Headlice, Half a Haircut and a Trip to the Chemist

Shared by - Michael Trussler

We lived round the corner in Langley Road, opposite the school, so trekking round the corner and up Ashley road was a daily occurrence. Sometimes we would haul up Becher Road, taking care not to go near the overgrown and terrifying number 27 !

Just by there is number 17 Ashley Road - in the late 70s it was Janice who would cut my hair there, and she seems to have had the place fully in 1984 !

One fateful day I jumped up into the chair, probably with the booster panel installed and she began cutting, chatting away with my mum while I pulled stupid faces at myself in the mirror, as JPS smoke wafted across the scene. She got one side done, then stopped - horror !! I was infested with headlice ! (*and the eggs !)

She wouldn't continue and we had to leave the shop with half my hair cropped closer than was the fashion then, and half of it flopping around over my eyes, and we hot-footed it to the 'chemist', which smelled like a chemist should do, where we got the toxic sludge with a scary name and went home and I got it poured and rubbed into me.

It would have been in a large metal bathtub, using a thick art deco drinking glass to tip over my head, then shuddering against the cold, perch in front of the coal fire wrapped in a thin towel while Nationwide played out next to me.

Dad came home from work covered in paint and we possibly ate liver and bacon. I think I got the other half of my hair cut after school the following day :)

Thanks, Janice - and sorry ! I blame John Trent for no other reason than his is the first name that came to mind.