Haircut

I was tempted to start this blog post with the title ‘aiya-ku’ in case the Professor and Government Minister (see last post) were reading it. I decided on the standard word. We lads all need a haircut and usually once a month. Well, I do. And so it came to pass that A1 and little brother A2 had to be sheared.

I decided they needed a proper cut and not father running the shears over their heads in the manner of sheep shearing! We went to the Vietnamese Centre in the middle of the district where I live. Reason was low price. We met Daniel and went with him to his barber. New experience for me.

The boys had a clear idea about how they wanted a haircut so I translated for them. I liked the result in each case. A1 wanted it a little longer on top and A2 liked his shorter cut with the two lines on the side. It is apparently ‘in’ here!

During the haircuts my mind drifted back to the 1950s and my visits to John Lythe’s barber shop. Yes, in Silsden near the ‘beck’ and what was then the local cinema. The barber shop is still there but of course with new owners. Must pay it a visit when I go there in July!

I always wondered what John L meant when the men paid in the ‘private’ area as you entered and he asked them, “Anything for the weekend, sir?” Most said, “Yes.” It took many years before I realised what this all meant :-))