"You Look Amazing!"

Judith and I were at the Cartoon Museum yesterday evening, at the launch event for the new exhibition on Children's Animation (we are paid up supporters of the Museum, so receive invitations to these events as a matter of routine). Inevitably, it was too crowded for us to view the exhibition properly, at least until the media types who'd come along to swig free wine and be seen by their fellow media types began to thin out; then we had an enjoyable time re-acquainting ourselves with Noggin The Nog and The Clangers (the exhibition has a complete diorama, with all the puppets and models), and confronting for the first time Bob The Builder and Peppa Pig (which by comparison with Noggin look very pale and uninteresting, but perhaps that's just childhood nostalgia talking). Anyway, as we were gathering ourselves to leave we -- or at least I -- was suddenly accosted by two women, one very sharp and attractive in black and the other more nondescript. "You look amazing!" said the sharp and attractive one. "What hair dye do you use? Where did you get your shoes?"

Then she unleashed the kicker: she was looking for a second husband.

I hastily introduced Judith -- "Your friend?" "My wife" -- and the conversation reverted to my hair colouring and my shoes. I could satisfy them as to the identity of the former (L'Oreal intense dark red), but as the shoes (white cork-soled sandals with flower detail on the cross-strap) were bought in a charity shop I could only say that I didn't know the name of their manufacturer. (For the record, I was also wearing a pleated grey denim mini-skirt and a pair of big dangly ear-rings: half-moons with chain loops. In other words, pretty much what I usually wear, to work or anywhere else.)

They took my picture. Then we left. I think that's the first time I have ever been quite so brazenly propositioned....