The peacock and the peahen

Running into people we know has taken on a slightly surreal air of late. They stand there open mouthed at Him, gasping you are half the man you used to be. Oddly enough it seems to be the men who do it... maybe we just know more of them than women. He of course preens appropriately and basks while one small slave stands there, no slouch on the weight loss stakes, completely eclipsed. It's like being slightly invisible.

This has not been aided by some other features of Mr. Peacock. He looks taller and younger. Everyone says so... and it is true. His wardrobe has also become more colourful... and gods know it takes him longer to get dressed than ever before. It is also interesting to note that sales assistants are starting to flutter around Him, rather than doing the sales assistant duck*.  There is also a lot more hair touching and smiling going on... something one gets a clear view of from the background.

Meanwhile one has become smaller and the clothes shorter, but the colours this season are somewhat sombre. None of this is aiding the feeling of being dowdy by comparison. In fact one calculates that by the end of this process one should no longer be a peahen but a chameleon... capable of blending into almost any background surface. The perfect foil for His peacock...

* The sales assistant duck is a patented avoidance manoeuvre done all over the world when confronted by a customer that you know you can't fit... or you have had run ins with before and have mentally labelled as too much work for too little return.