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4.4.15

A-Z - DESERT & DANCING

D - I am blogging every day this month for the A-Z Challenge. Today's letter is D for DESERT and for DANCING - - -

But first here is my 100 word story for Friday Fictioneers prompted by this photograph on Rochelle's blog - follow the link on my blog list. I have used the letter D as often as I can!
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DUST
 Dust and destruction rained down on the street as Delilah’s father demolished the fire-escape. When she put his supper on the table he sneered, “That’ll stop you sneaking out at night, girl,” before shovelling food past his rotten teeth.

Delilah choked on bile and hatred. It was his sneaking into her room at night that had to stop. Her fist tightened on a knife, but she didn’t want to spend the dregs of her youth in jail.

When he went out, locking the door behind him, she phoned Darren. “Put a mattress in the pickup tonight – I’m going to jump.”
                                       .................................................................................
DESERT Much of the south of Tenerife, where I live, is DESERT - this patch of land is between the airport and the sea.


The expanse of empty land makes our little car look very lonely
Even Tigger wouldn't eat the Barbed Wire plant

There is very little rainfall, even in winter, so cacti proliferate



and on my terrace the plants that flourish best are succulents.


And another D = DANCING
Many groups of native Canarians keep alive the traditional country dances. Once a month a group with its band and singers dances through the streets of our nearest small town and ends with a wonderful display on the Rambla accompanied by traditional instruments and songs.












As long as the children continue to learn the songs and dances the tradition will continue - and I have seen toddlers in infant schools performing the simpler routines.


If you've got this far down, please leave a comment and thanks for reading.

25 comments:

  1. Powerful story, Lizy. I do love the photos, you capture the energy and colour of the Canarians.

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    1. Thanks again, Baggy, and for being one of the chosen few to comment!

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  2. Lizy, as always you have come up with a great 100-word story and well done for keeping it to the theme letter, too.

    I'm learning a lot about Tenerife from this blog. Traditional dances can be great fun to watch and I hope to be in Oxford in a couple of weeks when the Folk Festival is on which attracts morris dancers and clog dancers from around the country. Even when they perform essentially the same dance there are regional variations to observe and of course each has their own costume, too.
    Ann

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    1. I love Morris dancers but have yet to see Clog dancers. Enjoy your festival and thanks for your regular visits.

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  3. Hopefully Delilah will find the courage not to return home this time.

    The procession of musicians and dancers looks like a great sight.

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  4. Great story Lizy, and lovely photos too.

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  5. Love the story.

    Gotta get me a hat. I think it'll work for me.

    Stuart
    www.stuartlennon.com

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  6. A hat like the Canarian dancers, or a Terry Pratchett one to go with the new beard?

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  7. Great short story! Love the desert pictures as well. If you have time you should stop by and check out my D post.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Lisa. On my way!

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  8. So pleased to have found your blog and just had to read through from A to D. Clever piece of fiction and interesting photos from Tenerife. Expect you may be sorry to leave but will always have your writing as a record. Thanks for sharing.
    Anne at http://authorsupport.net on the A to Z Challenge

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    1. How kind of you to say so, Annie, and welcome aboard!
      In some ways I will be sad to leave Tenerife, but the pull of my family is stronger.

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  9. Great story - horrible father - she should shove him out the door or call child services. I hope she doesn't come back! Good tale! Nan :)

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    1. Thanks Nan. Delilah is old enough to leave home for good and go to the police without fear of her father's wrath. Whether she stays with Darren is another matter!

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  10. Dear Liz,

    Despite the Distracting D's, I Delighted in Delilah's realization that Dad wasn't worth Doing time for. Well Done.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

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    1. Dear Rochelle - Did you really find the Ds Distracting? Perhaps if I hadn't mentioned them in advance ...?

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    2. In taking another look I think perhaps I might not have noticed it so much if you hadn't mentioned the D's beforehand. All in all it's pretty clever.

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  11. Good story, Lizy.

    Great pictures for the D blog post. I've always liked cacti. :)

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    1. I never saw the point of cacti (sorry - unintentional pun) until I came here and they were the only things that grew happily on my terrace.

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  12. Great pictures of desert and dancing. The ladies are very colorful!

    Smidgen Snippets & Bits

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    1. Every dress is different but they blend together beautifully. Thanks for dropping in, Paula.

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  13. I love the colorful dresses! :)

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
    MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary

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    1. When the dancers swirl round they spin almost in a circle!

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  14. Poor Delilah! Her dad sounds diabolical.

    The desert looks very desolate.

    And it would be delightful to see the dancers in their debonair costumes!

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    1. Delighted you deigned to drop in on D-Day, d'Nick!

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