The comments on yesterday’s post seemed more concerned with my sunburn than my ugly glasses. I hadn’t noticed the sunburn so I took another look at the photo. I don’t think it is sunburn; I’m sure I would have remembered because I’m careful about being out in the sun i.e. I never am, if I can help it; and I always cover up.
My reluctance to be outside stems from my first year in South Africa. I had a day at the Vaal River, and I came back looking like a tomato sauce flavoured gingerbread man. As a child, I went golden brown in the sun; at nineteen, I looked like someone had peeled the flesh from my body and toasted it. I spent four days in bed, imitating Leonardo Da Vinci’s illustration and begging for death.
My mother tried to help, advising me to take baths as hot as I could stand, because that was a sure way to kill sunburn – heat my body even more. There may even have been a point during my delirium when mother dear slathered me in butter. I’m surprised I wasn’t hospitalised. An interesting sidebar: did you know that old wives’ tales won’t necessarily make you better and may, in fact, prolong your agony, no matter how well-intentioned your bonkers mother may be? Lucky for her I didn’t feel the need to step on a crack and break her back.
I never went out in the sun again without hat, lotion and a skin covering of some sort. I think my pink arms in the photo are caused by the sun shining through the overhead canopy, under which, you will note, I am carefully sitting, legs pointedly in the shade. Look at my legs: they give milk a bad name. At this point I had been living in South Africa for about five years, and I look like I just stepped off the boat. I was in South Africa for fourteen years altogether, and I never once had a tan.
Check the woman to my right: she is also pink, especially her hair.
I thank you all for your concern; it is much appreciated. Once again, I can only apologise for the glasses. Now there’s something that should have burned.
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The Laughing Housewife 
Now I could have understood it if your mother had plunged you into a bath of iced water for as long as you could stand it. Your suffering would have been reduced by a factor of 10!
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Poor Mum. She meant well, and she was an intelligent woman, but…
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*LOL* You are always such a great part of my morning! I literally laugh out loud. You have a way with words, Ms Tilly Bud…thank you for sharing your unique self.
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Thanks Ann. I like reading your blog, too, but I can’t comment. I don’t know why.
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Way to evolve one post into another!
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Thanks! It’s a speciality of mine…because it beats thinking up new ideas 🙂
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I have a photo of myself wearing big giant glasses like that, but they were not sunglasses. I think it was the style back then which is why we should avoid fashion. I also wore mini-skirts and muu-muus. Seems I had to try everything.
As for sunburn, I have never had a good tan but I have had skin cancer twice from trying to get one. Just a word to the wise.
I too have milky skin. We must be descended from princesses or something?
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Or coconuts 🙂
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True, red tent perhaps. See how much we love you?
As for the glasses, which you seem to want us to scald you for, I don’t think they’re so bad. Remember, everything old is new again. Once we get over this “Sarah Palin” narrow rectangle eye glasses look, I bet those big Sophia Loren glasses will be back. You just may have to wait another decade or so to haul that picture out and say “See what a fashion visionary I was?”
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I do see how much you love me. 😀 Thanks 😀 😀 😀
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Elly, hated wearing glasses like those, she called them Deirdre Barlow glasses. Like scratchy dresses, I am never allowed forget them.
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Yes, I call them that, as well. I hate them.
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Your sunburn story made me feel like I had a sunburn right now! And to butter and hot showers as a sunburn cure, I say AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
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My first thought when I saw your title Feel the Burn was oh, Tilly Bud is doing Jane Fonda’s aerobic exercise, I don’t know why, but Jane Fonda is where my mind went. Your Maman seemed to have learned the agony inducing old wives tales, there are some good ones, just not for sunburns. Staying out of the sun is the best thing for you. I know. I had a nasty bout of skin cancer, the non terminal kind so that’s good, but still icky. Au naturel is quite lovely.
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That’s where it came from. Exercise and sunburn – two sides of the same horrible coin.
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You look pretty “hot” in that picture.
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Big Al – he giveth with one hand and taketh away with the other 😀
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I turned ruby red once, think I was nine. My mother tried Noxema to cool the burn. Caked on and I think was one of the reasons I won a ribbon for the best decorated bike in our town’s 4th of July parade. Like you I never went to beach again without protection. Have much nicer skin then I sun bathing friends.
PS. I happen to love those great big glasses. Audrey Hepburn you know.
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I once had her figure, you know 😉
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What have you got against those glasses? I found a not dissimilar pair and the Daughter (who normally scorns my cast offs) pounced on them. They must have been sufficiently old. They look great on her.
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They are HORRIBLE.
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I hate sunburn. It gets in the way of my enjoyment of very expensive holidays….so just like you, I slap on the lotion and grab a hat…
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I think Jennifer Lopez wears the same sunglasses, so you’d still be very stylish today. I see kids today wearing what I used to wear when I was a teenager and thought I looked so cool. Skinny jeans, anyone? Gosh, those are so darn ugly!
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Skinny jeans! I love them! I wore mine to death. Several times.
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It’s so cold today it has been nice, almost, to consider sunburn.
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When I was a child the ritual of getting burnt every Summer meant several nights of being unable to lie down in bed comfortably and a subsequent peeling session during which whole long strips of skin could be peeled off. Then there was the suntan lition: Ambre Solaire which was like basting fat, with no protection. Crikey – what damage was done! I believe it it the damage before 5 which is a high predictor of later skin problems. Watch this space? We lived in SA when I was a pre-schooler
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Really? Where?
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I never noticed the so-called sunburn. The glasses though are au courant! 🙂
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People keep saying that. I don’t understand why. They are awful.
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A little touch of sun is a lovely feeling but sunburn is too awful, especially behind the knees! Ouch
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That’s a nasty one 😦
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I think it is light filtering through a red beach umbrella or gazebo which is making your skin look red. The other lady also has some “redness” on her arm.
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I think you are right.
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