A bit girly?

When I was younger I had an aunt who, almost every time she saw me, would proclaim, Oh,I’ve come over a little queer. I didn’t know, then,  that she was describing her state of mind not me! Nevertheless, Aunty Queer, as she became known, to me at least, had more foresight than I thought possible in such a dreary, little dumpling.

What would Aunty Queer make of me and my new  bracelet and bangles? I’ve been told more times than I care to forget, You have nice hands, lovely fingers, dainty wrists (never limp though). Why not put to good use the one part of my anatomy to ever attract compliments. Your baldness really suits you, it draws attention away from your thick neck? That muffin top waistline is sooo becoming? Those missing teeth - very cool?

I was in Brisbane for the APT6 exhibition so, as is my natural instinct, I went shopping in the Queensland Art Gallery shop. The red leather bangles I found are made from recycled cricket balls and are in sets of six. An intentional reference, I wonder.  As cricket is the only sport I have ever understood and liked ( alright, the Tour de France too for Andy Schleck and French scenery), the tastefully mutilated balls screamed, Buy me!

One wrist done, one to go. I wanted something different, but complementary, to adorn my remaining naked wrist. The Shopping Goddess smiled and led me to a corner of the local street market and bracelets galore. (We’re not talking Bracelets R Us or Bracelet World or Mr Bracelets here, oh no.) Bracelets lovingly created a mane by an artist, not those tawdry shiny things stamped out in their thousands. There were bracelets of little plastic strawberries and other fruits, red buttons, green butttons, pink buttons … . mmm, pink buttons on my wrist, very tempting, very girly … and then I spotted them, the bracelet with yellow buttons. Being so understated, this was me. Perhaps move on to pink when I’m more adventurous, more girly.