BeauD,

That description is what I was lamely trying to say about my tough union rep friend, but your way with words is just amazing: "The face that stared back at me from the mirror was that of a total stranger. It was pale and fleshy, and had the sort of vaguely surprised, deer-in-the-onrushing-headlights look that one normally associates with the formally living."

The other problem in places like Oz is that the unbearded part of the face is usually mildly to majorly suntanned, (depending on the time of year and on how much the person spends outdoors) so when a man shaves off his beard the previously bearded section looks pale and baby-faced because it has been protected from the sun for a number of years.

Helen