I hate having my photograph taken. I’m always the one at social gatherings who pulls funny faces or hides behind the nearest pillar (see my classic fish-face, left<-).
So it was a strange experience to be photographed on the steps of the Welsh Assembly building on a sunny Bank Holiday Saturday, being gawped at by hordes of passers-by.
The MS Society is writing up my experiences in work for their magazine and unfortunately they want my mug-shot next to the article. There was no escaping it. The best thing about the day was the photographer, Eiona, a Twitter friend I hadn’t yet met in the real world. The worst thing was my round face. The Teenager doesn’t call me The Chubster for nothing. Personally, I blame the steroids.
Anyway, we had lunch and a natter first plus a cheeky glass of wine to steady the nerves. I badgered Eiona to pull out every Photoshop trick in the book – make me drop two three stone, sculpt some cheekbones, add eyeliner (dodgy hands won’t let me anywhere near the stuff) and generally make me into a passable Kate Moss lookalike.
There was no putting it off any longer. Luckily I only had to stand on the steps, looking into the distance. Thinking serious thoughts (how can I get rid of the slugs in my garden?) I struck a pose. People stared. They were no doubt thinking, ‘who on earth is that chubby-faced woman being photographed – didn’t she play a corpse in Casualty?’
It actually went very well. I had chosen my Sara Lund jumper to wear, hoping to channel some Nordic gloominess and before long. it was a wrap and I was back home, making the most of the peace and quiet as The Teenager was away. After dinner, I noticed my exercise kettlebell staring at me accusingly. It does make a lovely door stop, but maybe I should pick the thing up now and again…