Abaculus

A couple of nights ago I was talking to a friend about dyed hair, and how my sister wants me to get my hair dyed next time I go to the States. Just know its just a pain - and expensive - to maintain, from past experience. My hair grows a bit too quickly, that the roots are shot almost the next day! Thus why subject yourself to that inconvenience and expense? I don't need to obsess about roots yet, I have yet to encounter a single grey hair and I hope it stays that way for a while.

This caused me to go digging for old photos on my machine, in an attempt to find a photo of me with my hair dyed. Not much choice, but I came up with two, including this one of my friend's wedding:

Firstly, just to entertain you all. I remember saying at the time I wore black to mourn the loss of my friend's independence! My humour can be so so bad at times, and no reflection on the groom whatsoever. A really cool guy, although French he collects Scottish whisky in the same way as other people collect stamps. How could anyone complain?

Just looking at this picture, just set in pangs of regret. I had lost touch with my friend. I used to share a flat with S, and plenty of good memories. S and B then moved to central Paris. D and I spent a week at their flat 10 years ago, and it was rather chic. The last time I saw S was around 7-8 years ago, when I visited her in the UK.

S and B subsequently had twins, and the same week as this happened:

- another friend had a daughter;
- my mother had a major operation - just a few days notice - which required dad and I to get a load of adjustments in place ready for her to come home. Read raised bed, all chairs on stilts, etc. A temporary measure, she was not allowed to bend for a few months. Mum was discharged early, leaving me to pick her up - when I really should have been somewhere else;
- I was moving back to London that week (I had lived in Wales for 4 months because of a RTA in Rome);
- I switched jobs that week;
- I had just got back from the States a few days before;
- my computer broke down and my laptop had to be given back to work (although AtW one).

All this was a cocktail for losing content, including contacts. A nightmare. Storage back then was problematic, remember floppy discs, and how your only webmail was limited to 10mb at Hotmail? External HDDs? Forget it. I still remember that frustration, rather too well and thank goodness for progress!

Anyhow, it never rains but it pours. Did I mention I was still on crutches at this time, and on the same flip of a coin expected to push a wheelchair, and attempt to move my mum! Crazy.

At that time my friends were living in Istanbul, but were talking about moving back to (a new place) in Paris, so I now didn't have a current address. Years went by, and I was sad that we'd lost touch. I was hoping my friend would show up at a mutual friend's wedding, but I ended up not going (it was the day after C had died in a RTA). Turns out my friend had lost touch too. This is what happens when people have babies.

Enough of explaining how much life can be a disaster(!), and those pesky everyday things getting in the way, of things that are really important! Last Christmas, I found an old address book which had my friend's parents address in there, so I decided to chance it and hope we'd get back in touch. I didn't get a reply, and only a couple of months ago, two mutual friends were talking about how to get in touch with.

Fast forward to today. I got a card through the post, and I recognised the handwriting on the envelope immediately. I didn't even need to look at the French stamp, that came after. "We were thrilled to get your Christmas card last Christmas - but then I promptly lost it and all your contact details ... Do your parents still live at this address? Its my only hope to get back in touch with you ......"

I cannot tell you how pleased I am. I've now got their (now) French address, plus x2 e mail addresses. This is all rather strange, as letters seem so antique but lends to authenticity, the way you find only old friends these days, is via pesky social network sites such as Facebook! Letters and cards are so much cooler.

This quaint reintroduction, has to be the best New Year's present, and a really good note to start 2008 on.