Night Time Surfing and the Real Abba Show!

On the 31st, at a surfing corner of the Canteras beach, just 25 minutes from us, there will be night surfing and members of the real Abba putting on a show ...can you believe it? At first I thought it was just an imitation group, like many times before but from what I gather, it is the real Mc Coy! Can't wait...have been humming abba tunes to myself all day...should make for a 'wild' time - there will be plenty of fireworks in more ways than one! Hope the weather improves though - at the moment the islands are fluxing between a yellow and orange alert as they take a storm battering...

Oh and have a read of Ken's blog post which I discovered through Rachel He has a fun write-up on New Year's Eve Snogging memories...how true! Snogging was the big time activity on New Year's Eve after New Year's Eve when I was a disco-goer too...wonder is it the same now....??
What New year's Eve memories stand out for you? And how do you plan to ring in the New Year? Have a great one whatever you decide to do...x

In the Midst of it All

Moroccan Tea Shop in Granada, Spain (Sept. 08)

Ok so a week has gone by of my holidays and I still haven't quite managed to fit in any writing nor weeding! And Christmas lasts forever here in Spain, till the 6th of Jan...the over-indulging is having its toll as cannot manage to have a night-life and a day-life, one rules out the other - and exhaustion sets in! Am I being odd when I say I just want normality to be resumed again but with holidays still in tact?

Writing-wise, I'm looking forward to seeing my poem They Climb Hills in Medjugore, Don't They? in the Jan/Feb. issue of The Shop. And Sun Over a Tree Line will be in NthPosition sometime soon as well.

So how are things holiday-wise and writing-wise or otherwise with you?

Holidays Begin and...

...and am feeling fit to do a hundred and one different things. Love the false energy and euphoria feeling that holidays give...even if it is short-lived! So plans, plans, plans...

I will be writing good-o, says she...(let's see how long that lasts ; ))...lots of tightening up of work to do (ouch!) and submissions to make - it's been an age.

De-junglifying our little farm - weeds have grown so high that it is literally a case of up to one's neck in weeds...the locals have recommended we buy a push-digger/tractor...I can see it all now! Oh and also we need one of those nasty looking weed-slicer machines that one hangs from the shoulders! I have a dodgy feeling about all of this...

Next on the list is a new dog house for Dicko (mad Jack Russell)…he has taken to standing on the roof of his old one and took it a step too far one evening and fell through it! He has also developed a very good line in shivering due to the cold spell we’ve had lately…the more I look at him, the more he stares back and shivers – it’s a sort of mounting shivering that does my head in if I don’t look away – got him a vest but he slips out of it and leaves it in a wet soggy heap in his roofless dog house.

Then there is the small matter of putting our house in order – unsettling dust and de-crustifying fridge shelves etc

The dark evenings will be whiled away in a mix of indulgences – from nice grub to cheery drinks to outings with friends.

And here's to everyone having themselves a merry little christmas.

What plans have you got? Any trips/promises/catching-up on whatever...on the cards...? Reveal all...! ; )

An Avalanche of Facebook

'Tentative 'yikes!''

'Less tentative 'yikes!''

I had absolutely no idea that Facebook was so alive and kicking – believe me, I am exhausted from having taken a real-first tentative step in there…I say real-first as about a year and a half ago or so I signed up there but never bothered to get involved nor do the find friend thingy with my e-mail address book. – it was just laziness I suppose or me thinking – the blog’s the place for me-anyway, I probably still would have been Facebook ignorant of goings-ons if it hadn’t been for a casual comment that Arlene made in an e-mail to me: my time is taken up with Facebook and have a look yourself type of line. (Arlene, on your head be the consequences then ; ))

And good grief, there is a whole world happening in there and here was me, all this time sitting-pretty on my blog thinking, ‘this is it’…it is no exaggeration to say that between finding friends and accepting friendships, I didn’t get to sleep till near 2 am and as for wall-writing I’ve left a few messages here and there but I can see that it is a world apart in there and I have not an inkling as to how to go about keeping up where it will not involve reducing sleeping hours or simply whacking some other aspect of my life on the head and going hell for leather in there…seriously though, it is an overwhelming place and I’m quite excited about exploring its possibilities but 'dear lord' I can see how it might become addictive, people have already warned me about that…so maybe I’ll just take it easy and put my feet up on the Facebook couch with a keep-polishing-the-silver style of participating. : )

Would be interested to hear others reactions to Facebook as I can totally see the fun and keeping-up-with-people joy in it as well as the taking-over element ...How do you find it? How do you use it? What's your opinion of it, in general?

Tag Time

Tag from Sam


Rule 1: Grab the book nearest to you, go to page 56, type the fifth line and
the next two to five lines that follow.

Rule 2: Pick 5 people who love books and who could receive the bookworm
award with honour.


There are no characters in clogs or white starched overalls-it’s not that
kind of outfit.- instead there is Mike who keeps a note in loopy hand-
writing of ‘how you’re getting on’ and you know that if you asked to
take a look, he’d turn over the file and say ‘See, nothing to hide’ show
ing you his palms. There are no secrets here, even during sleep, we tell

in Afternoon Song from Sunday at the Skin Launderette by Kathryn Simmonds

I tag: (while breaking rule 2 ; ))anyone reading who fancies doing it - let me know and I'll go read it.

Trumpet Blowing...Sand Dog

Isn't he a cutie sand-dog...could so easily be the real thing.


Nope, don't have the slightest reason to blow my own trumpet so am showing an angel blow one instead. ; )

Bundles of Letters… Poems by Arlene Ang and Valerie Fox

I have just received this great book published by Texture Press. I’d like to give a non-reviewer type of gut-reaction to both these poets' writings who I have an enormous soft-spot for alongside a breadth of admiration and respect.

Arlene and Valerie are supremely infectious writers and run-away-wild poets. They combine surrealism with the everyday and run-of-the-mill to come up with poem titles and lines that just cannot help but enhance and entrance. Titles such as More Foreplay into Private Parts where Ben Hur, Blue Beard and sitting at the captain’s table come into play to give lines like:

…I allowed
him to board my fishnet mermaids my orangutan
allowed him soft wigs down the hold
allowed him as if we’d never get caught playing
odd tricks and skulls with everyone’s rum bottles

Just arbitrarily picking from the book, I could select equally rewarding lines from just about anywhere. What about a poem title such as: Wonder if You still Look Like Errol Flynn and lines like:

… Yet love might creep into my thoughts like
Flynn, especially those days I stay home and translate
animal code. I want this hour to be more than celluloid,
more than a museum encounter…

I am having a ball just reading this. Awakening in the middle of the night after being bitten by a die-hard mid-winter mosquito will never be the same again…instead of being revengefully on the attack to whack said-mosquito, I reach for the poetry book nearest my hand (Bundles, at the moment) and read myself into the next-of-never…even the mosquito knows when enough is enough and I am left at peace to titter to myself into the night.

Valerie and Arlene have been called…’ latter-day surrealists’ who ‘play wantonly with words, charming us out of and into the everyday….their poems buzz like inspired flies. Emily Dickinson would take delight in them.’

If you want to find out more about Arlene and Valerie, here is a very interesting interview with them where they talk about their writing process and how they collaborate together …and loads more besides.

Bundles of Letters Including A. V and Epsilon can be bought from Amazon or direct from the authors - Valerie
and Arlene

A totally engaging read that will not disappoint and would make a great treat for yourself or for others. Olé!

Kreativ Blogger

The very friendly and creative BFS has delighted me no end by asking me to collect this Kreativ Blogger award. Thanks BFS. : )
The idea behind the award is to get one thinking of the things one values in life and share accordingly six such things - it's a bit tricky to number things one values and to do it without appearing gushy or OTT ; )...but here goes with quite a few jammed in to the one slot and in no significant order!

This goes without saying but my family – Vladi, my husband, who is as special as can be – real humorous and encouraging in all that I do. Aw shucks! Hugs galore for him. My mum and dad, total Trojans and as loving as can be, my three brothers and sis too…some of us live on different continents practically, never mind different countries too – special people all having the independence and courage to seek out their own dream and when we meet it’s dynamite – in a good, energising and explosive way! ; ) And add to that an intriguing and loving mix of nieces and nephews.

Pets – Páidi, Dick and Mr Puss the cat. They all came to us in varying ways – and they sure add to our lives, if at times we could be doing without the extra challenges that one in particular gives (see previous entries on Dick!). Fun and invigorating, what more can a body and soul ask for!

Where I live: in the depth of a valley, surrounded by nature…wild and free type of place – it makes me feel privileged to be able to live here – even if the house is topsy-turvy and left just so for more than the recommended time. ; )

Freedom and time to write – and to be able to do so in peace and quiet whether it is in the dark of night or under the light of dawn. Inspiration when it comes – ideas when they grip hold and shake one all about….yes…love it!

Health – as without this we are totally submerged under – so thankful to be able to live without continuous pain and worry – a hiccup here and there but on the larger scale of things, I am ok (touching wood here). I am so grateful and will never take health for granted.

Friends – offline and online -sharing and laughing – just about makes the world spin round more heartily, with that so wonderfully added extra aplomb and glee.

And in order to spread the word, love and award around, I am hereby awarding the Kreativ Blogger Award to the writers who blog and are slogging it out at the wonderful 'Place of Writers' that is ITWS (Inside the Writers Studio)...for being ultra-creative, humorous and inspiring people...and a special hats off to Rachel who runs the site.