The last time we were in Tenerife it rained for the best part of two weeks. The two airports had to be shut down, for the first time ever, they said. Howling winds as well. There’s only so much scrabble and gin rummy I can pretend to enjoy. When we went to Corfu we experienced a three day thunder storm with accompanying electrical light display over the water. We’ve had a heat wave in Malta where the locals complain about the heat in the same way we do about the cold. The whole island is lethargic. This though, what we have experienced here in Fuerteventura, is something called a Calima. It’s a sand storm picked up in the Sahara Desert and is carried by high winds to the island. Anyone visiting the Canary Islands will know they are dusty, sand hangs in the air from day to day. The locals are forever wiping dust off the surfaces. This recent one though lasted three days. Tenerife was worse affected where you could see the orange clouds. The sky here went grey. Visibility was poor. The street lights were useless. Cars could only edge slowly along. Grit lived in my eyes. Dust was in my throat and chest. My hair was thick with it. By day three I gave in by not going out. Day four brought clear skies. Lots of people were happy again to sit by the pool. The next topic of drama was Corona virus. If you had a cough or a sore throat we were warned to go to the doctor and/or self isolate. Well , pretty much everybody had a cough after the Calima. Sometimes I think I should just stay at home!
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Caroline Flack has committed suicide is the big news as we leave home bound for Fuerteventura. It’s devastating for her friends and family. Soul destroying. She assaulted her boyfriend with a glass vase, which resulted in him being checked over by medics. From media reports there was a huge police presence after the attack. Th CPS decided to press charges while her boyfriend said he was happy not charging her at all. Much is being said in the press about the CPS’ decision to charge her. It’s all very unfortunate, I agree, but let’s have a look at ourselves, our culture. The police have a difficult line to tow in domestic violence issues. Most are male on female attacks. They must assess danger and harm to life. It can be an open and shut case. Other instances result in the woman being so controlled by fear, she cannot go ahead with the trial. It collapses long before it gets anywhere near a court. In recent years our eyes have been opened to violence against men. Women are the perpetrators of these crimes too. There was a time when that would have been funny. Men are ashamed to show their cuts and bruises. Real men have control of their women. Now things are different. It took long enough for the law to act in domestic abuse against women. It’s now time to stand up and acknowledge domestic abuse whoever the instigator. If the CPS had ignored this incident, would there be such an outcry? I think not, we wouldn’t have heard about it at all. Vulnerable adults must be protected. The CPS are in between a rock and a hard place but we can’t pick and choose the goodie or baddie. Another angle to this is press and media exposure but that’s for another time. |
AuthorI enjoy writing short stories and reading yours. I'm always amazed at where our mind can take us. I think it is therapeutic to let your mind wander off and free itself of personal drudgery. Archives
March 2020
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