, should I dye my hair black?   
Ha ha, look at this. I could pass as Vera Duckworth in this blonde frizzy mop. Vera was a character in the world famous Coronation Street, thanks Liz Dawn for bringing us this lovable lady.
Funky eh! Ha ha. I've always wanted long hair, but maybe I'm too old to go yellow. 
Oh gawd, Little Bo Peep, now where are my sheep :o))
You just gotta do something daft sometimes. Come on, confess, have you been larking about, or playing the fool?  Laffing at yourself is a good stress buster. I am past caring about what people think about me, if I want to clown about I will, ha ha. 

On a different note, this is one famous puddytat. Remember when Heidi and her four kittens came to stay at my house for a while until the kittens were old enough to be re-homed? Remember little Kittler as I called him, he was my favourite from the litter. He's only gone and made the national press. A superstar indeed. He is in a wonderful home, they took two kittens, and absolutely adore them. It fair warms the cockles of your heart. Thank you to kind people who take unwanted cats and kittens and give them a forever home. 
A quick note here. I haven't got a postal address from Sue G, who was the winner in the giveaway. Sue, please put your address in a comment which I won't publish, or email me, address on the sidebar. Thanks.
Toodle pip.

35 comments:

  1. good for you!
    love the kitty picture!

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  2. Loving the wigs! You look good in the black one:)

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  3. Hi ILona, well you've made me laugh and brought back some memories. I also used to go to the shops with a scarf over rollers, it was not frowned upon then was it? I think I've been all colours with my hair over the years, some nice and some disasters. lol
    I can't say that any of those colours suit you, stick to your titian.
    Briony
    x

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  4. I laugh at myself all the time.. and when I don't my daughters do it for me!
    I'm laughing now at the memory of all those girls walking into work with their rollers in.. headscarves tied round them to keep them in place all day. And many of the older women went to bed in theirs... don't know how they slept!
    Having naturally curly hair, I was spared all that because you cna't really do anything with it that makes any difference.
    Gill

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  5. Years ago I recall trying to struggle into some "one size fits all" (what a lie!) tights, with my son (aged about 8) rolling round the bedroom floor in hysterical laughter.

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    1. Hi saraband, that reminds me of when my mum tried to lose weight by wearing one of those rubber corsets. They were all the rage, supposed to sweat the fat off you. I had to help her put it on and take it off. It was hilarious, it stuck to her, and I was tugging and pulling at it.

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  6. Hi Ilona, I love your wigs. The Bo Peep one is a scream! Take care. Robin

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  7. The black one is a keeper! Dark sunglasses and you could be a movie star....

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  8. Hi Ilona, I sort of like the black wig on you. Don't know what it is but it might be the cut of the wig that suits you. I remember having a few hairpieces back when I was young, especially the long ones that you could attach to the back of your own hair to make it seem like it was long. I used to dye me hair all the time and experimented with all different colors, even stripping out the color and making myself a platinum blonde at one point! I soon got tired of touching up the roots all the time. My friend and I would do each others' hair and sometimes have a real laugh when once I dyed her hair and it came out neon orange! She had to go to work the next day and she wore a scarf on her head and the boss asked her what she was doing with that on her head (we worked in a very traditional office setting). She had to show him what was under that scarf. The things you do when you're a kid, right? At least we had a great laugh about it.

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    1. Hi Kearnygirl, I had a mishap with a hair colour, it went blue, should have been black. My brother was more embarrassed than me, we worked at the same factory and his mates were taking the micky out of him. I felt a bit silly too.

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  9. I rather like the black one!
    I laugh at myself all the time..and lark about. I tried being grown up and sensible once...hated it.
    Jane x

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    1. I've seen your larking about, Jane. Makes me laugh :o))

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  10. Loving the wigs hun, its good to have giggle. After all lives far too short to be miserable in my opinion.

    X x

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  11. Aren't wigs funny ...eee you have to laugh
    AFM x

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  12. I like the yellow wig on you best but thats coming from someone who use to sport a foot high purple mohican back in the 80's !! Never completely grow up - thats how I look at life. Even my daft old cats can sometimes behave like kittens.

    Elaine, Oldham.

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  13. That black wig is a perfect match for my hair colour.....I am 52 (in a couple of weeks) and have found the joys of wigs and hair pieces. When I had a major op a couple of years ago, I could not wash my hair and wore bits and pieces in my hair and hats. Before Xmas I went in to a pound shop and saw some great hair extensions but foolishly I didn't buy any. Regretting it, I saw the same in a pound shop in Stamford and yet again I did not buy. the next week I went in to the shop and asked the assistant if they had any left - of course not. She went into the bowels of the shop and ferreted around but said that she couldn't find any but said that she would put any that she found on the shop floor. I thought she might forget (it was before Christmas) but hey presto, two weeks ago, there they were and I bought a princely 2 pounds worth. Great. Your Aunt's look great on you. I remember my Mother in the 60's with a dark brown hair piece that was piled high on top of her head - she looked much better than I have ever done. Still got it somewhere....

    Ps I would wear them in the house. Natalie

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  14. I have a wig too so that I can have a change whenever I fancy it but without the cost or the hassle. It's good fun!
    Arilx

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  15. I love films like Saturday Night Sunday Morning and Up The Junction. Wish I could go back in time and be one of the girls working at a factory. Not sure about the way men treated women and dont know if better or worse then. My Aunty said in the 60s you could walk out of one job and get another by the afternoon. Can't even imagine that. Was that how it was? Love your posts about stuff like that in your life. My Aunty and late mother worked at Pirelli as did my partner's Mum and her mate who says she played pool with Ray Davies when the Kinks were in Burton before they made it big. We need more photos from you!! I had two uncles who were lorry drivers, one at Ind Coope and one at Bass. My partners dad was a driver at Bass, too. Good money and a good job, I'm told.Love the way you can not take yourself and not take life too seriously. Louise x PS. Your hair looks fab, just as it is and tell us more stories : )

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    1. Hi just thought I'd comment on your saying that in the 60s you could walk out of one job and into another by afternoon. Well, I started working in 1965 and I could have had a new job every week if I wanted to. There were so many jobs around where I lived at that time. It wasn't a hard thing for me to find a job fast. Unlike today, where a potential employer needs to know every little thing about you i.e. your credit report, your make of car, etc., etc. I would just fill out a simple application and get hired. I worked in so many office jobs and was never without work. I feel bad for kids today who are starting out and have to go through the employment process. It's so difficult these days.

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  16. Blimey Louise, you've brought back some memories. Yes it was easy to walk in and out of jobs. I got the sack from Roberts and Birch, the sausage factory, in Stanley Street. I went straight round to Victoria Crescent and got a job at Wesley's. It was known as the bog roll factory, but they made several different paper products. I started in the sewing room making Christmas garlands, then asked to be moved to packing flat pack toilet paper because it was more money.

    I went to see the Kinks with my friend Carol, at the Jubilee Hall, on the corner of Union Street and New Street. We also went to see The Honeycombs there. I'll have to dig deep into my memory bank for more stories.

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    1. More, more! : ) Dig deep!! : ) In my time the Jubilee was still going..met my ex husband there. It's a chinese restaurant now. Come back to Burton soon for a chin wag. Reading your comments seems like a few would like that too. : ) Would love to know more about your life in Burton and very much enthralled. Strange as stumbled upon your blog and read it every single day and then found out you were from here. I worked at Robirch as it was called in the late 80s as a student but very hard as a veggy. Not eaten meat since 13 (am 43 now) and love reading about your fab, healthy meals and passion for animals. Louise

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  17. Of course we have to have a laugh - otherwise, life would be a pretty grim affair! :)
    I am very curious about your aunt's wig collection...is she an actress or in a theatre group? That Bo-Peep one made me laugh :)

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    1. Hi Quinn. They used to go to murder mystery nights and dressed up in the spirit of it. I have never been to one so don't know how it's done.

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  18. I was just thinking today about my young son dressing up one year for a fancy dress party. He went as Dennis the Menace but he has fair hair. We tried to buy a short black wig but the only one we could get was a very long black wig. We put it on my husband and gave it a scruffy hair cut to get the Dennis look. We have massive lounge windows so we got a few funny looks during the haircut. Son won 2nd prize though!

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  19. Lolololol! Love the Bo Peep! I was all about wigs, wild hair, make up, and fashion in the 80's. Thanks for the fun memories and giving me a smile before I head to work.
    P.S. Congrats SueG!!!

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  20. You're right I don't ever take myself too seriously -- I've had my curly hair shorn recently and its great for our very very hot summer. My husband said I'm just like our beautiful border collie when she went to the vet for her annual trim. She was so cool and happy she would run around the backyard very excited !

    Aussie Cheryl

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  21. Never mind the wigs. I'm really curious about the painting on the wall the picture of you in the black wig. Would love to see a close-up.

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    1. Hi. Another of Stan's paintings. I don't think he will part with this one.

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  22. Oh my gosh Ilona, have I won something? Thank you very much, I shall look forward to receiving it. My address is.......Yes, it's that place in the news where the helicopter crash happened, I can see everything going on from my front window, all very sad. They say our road will be closed for another 10 days at least (access only for residents and the postie & milkman etc), and the nature reserve for 'weeks' whilst investigations continue. We are birdwatchers and walk the three miles around the reserve daily, passing the crash site en-route, so our daily walk will never be the same again. What with the recent floods and now this, the place is a bit of a disaster area. Our hearts go out to the families of the servicemen and woman.

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  23. Hi Gang!

    I am now the proud owner of An Ilona Bag and lots of other goodies recieved as my Blog Giveaway..

    Ilona described the prize as being 'something you have to make yourself'.' And as she is known for creating Artworks from car parts was worried I might end up with a 'bumper' or something landing on my doorstep. I needn't have worried. The parcel contained cards and gem stones to get creative with. Hours of fun to be had. Thank you Ilona!

    Granny G
    xx

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  24. For me, it has to be "Ilona The Raven Haired!" (Sounds like the title of a film....) - Paul H.

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  25. For a minute i thought they were pictures of Chrissie Hynde, Lene Lovich and either Blondie or Lady Gaga.
    I've never done anything with my hair apart from combing it. It was red when i was young, then dark brown and now grey.
    I like a laugh but everyone seems so serious thesedays.
    There are still some jobs that you can walk in and out of depending on the area. I've always been able to get driving work but i'd probably be on the scrapheap without my HGV licence.
    Dave.

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  26. I definitely think you should have snaffled the black wig. Looks really good on you!

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