Ferrets are a common pet here. They’re mostly used for hunting wild rabbits, which are plentiful. The trouble is that occasionally they escape. Since there are plenty of wild rabbits, they do rather well, so we also have a population of wild ferrets. In fact, it’s just been confirmed that La Palma is the island with the highest number of wild ferrets in the Canaries. The scientists say that, “the…
They’ve just switched off the analogue TV here, so of course there’s been a scramble to get digital TV going, in spite of the fact that we were all warned about this months ago. My husband installed an old lady’s Digibox, and told her that the beer and nibbles she provided where payment enough. So she went out and bought us presents. Our son got some underpants. Here’s the fun…
Every year Santa Cruz has a demonstration of living statues, and I believe this year is the fifth year they’ve had them. If you haven’t seen them before, living statues stand perfectly still (or try to!) until you put money in the hat (or whatever), and then they perform. They’re performing along the main street of Santa Cruz, the Calle Real. Everybody calls it “the Calle Real”, but nowhere along…
Untied Shoelaces of the Mind just bought my story “The Circle Line” for their next issue. So that’s me doing the happy dance.
Belmaco cave, Mazo Before the Spanish invasion, Belmaco Cave was the home of the kings of Mazo. The first rock carvings were found in the 18th century, which was the start of archaeology in the Canary Islands. Today, it’s open to the public. The entrance where you pay (€1.50 for a resident adult) is also a handicraft shop. A little farther inside, there’s a small, two-story building housing various artefacts,…
Like several of my writing friends, I find that I sell roughly one story for every ten submissions. The more I submit, the more I sell. The secret to steady sales is lots and lots of submissions. As soon as one market rejects a story, I send it off elsewhere – in theory. If they buy it, they usually want it exclusive for a while, typically 90 days. I wait…