Carol Naylor's REVIEW it...

As the evening draws to a close And the bubble of excitement finally bursts, Drowsy youngsters, deprived of sleep, Clinging carelessly to parents like limpets All stifling yawns, bleary-eyed, cushioned in sleep, Stumbling outside in the oppressive heat of night. Murmurs of farewells, adieu, barely audible as The curtain of darkness cloaks the world. A sombre parade as families escape to their sanctuaries A peaceful accolade to mark the end of prize-giving!! 2011, Tabuk, KSA. Copyright 2013. Permission must be obtained from the author before this poem is reproduced.

When I imagine living the social life of someone like Charmaine, it's all Champagne parties, Michelin restaurants and five-star hotels. The reality is somewhat more pedestrian. Superficial. Talentless. These are the super egos who can manipulate the individual. Like Charmaine they are territorial and highly competitive. They may have an enviable lifestyle but behind all the glitz and glamour we have superficial characters, without real friends or genuine happiness. They trade off their good looks and media image, over-hyped, of course, pandering to the whims of their management teams and their bank balances and floating on the cloud of ambition at any price. Then there's Ryan, every girls' dream of male perfection and desire. He might be play-acting as Prince Charming, physically toned to make every girl squirm and squeal with delight and lust but is he true to his name? Of course not. He uses Lucy, who swoons whenever she sees him as a way to make Cinderella jealou

  Dark shadows clouded my dreams of the sunny farm bright with geraniums and orange blossom. A valley teeming with murderous snakes guarding the entrance to a place of stones and scorpions.   Most of us can empathise with Chris and Ana for deciding to move to an idyllic but challenging life in the mountains of Andalucia. Isn't it everyone's dream perhaps? Or perhaps that should read nightmare. Chris found his paradise early on in his house-hunting days. La Herradura would have been his first choice but he was discouraged from purchasing it because of complications in multiple owners not wishing to sell. His second choice was El Valero set amongst orange and lemon trees, olives and blossoming almonds. What could be more Spanish or delightful to the eye? A mountain farm, just what he desired. My head was whirling with excitement; wild ideas and dreams pouring in. Once the excitement levelled, he then realised why Pedro Romero was so keen to sell-a dam was going to