Lawnmower

I was born in the (late) seventies and therefore, a child of the eighties. If it's one thing that remains vivid in my mind, it's the hair. Not so much my own, but that of my older brothers. The seriously thick and lustrous mops they sported on their heads. Affectionately termed 'shags' I believe. Whatever they were, it was certainly a fascinating era for men's hair. And along with the music and the fashion and the cars, it's a fond memory of mine. So from this, a saying stemmed and I haven't thought about it in a long time. But it's one that was bandied around regularly in our household of six boys... all with long and untamed locks. 

Last weekend, the boys were having a rare snuggle on the lounge and I dived for the camera, attempting to capture the magic moment. As I looked through my lens, I couldn't help but notice how obvious their recent (home job) haircuts looked. All fresh and mown back. And it hit me. Any one of my brothers would surely ask if they'd... 'been in a fight with a lawnmower?'. Such a ridiculously bizarre saying. Maybe it's an Aussie thing, maybe it's a seventies/eighties thing. To me, it will always be a brother thing and reflecting on this, I couldn't help but smile.

In a dramatic twist of irony, all six of my brothers are now as bald as badgers. The dastardly baldness gene claimed every one of them by the time they reached their mid thirties. Crying shame.