Gross dreams

Last night I dreamed I spat a huge slug out of my mouth.

That is positively the last time I go to bed without brushing my teeth!

But one of the advantages of being a writer is that sometimes I get paid for my nightmares.

Carnival

Yay! It's carnival, and I get sometime off for fun. (Actually I had to take time off work, because my son's off school, but I felt overdue for a break anyway.)

So the house is a little tidier, and I've finally sent off photos I promised to send weeks ago, and I've mended stuff that's been broken for over a month. And I got to see the kids' parade and the big Los Indianos parade (see the blog about La Palma.) On Thursday my friends come back from El Hierro, and they're taking my son to their house overnight so I can work Thursday and Friday. They're even bringing him back on Friday afternoon, and then we're all going to the sardine's funeral together.

That's right. Carnival ends with a funeral for a sardine. It's totally mad and I love it. (More details here.)

Surprise!

I set up Google alerts to let me know when my name appears on the web. Mostly I get to hear about other Sheila Crosbys, but occasionally I find reviews of my stories that I didn't know about, and just once, someone who'd reprinted a whole story, including the "Original fiction exclusive to Cosmos Online" bit at the top. (They took it down when I asked).

I was very surprised to find my name in an Indian newspaper, and even more surprised to find out that, yes, it's me. The columnist liked the comment I left on the Facebook group of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women. Since it's the only comment quoted, and goes right at the end where it's going to get noticed, I'm very flattered.

Knickers to them!

On January 24th, a group of women were having a peaceful drink in a bar in Mangalore, and they were attacked by a group of 40 men for being "unIndian". See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7852837.stm. Big heroes NOT!

They're members of a group called Sri Ram Sena, who see themselves as self-appointed guardians, "preserving Indian culture and moral values." Their leader, Pramod Mutalik, said, "What my men did was right. The media is using this small incident to malign the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government in the state."

He's entitled to his views, of course. He's not entitled to encourage thugs to beat up women. And he's threatening a repeat performance for couples on Valentine's day. (The Sri Ram Sena also have a bee in their bonnet about Valentine's day, because it's western.)

Something snapped. A group of Indian women organised a truly creative, non-violent protest. They formed a Facebook group of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women, and they're sending pink knickers to Mr. Muthalik on Valentine's day. I really hope someone gets a photo of his postbag.

http://thepinkchaddicampaign.blogspot.com/

If you want to join in, here's the postal address:
From: The Pink Chaddi Campaign,
To: Pramod Muthalik,
Sri Rama Sene Office
No. 11, Behind new bus stand,
Gokhul road,
Lakshmi park,
Hubli - Karnataka

Coochi-coo!

It's a good thing I love La Palma, because I get off the island once or twice a year. But last weekend was my great nephew's baptism, and we hadn't even seen him. So, although we absolutely didn't have the time, we went to Tenerife for the weekend.

Getting up at 4:30 am for the 6am ferry was a killer, but we had a great time. We stayed in a really nice hotel in Guimar (the Casona Santo Domingo I recommend it), saw family, saw the pyramids, and met the baby (isn't he gorgeous?). best of all, we actually had time to talk to each other.

Of course the catch is that we never did all the domestic stuff we usually do over a weekend. The laundry baskets are overflowing even though the sheets haven't been changed. The blogs haven't been updated. There is no home-made stew in the freezer.

It was worth it.

Yoga update

I can touch my toes for the first time for at least ten years. I never thought to take measurements when I started yoga, but I seem to remember I was at least 10 cm away from my toes.

A trip to Puntagorda

Yesterday I left my fellers and sneaked off to Puntagorda to photograph almond blossom. As usual, I felt as though I'd bunked off school. I've seen better years - I think the wind and rain got there before me. But for all that, it was still gorgeous.

I stayed until sunset. Living on the eastern side of the island means I get to enjoy a sunrise every day (provided I get up in time) but sunsets are a rare treat.

And then I had to drive home in the dark, but it was worth it.