I look like…

Idly wasting time whilst we wait in the car for the end of my son’s concert band practice, my daughter decides to root through my handbag. Her first aim is to play on my phone. When I refuse this (any number of telephony disasters could have occurred) she just proceeds to empty out more of my belongings.

Note to self: should – personally – filter through handbag more often

She finds my glasses and, as you would expect of any curious child, she tries them on. I remember doing the same with my own parents’ specs, and as I watched my daughter all I could hear was my mother telling me I would damage my eyes if I wore her glasses.

Would I? Really? Is that a myth, or a fact? I can appreciate that wearing them for any length of time and my eyes would adapt to them… thus ruining otherwise perfect vision. But how long is too long?

Anyway, I restrained myself from getting edgy with my daughter and just looked at her. Everyone says that she looks like me, so I suspected this was my best chance to see what I look like to others.

“I look like E,” she said (referring to her best friend who wears glasses). “Or the blind woman.”

Blind woman?

The only blind woman we both know has recently got a guide dog, and her glasses don’t look anything like mine. They are considerably larger, tortoiseshell and the lenses are a lot thicker. After all, she’s blind. I’m merely ageing.

“You know, mum. The blind woman. From The Voice.”

Ah! It all makes sense, though quite where she dragged that memory from I’ll never know. So maybe I look a little like Andrea Begley. If only I could sing like her as well…