Before we collected Dog from the kennels, we arranged for her to have a wash, trim and brush-up.  She doesn't regard this as a treat, because amongst her many neuroses are water, loud noises and being confined.  She tried to counter the noise of the dryer and then her subsequent confinement in a clean pen by barking constantly - something, fortunately, she never does at home.  When we collected her, the kennel girls and grooming lady looked extremely relieved to  be shot of her. 

Her trims,  however, result in a decidedly youthful appearance that belies here eleven + years.   And this has proved to have some rather positive benefits.  Because when she resorts to her usual bad behaviour out on her walks - like flinging herself at other dogs, jumping up at people in an attempt to frisk them for sweets hidden about their person and disrupting children's ball games by stealing the ball - people invariably say 'Oh, don't tell her off.  She's only a puppy!.  At which point, we mumble something that could have been 'sorry, she should know better' but is usually 'ha ha!, that's a relief - I think we got away with that'.

And noticing how a haircut can knock years off your appearance and get you off the hook after a misdemeanour, I thought I'd give it a go.  So I got me a haircut.   And I think it's already starting to pay off.    The hairdressing appointment dragged on so long I had to run to the car park as my ticket was about to expire.  And the warden was just about to reach for his ticket machine, when I reached the car and explained about my hair appointment over-running.  And he was clearly overwhelmed by the new young me because he didn't give me a ticket, said he liked my haircut, and gave me a cheery wave goodbye. (Look! Don't spoil it by pointing out he wasn't within his rights to issue a ticket or something!)

And when I got home, there was yet more evidence of my return to my youth.     I opened the office door and recoiled - because it looked like a typical teenage bedroom in need of a several-hour long tidy.  Bah! Wasn't quite what I had in mind.  Still, at least I resisted mugging that young child for her Milky Bar.