Piercings

Paul was up early and went to fetch the caravan while leaving me to sleep.  In the afternoon we took a drive into Rotterdam but unfortunately the traffic was very bad, resulting us running late for an appointment at Laura's Tattoo & Piercing shop.  In the end Paul phoned ahead to let the Laura know that we were on our way.  Just as well because she was running late.

As it was, somebody was being tattooed when we arrived so we had to wait until he was finished so that we could use the tattoo chair which is also used for piercing.  The chap had just finished being tattooed when a woman rushed in, being late for her tattoo appointment.  

The Scotswoman (as it turned out) was due have two small tattoos done after our appointment but because Laura was running late and the woman had an appointment at 5 o'clock we let her go ahead of us - we had plenty of time on our hands.

All she wanted done was 7 little dots on her wrist to represent her grandchildren.  She already had a tattoo on her wrist, the outline of which turned out to be a hummingbird - but I had to ask because I couldn't really make it out.  I tactfully suggested that it would look cute if the if she had a tubular flower added to the tattoo, as if the hummingbird was drinking nectar from the flower. She was quite taken by the idea because I suggested a minimalistic flower tattoo - just as her hummingbird tattoo is minimalistic; and it would just compliment the tattoo.  The woman allowed us to watch her small dot tattoos being done.  She was quite precise about the exact dye colour the she wanted, what location the tattoo had to be (on the heart median of the wrist in relation to pressure points or acupuncture points) and the dots had to be of the correct size.  Fortunately Laura tattooed the dots small and then went larger until they were of the correct size.  The Scotswoman was quite a character and a person who seemed to make life more colourful. 

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT.  DO NOT READ FURTHER IF OF A SQUEAMISH DISPOSITION OR IF YOU WOULD FEEL OFFENDED.

Paul had a couple of piercings done (below the belt line), one after another, and he ended up looking like a porcupine because the Laura prefers to do all the piercings first and then add the metalwork afterwards.

Paul then went on to have two nipple piercings which were very very painful.  His nipples contracted so much that Laura could hardly put the needle through. I had brought some local anaesthetic cream with me that I had got from the pharmacy but he decided not to use it because he believed that the nipple piercings don't tend to be very sore, having read about it on the internet.  Unfortunately for him it was to the contrary.  He now has plasters over his nipples because they are sensitive when his t-shirt rubs the piercings.   

I was a bit nervous about having any more piercings done as one had been incorrectly placed (done by a piercer whose previous profession had been a nurse) and another piercing was rejected.  

Paul explained to Laura what the piercings had originally looked like and she felt that the piercings hadn't been placed properly or had been done wrongly, as was the case of the HCH piercing which still hurt a few months after being done.  Laura took it out because it hadn't been done correctly.   In the end I had two below-the-belt piercings: a Christina and a VCH piercing. Laura was very quick with the piercings and before I knew it, it was all done.  

We both left Laura's shop, walking out looking a little bit like John Wayne.  We managed to limp down the road get some takeaway sushi and walk back to the car.  The the drive home was somewhat interesting because both Paul and I were bit sore 

The sushi dinner that we brought back was absolutely delicious and one of the best sushi meals I have ever had.

PHOTOGRAPHS

DO NOT LOOK FURTHER IF YOU WOULD FEEL OFFENDED.