A CUT ABOVE

There are a number of hairdressers in Blairgowrie but having followed Jean's advice I booked into A Cut Above, having already discarded Curl Up 'N Dye on the basis that its name did not exactly engender any confidence in me or the state in which I might leave their establishment.

When I went in to make the booking, and explained that I only wanted a tint and that I had the colour formula the manageress immediately asked to see it so she could check she had all the dyes required to get me 'just right'. After some slightly unnerving scrabbling around under the Reception counter, she declared they were all in stock and that Margaret Ann could 'do me' at 11.00am on Friday.

A Cut Above is probably the smallest hair salon I have ever seen but it manages to squash in almost a dozen chairs and on both occasions when I visited, it was packed with local ladies being pruned, primed and permed which I took as a good sign. Although Jean has her hair cut here, and very nicely too, I decided I would not risk such an endeavour and anyway, as it's getting so cold here, I consider that I need all the hair possible on my head right now.

After Margaret Ann had slapped colour all over my roots, I was escorted into the main area of the salon and seated in front of a rather old-fashioned looking basin. I looked around and was a little perturbed to see quite a few blu-ish rinses and hoped they had got my formula right. There was also some heavy use of hair spray and one lady being styled into a 1950s bob with a flick curl all around the collar line - truly, I did not know anyone wore hair like that any more. Perhaps it's making a comeback and Blairgowrie is setting the trend.

For the next 30 minutes I tried to read my book, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte (silly title, her diaries are hardly secret once published for anyone to read, now are they?) but was distracted by the snippets of conversation going on around me.

"I think they've lifted a wee bit as time's gone on"

"We're going away until this side of January"

"He's got a wee display in the window"

"He thought he had swine flu but then he picked up"

"Is it falling down at the front? Hair seems to do that sometimes"

"I think this looks better than grey"

"He's not doing too well. He's had a double bypass"

"It's only once a year isn't it, thank goodness. It's all madness"

The apprentice came over and asked me, "Do you normally have a front or a back wash?"

"Sorry?" I said, almighty confused.

"Do you have a front or a back wash normally?" She asked again, this time nodding to the basin in front of me.

"Ah .... back wash," I said, though whether this was the right answer I'm not sure. I had to lean so far back I nearly slid off the chair.

Margaret Ann then insisted on blow-drying my hair, which as the temperature was registering -4.5 when I arrived was probably a good idea, and with relief I saw not one hint of blue in the final result. Although I don't know that the curly bits at the back are quite me, if you know what I mean.....