DECEMBER 27 - 4 DAYS TO GO!

Yes, there's only another four days to go, and then I can finally shave!

In a way, I'll be quite sad to get rid of my big pink beard, but I think it's by far time that it came off. I suppose it's 5 months that I've been bearded, and I really will notice a huge difference shaven - especially as it's a little cold out!
I'll collect the last of the donations tomorrow, and deposit them into my Primhe account - I'm sure we've collected over £1,000, and hopefully I'll have a chance to meet up with Chris Manning, the Primhe CEO before I shave.

For those of you visiting the blog for the first time, here's a little info, so that you don't have to scroll down too far...

Primhe is a charity providing primary mental healthcare and education for those who suffer from mental illnesses and depression. To help, you can either donate at:
the Real Ale shop, 371 Richmond Road, Twickenham (where I work),
the Old Anchor, also on Richmond Road (my local pub), or
the Rifleman, 4th Cross Road, Twickenham (where I used to work).
Donations can also be made through the Primhe website, at
www.primhe.org

Thanks again to all those who have helped - I hope you all had wonderful Christmasses, and wish you all the best for the New Year.

DECEMBER 25 - BUON NATALE!

Merry Christmas to all who have donated to Primhe whilst I've been magenta, and also to those who have helped me during this period, or visited the blog.

I'm fairly confident that we've managed to reach the £1,000 mark!

I'll keep on raising money and being magenta through till New Year's Day, and then take drastic action to alter my appearance. Apparently I was featured in an article in the Richmond Guardian, but have been unable to get my greedy little fingers onto a copy, otherwise it would have been scanned and posted on the blog by now.

Once again, Merry Christmas, blogfans - one and all!

[pictures to follow]

DECEMBER 22 - COMEDY

Oh, and by the way, blogfans, at the Bearcat Comedy Club, not one of the four comedians said a thing about my pinkness!

DECEMBER 22 - SNOWMEN

Yesterday as I was walking in Twickenham, buying a few presents, two little girls dressed as snowmen accosted me, and asked me for money for charity. Whisking back my wooly hat to reveal my flowing pink locks, I told them that all my charity donations this year would be given to Primhe.
"I've dyed my hair & beard to raise money for them for two months". I said. To which one of the girls replied, "What, are you stupid?"
What a delightful child.

DECEMBER 18 - STAND UP

Well, I'm confident that we've reached the £900 mark!
Thanks so much to all donators.
Tomorrow I'm off to the Bear Cat Comedy Club in St Margarets to see Omid Djalili. I'm expecting to bear the brunt of comedy ridicule, but I think if I can heckle back loud and long enough, I might just get my own TV series...
In the next few days I hope to post some new photos: some of me going back to my days training to be an army officer and testing out British "Disruptive Pattern Material" whilst pink-bearded, and another of me as a pink Fidel Castro.
Watch this space, blogfans!

DECEMBER 11 - LUNCH WITH THE RAKES

Hello blogfans,

I had a delicious lunch yesterday with the Rake Society, at Harry Lester's fantastic 'Anchor and Hope' restaurant on the Cut, Waterloo.

We went for drinks afterwards at the Oxford & Cambridge Club, so I had to wear a jacket and tie to get in. I think I'm pretty used to walking around now with a big pink beard, without getting too self-conscious, but that changes greatly with a suit and tie! At least when I'm wearing normal clothes I look a little more normal, but with a suit and pink beard, the contrast is more noticeable.

I had wanted to get some photos taken of me at the O&C Club, with old members "Harrumph"ing in the background. The expressions on the faces of some of the old geezers were priceless - I found it hard not to laugh out loud. The look of disbelief on the face of one guy displayed his complete inner mental turmoil "Egads, that young lady has a beard!"

Fundraising is going well - I think we've raised about £850 this far - thank you to you all!

Once again, the money is going to Primhe, a mental health charity who provide primary healthcare and education for people with mental illnesses and Depression. The Primhe website is at: www.Primhe.org and there is a page in their site where you can donate directly to the charity, and even donate with Gift Aid, so that Primhe can claim back 28p from the Inland Revenue for every £1.00 donated.

DECEMBER 4 - I'M BACK!

Hello blogfans!
I've not posted for a little while, because I've been away! I went up to Glasgow on Sunday night, for a surprise visit. My brother's at university there, so I decided that I'd go & see him before the Christmas rush at the shop gets too inescapable.
Glasgow is great. Life there isn't as cotton-wool-wrapped as down here in Twickenham, and people just get on & do things - hardly anyone commented or seemed to notice my hair & beard! I met some very interesting people, nonetheless.
I'd had my beard re-dyed on the Friday, so I'm not as pale as before.
I'm just writing this as I'm drying before work, so I'm only writing a little, just to say "Hello, I'm still here, and haven't been beaten up yet." And that I'm still magenta. I'll transform this into a real proper post this evening when I get back from work, and sit down in front of my "Vic Reeves Big Night Out" DVD.
Until then... Here's a "Before & After" shot...