Red

Been threatening to do it for a while, but finally reached for the pot of directions this morning, that's been skulking at the back of the bathroom cupboard for 2 years now, with blazing results. Pity the colour will soon fade though, the roots begin to intrude, as I think it's fab just as it is – even getting used to the vaguely greenish tinge it brings out in my complexion! Tentatively considered going for a fringe (Rosie's suggestion) to complete the transformation, but think it'll make me look like I'm wearing a wig. Talk about excessive vanity? Might finally get that tattoo I've been meaning to.... The things we do to get over a relationship, hey? Extreme measures to leave the past behind and make a fresh start.

Wendy says it's something to do with Saturn returning, but actually, it's just me trying to deal with being dumped, and attempting to claw back some kind of sense of self-worth and autonomy. That and being 40 – terrified of slipping into singledom obscurity! Was like a right bloodbath washing it off, and all I could think of at the time was how I'd only just cleaned everything the previous day. Typical. As I'd neglected to put some Vaseline on my forehead to prevent staining, I ended up having to scrub the tell-tale red dye off with Jiff, and an extremely abrasive scouring pad (bet the L'Oreal hair models never have to resort to such desperate measures).

Gave Hilary something to laugh at though. She'd come round for lunch and a natter, with me getting progressively colder and colder, sat there in our heatless house, with wet hair under plastic wraps for hours on end, so as to maximise the colour penetration (at least, that was the logic behind such a prolonged exposure, but it probably made no difference whatsoever). So she was there for the grand unveiling as it were, and was suitably impressed. She'd also brought me some flowers, as an apology for having inadvertently given me such a hard time of late. Love it when people give me flowers – probably because it doesn't happen very often. Bought myself a pot of miniature roses from Lidls yesterday as a cheer-me-up, and an antidote to Valentine's day.

Rosie heard me practising my Tequila poem that I'm hoping to perform at the Acorn on Weds, late the other night, and thought I was arguing with someone. Embarrassing. Hopefully I'll be able to have an impromptu slot down in the bar at interval or something, and will have memorised it sufficiently to pull it off in spite of the nerves. Watch this space.

So apart from my make-over, and visits from Hilary, and later Wendy, my day was spent on the phone ringing up people to ask about bullying in schools, and then writing a 500 word piece, as per instructions, for the Features option h/work. Not sure if what I've come up with qualifies as a feature, but I was pleased with how I could so confidently contact people out of the blue, ask them questions, and respond accordingly. An essential investigative reporter skill I guess, and I'm glad that's one thing I can do relatively easily. Looking forward to the class tomorrow, and to meeting the tutor – hope he's ok about having me join a week late, and that no-one else in the group minds as well.

And pleased that I made the effort to go to choir tonight, as there was a special voice teacher taking the session, and I could feel that I really benefited from the relaxation part of the workshop, as well as the handy hints for improving singing technique. Turned down an invitation to go for a drink after as thought I'd better go home to my delightful off-spring – Rosie'd skived off choir, citing the excessive cold as her excuse, while Billy and Lucy were in a boisterous mood, no doubt because they'd done another actor factor stint today (far too much excitement).

The plan was to have done some further Amazon research for the non-fiction class tonight, but I got carried away checking the course noticeboard, and my emails, as well as browsing on myspace to see the latest Pondlife news (http://www.myspace.com/pondlifeska if anyone's interested?) The site makes us look much more professional, and better than we are which is kinda scary. Strange looking at the slide show/photo gallery – especially the one's of Graham (sigh). Anyway, early start and lots to do tomorrow...just for a change!